Millas Monarch 5th Birthday

Rā whānau kia Camilla! Now you are FIVE!! 

To celebrate, we had a monarch butterfly afternoon, as you have requested for the past year. And threw in some My Little Ponies too at the last moment. A girl can change her mind if she wants to! 

I made you some monarch wings to wear as well as for decoration, we had rainbow streamers, and a huge monarch cake! You were a pretty happy girl having all of these dreams come true!

We played a treasure hunt game where we found pictures of My Little Ponies in our garden, and then had an obstacle course! The obstacle course started our taking the ping pong ball (EGG) on a spoon and throwing it into the bucket with the leaves on it. Then, crawling through the tunnel (CATERPILLAR). Then, racing to the finish line with rainbow ribbons (BUTTERFLY). The little children were so happy to find out they could keep their ribbons!

You can't wait to be starting school in the new year, and you are loving being a 5 year old. You know you're a big kid now, and as always responsibility is high on your priorities list. You are nailing this 5 year old, big sister, growing up thing. I am so proud of you Milla.

For the last term, and until you start school in January, we have been having Mondays to our selves while Katie is at Kindy having her "special day" by herself.

I love Milla Mondays! You are such fun to hang out with. You talk my ear off all day, and we do something special together. Some times it's tumble times, or the library (our new favourite place to go together), or just to a cafe, or to Willowbank, or painting at home together, or ... where ever you want to go! It's lots of fun, as I said!

You've been practicing your phonetics, recognising more words in books and on signs and have been writing little notes. The other morning you came into my bedroom saying "look mum, I wrote 'Katie is in bed'", and sure enough, you had! Clever cookie. You'll love school! In the mean time, we've been playing word games, practising writing and trying to do fun creative learning to tide you over.

At Kindy you had a special celebration led by Kaiako Duncan. They sang you the whale song (a humongous whale, spouting out the water...)(aaaa... great white shark, great white shark...), happy birthday, presented you with your cake and card and Kindy book and talked about your time at Kindy. You were so excited to be up there, you spoke clearly and loudly for everyone to hear (which I was very proud of), and loved your time up the front under the cloak.

As a gift to Kindy on your birthday we presented them with a book we made together called "he iti kahuku". It's a story about a little butterfly who finds its mum at the park and dances under a rainbow. Kindy loved the book, and you were so creative to have made it! 

When I thought about it later, I realised it's about you! You are our little Monarch.

He iti kahuku tā māua, kei raro ki te kahukura

{Our little butterfly, under the rainbow}

Camilla Makes

Give camilla a cellotape dispenser, some paper and some felts and she'll be busy for hours.

When we are out and about, she muses out loud in the car as to what she can "create" when she gets home. She spends hours at her desk, every single day. 

She is determined, quiet, focussed and productive when she is creating. Not a lot can pull her out of her zone.

Fridge::

A fridge, with opening flap at the top and shelves to hold different flavoured milks; Carrot milk, strawberry milk, banana milk, coffee milk and a cup.

Watering can::

Watch::

Backpack::

The creating continues...

Camilla: Aged 4.5

Big Girl Bedroom

Katie got her very own big girl bed this week! 

The first night was a write off, both of us actually forgot that getting kids to sleep in a bed takes some prep work. We just sort of put her in bed, said good night and turned off the light. Well, obviously that didn't work! 

The following nights we have been going through the routine, making it exciting, and letting her have ownership over her new bed (choosing her duvet etc). The next (and last) two nights she has slept soundly and I'm hoping that will continue for years to come! 

We really do have great sleepers! We have been blessed! 

Its so nice to creep into their room and watch them sleep side by side. Two sisters, it's so precious!

We have been saving credit card points and spent them on matching bed frames for the kids! Its so nice to be able to buy new things for our children. I get a lot of joy out of it! Life must be getting easier, because a few years ago there is no way that would have been possible.

Our third bedroom was being used as a spare room / craft / computer office / storage space in our home. It had no carpet and the floor boards had gaps and were freezing. You could actually feel the draft coming up through the spaces in the boards. Anyways. Two years later, we finally thought to ask the landlord to carpet it. And he did! The carpet was done this week and we moved the two girls in that night. They love sharing a room, and I love having a spare room, so it works well for everyone. This room has slightly more space than their previous one so we can squeeze two beds in. Although there is little room for anything else! 

In the mean time, the contents of our spare / everything room was dumped on the lounge floor. Luckily our kids don't get "into" things and I am able to chip away at finding a home for it. I'm eyeing up a wardrobe so that all of this stuff can be behind closed doors! Ack. This is what real life looks like! 

