Sling, Sling Away.....

Karisma and friends have been spending quite a bit of time lately at the freezing cold ice rink! Brrrrrrrrr! So we have been trying very hard to make up for it by walking the beach, hanging out in parks, laying around crafting or eating in the parks, swinging from trees, and slinging babies (Yep you heard me right! We have been learning how to sling our babies, and I don't mean from a sling shot! These slings are more designed for hugging your baby to your person in a snuggly kind of way!)

Someone once told me that I was making a rod for my own back as I preferred to carry my first baby around rather than hear her cry! Well, I carried all my babies around and let me tell you they are the best huggers out! They are right up there with their mama! We love hugs around here!



So anyway, back to the sling thing! My friend Anna was looking for a new way to sling baby Erin on her back! She is getting bigger now and likes to have a look around while out and about. So Kel came to the rescue and showed Anna, another way to do it without spending a fortune on a store bought sling.....



So here goes, take a length of cloth and wrap it round you both...........(taking care NOT to let go of the baby!)


Now wrap the fabric around a bit more, a few times! (I think!)


Tie it in a knot! Nice and tight....We don't want to drop the baby!


I think she is getting it! Almost there! "Does this look okay Vanessa?" "Yep! I think so! Hehe!"


Nah! Kel is not convinced! She is going to make her do it again! This time lets use the longer piece of fabric! Start again! Wrap that baby............


Round and round........

It is about this time that Erin decides she has had enough and instead would like to go "BAM BAM BAM" on mamas head! Oh this is much more fun! Hehe!


"BAM, BAM, BAM. Mama! I like this game! Yes I do!"

We interupt this lesson for Mr Cutie Pie down here! He needs attention.....
"Excuse me ladies! The big kids are not letting me play! I am feeling left out!"
(It is about now Karisma puts the camera down and goes to sort out "those" big kids! "Ow Wude! How can they resist this little guy! Well, they were all up trees and he was too little to climb up!! Thats how!)

(Never mind, after a little persuasion, some of the big kids came down to play with him and all was well once again!) But hang on! Where are the little kids? Oh there they are, playing with sticks! Careful boys!

It has been a few weeks since we had this lesson and while Karisma is madly crocheting away, making a front sling for SIL's new baby (expected in the new year), Anna went ahead and whipped one up herself on the sewing machine, this weekend! I think Erin loves it! What do you think?

Look what I got.............

How Lovely! Its been a while since I have been blessed with an award. I'm not sure what I did to deserve it but am very thankful to get it anyway. It comes from Jen at Lavendilly House who says that the award does not come totally for free. She would like to hear 5 things that I would like to do in the future and then pass it on to five friends.

Sounds easy hey? Hmmmm, you know I am a bit stumped, after weeks of running around all I wanted to do was stay home and I have done that already! LOL!

1. I would LIKE to travel around Australia before the kids grow up completely. I think it would be so much fun to just hop in a Winnebago (yes I would like a little luxury) and just live where ever the mood takes us. Of course taking the time to visit all my LL friends along the way. A bit of a pipe dream at the moment, but who knows, maybe one day.

2. I am still hankering for a little piece of land (well bigger than the one we have) further inland. You know so I can fit in MORE animals and MORE vegie gardens and fruit trees. LOL (Also the boys would like that bit of land around the house so they can ride there trail bikes without having to wait for convenient times for Dad or their uncle to drive them to the tracks. Yeah, so I would LIKE to win the lotto so my dream and theirs could come true!

3. I would LIKE my sister in law to have a baby girl because she wants one! (Pssst...I don't mind if she has a boy though, babies are babies afterall!)

4. I would LIKE a glass of wine.......who's pouring? (Just kidding, I would LIKE to actually sit down and complete my Fun Monday post for this week but have not been able to get motivated. Please forgive me Faye?) During my at home time I have been catching up with long overdue housework and lots of crafting! The computer is getting a little neglected.

5. I would LIKE to NOW break da rules and hand this award on to ALL of my friends. If you are reading this please help yourself. I love you all! Thank you for visiting me!

and since I am breaking da rules anyway...... I would also LIKE hugs and smoochies!

Much love to all xxxoxoxoxoxxx

Oh how they have grown!

Do you know how hard it is to get a decent picture of all your kids at once? Well after a dozen or so tries, this was the best I could do.......

Or to even just get them to all smile at once.............

Sisters..........

On another note, The Book Fairy has been baking up a storm lately! She loves to bake cakes or cookies and no-one around here complains about that! She made Cameragirls birthday cake.....


And lots of cupcakes too.......


So are we all hungry now? Good, because I am too! Its time for lunch! Have a great week everyone!

Happy Birthday Cameragirl.......

Apologies all, my Fun Monday will be late this week. We have had a really big few weeks and an even bigger weekend! Unfortunately today the boys and mama were feeling a bit under the weather! I promise to try and write up my entry in the next day or so but for now here is a sneak peek at just one thing we were up to this weekend.

Cameragirl had a birthday! We celebrated at home with family and a couple of her close friends!

There was still time for dancing...........

Music and singing...........


And the usual cheekiness...............


We all had a great time! Hope you are all well, hugs and smoochies xxxxxooooxxxxx

An Australian Clock

Proudly showing off his newly-leased downtown apartment to a couple of friends late one night, a drunk guy led the way to his bedroom where there was a big brass gong hanging on the wall.


'What's that big brass gong for?' one of the friends asked.

