ezi-kids-stuff-galore

A new year and new beginnings

2010-01-17T03:40:00.008+02:00

It's been a while... and a few months more since I published anything here on Mia's blog. She has grown so much and in a few weeks she will be 4 years old! Hard to believe sometimes... It feels like yesterday when she was born and I fell in love with a (at that time) small, helpless little baby.

It is also time to start thinking about her next birthday party and to tell you that I have a new kids-theme-party site that you can visit to find ideas for your children birthday parties.

One of the posts on my new site that I really love (and I think it will be the theme for Mia's party in March this year) is the Rapunzel party theme.

I fell in love with old castles, towers and the mystery of living in the Middle Ages during a visit to Germany last year and the highlight of my own life was the night I spend in a fairy tale castle in South Africa.

During this visit I also realised how important it is to be organised if you plan your kid's birthday party, ( the more so when you have a specific theme in mind).

The one thing I have learned throughout the years is to make lists about every aspect of a party, e.g. date and location, number of guests, party invitations, party food and decorations, party games and activities and the all important favour or goody bags that the party guests somehow expect these days. (When I was a child, you went to a birthday party, ate and drank and took part in some party games and went home thankful that you were invited to the party...lol).

Kids these days are so much more sophisticated in their choice of the parties they are attending, so you as a parent has to keep up with these new trends.

On my kids-theme-parties site I provide you with good, sound advice when you have to plan your child's party, so please hop on over to the site and let me know what you think. Also feel free to leave comments, suggestions and if you like, you can even share your kid's party ideas (and photos) with my visitors. (I will of course give credit to your ideas by mentioning your name/location and even provide a link back to your site or blog if you have one!)

... and remember, have fun when you plan your kid's next theme party!

Two Great Gift Ideas for Toddlers

2008-12-17T09:42:00.005+02:00

Since Mia's birth I have literally taken 1000's of photos of her. I've done a few digital scrapbook pages and collages using these photos, made calendars for family and friends but am always looking for more ways to use the photos.

I recently found the Instructables site and whiled away quite a few hours there. This site is filled with ideas to make anything from a jumping toy with paper clips to more intricate science projects like how to isolate sucralose, the active ingredient in Splenda sweetener. You can watch video presentations or step by step instructions and even download pdf. files for certain crafts.

I particularly liked the instructions to Make-a-Custom-Lift-the-Flap-Book-for-a-Toddler. This one will take some time to make, but it is a great way to use photos not only of people, but also animals and nature photos. Mia loves reading and she will really enjoy one of these books.

Curly-Corker-Hair-Bows is another lovely gift for little girls. I have often seen these bows in shops but could never figure out how they are made.

Mia will definitely find these two gifts in her Christmas stocking this year.

Christmas Trees and Angels

2008-12-11T18:57:00.012+02:00

Mia has been in day care centre since September. She really needed other children to play with, a great grandmother of 78 and a grandmother who is trying to make a living by running a business from home, are just no substitute for the energy and age-related interests of a toddler.

Two weeks ago they had their Christmas tree/concert at the school and she was an angel, or rather, she played the role of an angel together with most of the other little girls. They were all adorable onstage but obviously she was the cutest one...lol

With just two weeks to go until Christmas, I want to share this cute Christmas tree angel with you. She is also adorable and the kids will enjoy helping you to make her.

Doilie Angel

You will need:

large paper doilies in silver
small paper doilies in gold
(if unavailabe, spry paint white ones)
large clothes peg
long silver pipe cleaners
polystyrene ball
pearlescent paint in pale gold
gold pot scourer
double-sided tape
red and black fineliners

Fold the pipe cleaner two thirds of the way down. Make two circles at the long end, a horizontal one for the halo and a verticle one as a loop to hang on the tree.

Grip the folded pipe cleaner with the peg. Insert the sharp, short end into the base of the polystyrene ball. Paint the ball and when dry, draw face markings on with a fineliner.

Cut a small hole in the centre of both small and large paper doilie. Insert the pipe cleaner through both. Gather the larger doilie in at the waist and secure with an elastic band to make a skirt.

Use a small piece of pot scourer to make hair. Attach to the head with double-sided tape. For the wings, cut two quarters from a small doilie. Tape them together at the point and stick onto the back. Position them back to front so the white sides shows.

Salt Dough Angels:

These two salt dough angels have been firm favourites of mine for many years. You can download the full A4 image file from my Squidoo lens as well as a step by step photo tutorial on how to make a nativity scene from salt dough

The nativity scene instructions was the second post on my ezi-gifts-galore blog way back in 2006. You will find a lot of salt dough ideas to keep the kids busy during the Christmas holidays.

Mia's Winter Tale

2008-07-28T12:17:00.011+02:00

Winter is still in full force here in South Africa. The days are quite sunny and warm at present but evenings and nights can still be really cold. Thankfully the bitter marrow-freezing cold of two weeks ago is over but we are not overly optimistic - the weather has changed so much during the past few years and maybe we should not put away all the coats, scarves and other warm clothes yet.

Luckily Mia has quite a few things to help her fight the cold days and nights of winter in South Africa. Her great grandmother is the creator of the blanket, bed socks and poncho. Since my father passed away two years ago, mom has kept herself busy with knitting and crochet and this year the end results are really so beautiful. Mia often visits her in her rooms and the two of them enjoy breakfast, eleven o'clock tea and biscuits and a brisk walk everyday.

The bed socks are very easy to knit and can be adapted to fit any size feet. Basically you cast on a number of stitches for the ribbing, knit a few rows ribbing, increase the stitches, knit garter or stocking stitch for 30-40 rows, decrease and ribbing again. Sew the edges together as far as you want to and decorate with flowers, simple cross stitch, tassels or whatever takes your fancy. You can also twist or crochet a cord and thread it through the top part.

Mia's bed socks: (Take into account that Mia already wears a size 7 shoe at her tender age. Tall girl, this one... lol
Mom used size 3,75mm (9) knitting needles for the ribbing, 5mm (6) needles for the "body" of the bed socks. Double knitting wool of choice. Cast on 40 stitches, knit two, purl two for 6 rows, increase into every 2nd stitch - 60 stitches. Knit 44 rows in garter stitch, decrease every 2nd stitch to have 40 stitches again, change to 3,75mm needles and ribbing again for 6 rows. Cast off and sew edges together.

Adult Bed socks: Needles and wool as for Mia's bed socks. Cast on 40 stitches; -ribbing 6 rows, increase into every stitch 80 stitches, knit about 60 - 70 rows, decrease every stitch, change to 3,75mm and 6 rows ribbing again.

This is the kind of pattern I like, easy and suitable for all ages. Many years ago I knitted the bed socks on my knitting machine and could easily make 5 pairs a day in between all my other chores.

The bed socks are good sellers at fêtes, perfect for other fund-raising projects and to just give at childcare centers, shelters or old-age homes during winter time.

Ok, the poncho.... if you are a crochet fan, this is also an easy project for a toddler or young girl. There's a link at the bottom of this post for instructions - As with the bed socks, there is not really a set pattern, it again depends on the thickness of the wool, correct needle for the tension and the age of the child.

Poncho Pattern

While you are making these items, take some time to think about all the homeless people who have to brave the cold and be thankful that you have a roof over your head, warm clothes, blankets and food.

Decorative Hairslides to Tame Wild Manes

2008-06-26T13:57:00.021+02:00

For the past few days, Mia has had "bad hair" days. Every morning it is a struggle to brush and fasten her hair and even when I do manage to make a ponytail or keep it in place with hair slides, she usually takes everything out after a few hours (sometimes even minutes).

In an attempt to make the daily struggle a little easier and fun, I decorated a few of her hair slides today. It turned out so well (the hair slides, unfortunately not the hair... yet) that I took a few photos to give you a step by step tutorial on how to do it.

You will need hair slides and ribbon of choice, beads, buttons, small fabric roses or flowers or any other small odds and ends you can use for decoration.

The small pineapple is a button, I threaded the ribbon through the little eye at the back and tied a knot around the pin of the slide before I started the actual weaving. I also found that the narrow ribbon gives a neater finish than the wider ones.

