Wordless Wednesday - Strawberry picking

Puggle just couldn't resist sampling the last few strawberries of the season

Treasure Hunt

There has been lots of hunting going on in the Aussie household lately. Of coarse we had a lovely Easter egg hunt but I have also been using this lovely treasure hunt idea from Kate Pickle.

Before school pick-up I have been writing up a little list of things to find and we have been using it as a fun afternoon activity on the walk home from school.

It is a nice way for Junior to practice his reading and number recognition (with the help of some pictures) and a lovely way to unwind after a busy day at school. It is a great excuse to stop for a play in the park and everyone can join in.

It also acts as a bit of a speed bump on too much TV and is a great way to enjoy some outdoor time with the boys each day.

What outdoor games have you been playing this week? “Come over and play at the Childhood 101We Play link up”

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone. Hope your day is filled with fun, family and friends (and maybe a little chocolate as well)!

A little nest of play dough eggs

This morning Rascal and I have been busy in the kitchen. We made a batch of our favourite berry muffins and then made some uncooked play dough to give as an Easter gift to one of Rascals 2 year old friends. Rascal helped measure the flour and salt and I made a batch of plain play dough which he then helped to knead the food colour into (sorry no time to take photos when I have a toddler lose with food colour around!).

We then cut up some grape paper to make a nest in a lidded plastic container and moulded the play dough into egg shapes. The uncook play dough and many other great kids dough recipes can be found here.

What fun Easter gifts have you been making. “Come over and play at theChildhood 101We Play link up”

Peanut pumpkin goodness

Last weekend my sister-in-law gave me this amazing Brode D'Galeux Eysines or peanut pumpkin. I had no idea what to do with it but a quick google search found this recipe for French Heirloom Pumpkin Soup so I made a huge pot full which was delicious.

That used up half the pumpkin! Since then Puggle has been eating lots of pumpkin mash, we are having roast pumpkin with tonight's dinner and this morning I made these yummy pumpkin and cheese scones (recipe below). Now I just have to decide what to make with the last quarter of the pumpkin. Any suggestions for yummy pumpkin recipes?

Pumpkin and Cheese Scones

(Addapted from "Women's Weekly fresh food for Babies and Toddlers")

250g Pumpkin, chopped coarsely

2 1/2 cups (375g) self-raising flour

1 tablespoon caster sugar

50g butter

1/4 cup (30g) grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cup (20g) grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup (125ml) milk (approx)

grated parmesan to top scones

1. Preheat oven to hot. Grease deep square cake pan

2. Steam pumpkin until tender, mash in a bowl and leave to cool 10 mins

3. Place flour and sugar in a bowl, rub in butter. Stir in cheeses and pumpkin. Make a well in centre of mixture and add enough milk to make a soft sticky dough. Turn onto floured surface and need lightly until smooth.

4. Press dough out to about 2cm thick and cut dough into rounds using scone cutter. Place side by side (just touching) on prepared pan. Sprinkle on extra parmesan and bake uncovered in a hot oven for 10-15 mins.

Yummy served warm with a little butter.

This moment

{this moment}: A Friday tradition with Soulemama. One moment from this week, one that you want to hang onto and not forget. No words.

5 Green Frogs

Thanks to Kate Pickle, this morning Rascal and I have been counting our little green frogs.He loves singing the song, counting the frogs and making a big splashing sound then they jump in the pond! What action songs and rhymes do you like to play with your little ones? “Come over and play at theChildhood 101We Play link up”

This moment

{this moment}: A Friday tradition with Soulemama. One moment from this week, one that you want to hang onto and not forget. No words.

Easy Blueberry Muffins

Now that Junior is at school full time I try and bake once a week with Rascal. One of our favorite and simplest recipes is this one for Blueberry Muffins which I found on the side of the frozen berry box.

I often use wholemeal flour or half wholemeal, half white and I prefer to use buttermilk. We also often use mixed berries or raspberries. I love this recipe because you just fling all the dry ingredients into a blow, mix in the wet ingredients, add your berries and then spoon them into the muffin cases to bake.

The mixing doesn't have to be done perfectly which is great for little fingers - in fact it is much better if it isn't over-mixed and both Rascal and Junior love them.

What's for breakfast?

Kids eating habits seems to be something that most mums stress over at some point. I try not to worry about my boys eating habits too much because they both seem to eat very little some days and then more than make up for it on others. However, it can be very frustrating when I have made an effort to serve up something that I think they will love and they won't even touch it! However every now and then they really surprise me. A week or so ago I made my first green smoothie. I have been meaning to try one for ages but didn't really think the boys would like it. Junior wasn't that keen but to my surprise Rascal loved it.

The next day I read another blog post (sorry can't find it now) which reminded me that perhaps I should be making a little more effort to get Rascal to eat breakfast. He still demands a big drink of milk first thing in the morning and then is far to busy to eat anything for breakfast. However, as soon as we step out the door (and he has to sit still in the pram or the car seat) he wants a snack. I always have fruit and crackers at the ready but I though perhaps I should try making some sort of smoothie for him to drink in the mornings. Last week I tried it (just some milk, yoghurt, banana or pear and a spoon full of Sustagen powder) and it seemed to work. I need to build up my smoothie recipe collection to include a few more easy but nutritious breakfast options and perhaps find some more ideas for breakfast on the go. What is your favourite smoothie recipe for little ones? Do you have a perfect breakfast for little ones who are so busy they need breakfast on the move?

Marble Painting

Rascal loved the puffy painting we did recently so this morning I decided to revisit another old favourite of Juniors - Marble painting. I used some plastic bowls with circles of paper cut to fit the base, some paint and a couple of marbles.Just put the paper in the bottom of the bowl, add a small amount of paint to the bowl and then tilt the bowl to roll the marbles around and watch the lovely patterns emerge. It is a nice way to experiment with mixing colours.If you have paper plates that would be even easier - you could just drop the paint and marbles straight in and then roll away, then cut the base of the paper plate out once it has dried. I thought these might make some pretty Easter decorations if I cut them into an egg shape once they have dried. What Easter art activities have you been enjoying this week? “Come over and play at the Childhood 101We Play link up”

Caped crusaders

Juniors best friend has just turned 5 so we made him a little batman cape for his birthday.

Junior and Rascal love the superman cape I made for Rascals 2nd birthday so hopefully this cape will see plenty of use as well.

Now I just have to find the time to whip one up for Junior.

Perfect for gardening

I'm so grateful for the beautiful autumn weather we are having here - perfect for gardening. Now all we need is a little rain! Have a lovely weekend.

For more weekend grateful pop over to Maxabella and tell us what you are grateful for.