The Empowered Educator

Inspiring ideas, training and resources for early learning.

The Week That Was….

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There has been a definite cold change coming through this week…blankets have come out and heaters and bed socks dusted off!

Unfortunately still not much sleep occurring in the household as Tara continues to wake at night and only have short day sleeps. I am totally confused as to why she is doing this as it is so out of character for her…I’m thinking either night terrors or teething has begun…and i feel utterly helpless…and so very tired! Has anyone else experienced this with toddlers close to 2 years?

We still managed some fun during this week though of course and we were lucky to have a visit from my Dad, (‘Grampie’ to the girls) on the weekend. I do love to have visitors but my goodness it is hard work being the perfect hostess as well as looking after the toddler twosome on a lack of sleep! Routines go out the window and there were tantrums (the girls had a few too though!) and all that cleaning done before guests arrive has to be repeated when guests leave! So not many photos of the weekend i am sorry to say…i was a bit of a blur!

There was some yummy warm Apple and Berry Crumble to enjoy on a cold Saturday night though…
And leftover Porcupine Balls to enjoy for an easy Sunday night dinner…..
This is the only slice left of a beautifully moist orange and walnut cake…it was my first time trying this recipe which you can find at the wonderful Typically Red blog. I really enjoyed dropping in for the lovely morning teas which were held in support of the Cancer Council Australia.
We were given a big bag of oranges from one of our neighbours so this was a perfect recipe to begin using them up!
There was some creative block building on the lounge…how clever is that tower? (i am a little biased in such things i know!)
Lots of running and jumping outside to burn off that toddler energy!
And i know these 2 photos are awful but if you squint the right way you will see our ‘household’ wallaby dropping in for his regular afternoon visit…the light was all wrong to get a decent photo but he sits on our driveway every afternoon and looks over as the toddler twosome play outside. Tara stands at the fence for ages and they just look at each other. At those times i feel so very lucky to be able to live in this beautiful place and share the beauty of nature with the girls! Not everyone has a wallaby in their backyard to say hi to each afternoon i know! (But if he could stop munching on my flowers and vegies i would be really grateful!)
We began to pick the first of our passionfruit…and left others to ripen….
Picked the last of the corn and continued harvesting the zucchini…..
The toddler twosome enjoyed some fun with bubbles in the Winter sunshine (do you know how hard it is to blow bubbles and take a pic at the same time? I do now…hence this pretty ordinary shot with no kids in the frame!)
Reaching for those bubbles…never underestimate the power of bubbles to entertain grumpy toddlers…I just love them!
And some chillin in the sun with a book…again…..kid after my own heart!
We did some cotton bud painting earlier in the week….you could read more here if you missed that adventure!
Lots of sensory experiences and fun for Ruby!
And some practice with balancing using our pallet steps/blocks!
I was gifted this wonderful Bessemer cooker….isn’t it just a glorious colour! I have always wanted some Bessemer and can’t wait to try it out……Does anyone have any tips?
And i began making some more orange oil cleaner with leftover orange peelings….another great use for those free oranges!
I hope your weekend was lovely….we will be trying for a slow week this week as i seem to running just about on empty! Hopefully Tara will move through this stage soon and we can all begin getting some sleep again…it’s so easy to forget the restorative power of sleep isn’t it?
I’m off to make a cuppa and finish that last piece of cake…..all Mama’s deserve a piece of cake every now and then!

Warm Wishes…

Comments

  2. Ohhh sleep! I know what you mean. I feel like it is catching up on me at the moment. I hope Tara settles back into a good sleep pattern for you soon. Lovely to have your dad visit, but you are right about the work involved with guests! Your crumble looks delicious 🙂 How wonderful to have your daily wallaby visits ~ my grandparents have the same on their property and it is super special (even if they are naughty and eat your plants!). I hope you get some rest and relaxation in this week x

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  3. Sounds like your week was pretty full on. I hope you manage to slow the pace a bit this week Jode 🙂
    All that food looks so delicious..I could go a piece of cake with a hot cuppa right now.
    Bubbles are an absolute here and Kaizer has just discovered the fun of water bombs thanks to our daughter.
    x

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  4. You totally deserve that cake! Lack of sleep is no fun and even less so when you have 2 little ones to deal with. I might just head over and try out that cake recipe myself!

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  5. Jode all of your cooking looks delicious and it sounds like you are most deserving of that last piece of cake:) I hope that you week ends up being a nice quiet one and that your little one improves with her sleeping soon.

    You know what, I love bubbles too I think more that my girls did sometimes. They are a simple little bit of wonder for children to enjoy:)

    Take care. xx

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