Here is how you do it:

Cut a length of ribbon - about 30 cm in length, open the hair slide and slide the ribbon through. Measure the ribbon so that the sides are of equal length. Start weaving by folding the ribbon over and under.

Do the same from the other side and repeat until the whole slide is covered. Push the ribbon back every now and then to cover the slide neatly, try to keep the ribbon flat.

Turn the slide over and tie the ribbon into a tight knot, decorate further as you wish.

Credit for the cute little bows: I love it when I find good craft tutorials on the Internet! This is exactly what happened last night when I followed a link in an e-mail from Google Alerts. The name of the blog says it all: Happybird's Crafting Haven.... Indeed a happy blog with lots of wonderful things. Thanks so much for this very clear tutorial on bow making.

For now, the slides are something new, but this grandma wonders how long it will stay in the hair? Maybe she will feel the love woven into the ribbons and wear them for
for a few hours....

When God Created Fathers

2008-06-15T10:56:00.006+02:00

When the good Lord was creating fathers, He started with a tall frame. And a female angel nearby said, "What kind of father is that? If you're going to make children so close to the ground, why have you put fathers up so high? He won't be able to shoot marbles without kneeling, tuck a child in bed without bending, or even kiss a child without a lot of stooping."

And God smiled and said, "Yes, but if I make him child size, who would children have to look up to?"

And when God made a father's hands, they were large and sinewy.

And the angel shook her head sadly and said, "Do You know what You're doing? Large hands are clumsy. They can't manage diaper pins, small buttons, rubber bands on pony tails or even remove splinters caused by baseball bats."

God smiled and said, "I know, but they're large enough to hold everything a small boy empties from his pockets at the end of a day... yet small enough to cup a child's face."

Then God molded long, slim legs and broad shoulders.

The angel nearly had a heart attack. "Boy, this is the end of the week, all right," she clucked. "Do You realize You just made a father without a lap? How is he going to pull a child close to him without the kid falling between his legs?"

God smiled and said, "A mother needs a lap. A father needs strong shoulders to pull a sled, balance a boy on a bicycle or hold a sleepy head on the way home from the circus."

God was in the middle of creating two of the largest feet anyone had ever seen when the angel could contain herself no longer. "That's not fair. Do You honestly think those large boats are going to dig out of bed early in the morning when the baby cries? Or walk through a small birthday party without crushing at least three of the guests?"

And God smiled and said, "They'll work. You'll see. They'll support a small child who wants to "ride a horse to Banbury Cross" or scare off mice at the summer cabin, or display shoes that will be a challenge to fill."

God worked throughout the night, giving the father few words, but a firm authoritative voice; eyes that see everything, but remain calm and tolerant.

Finally, almost as an afterthought, He added tears. Then He turned to the angel and said, "Now are you satisfied that he can love as much as a mother?"

And the angel shutteth up!
- Erma Bombeck

The importance of milk teeth

2008-06-13T11:40:00.006+02:00

Those small teeth that can cause so much pain when they first start to come out, are really important and it is just as important to clean them from a very early age as it is cleaning your own teeth everyday.

Milk teeth have a very important spacing function. If they are lost too early, the position of the permanent teeth may be affected.

Here are a few tips from the experts:

Let them "play" with their tootbrush even before the first tooth arrives, but DO not let them run around with it once they start to walk or run.
Make teeth-cleaning a fun activity for the whole family, or take turns to brush each other's teeth.
A mirror in the bathroom at the child's height, will enable them to see themselves while brushing their teeth.
Buy toothpaste in their favourite flavour and colour, they will be more willing to brush their teeth if they like the taste of the toothpaste.
A toothbrush with their favourite character(s) will also make them more willing to brush their teeth.
Replace a toddler's toothbrush often and ensure that the toothbrush's bristles are soft enough not to hurt those tender gums.
Ideally the toothbrush must have a small angled brush head to clean all those hard to reach places and a large handle so that they can easily hold it.
Place only a pea-size blob of toothpaste on their brush. Let the toddler brush first and then you can re-brush to clean thoroughly. Start on the top surface of the teeth, then move onto the outer and inner sides.
The most important reason for tooth decay even amongst toddlers is sugary foods, so go easy on candy and biscuits. Apples and other fruit are so much healthier. Fizzy drinks should be substituted by diluted fruit juice (for toddlers) and there is nothing wrong to give them water to drink when they are thirsty.

Ok, I am off to |give Mia some fruit juice and see if she wants an orange or naartjie today.

Father's Day Gifts - How young should they start?

2008-06-09T21:21:00.006+02:00

Mia and her Dad on her 2nd birthday. In a few days it will be Father's Day and although she is still to small to really understand the meaning of this day, I often wonder if it is really necessary that she should give a present to her dad and granddad.

On the other hand, she is also at an age where she enjoys drawing or painting a picture and giving it to somebody and the eagerness in the little face awaiting the expressions of awe and wonder and then the joy that lights up her face when she hears that she has done something good, should leave no doubt in my mind that she can make a gift for them at this young age.

With a little help from me or Adri, she can be taught new skills and she also learns the joy of giving. At this age she will tell you that she is drawing a sun, tree or flowers (although you have to look pretty hard sometimes to "see" it), but she uses her coloured pencils quite a lot, she knows most of the colours and she loves painting with water colours.

Tip: Turn the drawings or paintings of toddlers into bookmarks or paste it onto a clipboard that Dad can use to keep his documents together. It can even be used to cover a small notebook or diary. Take the drawings to your nearest copy shop and let them laminate it . Use it as placemats and see the pride on the little face when you tell family or friends that it was done by him/her.

Wonderful imagination of a toddler

2008-06-03T11:21:00.014+02:00

Mia is busy! Every day is a new adventure for her and sometimes she seems like the butterflies who are enjoying the winter sun and going from flower to flower... never staying long on the same flower. Mia is the same, now here and then off to find something else to do, (sometimes not all good...lol).

At the moment her very strong imagination gives us so much pleasure.She has a small rock which can turn into a turtle any time and imaginery "baby turtles" (and even a baby or two), are roaming my house and the care that she takes when she picks them up and brings them to me, is amazing. She has long conversations with her imaginary male friend, Piet, using the "newest cellphone" on the market for this.

Turtle "Cell phone"

A few weeks ago, her grandfather brought a tiny lizard to show to her. She was so excited to hold it in her hand and stood quite still while it was walking up and down her arm. Two days later I was busy with some alterations to pants and I heard her calling my name. I found her on the floor, pointing to a small piece of fabric. At first I could not understand what she was trying to tell me , but then realised that she was "seeing" another tiny lizard.

We had lots of fun with this new pet throughout the day and I realised again that the words of Albert Einstein: "Imagination is more important than knowledge" are so true when it comes to toddlers and children.

Mia's 2nd Birthday Party - The Party Food

2008-03-15T20:22:00.013+02:00

As I promised last night, more on the cakes and party food for Mia's birthday party.

After we finished all the decorations, ideas for the food just flowed naturally. There had to be a Nemo cake, of course and although I found lovely ideas on the party site, I did not want to merely copy one of them. The graphic that I used for the invitation cards was such a sweet image of Nemo, so I decided to use this image for the cake. It took some "cutting and pasting" to get it just right, but in the end the 4 hours that I spend on it, was worth the while.

The following Nemo characters found their way to the table and were made as follow:-

Bloat the puffer fish: Baked fish nuggets and potato sticks.

Pearl, the sweet little squid:- pink marshmallows snipped with scissors and glued to the biscuits with a dab of icing and further decorations with icing and some sugar-coated jelly sweets.

Bruce the shark:- Mini hotdog buns were used to make them. Unfortunately the buns broke when we tried to insert vienna sausages, so we sliced them open on top and filled it with some grated cheese as well. Triangular shaped chips were used for the fins and jelly teeth sweeties completed the image.

Some of the buns were also turned into crabs by attaching jelly sweets on top for the eyes.

Peach the starfish: She did not actually make an appearance at the party as she was made for Mia's birthday on Thursday 6th March.

All in all it was quite a successful party and I realised again that a birthday party need not cost a lot of money if you make the decorations yourself and provide a good mixture of sweets and healthy snacks. Prepare in advance and decide what you want to do and stick to your original decisions.