I really do hate moving! Bring on the day where we can live in a house for 10 years and not worry about tenancy agreements and landlord inspections! 

I'm off to tidy! Have a great weekend! x

Easter 2016

2016, another Easter.

This one feels more like Autumn, after a cold windy few weeks yellow leaves are on the ground.

Milla was contagiously excited about Easter. From all the talks at Kindy she knew it was a holiday weekend with chocolate. Whats not exciting about that!?

So we started our Easter celebrations early on Thursday night with some surprise winter PJs. Now a tradition (of 2 years! haha) the kids were very excited to receive them. Milla preferred Katies (she had sunshines and clouds), but the next day after realising Milla had bunnies on hers AND it was easter weekend (easter bunnies) she firmly told me that hers were now her favourites.

We put on our new PJs, tucked up with Daddy and read from our bibles.

Milla has started praying this week, which is something she has been apprehensive about in the past so we haven't pushed it but have tried to lead by example. Something clicked in her this week and she has been praying on her own accord to God. And man, when she prays... It feels like Heaven is in the room. Although she insists that the only way to pray is with her hands together, funny considering we never do this.

This coincides nicely with a weekend that is all about our families faith. We are enjoying learning together!

Today we made a stuffed bunny with flower fabric. Milla did most of the work on the bunny and I enjoyed sitting with her and sharing in special time together. All of this whilst Katie ran wild and tipped the cocoa container on the floor and spread it around the kitchen and down the hallway with little chocolate footprints. It's not all pretty Instagram moments, real life happens here too!

Peace to you this weekend,

x

Waitangi at Onuku Marae

Dear Milla, 

This weekend our whānau went to Onuku Marae to commemorate Waitangi Day. Mum and Dad, Nannie and Poppa and Aunty Izy and Uncle Phil all came! 

Onuku is just past Akaroa, and it's where your Dad and his family spent a lot of time when they were kids living in Duvachelle. Dad has lots of memories here and it's a very special place for him. 

The marae has just completed a whole lot of renovations with a brand new wharekai so they had the opening on Waitangi to celebrate! 

There was a big pōwhiri welcoming everyone on, but we were on the tangata whenua side watching the guests come in. Milla, you were so interested in what was going on, you loved the waiata and listening to Te Reo. You even plucked up the courage to share your mihi with your Koro and Kuia (although we call them Nannie and Poppa!) 

"Ko Camilla tōku ingoa, no Ōtautahi au" you said! Ka pai Milla! So proud! 

We love sharing Māori customs and language with you. You have a great sense of Mana Ake, you know it's a special part of who you and your whānau are. We will continue to teach you as best we can throughout your life about your culture, language, ancestors and this beautiful land we live on. 

Love, Mum & Dad x

Sewing With Kids - A How To

Yesterday while I was sewing a dress for myself, Milla, in 4 year old fashion, asked what age she would be allowed to sew. 

She took me by surprise, and I suggested that she could learn any time. 

And so, capturing the moment, today we sewed up some fabric that I had purchased for her, with the idea of making her and Katie a matching skirt and dress.

My 4 year old is a concentrator and a rule follower, so I knew that she would ace this. My aim wasn't for her to sew the whole skirt herself, but to introduce her to the machine, how it works, and for her to feel respect, and also a healthy fear, towards the needles, pins, scissors etc.

Here are some easy tips on sewing with Little People for the first time::

Sewing with Little People:

• Keep it simple! A project that can be completed in an hour will bring instant satisfaction, and something they can wear or play with is an added bonus. 
• Think easy: Skirts, shorts, tote bags, peasant dress, pillow cases, head bands, PJ pants. Are you feeling inspired yet?
• Have everything you need prepared before you begin, I had my measuring and pattern piece already cut out and ready to go, along with my sewing machine all set up before I even mentioned sewing.
• If your person is really little, like mine (only 4 years old!) set them up at a smaller table so they can have the joy of pressing the presser foot with their feet!
• Explain different parts of the machine to them, let them have a go at lifting up the presser foot, doing the back stitch button and the foot pedal. Try them out on a large piece of spare fabric first. 
• Breathe and encourage. You may suddenly realise just what you have gotten into! 
• If your Little Person is older and you are leaving all the sewing to them, use little pegs on the edge of the fabric in lieu of pins.
• Change it up at each step. For one part I asked my daughter to be the presser foot controller, another time she was in charge of back stitching, then she had a go at the foot pedal, another time she helped me feed the fabric through, and then she was in charge of taking out all the pins. 
• You'll know based on your own child how to keep them interested, safe and learning. 

We made a circle skirt for our Intro to Sewing 101. Milla had a go at all parts of it, and she tells me her favourite was pushing it down with her foot. 

