Strange Machines

The kids and I made homemade flour bites (flour and water) ready to fry tonight. They had a great time making the dough, kneading it and pressing the animal shapes.

The very talented MamaMadeThem is a single mom who admirably left her job to spend more time with her son and makes these amazing toys for a living.

Here’s a wonderful opportunity to buy her beautiful safe open-ended toys for your child.

Everything except the Little Kitchen, Sun House, Oak Bus, Hammer and Nails, Tools and Toolbox is 20% off! The coupon code is JANUARY.

Go visit her store already: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaMadeThem

Playing with truck toys is something that many kids enjoy in all different types of environments. Whether it is on carpet, tile, ceramic floor, cement, grass, sand or dirt, a favorite toy truck can be put to the test with its function only limited by a child’s imagination. For this reason, it is important to obtain a product that is durable, made from quality materials and is something that appeals to a kid.

Different children like different truck toys, but there are certain trucks that tend to be more popular than others, such as:

• Dump trucks
• Garbage trucks
• Cement trucks
• Crane trucks
• Tractor trailers

The reason why the above mentioned often receive the most attention is because they have unique parts that move. After all, even though a solid truck without moveable parts can be a lot of fun to play with, a vehicle that features an extendable crane, a turning cement mixer, detachable pieces or a place to store special objects is far more entertaining and more likely to provide unlimited fun.

Keep an open mind when you are searching for truck toys and remember that there are many diverse options available, and not all are only for the purpose of playing. There are also plenty of fascinating models in the form of diecasts or sold in building kits, which may be perfect for a truck enthusiast and collector.

So disappointed to read on Wikipedia that Moleskine notebook covers have phthalates. Plus they are made in China. Surely for the price they charge, they can afford to make them in Europe with a safer option for a cover? I’m throwing mine away and sticking to the £6 made in England leather notebook I bought in Oxford.

Diecast trucks can be a lot of fun to collect. For many years, people of all different ages have taken an interest in collecting these models for various personal reasons. For some, the appeal is one born from nostalgia; they remember having and playing with these toys when they were younger. Others like having replicas of vehicles they wish they owned or admired, and some like to collect for the purpose of auctioning them off.

Regardless of your reasons, if it interests you to obtain diecast trucks, you will quickly discover that there are plenty of different models to choose from. You will also find that they range in sizes, as well as color and design. Thus, there are plenty of trucks for you to choose from, including transport trucks, dump trucks, and much more.

Something else for you to think about when you are considering diecast trucks is whether or not moving parts matters to you. If you want a model where parts move, such as doors that can open and close, a steering wheel that spins, hoods that open, you’ll find that the larger the toy, the more intricate the detail.
Thus, it’s a good idea to carefully think about the type of diecast trucks you want to add to your collection because they are not all the same.

Upcycled this old tee my son grew out of into a cute playmat!

My little boy writes me a note like this every day. I feel so blessed!

I used to be a very different person before I had my children. I loved horror movies, junk food, place without children, and sleeping.

Okay, I still love to sleep but I realise that my personal time is more important to my mental well-being than sleep.

I have cut out junk food from my diet and have turned organic.

And most tellingly, I actually feel nausea when I watch horror movies. This, from a woman who found humour and irony in horror.

I try very hard to explain the last because it perplexes me the most. I have the strongest stomach and yet motherhood ha turned me into a softy who prefers comedy, romance, and adventure.

The latest flick I caught, Piranha 3D was testament to that. I feel nothing but nausea, even at this humorous gory movie.

And with that I believe I have laid to rest the horror me, the girl who loved horror because it mocked death, laughed at death, made fun of it – at the end of every horror movie you tell yourself, hey I am still here. I am alive.

But not so with dramas and comedies or even adventures. They either hit close to home or reflect something simply unattainable that just depresses the hell out of me in the end.

Horror used to just entertain as a movie or be simply an outlet for venting my frustrations in writing. Now to me it is just gross and keeps me up at night.

So now I join you, Mom, in my distaste for campy horror movies, the ones I used to enjoy (yes, Dead Alive, I am talking about you). My sister in law will never hear me joke about horror movies being comedies anymore. And my dear brother will have to watch them on his own now.

For I have changed. Maybe through those hormones that have turned my body into a milk-making machine and rewired my brain to find those 2 munchkins I gave birth to unbelievably cute.

Motherhood has purged me of my dark side. That is the only explanation. I actually wear pink now. Shh…

So farewell to my beloved zombies and vampires (I’ll still watch Breaking Dawn and Buffy though) and things that bump in the night but are not real yet no longer entertain me. We had a good 30 years.

And hello comedies!

This is one of our simple and organic breakfasts. It is fast and the kids can help to prepare it. And most of all, it is yummy!

100% organic whole wheat bread
Organic mayo
Organic free range eggs

We need:

Stainless steel cookie cutters
Stainless steel or tin pot
Stainless steel tray
Fork
Bowls

Steps:

1. Parent passes cookie cutters, tray, and loaf of bread to kids. They can cut as many shapes as they like. Smaller kids may eat cut shapes or the scrap bread but don’t fret, at least the smaller ones are entertained while you are cooking.

2. Parent put eggs to hard boil for about 7 minutes.

3. When done, soak eggs in bowl and crack one to check they are hard boiled. If not, return to 2. for another couple of minutes.

4. Peel shells off hard boiled eggs. Older kids can help if interested and smaller kids can play with peeled shells.

5. Add 1-2 teaspoons of mayo. Mash eggs with fork. Older kids might like to do this too.

6. Dish egg mayo onto single piece of cut bread or wedge between 2 slices of a similar shape. Yummy!

(Note: Parent eats the scrap bread which she forms into interesting shapes too!)

I finally found an ecofriendly safe paint for the kids! By chance I met the owner of Mulberry Paints at Isetan where she was selling her products and we had a good chat. Her paints are plant-based and tested extensively for safety.

We broke out the kits today. The kids loved it!