I found the coloring pages (previous post) at coloring-book info and on the Disney site you can find some good fun and games as well as invitation cards.

My little Nemo herself

Mia's second birthday party - the decorations

2008-03-14T21:19:00.016+02:00

It has been ages since last I posted anything here. Time has flown by as always and my lovely Mia has grown up so quickly. If I look to the banner at the top of the blog it shows that she is now 2 years, 1 week and 1 day old. Yet another week that has gone by in a flash!

I am lucky to have her here in my house to see her grow and change every day. I also had the privilege once again to "organise" her second birthday party. It was a little difficult to decide on a theme for the party, Adri (her mother) and I decided on a bug theme, but a week before the actual party we decided to have a "Finding Nemo" party as it is in this time Mia's favourite movie/DVD.

I had no idea where to start on this one, but luckily my internet was reconnected a week before the party and I found lots of inspiration on the Coolest-Kid-Birthday-Parties site. This is really an amazing site with thousands of photos of birthday cakes and party ideas. (There is a link in the sidebar if you want to take a look)

I found pictures/graphics of many of the Nemo characters on the internet. I colored, printed and laminated them and used it to decorate the gazebo and a few of them "escaped in plastic bags into the ocean"...lol

The invitations were printed on the back of a cute pic of Nemo, sealed in a plastic bag which was put into another plastic bag filled with water (colered blue with a drop of food coloring) and a few tiny shells. (Wow, what a hit this one was!!!)

The bottoms of blue plastic bottles and a few strings of coloured cellophane turned into jellyfish.

Empty tuna cans covered with two/three layers of crinkle paper and tissue paper were used for the anemones.

Adri (Mia's mother) turned the table into the bottom of the ocean by covering the tablecloth with blue cellophane and decorated it with coarse and fine salt, colored with food coloring to make rocks and sand, as well as seashells.

To color salt:- Put some salt into a glass bottle, add a drop of food coloring, seal and shake until all the salt is covered, dry on newspapers. Start with only a drop of food coloring, you can always add more to make a darker color.

For tonight this is all.... Like they say on TV, watch this space for the photos of the birthday cakes (yes, she had two, one on her birthday and another one on the day of the party) and party food.

A Special Post to Mothers and Daughters

2007-08-09T00:14:00.000+02:00

On the 9th August 1956 some 20,000 women marched to the Union [government] Buildings in Pretoria to protest against a law requiring black women to carry passes. Since 1994 August 9 is commemorated annually and is known as Women’s Day in South Africa - It serves as a reminder of the contribution made by women to society, the achievements that have been made for women's rights, and to acknowledge the difficulties and prejudices many women still face.

What better way then to celebrate this day than posting a few photos of 4 generations of women sharing their lives for the last 17 months.

Cool Slideshows!

A daughter and her mother
are never free of one
another-
no matter how they
disagree,
For they are so entwined
In heart and mind
That, gladly or unwillingly,
They share each love, each
Joy, each sorrow and each
Bitter wrong
Life-long.

Listen to your Heart to Survive!!

2007-07-31T00:10:00.000+02:00

There will be no new posts for the next few weeks!!!

Sadly my copy/typing/design/photo editing business which I run from home has been going downhill at an alarming rate and as it is the ONLY income I have, I now have to concentrate on finding new clients/contracts by launching an extensive personal marketing campaign which will take up a considerable amount of my time.

Luckily it is that time of the year when the schools need photographers for their yearly photos as well as certificates for graduation ceremonies. Theunissen, my home town in the Free State Province of South Africa, is also celebrating its centennial anniversary during September, and so there are lots of opportunities to market my business, but it also means that I will be away from home some days to attend meetings and photo shoots as well as editing and layout of brochures and other marketing materials, which in turn means that I will not be able to make/bake/show gifts/ideas as often as I would like and publish new posts.

Rather than posting only once or twice a week as has been the case in the past few weeks, I have decided to stop blogging altogether for some time. I love blogging and my blogs have become a part of my life, but in every life there comes a time when you have to weigh your options and decide what is important and in this time the "survival" factor is outweighing everything else.

I read the following a few weeks ago: - "Listen to your heart, it will tell you what to do." Presently my heart tells me to take care of my business AND income (to provide for my future) and when it has stabilised, I will take up blogging again.

I still have so much to share with you and the satisfaction I derive from this sharing, gives me a lot of pleasure, so be assured..........

I will be back!!!

Fun with Listening to and Making Music

2007-07-25T19:52:00.000+02:00

Mia loves to dance when she hears music. Her first introduction to music was while she was still in Adri's womb. However, instead of soothing classical music, she listened to a very popular rap song (mom's favourite at that time) and even today, at the age of 16 months, she recognises the song whenever Adri plays it to her and immediately starts to move her head and clap her hands.

She was also introduced to some popular Afrikaans (our home language) children's lyrics quite early and enjoys listening to a wide variety of music. It is amazing how quickly small children learn to recognise certain songs and it is good to provide plenty of variety in the choice of music they listen to. One should never impose one's own musical taste.

Music makes them aware of sound and help them to learn to listen. Listening does not come naturally but is an art that children develop through practice. This skill plays an important part in learning and communication in general and not just in musical activities. It teaches them to experiment with different sounds and use their bodies to respond to it. (Mia has also joined her great grandmother in doing some light exercises on the beat of children's songs sung by my mother - learning movements and sounds without realising it.)

Don't worry if you do not have knowledge of music or musical abilities. You can still help your child to develop an interest in and enjoyment of music. Although true musical abilities are a natural gift, nearly everyone is capable of enjoying music if they are exposed to it in ways that they enjoy.

Children who are exposed to a variety of music and learn to listen to the songs and also join in, tend to become more confident in their use of words - hence the practice of speech therapists to use musical activities to help children with speech defects and what can be nicer than to learn the alphabet to the sounds of a lively tune. Music also releases tension and is a great tool in letting off steam. Most children prefer music with strong rhythms which suggest movement.

Fun with Peg Creatures

2007-07-21T15:38:00.000+02:00

Ask mum not to throw away those broken clothes pegs - you can really make some fun things with them. Mia's mum, Adri, had so much fun painting the soldier and his lady.

You need six peg halves for the soldier. Glue two pieces back to back with craft glue so that the curved ends form the head.Now glue two pieces on to base of body to form legs. Finally, glue two remaining pieces on to sides of body, to form arms. Let the glue dry completely, then paint his face, jacket, pants and boots. The sword is a painted matchstick and glue to body. You can either paint on his moustache or use matchsticks cut in half.

Make the lady in the same way. Cut a skirt from cardboard and decorate as desired.

The airplane is made from four peg halves, painted in bright colours. Cut the tail from a piece of cardboard and glue one side onto a peg half. Then glue the two peg halves together. Leave to dry and glue the wings of the airplane to the body. Make a bird by omitting the tail of the airplane.

I printed the butterfly's wings from a template on the computer, cut it out and used glitter glue to decorate it. Make the body in the same way as the body of the airplane. Use pipe cleaners for the feelers and glue onto side of head. Glue the butterfly on top.

Tip: Use your airplanes or birds to make mobiles to hang from the roof. The soldier and his lady can be used as fridge magnets if you glue magnets onto the backs of the pegs.

An Ode to "Mean Moms"

2007-07-18T22:32:00.000+02:00

Mean Moms

Someday when my children are old enough to
understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will
tell them, as my Mean Mom told me: I loved you
enough . . . to ask where you were going, with whom,
and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you
discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours
while you cleaned your room,
a job that should have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger,
disappointment, and tears in my eyes.
Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the
responsibility for your actions even when the
penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough . . . to say
NO when I knew you would hate me for it.

Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm
glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.
And someday when your children are old enough to
understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.

Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the
meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids
ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.
When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.
And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was
different from what other kids had, too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all
times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She
had to know who our friends were, and what we were
doing with them. She insisted that if we said we
would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve
to break the Child Labour Laws by making us work.
We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to
cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash
and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie
awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time
we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had
eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!

Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn
when they drove up. They had to come up to the door
so she could meet them. While everyone else could
date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.

Because of our mother we missed out on lots of
things other kids experienced. None of us have ever
been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's
property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated,
honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean
parents just like Mom was.

I think that is what's wrong with the world today.

It just doesn't have enough mean moms!

Fun in the Garden - Snack Bars and Syrup for Birds

2007-07-15T21:05:00.000+02:00

Snack Bars for Birds

Mix equal amounts of lard and birdseed and fill empty mini yoghurt tubs with the mixture.Make a knot in a piece of twine and push the knot two thirds of the way into the filled tubs. Put the tubs in the freezer.

When you need to feed the birds, pull the frozen bar from the tub and hang it in a tree as is. It will slowly defrost with the warmth of the day and from the birds pecking at it.

Mix 1 tablespoon of honey with one beaten egg, add half a cup of birdseed to the mixture. Mix thoroughly, add more seed to form a stiff mixture. Follow steps as described for lard and birdseed mixture.

If you do not have enough yoghurt containers, use empty egg cartons lined with squares of cling film.

Sunbird syrup

Some birds like sunbirds eat nectar from flowers.

Treat them with some sweet home-made syrup. Fill a small container and hang it from a tree above a flower bed.

Mix the following:

1½ litres hot water
add 6 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 tablespoons of honey
4 tablespoons of golden syrup and
¼ teaspoon Bovril or other meat extract

Once it is cool, add ½ teaspoon multivitamin syrup (S.F.100) for birds. You can obtain this syrup from pet shops.

Recipe Source - Help them Grow by Lynn Hurry and Keith Kirsten.

Fun in the Garden - Feed the Birds

2007-07-13T00:14:00.000+02:00

In wintertime with all the bare trees, one can really see how many birds there are in your garden. It is so interesting to watch them fly in and out of the trees or gathering on the dry lawn to search for food.

I think it can get pretty boring just finding worms or stale breadcrumbs to munch on. So I went through a few of my "scrap folders" and found some great ideas to treat the birdies.

Try to provide a variety of foods to suit the tastes of different birds. It is a good idea to keep a record of the birds that visit your "food table" and the food that each one eats.

Some birds like the crested barbet and black-eyed bulbul, eat fruit,while others like the flycatchers and robins, eat insects. Give them suet or bone meal which you can buy from a butcher.

Sparrows and masked weavers like to eat seeds. Buy bird seed from a pet shop to feed them.

If you are not sure which birds eat which kind of food, be clever. Make food garlands to hang from a tree. A good idea is to choose just one tree so the birds know where to visit in future.

Popcorn, rice cakes, mealies and fruit like dried figs and apple slices, berries, fresh orange slices cut fairly thickly or seedless grapes can be strung onto raffia or string to make these garlands.You can also put pieces of fat between the fruit for insect eating birds.

Pine cones make fabulous bird feeders. Simply hang a couple in a nearby tree and be creative with the fillings - try mashed banana and birdseed or even crunchy peanut butter and birdseed.

Keep an eye on the tree to ensure the food is being eaten and isn't rotting or attracting unwanted animals.

If you have cats, they will surely try to eat the pieces of fat on the garlands as well as trying to catch the birds. A neck collar with a bell around the cat's neck will take care of this problem.

As sunflowers finish flowering don't just deadhead them; turn them into treats to attract birds to the garden. Snip off the heads and hang them in trees using florist's wire, gardening twine or even old wire coat hangers. The seeds will dry naturally in the wind and the birds will have a feast.

At the beginning of winter birds start preparing their nests for the colder weather. By hanging small lengths of natural wool or string from the branches, you will also lend a helping hand.

Fun with Cardboard - Sundial

2007-07-11T00:45:00.000+02:00

Winter time is normally associated with colds and flu and in my house it was extra bad during the last week. Mia, her mom Adri, grandma (I) as well as great grandmother all came down with one kind or another of these winter illnesses.

The "tone and pitch" of the coughing bouts varied a lot and maybe in time we can turn it into a musical hit. Luckily the sun was shining brightly every day and it was nice to spend some time sitting in front of the window to let the heat seep into our cold bodies, but only for a short time as the sun sets quite early during winter months.

Did you know, since ancient times, the sun has played an important part in people's efforts to keep track of time. The length of a day depends on the time the sun takes to return to a particular place in the sky as the earth rotates.

Ancient peoples used several kinds of devices to tell the time. Sundials, for example, show the direction of the sun's shadow. The direction changes as the sun moves. Ancient calendars were based on the phases of the moon. The phases occur because sunlight reflected by the moon is seen from different angles as the moon circles the earth. Many ancient peoples built complex structures to learn about the sun's motion from north to south and back again as the seasons changed. Such monuments as Stonehenge in England probably tracked the motions of the moon and the sun.

Today, the sun has an important role in navigating and surveying. Navigators (the person on a ship who is responsible for the route/course the ship will sail) and surveyors (a person who measures land or property) carefully measure the position of the sun to find their own position--and various other points-on the earth.

Why don't you make your own sundial to keep track of the daylight hours. Ask your friends to make their own and then you can compare the time after a few days.

You will need:

A long sharp pencil
Compass, plate or lid to draw a circle
Stiff cardboard
Scissors and a felt-tip pen

Using a compass or round object, draw a large circle onto the cardboard. It should be at least 15 cm wide.

Cut a little cross in the center and push the pencil through the hole making sure it's secure.

Push the pencil into the ground in a sunny spot. Make sure there are no trees or buildings that will cast a shadow on the cardboard or you won't get a correct reading.

At the beginning of every hour, mark the number on the cardboard where the shadow falls.

When the sun has set , you will have a complete sundial- an ancient and effective way of telling the time.

Weekend Wildlife Series - Common Marmoset

2007-07-01T20:32:00.000+02:00

Common marmosets -Callithrix jacchus- are small monkeys that have mottled brown, grey, and yellow colored coats with white ear tufts and long, banded tails. They have pale skin on their faces, which darkens with exposure to sun, and a blaze of white on their foreheads . Infants are born with a brown and yellow coat and only develop the white ear tufts and forehead blaze as they age.

Males and females are about the same size. Males have a height of 188 mm and females can grow to a height of 185 mm. Males weigh about 256g and females 236g. Young marmosets weigh about 25-35g at birth.The average lifespan of a common marmoset is between 10 and 15 years.

Females can give birth to a single baby or even twins and triplets. From birth, common marmosets have a very strong cling reflex and do not leave their carrier's back for the first two weeks of life. They are very active from the second week, crawling on their carrier's back and investigating their surroundings. Immediately after birth, the breeding male/father of the infants begins to carry them on his back.

Common marmosets inhabit a variety of forest types but are mostly found in the savanna forest in central Brazil. They are also in high demand as pets and are bred in captivity.

Claw-like nails help common marmosets in their squirrel-like movement patterns. They cling vertically to trees, use their arms and legs to run across branches, and move between trees by leaping.

Common marmosets gnaw the bark of trees to stimulate the flow of gum, sap, resin, and latex while vertically clinging with their claw-like nails to the trunks of the trees.

They also eat fruits, seeds, flowers, snails, lizards, tree frogs and bird eggs. Marmosets in captivity are fed with fruit, vegetables, nuts, eggs, yogurt and even jelly and cheese.They need Vitamin C in higher dosages than humans.

In captivity marmosets should be handled gently but firmly to reduce stress and to minimise the chances of injuries to both the marmoset and the handler.

In the wild, common marmosets are very vulnerable as a result of their small body size. Common enemies include snakes, owls, and birds of prey like hawks and falcons that feed on meat.

The photos of the marmosets were taken by me at Tweefontein Nature Reserve where the marmosets are bred as part of a breeding program.

A Mom is not just A Mom!

2007-06-25T22:52:00.000+02:00

I received this story in an e-mail today and thought women of all ages and occupations will enjoy it as much as I have. As so often happen with e-mails, I do not know where it originated from and apologize if I have used it without the knowledge or permission of the storyteller.

JUST A MOM?

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

"What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job or are you just a......?"

"Of course I have a job," snapped the woman, "I'm a Mom."

