Sunday "Do-Box" - Apostles

The next addition to the box.  These are super versatile, we use them for matching, go fish, don't eat pete, you name it.  Malachi can play with them on his own or with us.  We also have cards that have the names of the apostles on, for later when he can read them.  He holds them up and we tell him the names.  He's gotten to the point now that if I tell him the first name, he knows the rest (I say "Henry" and he says "B. Eyring").







I just downloaded the pictures off the lds.org website, printed, laminated, and Bob's your uncle.

Free itunes card

That's right,
$25 free itunes card.
Click here to go in the draw....and help me to win too!!

Who gives out presents on their birthday.....crazy people.....

Family Tree template

So people have asked about a template for the family tree. Unfortunately, there isn't one, not if you wanna do it the way I did with siblings and nieces/nephews etc.  If you just wanna do a generational tree with grandparents then there are tons of templates.  So I googled for templates and found this one that i liked the look of.  Then in word i drew up the amount of circles I'd need (it'll be different for everyone, depending on how many siblings etc you have), and then in paint i painted the tree outline, put them together and then there was my family tree.
Sorry there isn't an easy answer, it does require a bit of fiddley work.  But totally worth it.

Sunday ''Do-Box'' - Family Tree

So for a while I've been feeling like Sunday is a "Don't" day for us - all I'm ever saying to Malachi is "no, we don't do that on Sunday" (riding bikes, going to the pool, watching TV) etc.  And I didn't want Sunday to turn into something Malachi dreads.  So after looking at a couple of blogs I came up with the idea to make a Sunday Do-Box - a box of really cool, fun things that Malachi CAN do on sundays.  To make them extra special they can only be done on Sunday's, so that he'll look forward to the sabath to do all the stuff in his box.  I bounced ideas off my Mum and it's all slowly coming together.  I'll update as things get added in.

First completed was the family tree.

This took a bit of time and organising, but so, so worth it!  There's a big one that we keep on the wall at home and a smaller one for Malachi to take to church (to replace the 30 cars he usually plays with in sacrament meeting).  There's a space for all the faces, that have velcro on the back and Malachi has to put them all in the right place.










This has been a huge sucess for more then one reason.  It takes him a good 15minutes to do, and as he goes he says everyone's names (My favourite is when he says "Uncle Huuuuuubit") and who they are (Mummy's sister, Daddy's Mummy, Aunty Jessie's children etc).  Before doing this I had never seen what Tui's grandfather's looked like, so that was cool for me.  And Malachi now gets to see that his family is bigger then the ones he sees here. And Vili stands there for ages looking at it, gooing and gaaaing and pointing to people. It's so sweet.  We're gunna be together for eternity, might as well get started learning everyone's names now!

T-minus 4 weeks.....uggggg.....

So the last month of training has been bleh.  I had my cousin come stay and didn't run at all that week because we were so busy.  And then it was the wrong time of the month to be running, and by then, not running for 2 weeks, my cardio dropped  and made running harder (it's like biking up a hill, the second you stop peddaling, you don't stay still, you roll backwards), and then the weather got colder, and thus I got less and less motivated and since then I really have not been running as far or as often as I should.  I've also been having issues with sports bra's and chaffing and now an ankle that isn't right, and it is just sooooooooo cold outside!  But it's all booked and paid for so I'm in it to win it, or lose it I guess.  I think I've started dreading running, feeling like I HAVE  to, and I've lost the drive and motivation that's so important.  When I'm meant to be doing a long run I get to a certain point and I'm just like "I'm bored! I'm going to stop now."  And now my SIL isn't running it anymore coz she's fractured her ankle and so I don't have that push from her, and I've started making excuses for myself again.  It's just a bad place to be in 4 weeks out from the event.
But.
I decided yesterday that I've come too far to let myself stop now.  I've invested too much time and money to just be bleh about it.  (Plus if i stop running I'll have to cut back all the junk I can eat without gaining weight, and I DEFIANTELY don't want to do that!)  So I've recommited to do ALL of my runs for the next 4 weeks.  Even if I walk part of them, I'm going to finish them. I'm going to start physio tomorrow to make sure my ankle is ok.  I think I've sussed the sports bra and chaffing issue.  So no more excuses.  If the 300lb people on The Biggest Loser can run a half marathon then by golly, so can I!

T-minus 4 weeks.....

Arrrrrhhhhh me harty......

Today we went to party planet.  It's this place that you can hire out for birthday parties, but on cetain days you can just go in and play.  It costs something ridiculous like $13 per kid, but I got a coupon, 3 for the price of 1, so not so bad.  Man was it awesome! On one side is the pirate room, with a full sized pirate ship, with ladders to climb up, slides coming down, a plank (which vili was continueously trying to walk - surely your life isn't that bad kid!), tunnels underneath to go under the deck and see skeletons and treasure and stuff.  There's a sand pit and balls an all sorts of other stuff.  And there is a stack of pirate costumes for the kids to wear.  On the other side of the place is the fairy room, with trees and flowers everywhere, real life stuff made by the same people that do the props for LOTR.  There's a fairy tree house that you climb inside and come up the top and down the slide.  If you wanted to spend the money, it would be an awesome place for a birthday.  But for us it was just a great day of fun inside on a winters day.

All dressed up in their pirate costumes.












Vili would only tollerate a hat, and only for 30 seconds.



Having fun on the ship.









Malachi up in the fairy tree house.



Sandpit time! Vili, unlike his brother, is not so acquainted with sand and did not want it touching his skin.







But Vili and the cars, now there's a match made in heaven!





Fun times.

Day trip to the snow

Last week I was inspired to take a day trip down to the mountain to take the kids to the snow.  It was totally last minute, and by far one of the best ideas I've had recently.  We overloaded the car, and headed south.  I don't know the last time I was so excited to be driving somewhere.  We took my SIL and Hannah with us.  We made it down there to find that it was snowing, like actually snowing.  I've been to the snow a million times, but I've never seen it snow.  It was so cool.  Except when it blew in the kids eyes and made them cry, not so cool then.  It also meant that i couldn't actually take my camera with us to the mountain, coz snow melts into water and my camera is allergic to water.  So the only pictures I got were in the carpark when we arrived and before we left (although right when it was time to leave I realised I could use the umbrella to protect my camera, and yes, i did look silly standing in the snow with an umbrella....).
But man the kids loved it!  Went sliding around, eating snow, throwing snow, making snow angels, building snowmen, riding on the free ski lift.  What a day.  Even little Vili enjoyed himself, didn't want to be held, wanted to run and flop on the snow.

















Mmmmm....snow.....



My awesome snow angel.


Our snow man.  We had to improvise for his face, but I think he's awesome.  The kids were done with the snow in their eyes however and smiling was out of the question.




Driving was interesting.  Why people live somewhere where they have to deal with this every day during winter....I have no idea.


Pretty view.  My SIL made my hat for me while we drove down there - yes, she is awesome.


Afterwards we went down to the hot pools in Turangi, as per tradition.  When we'd go to the snow as kids we would ALWAYS go to these hot pools afterwards.  It was packed, but soooooo nice.  We had to drag the kids out kicking and screaming (litterally).









What a day!
We've decided to make it tradition to visit the snow every year.  As Malachi said, "That was a awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwesome one!"