I clued myself up on the Dana Made It Circle Skirt Tutorial so that when it came time to sew, I knew exactly what I was doing. 

The maths (pi and radius, yikes!) checks out, and fits perfectly! 

Instead of using the wide exposed elastic band like in the tutorial, I made a little casing with some extra fabric and the same waist measurements, and used 3/4" elastic inside it. 

To finish it off we used pre-made bias binding along the edge, which I let Milla choose the colour of. She was thrilled to have some choice and control in a process which is completely new to her. 

As binding is quite tricky for little fingers, I pinned it all in place and sewed very slowly around. I noticed half way through that Milla also had her foot on the foot pedal, ever so gently, just feeling for how I was pushing it down. During the binding step, Millas job was to pull each pin out before I sewed over it. 

She was so careful, and was a real delight to work with! 

We will definitely be sewing together again soon. 

Her twirly skirt is SO whirly! She loves it! 

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog, your encouragement spurs me on! x

READ MORE SEWING:

DIY Cinderella Dress

Tribal Knit Dress

Tunic and Bloomers First Pattern Draft

Cinderella Dress DIY

When I saw the new Cinderella Movie from 2015 I was over come with a need to sew a beautiful princess dress. Aside from a wonderful story line about "have courage and be kind", the costumes in the movie were absolutely stunning!!

With my little girls 4th birthday approaching, I showed her 4 dress options on my phone and said that I could make one of them for her (1950's cinderella (which is her favourite), Elsa, New 2015 Cinderella and a pretty purple princess dress). She choose this blue number and so I went out and bought metres and metres of blue satin and tulle. 

In fact there is about 10 metres of fabric to her dress!

I drafted the dress all by myself, using a dress that she already fitted as a guide for the bodice size. I included bodice lining, princess seams down each size, a triangular dip at the front and an invisible zipper at the back. 

And this poofy thing that wraps around the shoulders and tucks into the zipper seam, which is tacked on at the shoulders to keep it in place. 

And the butterflies. Of course. They required their own shopping trip as I had forgotten all about them. When my daughter saw it half complete she enquired as to where I was going to put the butterflies, so we popped out then and there to get some! 

The skirt part has 4 layers to it; Satin, white tulle and 2 soft drapey tulle layers.

While I was making the dress the girls Nana looked after them for the afternoon so I could get some serious sewing time in. When it was completed, Nana arrived to gift these "glass slippers", crown and jewellery. Camilla and I were delighted, it was such a thoughtful gift :)

I am very happy with this dress, and so is our Little Princess.

We took her and her cousin to Disney on Ice for the first time that week and she was allowed to wear her Cinderella Dress, and then it was put away for her birthday later that month. Here she is at both events:

And now she wears it any chance she gets! 

It fills me with so much joy to see Milla spinning around without a care in the world, we really are so blessed! x

Ps, I found this beautiful free Cinderella printable that we framed and put above Millas bed for her birthday.

READ MORE:

More things I've made here

Camillas Rainbow, Fairy, Princess, Butterfly, Flower, Star Party. 4 Years old!

Happy 4th birthday Princess Camilla!

For the last 6 months Camilla has been looking forward to her birthday! She decided all on her own that she would have a Rainbow, Flower, Princess, Butterfly, Fairy, Star Party. And on the morning of her party, declared to the breakfast table that she would have a "real, big fairy come". 

Sheesh, where do kids get this stuff from!?

So as not to disappoint, we tried to make her dreams come true (minus the real fairy).

12 Princesses came to her party, and one little Prince. You were thrilled. Dreams really do come true. 

Earlier in the week we built a cardboard "Castle" together which all the kids had fun playing in; it was a little maze to play in with some windows and "lounge" as she called it. The castle was a huge playing point and throughout the party we painted it with chalk paint . This was a huge hit, and when dry it just brushed off the concrete and party dresses. We also played on the trampoline, played pass the parcel and blew bubbles.

Katie had a blast too, and managed to blow out the birthday candles on two different occasions, much to Milla's frustration.

Happy birthday our sweet, intelligent, kind, sensitive, strong, thoughtful girl. 

Camilla; Female warrior and servant of the Lords House; yes, that is who you are. xxxx

Love Mama x

 Photos by: Jared Fretwell and Nana Ngaire! Thank you! x

On Trying To Fly

Running up to me:

Camilla (in tears): "Mama! Why can't I fly!??!!? I tried to fly and it didn't work"

An hour later you danced with your daddy under the sparkling stars and glowing fairy lights in our lounge. He spun you around and held your hands as you danced you around the room together. You were the happiest I think I have ever seen you.

Girl, you can fly, you just don't know it yet.