"We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient and possessed of a high sounding title like, "Official Interrogator" or "Town Registrar."

"What is your occupation?" she probed.

What made me say it? I do not know. The words simply popped out.

"I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and looked up as though she had not heard right.

I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written, in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research, [what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family) and already have four credits (all daughters).

Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities,(any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day,(24 is more like it).
But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3.

Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby) in the child development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy! And I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another Mom."

Motherhood! What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door.

Does this make grandmothers "Senior Research associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations" and great grandmothers "Executive Senior Research Associates"? I think so!!! I also think it makes Aunts "Associate Research Assistants".

Fun with Glitter - Snowstorm in a Jar

2007-06-22T21:43:00.001+02:00

Snow globes come in all shapes and sizes, and even grownups can sit for hours shaking and turning them up and down to see the "snow" swirling and falling around in the liquid.

They can be quite expensive so tonight I want to share a method with you to make your own snowstorm in a jar. I only had green glitter in my craft drawer, but you can use any colour you like.

You will need:

Small jars with lids that seal tightly
glue
glitter
miniature toys, plastic flowers

Spray the lids in colour of choice and leave to dry.

Glue the toy onto the lid with strong glue. (Inside of the lid)

Fill the jar with water and mix in a couple of tablespoons of glycerin. Make sure that the jar is filled right to the top.

Add some glitter, but not more than half a teaspoon or the water will become too cloudy. Screw the lid closed.

Smear some waterproof glue around the rim of the jar before sealing it tightly. Leave until the glue has set.

Tip:If you do not have glycerin, dissolve a few teaspoons of sugar in hot water, leave to cool completely and pour into the jar. The glycerin or sugar makes the water "thicker" so that the glitter falls more slowly.

Fun Games from Cardboard

2007-06-20T22:06:00.000+02:00

Pocket Games - "Cup and ball"

In South Africa the schools have closed for the winter holidays. Although most of the days are sunny, it can sometimes be too cold to play outside.

Here is a quick, inexpensive idea to keep yourself and your friends occupied during these times.

You will need:

Thin cardboard
Pencil and ruler
Scissors
Tape
Paints and paintbrush or felt-tip pens
Compass
Thumbtack
Bottle cork
Strong sewing thread or thin line

Using the compass, draw a circle with 8cm radius on the cardboard. Cut it out. Draw a line from the outside edge of the circle to the center and cut along it. Cut a hole about 3cm wide out of the middle of the circle.

Paint the circle in bright colors on both sides. Curve the circle around to make a cone and fasten it with tape.

Cut a piece of cardboard 10 x 13cm. Paint it on one side only. Roll it into a tube along the long edge and fasten it with tape. Attach the bottom of the cone to one end of the tube with tape.

Cut a piece of sewing thread 35cm long. Tie one end round and round the point of the thumbtack. Then push the thumbtack into the top of the cork. To attach it even more firmly, put some tape over the thumbtack. Anchor the loose end of the sewing thread to the underside of the cone firmly with tape.

How to play:
Try to catch the cork in the cone. How many times in a row can you do it? Practice and your score should increase quickly.

Mia and Dadda

2007-06-16T17:19:00.001+02:00

Rolling Stones gather on Father's Day

2007-06-13T21:24:00.001+02:00

Painting pebbles and turning them into personal gifts is inexpensive and easy. Gather pebbles and stones whenever you are out walking and turn them into creatures that can be used as paper weights, pet rocks or display a few of them in a glass vase or basket.

A few years ago the world was swept off its feet by the "pet rock" craze. Everybody had a "pet rock" in a small box or container and it was the perfect pet. No feeding, washing or being taken on walks or for visits to the vet. All it asked was to be kept close to your side and to be loved.

Small flat pebbles like the ones in the photograph can easily be turned into pet rocks by painting them with different coloured paints and drawing faces with a fine brush. Carry your pet rock in your hand, keep it in your pocket or make a house for it by simply covering a matchbox with paper of left-over pieces of fabric. Put a small piece of cotton wool in the box and your pet rock will be so quiet and peaceful, you won't hear a word from it.

To make a paper weight for dad's office, look for a big stone; it can either be flat and round or shaped. Shaped stones can turn into any animal you want it to be. If you look at it for a few minutes and turn it around a few times, you will soon see what it reminds you of and then you can start to paint it.

You can add eyes, lips, noses, feet, arms, tails, beaks, feathers and fins by gluing smaller stones to the "body" stone or buy some Epoxy or quickset putty.

Tip: After you have finished the paperweight, ask mom for a piece of felt or thin foam to glue to the underside of the stone. It will prevent scratches on dad's desk.

Apart from different shapes and sizes stones and pebbles, you will need poster or acrylic paints, fine paintbrushes, glue (always be careful when you use quick-drying glue - rather ask mum or an older sister or brother to help you), as well as clear varnish.

Wash all stones and pebbles in a solution of washing-up liquid and hot water. Remove all stubborn mud or grime with a stiff brush. Leave in the sun to dry completely before painting it. Take care that the paint is also completely dry before sealing it with two coats of varnish. Let each coat dry thoroughly before applying the next.

There is a well-know saying about a rolling stone that gathers no moss, but I am sure no stone will mind if you give it a pretty coat and use it as a Father's Day Gift.

From Leaves to Father's Day Gifts

2007-06-06T20:49:00.000+02:00

June in South Africa is winter time and although many of the trees in my garden have shed their leaves, their are still a few with lovely yellow, orange, brown and even green leaves on the branches.

June is also the month in which fathers have their own special day and sometimes it is a little difficult to know what to give them to show your love and appreciation for everything that they do throughout the year.

Framed leaf creature pictures are unusual gifts and all you really need are lots of leaves of all shapes, sizes and colours, cardboard or photocopy paper to mount them as well as acid-free adhesive for gluing them.

Imagination, patience and enthusiasm are the only other tools you will need to make these super gifts.

Collect leaves wherever you go. Press them as soon as possible after collection. Old telephone directories are ideal to press leaves as they are heavy and you don't have to worry about spoiling or staining the pages.

You can also use them to store your leaves for future projects in alphabetical order- fish in the F pages, moths in the M pages and so one. Or you can arrange leaves according to tree, plant or by colour.

When the leaves are well pressed, take them out and scatter them on the floor to see what kinds of creatures emerge from this grouping. Don't let the cat or dog into the room where you're laying out your leaves and do not open the window or the wind will blow your designs about.

You do not need to make any sketches or designs for your leaf creatures and do not start with a preconceived idea either. Ideas will be sparked off by the shape of the leaves as well as the colours. Butterflies, birds and fish are favourite beginner's creatures, but you will soon see other possibilities when you arrange your leaves on paper.

Backgrounds can be coloured or white. Try to paste brightly coloured or golden leaves on black paper. Never cut or interfere with the natural form of the leaves. You can overlap them or glue smaller leaves on top of bigger ones, but never cut them!

Use a frame with a removable back or backing sheet for your finished picture and store the other pictures in a folder to keep the leaves from fading. Do not expose them to direct sunlight. If they do fade, simply remove the picture and replace it with another one from your folder.

Oh, and do not forget to pick up the leaves on the floor after you have finished your designs and before you leave the room.

Scented Gel Jars for Mother's Day

2007-05-06T22:35:00.000+02:00

Scented Gel Jars

Fill small glass jars or small glasses with a scented gelatin mixture for a quick and easy Mother's Day Gift.

You will need:

Small glass jars with lids (baby food jars work well)
500 ml (2 cups) boiled water (measure in a jug and leave to cool completely)
50 g or 60 ml gelatin
50 drops essential oil (any scent)
Food Coloring

Pour 100 ml water in a bowl, sprinkle gelatin over the water. Leave until gelatin has softened. Heat remaining water in a saucepan. Add a few drops of food coloring and stir. Remove from the heat, add the gelatin and stir until the gelatin has dissolved completely.

Divide the drops of essential or potpourri oil into the jars. Add the gelatin mixture to the jars. and place the jars in the refrigerator for about two hours or until the mixture has set.
Remove the jars from the refrigerator and cover with plastic wrap or lids. Store them at room temperature. To release the scent, remove the plastic wrap or lids.

