Muffin Tin Monday Swap

Michelle from Muffin Tin Mom hosted a Muffin Tin Swap.  I swapped with Donette from The Journey and she sent us an awesome package!  We were so excited when we drove to the Post Office, the guy at the counter must have thought that we were insane or something.  Mouse kept giggeling!  All the way home we eyed the package on the seat, wondering what was inside.  It felt like Christmas morning!  When we got home we opened it to find these awesome goodies inside:

Some funky straws, wonderful pink sprinkles and this gorgeous heart shaped muffin tin!  Thank you so much Donette!

Homeschooling - Week 1-2 | 25 Months

We had loads of fun these past two weeks, getting back into the routine of doing homeschooling, playing and just generally having fun.  I found that we didn't do much structured activities, but we did loads of other fun activities that both Mouse and myself really enjoyed.

We went to a birthday party! ArrowBoy turned 1! Grietjie made the above letters as party favours for the little guests.  Each guest received a felt letter that their name starts with.  Mouse was really impressed with her M.  It is now on her bedroom door and she is so proud of it!

Here's some more party pics taken by Georgia from Love and Lollipops:

Look at this face!

My aunt gave Mouse this set of Smile {think it is a Smile Product} shapes, but it is old and the actual shape cards are missing.  I then made some of my own.  If you want the real deal contact Grietjie on joyfulmama@telkomsa.net.

 I used some vinyl stickers and cut out the shapes and stuck them on construction paper.  Mouse really enjoyed this, she loves playing with the shapes, feeling it and she tries to identify the shapes and colours.  What I love about this toy is that the one side of the shapes are smooth and the other side is rough.  Little fingers can trace the actual lines of the shapes, they can recognize colours and it is a great pre writing activity.  As I learned the other day that all letters are made up of shapes :)  {contact Grietjie for these superb toys!}

Here she is busy concentrating on placing the shapes on the construction paper sheets.

We discussed not only the shapes but also the different colours.

Here she is showing me the difference between blue and green.  The evening after we did this activity she was busy drawing on some paper and she actually looked up and said {very proudly!} "mamma square!"  It was just a doodle, but in her mind she knew what she wanted to draw and she was so proud of herself!

She received a great play dough set for her birthday from her aunt and uncle.  We had so much fun "baking cookies"

Always good to "taste test" the playdough - silly girl!

That face again!

We made some fun animal shapes

and we "baked" them in her oven

and again with this cute little face!

I also sneaked in some colour sorting

This part didn't last long!

She loves playing with her little kitchen and to pretend that she is making food.  I am in the process of making some felt foods and one of the first things I have completed was this tin of canned carrots.

I simply took a TP roll, covered it with some felt and cut out the carrots and leaves and pasted it on.  She loves this.  It took me about 10 minutes to make, so quick and easy.  I'm busy doing some more for her and will do a post on that as soon as I'm finished.

Here she is pretending to take something out of the tin!

My sweet neighbour gave her a set of fairy wings, here she is busy trying them on!

She loves dress up at this stage, she is so cute!

My friend Donette from The Journey send Mouse this truly awesome Melissa and Doug Puzzle as a birthday gift.  Thank you auntie Donette!!!

She was so excited when I opened the box!

We tried to build it, but she was just too excited.  Will give it a go in a day or two again.

Have a blessed weekend!

I'm Back!

Life here in SA was a bit hectic, we didn't do much homeschooling to be honest.  We took school holidays with the rest of SA during the World Cup.  I will restart our homeschool program where we left off and will post all we did next week. 

Mouse was also really sick with tonsilitis.  Those horrid things need to be removed at the end of the year.  The doctor said we must just wait for summer and then we can take them out.  I cannot wait.  She really suffers from tonsilitis at least every other month. 

I'm busy making some dress up clothes and felt foods for Mouse.  As soon as I'm done I'll do some posts on that.  She loves felt goodies {almost as much as her mom :)} and it is a real treat to see how much she enjoys playing with something that I made especially for her!

We had some great playdates with dear friends and we are also looking forward to a birthday party this week!  Arrow Boy is turning one!  My friend, Grietjie, over at Joyful Mama sells the most amazing craft goodies.  She had a open day and we, of course, went and spend some money. 

I bought these super cute blocks and sticks.  You can make the most amazing goodies from it.  Keeps Little Mouse busy for hours!   Donette from The Journey also incorporated it into her Preschool with her precious little boy, be sure to see her post on this!

Little One and Georgia from Love and Lollipops came over for a light lunch on Friday.  It is so wonderful to connect with fellow mommies.  We had a great time and I'm already planning our next lunch! 

I also had the pleasure of meeting Celiah - Ann from FUNdamentals.  Her children are darling! 

As you can see life sort of took over and I didn't get round to blogging.  Cannot wait to share all we are doing again!  Blogging is sort of addictive {but you will know this :)}

I was also blessed to receive 2 new blog awards.  I will post on this a bit later today or tomorrow.

Glad to be back!

Book Review - Ransomed Dreams

Sheridan Montgomery leads a charmed life as the wife of Eliot, U.S. ambassador to Venezuela. But an attack on their lives cripples Eliot, and they retreat to a remote Mexican village. As Sheridan quietly cares for her husband, she sees her dreams slipping away. Luke Traynor shatters their reverie when he arrives to tell Sheridan of her father’s heart attack and the evidence implicating him in a conspiracy. Sheridan returns to Chicago to untangle the web of her father’s past and is forced to confront her feelings for Luke, a trail of deceit, and the truth about her marriage.

This is a heartwarming story about Sheridan's journey through life, filled with loss, pain, lies, but also happiness, family and joy. Through her journey she discovers what is important and mends broken relationships with her enstranged family.  Really good read with loads of real life implications to all woman. I also loved the breakdown at the end of the book, the author (Sally John) added some questions that makes you really think about the content of the book and how it relates to your own.

I love how vividly Sally describes the village and surrounds.  The book really comes to life through her words. I enjoyed the story and can recommend it to anyone.

For a sneak peak at the first chapter, click here! 

Kalahari.net link

This is my own, honest opinion.  I was supplied with a free copy by Tyndale for review.  I was in no way asked to do a positive review, I blog with integrity and all opinions stated are my own.

Product Review - Safeway Egg Boiler

I received this handy little Safeway Egg Boiler as a prize from my Sh'zen team leader, thanks Suzette!
Well, I am totally in love with this little kitchen appliance!  I cannot for the life of me think to be without it!  It boils 7 eggs at a time, in minimum amount of water, saving water and electricity.  Best of all it boils the eggs perfectly every single time!  You can decide if you want the eggs soft, medium or hard and it really sticks to your specifications. 

Go to Clicks now and get one for yourself, I have to be honest that this would have been the last item that I would have bought for myself, but after using it {and falling in love with it!} I can recommend it to everyone!
Go, get yours now!

I was not paid to do this review, I just love my new Egg Boiler so much that I wanted to share it with all of you!

More Birthday Pics - Georgie Girl Photography

My wonderful friend Georgia from Love and Lollipops is also a professional Photographer. She took these awesome photos of Mouse's birthday.

Here's my little sister with the birthday girl!

Thank you so much Georgia for these awesome pics!  You can contact Georgia at gsetzer@telkomsa.net if you would like to receive more info on her photography rates.