'Issss nod a gong. Issss a talking Australian clock' he drunkenly replied.

'A talking Australian clock - seriously?'

'Yup.' 'Hmmm (hic).'

'How's it work?' the second friend asked, squinting at it.

'Just watch' he said.

He picked up a hammer, gave the gong an 'ear-shattering bash' and stepped back.



His three mates stood looking at one another for a moment in astounded silence.

Suddenly, an Australian voice from the other side of the wall screamed,

'For f*!!!!!!!s sake, you stupid !!!!!!!!!!!!! It's ten past three in the !!!!!!!!-king morning!!!'

Hey! Does my butt look big in this?

Well yeah a little bit! What did you have for breakfast? (Note: that big bulge there is a hell of a lot bigger than the head which is on the right hand side of the tree.)

So glad this one is on the other side of the glass, he looks cranky!

Can you keep it down Please! Trying to sleep here!

This one now, you might just run into in my back yard! Watch your step!
This is a red belly black snake and they along with brown snakes are quite common in our parts!

Helllooooo! You can take my picture! Am I not beautiful!

Well you are! But you are NOT a SSSSSSSSSnake!
Clearly I am the most beautiful snake here!

Well, Karisma thought so! Just look at my smile!

Hehe! I bet you all think we went to the Reptile park this week!
We didn't! We went to the zoo in Sydney~
Mum says we will tell you more about it when she has more time to post!
For some reason she was more fascinated with the snakes than the animals!
It is of course another busy week around here!
We have been out and about every day!
Its a hard way to learn!
But someones gotta do it!
You can tell by my face, its absolute torture hey?

Zak

Fun Monday - Scars-A Tree Top Adventure

Lil Mouse is hosting Fun Monday this week and she would like to see and hear about our scars! After searching my body and finding only stretch marks which I most certainly will NOT be sharing with you, I figured that I might bend the rules just a little and show you how I managed NOT to get any scars the other day.

(I totally saved myself by NOT falling out of one of these trees! I did! Yes I did!)
(Note: That little dot up that tree is SB, he is far braver than me!)

On Tuesday we went to the Tree Top Adventure park which is not too far away from my house in the state forest. Im not quite sure what exactly I was expecting but I certainly did not expect the courses to be quite so high up the trees! Have I ever mentioned that I have a fear of heights? Well, I do and our first step was to show that we were able to follow a small path which was not much higher than my head. No worries! Up I get and almost swoon from fright! But of course everyone is watching so I tough up and do it! That was not so bad! Come on kids, lets go!

(Zak sliding over a flying fox)

Now the green course was twice as high as the training section! My legs were shaking so hard I don't know how I managed to even complete it! My first step was to wrap my arms around the tree and give it a big hug! But the queue behind me was getting impatient. I had to make a move, so off I went, shaky legs, slippery shoes and all! And soon found myself at the end of the course.

(Hey Karisma! What are you doing down there! Its a piece of cake, Look at me!)
(Callum makes it look so easy! Sigh!)

Perhaps if they had not let me get off right then I would have kept going! (You see you cannot get off mid course so I would have had to finish it!) I climbed, I flew through the air (the whole time attached very safely with hooks, technically you cannot fall off unless you undo both your hooks at once! (Of course Zak chose about this time to demonstrate to his mama how this was possible nearly giving her a heart attack! He of course is not scared of heights at all!)

(Game boy strolls across the swinging logs)

Suddenly, there I was finding myself on the ground, safe again! I attempted to climb up to the Blue course on the very slippery steps while it was raining! My feet would not hold on, my legs would not stop shaking, and it was at this stage that I figured I would be much more comfortable staying on the ground! Hey! I tried, I really did!

(A walk in the park)

The boys found the nets a little harder to cross!

Game boy stops for a rest half way! His hands were sore and he just sat for a minute or so!

The whole course consisted of levels Green, Blue, Red and then Black. Black was only for the adults and kids over 16. (Much to the disgust of the younger boys who all were keen to give it a try).

(Clearly! We are big enough to do this too! How rude!)

Here are some pictures of the grown ups who were not scaredy cats like me and finished the whole course.


The Black course started off with this pole that was just kind of hanging there. The idea was to walk across as far as you can and then swing it around so it rests on the other side and then you can simply walk over! It was a lot harder than it sounds. The men were so kind as to let the ladies go first...........

Those on the ground had lots of advice and suggestions, much easier down there! LOL!


By the time the men had a go they seemed to have it all sorted........ Just lean back a little and swing on around.........

See! Piece of cake!

Well, unless you manage to twist your cables half way and have to go back and unclip yourself so you can get off the other side. Woops!


As the adults moved around the course, it got higher and higher. At this stage they get a choice, they can take the chicken run (which is another flying fox) or they can swing like Tarzan and land on the big net at the end!

Here our only 16 year old D, shows the grown ups how its done............

Perfect .....now he has to climb up to the landing...

There are lots of different sections to pass.....

This bit proved a bit hard for most........

A great time was had by all with most of us wanting to go back again for another try! (Yes even me! I am keen to swallow my fears and try the blue and red levels at least!) The younger children had their own course which was on the other side of the park hence the reason I have no pictures. They are much closer to the ground so the parents can follow them around and help them.

Now for those of you who want to read about some real scars, head on over to Lil Mouses house and check out all the other Fun Monday stories! Have a great week everyone! Hugs and smoochies xxxxooooxxxx