Tip: Ask Dad to make some holes in the lids of the jars so that the scent can escape through the holes. Paint the lids with craft paint in pretty colours if you like.

You can also decorate the jars with colored ribbons or lace.

Place a silk flower, dried flower petals or pretty beads in the jar before carefully pouring the gelatin mixture into the jars.

Initial stamps from Plaster of Paris

2007-05-01T21:33:00.000+02:00

You will need:

Modeling clay
Plaster of Paris and a disposable container (like a small empty yogurt container) to mix it in
Thick paper to make tubes
penknife or craft knife, scissors, tape and a nail file or piece of fine sand paper
Enamel or poster/craft paint and a paintbrush

Form the modeling clay into a round shape. Carve initials or other designs in the middle of the circle. Objects with raised surfaces like shells, buttons, beans and even pasta, make interesting designs. Press into the clay and carefully remove from the clay.

Cut the piece of paper about 5 cm wide and long enough to wrap around the clay model with a little left over. Roll the paper tightly around the model so the ends overlap. Anchor the paper tube firmly with tape. This will stop the plaster from leaking out.

Half fill the yogurt container with water and gradually sprinkle the plaster of Paris powder on the water. Mix it with your fingers or a plastic spoon until the mixture is lump free and thick.
Pour the plaster into the paper tube on top of the clay model. Let leftover plaster dry, wrap in newspaper and throw it in a garbage can. Never dispose of it in the sink. The pipes will block.

Let the stamp dry overnight. Tear off the paper when the plaster is quite dry. Pull away the clay model and use a nail file to smooth rough edges if necessary. To print your initials or patterns on paper, brush the stamp with poster paint. Press the stamp carefully on paper while the paint is still wet.

Other materials that can be used to make stamps:-

Cut shapes out of very thick cardboard (the type that is used for packing books send by mail order) or polystyrene containers, glue them to the blocks or on cotton reels, toy bricks or even match boxes, so that children can hold them easily.

Glue thick string or rope on cardboard or polystyrene block

Cut a potato in half and carve shapes in the cut surface.

Cut designs into blocks of plasticine, foam rubber or thick polystyrene

Tip: Make wrapping paper by printing designs all over a sheet of paper and use it to wrap gifts for family and friends.

Weekend Wildlife Series - African Wild Dog

2007-04-29T20:54:00.001+02:00

The African wild dog, also called Cape hunting dog or painted dog, were once distributed widely throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past 100 years their range has been reduced to relatively few small populations, mostly isolated in protected areas in east and southern Africa.

The decline of wild dog numbers and range can be attributed to habitat loss and to expanding human and domestic livestock populations. As human settlements expand, the dogs have sometimes developed a taste for livestock, though significant damage is rare. Unfortunately, they are often hunted and killed by farmers who fear for their domestic animals.

African wild dogs are endangered. Wild dogs in the whole of Africa is fewer than 5,000 individuals, and only three populations estimated to contain more than 350 adults each are known to remain: one in Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania, one in the Kruger National Park in South Africa, and one in northern Botswana. Some private owned nature reserves are also involved in breeding wild dogs on a casual basis. Wild dogs in captivity do not breed easily and the rate of death amongst puppies can be very high. Wild dogs are also quite susceptible to diseases such as rabies and distemper which can be spread by domestic animals.

The dog's Latin name Lycaon pictus means "painted wolf," referring to the animal's irregular, mottled coat, which features patches of red, black, brown, white, and yellow fur. Each animal has its own unique coat pattern and no two animals look alike. All have big, rounded ears. They have only four toes per foot, unlike other dogs which have five toes on their forefeet. Wild dogs have a very strong odor about them so they can easily be detected from a distance by other pack members.

Wild dogs are social animals. They live in packs of 2 - 45 animals. They are very friendly to one another and the young and sick animals are given special privileges within the pack. African wild dogs will eat, play and even sleep together in large masses. They love sleeping in huge groups, for no reason other than that they must enjoy one another's company. They are very playful and will expend lots of energy play-fighting, stalking and pouncing on one another and wrestling.

The African wild dog has about 12 puppies, but up to 24 may be born.The males help to raise the cubs and take an active role in their development. The female gives birth in a den she selects. It is usually the same site every year. For the first few days, the mother stays in the den with the cubs. They are born with their ears and eyes closed, and are helpless. They are also born black and white, the yellow color comes later. She feeds them nothing but milk for the first month of their life. They begin to eat solid food regurgitated by other pack members at 3-4 weeks old. The pups begin to wander outside the den around this time.

African wild dogs weigh between 15–31 kg. They can run up to 55 km/h for several kilometers. African wild dogs use their sense of sight, not smell, to find their prey. They pay no attention to wind direction and they do not use cover when approaching their prey. They hunt in cooperative packs of 6 to 20 (or more) animals. Packs hunt antelopes, calves, warthogs, zebras, impalas and will also tackle much larger prey, such as wildebeests, particularly if their quarry is ill or injured. The dogs supplement their diet with rodents and birds.

Reference - “Running Wild – Dispelling the myths of the African Wild Dog” by John McNutt and Lesley Boggs)

All the photos of the wild dogs were taken at Tweefontein Nature Reserve, Free State, South Africa. The wild dogs have been bred at Tweefontein Nature Reserve. The breeding project started in September 2000 and the first litter of pups was born at the end of April 2001. The pups on the photo were born in July 2002 and every time I visit, there are new wild dogs which means that the breeding project is a success.

Scribbles and Blogging

2007-04-26T23:52:00.000+02:00

This blog is only a few weeks old and already my third blog since I started blogging six months ago. When I uploaded the photos of the Wildlife Series on Sunday night, I realised how easy it has become to do things that six months ago I found nearly impossible to understand, let alone do.

Blogging is a little like scribbling is for small children. You begin with a few marks on a clean paper and as you grow older, it becomes easier to bring all these marks together and finally one day you can actually draw a picture. A new or first blog is like the clean paper, your first few posts the marks and as you learn more about uploading photos, inserting codes and links and even editing your template, the final picture emerges and one day you realise that you can actually create a new blog without the fear and uncertainties you had with your first blog.

I have been thinking of changing my blogs from two-column to three-column templates and I know that I will find the necessary information as well as many other useful blogging tips on these blogs:

http://blogger-tricks.blogspot.com
http://dummies-guide-to-google-blogger.blogspot.com
http://testing-blogger-beta.blogspot.com

If you are new to blogging or have a problem and need an answer, you will surely find it here.

Weekend Wildlife Series - Lions

2007-04-22T22:03:00.000+02:00

A lion is a big, powerful cat. It is probably the most famous member of the cat family. The lion is called the "king of beasts," and is a well-known symbol of both beauty and power.

Lions can live in cool climates and in the intense heat of semi-desert areas. They do not like to live in thick forests. Most of them live in woodlands, grassy plains, and areas with thorny scrub trees. Lions live where they find a supply of food-such as deer, antelope, zebra, and other hoofed animals-and where they have a place to drink.

In ancient times, lions lived in Europe, the Middle East, India, and much of Africa. But human beings have killed thousands of lions as people settled in new areas. As a result, there are no more lions left in the Middle East and northern Africa. Only about 200 lions still live in Asia--all in the Gir Forest in India. Lions still live in the eastern part of central Africa and in southern Africa. Most live in national parks and areas called reserves, where the animals are protected from hunters.

For centuries people have hunted lions as a way of showing courage. In about 1375 B.C., the Egyptian pharaoh (ruler) Amenhotep III hunted lions with bow and arrow from a chariot. He killed 102 in this manner. During the Seventh Crusade, Saint Louis and his followers chased lions on horseback and shot them with crossbows. Until recent times, the warriors of the Masai tribe in East Africa hunted lions on foot.

Hundreds of lions also live in captivity in zoos throughout the world.

Trained lions are popular performers in circuses.As long as the trainer is not careless, does not treat the lion cruelly, and remembers it is never completely tame, the trainer is safe.

