School Holiday fun and Buying Nothing new

 

The big one made gingerbread biscuits this week, she started cooking on her own, then a friend came to visit, and then the smaller ones joined in, and it was an all in cookie fest.  She was very kind and patient with the cookie dough stealers and later did a gorgeous job decorating them. She's really found her cooking hands, or would that be a brown thumb? Little one had to have her sandwich in shapes once the cutters were out.




After my sister helped me remove some of the excess stuff from my life I have felt a duty to carry on her hard work, so I am continuing to cleanse and have made a pledge to Buy Nothing New Month.  Great marketing promotion by those who deal in all things second hand, but also thoroughly worthwhile. I really shouldn't buy anything old either, as this is where my gathering problem lies. So far so good, although I had to control myself in Acland Street - Saint Kilda yesterday, especially in the book shop which had so many lovely reads.  I think a month will go by quickly, I wonder if I could do it for a year?


I do love a challenge, so I have also joined Blogtober hosted by tinniegirl, which requires its participants to post in their blog daily.  If it was Blogtember I would have been successful.  I think I should be pretty OK on this one too, I was always the kid who kept talking and the last to go to sleep at sleepovers.  Perhaps a bit less stuff, and a few less blog words, or perhaps a few less blog pictures.  Can you see how I am filling up my blog with clutter?  A gadget here, a picture there.  I'm gathering blue bits for my bower down the right hand side of my blog, they're all things I've posted about.  Just can't help myself.


Others I know of who are Buying Nothing New this month
Little Poppa - http://littlepoppa.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-pledgeto-buy-nothing-new.html
Amanda Brooke - http://amandabrooke.typepad.com/amanda_brooke/2011/10/october-buy-nothing-new-month.html
The Byron Life - http://www.thebyronlife.com/2011/10/day-1-thrifty-gardening.html


Have you made the pledge? these amazing ladies are going without new for a whole year
Dottie Angel - http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2671/3935309072_fc172cfd6d_b.jpg
And then there were four - http://www.pilesofwashing.blogspot.com/


Dottie Angel has a huge list on her blog of those who have joined her challenge, that's a whole lot of recycling going on. I like the hand crafted clause however I'll keep away from that this month too.




I think in the name of decluttering, and Blogtober, I might find something to give away, stay tuned.

The click system and we're all just a little fitter.

Last year my good friend Kate was telling me about the click system for encouraging good behaviour.   It sounds peculiar, and a little like dog training or a star chart, but we have had some great wins with it.  The original idea uses a frog clicker that made such an enchanting sound that your child would want to hear it.  Clicks are given for good behaviour in an area where you would like to see a change, you can't take clicks away. After a set number of clicks are given there is a small reward based on what you child loves. Last year we did resort to lollies.   The system stayed in place for quite a few months and really did change behaviour in the house.  Dinner time is our real bug bear and we did see politer, better mannered and more diverse eating children.  The system lasted a few months but we did get sick of buying lollies (even though they last a long time as it is one lolly for 5 clicks) and the behaviour had changed so it went by the by.

So why pictures of bike riding you may ask?

The click system is back. We never had the frog, used a maraca for a while, but now just say "click click".  This time no lollies, instead the children have negotiated computer time, which I am always reluctant to let them use.  One click = a minute on the computer, you can only redeem your clicks when you have a minimum of 20 clicks.  The two year old is just happy to be told "click click' when she does something well, and she like to doll out some click clicks to us when she thinks we're doing well.  we were finding it hard to keep track of the clicks so my daughter drew up a tally chart.

The whole thing started again after a nasty yelling, unhappy son shut in the naughty room, kind of dinner which I swore we weren't going to do again.  

So at first we were giving clicks just for good behaviour at dinner but my son loves the computer so he was looking for more ways to earn clicks.  

Good at dinner table - one click

Unpack dish rack - one click

Help clear the table - one click

Sort and put everyone's washing in their room - 3 clicks

Run around the roundabout 10 times - 3 clicks

Ride around the roundabout 10 times - one click

Clean up the lounge - 2 clicks

Cook Dinner - 3 clicks

Make lunches - 2 clicks

Stay in own bed all night - 2 clicks

You get the idea......

Around and around they went, they even motivated me to join them and the two year old wanted to ride too which involved me pushing her around.

The kids aren't spending any more than 20 minutes on the computer each day - monitored by a timer which lets them know when its over.  If they get off happily, without complaint or nagging for more time, they might get a click, we like to surprise them with unexpected clicks when they don't realise they're being great.  We're happier, and they actually have more fun earning the clicks than spending them.

My 10 year old wanted to know why she has to earn time on the computer and I said "I don't want to be the kind of mummy who lets their kids spend all day on the TV and computer, I want you to see the big wide world." She's happy with that for now. I'm sure it won't all last buts its great while its working - 3 weeks of clicking so far.

Here we go 'round the mulberry bush

One very sad looking twig.
How it came to be here

• I purchased mulberry cuttings on eBay last year, yep some very entrepreneurial person is selling their cuttings.
• Grew cutting - dipped end in honey and planted in potting mix - waited
• Roots grew quite quickly - planted in bigger pot.
• The mulberry was finally ready to go in the ground, I can see new growth about to burst into life
• I dug a hole with the mattock in our heavy clay soil - no mean feat
• Partner came and dug bigger hole - I thought I'd done well!
• Dug compost out of bin
• Emptied wheel barrow of compost in hole
• Planted mulberry.
• shook soil from surrounding grass to discourage it smothering our new plant
• watered in
• debated with my partner whether we planted it too low and if it will get waterlogged
• Still need to give it a liquid feed
• It was a beautiful day here today and the little one and I danced and sang around the twig
• "Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush....."
• took a little imagination
• may have to try it on a cold and frosty morning
• Actually grew more than one mulberry, have donated one to school, and one to our neighbour.  When its bigger we can have silk worms!
• We rent but I love to grow food and just hope we will get to stay to watch this grow onto a tree.

Yesterday's op shop finds

Lovely lamp and basket which I thought was for me but my two year old has usurped it, she insists it's for her birthday which is next year!  I nearly bough a garlic press but it was $5 - that doesn't seem right from the oppy.  What if it's a dud like the others I've bought?

I got a postcard with my purchases, the Salvos want you to get on Facebook , Twitter and their online site, very high tech! they now have a Look Book (bit naff, trying just a bit too hard) and have an ebay store coming soon. Perhaps the days of a bargain at the Salvos are numbered? It's all for a good cause I guess.

 They are promoting fund raisers for organisations, community partnership program, where they will give your organisation $5 for every bag of items brought in - sounds quite generous - who doesn't have a bag of stuff they could lose?

‪Dot. The world's smallest stop-motion animation character

Dot

Thought the crafters amongst you might appreciate this little clip (click on Dot). Spot the little lady bird in there, think I've got a theme going. Animation is such an exercise of patience, there is also a great film online on how this was produced.