Pharaoh Ramses II took a tame lion into battle as a mascot. The Roman Elagabalus rode in a chariot that was pulled by lions.
Lion cubs can be tamed easily. While they are small, they make delightful pets. Once they grow up, they are so big, strong, and potentially dangerous that they cannot be kept in the home.

A male lion usually weighs from 160 to 180 kilograms, but some weigh up to 230 kilograms. Most males are about 3 metres long from the nose to the end of the tail.

Lionesses (females) are smaller than males. They weigh only 110 to 140 kilograms and are about 30 centimetres shorter.

Lion cubs are blind and helpless at birth, and weigh about 1.5 kilograms each. The mother moves her cubs from one hiding place to another. She carries them in her mouth, one at a time. Hyenas, leopards, and even other lions may kill cubs while the mother is away hunting.

At first, the cubs live on milk. When they are about 11 months old, the mother leads them to an animal she has killed for their first meal of meat.

Male lions are the only cats with manes.This collar of long, thick hair covers the head, except the face, and the neck down to the shoulders and chest. The mane makes the male look even bigger and stronger than he is. It also protects him during fights.

The lion's coat is ideal for hiding. It is a brownish yellow, the same colour as dead grass. Only the back of the ears and the tuft of hair at the end of the tail are black. Cubs (young lions) have spots on their coats.

The shoulders and forelegs of the lion are tremendously muscular. They give the lion the strength to clutch its prey and pull it to the ground. Each big, heavy paw is armed with curved claws that hook and hold the prey. When not in use, each claw withdraws into a sheath in the paw so the claws stay sharp.

The lion has 30 teeth.There are no teeth suitable for chewing. The lion swallows food in chunks.

Lions often hunt at night because they can surprise their prey more easily in the dark. Its gold-coloured eyes can see in the dark, and the lion has excellent senses of hearing and smell. The male lions in the pride ordinarily let the lionesses do the hunting.The adult lions,usually the males, eat first and then the younger lions and cubs may eat. If there is not enough meat, the young lions have to go without food until the next kill. A fully grown male can eat up to 35kg of meat at a time and then he can sleep for 20 hours.

The lion is the most companionable of all cats. A pride (group) may include from 10 to 20 lions, or as many as 35. Each pride has from one to five adult males, several lionesses, and cubs.The members of the pride may not always be together. But when they are reunited, they greet each other by rubbing cheeks.

All photos in this post courtesy and copyright of Tweefontein Nature Reserve, Free State, South Africa, Suné Wessels and the author of this blog.

Home Made Chalk and Glitter

2007-04-18T23:46:00.000+02:00

Let the kids make their own sidewalk chalk and stamps (next post) with empty toilet paper rolls and Plaster of Paris. Plaster of Paris is a white powder which swells up and sets when mixed with water. It can be used to make all kinds of models, using rubber or other molds.

Word of warning: Do not pour left over Plaster of Paris down the sink, it might set and block the pipes.

Home made chalk

500 ml (2 cups) plaster of paris
500 ml (2 cups) water
25-30 ml (2 Tbsp) wet or dry Tempera paint
Empty toilet paper rolls
duct tape

Cover one end of each toilet paper roll with duct tape. Mix all the ingredients and set aside for about 5 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper or foil and place toilet rolls upright (open end up) on cookie sheet. Tape the rolls onto the wax paper or foil to make it steadier. Pour the Plaster of Paris mixture into the toilet rolls. Leave until chalk mixture is almost firm then rip off the toilet paper rolls and let the chalk dry for 2-3 hours.

To make glitter chalk simply add some fine glitter to the mixture before pouring the mixture into the tubes.

Save money by making glitter from salt. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Put salt in an empty baby food jar or small bottle, add a few drops of food coloring to the salt, stir with a spoon or fork to wet the salt, then put back the lid and shake vigorously until the salt is evenly coated. Spread out the salt mixture on a baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes. Take out of oven and let cool.

The glitter can be used to decorate pictures and cards. Use a glue stick to draw pictures and sprinkle the glitter over the drawings while the glue is still wet. Leave for a minute and then shake of excess glitter.

Decorate lids of small gift boxes in the same way. There is a link to free PDF downloads for two gift boxes in the sidebar of my gift blog. Just click on the image of the gift boxes in the sidebar.

Fun Stuff with Drawing

2007-04-15T20:40:00.000+02:00

Normally on a Sunday I do a post about wild animals (Weekend Wildlife series) but I thought I should publish the last part of the article on drawing and colouring for kids tonight.

Here are ideas to teach and help your kids with lines, shapes and forms.

Squiggles and swirls

Let them draw swirly lines all over a paper and colour in the holes.

Hand and foot prints

Draw outlines around hands and feet and colour it in. They can also draw rings or shoes on the outlines.

Body print

Let them lie down on paper and draw body outlines. Let them draw eyes, noses and mouths as well as hair and clothes.

Rubbings

Cover objects with thin, plain paper and rub with a wax crayon or soft pencil. Coins, keys, bark and leaves or any other firm, textured objects can be used.

Patterns

Make simple patterns for children to copy.

"Spy" drawings (This is good fun!)

Use lemon juice and a piece of cotton wool, feather or an ear bud to draw on paper. If the lemon juice has dried completely, hold the paper near a light bulb or over a toaster. The heat will turn the lemon juice dark brown and reveal the drawing.

Information in these articles adapted from the Usborne Parent's Guide

Drawing materials

2007-04-12T23:00:00.000+02:00

Here are some ideas for materials you will need for your budding authors and artists.
It is not necessary to buy expensive paper, pencils and stencils as most of the things that kids need for drawing can be found in your home.

Paper

- Used computer/copy/typing papers- if you do not have your own printer/paper, ask local copy shops and offices for their scrap paper.
- Used envelopes opened out -
- Wrapping paper from parcels
- Cereal packets cut up

Pencils and crayons

- Wax crayons
- Ordinary crayons
- Ordinary lead pencils
- Felt tip pens and magic markers - buy non-toxic impermanent ones which will not stain clothes.
- Charcoal

Chalk and blackboards

Try to buy dustless chalk because ordinary chalk can be very messy.
Hardware stores sell blackboard paint which can be used to paint pieces of hardboard or part of a wall. Kids will like the idea that they can draw on a wall without being scolded.

Magic slates

These have a built-in erasing device. Although they normally do not last long, they are excellent for keeping children busy on long journeys or when a child is ill in bed.

Stencils and templates

Make them yourself by cutting out shapes from empty cereal containers, cardboard or even old x-ray sheets.Use a craft knife to cut out patterns on the x-ray sheets

Tracing,carbon and graph paper

- Kitchen greaseproof paper can be used as tracing paper. Ask at shoe stores for the tissue paper inside shoe boxes. It can also be used as tracing paper.
- Carbon paper is great fun, but can be rather messy.
- A piece of graph paper teaches them to draw straight lines and patterns. If you have a computer, spreadsheet program and printer, it is quite easy to make graph paper yourself.

To be continued...........

From Scribbles to Masterpieces

2007-04-11T21:53:00.000+02:00

This is a photo of Mia busy "drawing". When she comes to visit and I have work to do on the computer, she can keep herself busy with an old keyboard, she has her own mouse (to keep little hands away from grandma's colorful sensor mouse) and another way to keep her busy, is to give her some scrap papers and a thick pencil rather than wax crayons which have to be "tasted" every now and then.

Making marks on paper is the basis of learning to write. Hand and eye co-ordination as well as controlling the muscles in the hands are being practised. Drawing and colouring provide opportunities to learn about shapes and colours and stimulate a child's power of observation, communication and imagination. It also builds self-esteem and give children a sense of achievement when they can see their creations.

Children normally progress by the same stages when they are learning to draw. However, the age at which they reach each stage varies considerably.

At the moment Mia can draw/scribble with both her left and right hand. Although she is able to hold the pencil between the first two fingers and thumb she still have trouble using it with good control.

Children normally reach this stage by the age of three and it is usually clear by then whether they are right- or left-handed.

They also begins to draw rather than just scribble. In most cases the finished drawing is still unrecognizable at this age. "People" is a popular subject- heads with limbs and other features coming straight out of the head.

At age four and onwards, drawings start to have more detail. People have heads, arms, fingers and legs. Bodies are achieved by lengthening the legs and shrinking the head. Children may also decide what to draw before they start the actual drawing.

From five years they draw pictures which can contain different items and backgrounds such as mountains, trees and clouds. They can also colour within outlines.

Drawing by Darius from Qatar

To be continued...........

Thunderstruck Eggs

2007-04-09T23:52:00.000+02:00

While uploading this photo of egg creatures on the 30th March, my computer's modem was struck by lightning and due to a series of unforeseen problems with a "new" faulty modem, I was unable to post more of the Easter egg fun ideas. I am happy to say that all the problems have been solved now and have decided to post the photo and article because the ideas can be adapted for other occasions as well.

Use blown eggs to make the characters. The egg shells can also be filled with tiny candy, raisins or nuts. Just take care that the candies, raisins, nuts are not too heavy or else the fragile shells will break. Blow eggs, make one of the holes a little bigger by carefully breaking off pieces of the shell, put the candy inside and cover the hole with a sticker or use the decorations to cover the hole.

Use the photo as a guideline. Click here to download a PDF file with templates for the bunny and chick's body parts.

Cut a ring from an empty toilet roll for the king, paint and decorate with glitter glue.The crown is also made from a toilet roll ring. A few strands of wool tied in the middle and glued on top of the egg can be used for hair. Draw a face with paint or marking pens.

Easter eggs to "dye" for

2007-03-27T23:19:00.000+02:00

Here are a few ideas to dye eggs. These methods can be used for blown eggs as well as hard-boiled eggs.

If you are going to eat the eggs, use food colouring to dye the shells. (See method). Eggs have porous shells and some of the food colouring might seep through the shell into the egg, but it is quite safe to eat the eggs. Do not keep boiled eggs for longer than three days if you are going to eat them.

How to dye eggs:

food coloring
half cup boiling water
1 tablespoon vinegar

Add a few drops of food coloring to the water and vinegar until you get the color you desire.

Stir well and allow to cool. Dip the hard-boiled eggs (or blown eggs) into the mixture and leave until the shells are the shade you want. Remove and drain on a kitchen towel.

Make temporary stands for the eggs while they dry by cutting toilet paper rolls into 2cm thick circles.

1. Wax crayon drawing

Use wax crayons to draw patterns or pictures on the egg. Make a dye solution with food coloring and put the eggs in the dye. Take it out from time to time to see how strong the colors have become. The dye will not penetrate through the wax drawing and your drawing will show clearly.

2. Candle wax stencilling

Light a candle and carefully dribble the melting wax on the egg shell. You can make random patterns or even try to write a name. Let the wax harden and dip the eggs into the dye till the desired shade is reached.Take out of the dye and let dry completely. Use a knife to carefully scrape/lift the wax from the eggs. (If you want to use blown eggs for this one, rather blow the eggs after you have removed the wax drippings, as the fragile shells are sure to break).

3. Stocking stencilling

Another way to decorate eggs, is to place a small flower or leaf on the egg. First moisten the egg with water. Now cover the egg with a stocking and tie it securely with string or sewing thread so the flower or leaf will stay in place.

Put the eggs in natural or food dyes. Take out when the colors are the way you want them to be and place the eggs on a tray. Leave to dry thoroughly without touching the eggs.

Cut away the stocking and peel off carefully. Peel the flowers or leaves off the shell to reveal the outline where the dye has not penetrated.

4. Elastic band stenciling

Tie wide elastic bands 2-3 times around the egg. Dip into egg dye and leave until the shade darkens. Remove and blot dry with a paper towel. Leave to dry completely before removing the elastic bands.

5. Onion skin dyeing

You can also use onion skins for lovely patterns on the shells. Wrap raw onion skins carefully around unboiled eggs. Now wrap the eggs in pieces of cloth and tie sewing thread firmly around the parcels. Hard-boil the wrapped eggs. When cooked, leave to cool. Unwrap the parcel and peel off the onion skins to see the beautiful marbled patterns on the shells.

Tip: Dye eggs, then tie colorful ribbons around them and display them in a bowl.

My finished dyed eggs. The leaf prints will maybe look better on a white-shelled egg. The green egg has the rubber band stencilling, unfortunately the rubber band came off when I first had a peep at the color, so I could not put it back into the dye.

I am quite impressed with the candle wax method. You can really make lovely decorated eggs with this method.

The drawing with the wax crayon did not show very clearly and the yellow dye also did not come out really yellow, again a white egg will be better to use with the yellow dye. I used glass decoupage pens to draw the little duck again and added grass as well.

The egg cups/nests are made from salt dough. You can find the instructions for them on my salt dough gift blog.

Weekend Wildlife Series - Warthogs

2007-03-25T18:50:00.000+02:00

Warthogs are a kind of pig and although they will drink regularly when water is available, they are also the only pigs able to live without water for long times if water is scarce.

They can do this because they are able to conserve moisture inside their bodies nearly like camels.

They are found in southern parts of Africa and in East Africa.

A warthog will not really win a beauty contest. A big head with quite a few warts (thick protective pads) on both sides of the head does not help much with looks.
Two large pairs of warts grow below the eyes, and between the eyes and the tusks, and a small pair is found near the jaw (usually just in males).

Besides the warts, the face of the warthog is also fairly flat with an elongated snout. The eyes are set high on the head. This enables the warthog to keep a lookout for predators even when it lowers its head to feed on short grass, but the warthog also relies on its keen smell and hearing, because its vision is rather poor.

The warthog also has tusks. The two upper ones emerge from the sides of the snout to form a semicircle; the lower tusks at the base of the uppers are worn to a sharp cutting edge.
A warthog's body is covered with short, sparse bristles with longer bristles which forms a mane from the top of the head down the spine to the middle of the back.

A warthog carries its tail upright when it runs. The tuft on the end of the tail waves like a tiny flag and it may serve as a signal to keep the young warthogs which run in single file behind the female, together.

A warthog usually trots with a springy gait, but can also run very fast.

They enjoy taking mud baths when water is available. Sand baths, rubbing against trees and termite mounds and allowing tick birds to pick insects off their bodies, are all part of their grooming rituals.

Warthogs are mainly grazers and feed on grasses, berries and tree bark. When a warthog eats very short grass, it kneels on its calloused padded knees.It can also dig for bulbs and roots by using its snout and tusks.

Lions and leopards are the warthog's chief enemies.

When alarmed, the warthog grunts or snorts, lowers its mane, flattens its ears and bolts for underground cover.

Warthogs sleep and rest in holes(burrows), but they normally do not dig holes themselves. They use holes dug by other animals, especially those dug by aardvarks.
A family group called a sounder, consist of a female and her young and sometimes another female will join the group to help look after the young. The males live by themselves and will only join the female group to mate.

Piglets begin to search for food with their mother when they are a few weeks old. They stop nursing at about four months old.

Warthogs are also known as the "clowns of the bush."

All photos in this article except the one of the two piglets have been taken by Suné Wessels, my eldest brother's daughter. She is a tour guide at Drifters Tour Operators in South Africa and has kindly given me permission to use her photos in the Weekend Wildlife Series.

More egg fun for Easter

2007-03-23T21:10:00.000+02:00

Things to do with blown eggs:

Make a mobile:-

After you have painted or decorated the empty eggs shells you can use them to make mobiles. Because the shells are so light, they will really move well in the slightest wind.

Tie a piece of sewing thread to the middle of a used matchstick. Push the whole matchstick carefully into the larger of the two holes.

If the hole is too small, make it bigger by carefully moving the needle around the edges of the egg shell.

The matchstick will stay firmly in place and you can hang the egg by the piece of thread.

Use two sticks tied together in the middle. Tie a longer piece of thread or fish line in the middle and then tie the end to a small plastic ring to hang it up.

Use different lengths of sewing thread to make the mobile more interesting.

Easter Egg Fun

2007-03-21T23:10:00.000+02:00

If we do not have another power failure like last night, I will post ideas for easy and fun Easter Egg stuff in the following days.

This time of the year the shops are filled with Easter eggs in all shapes and sizes, made from chocolates, some just an empty chocolate shell, others with lovely fillings. On my ezi-edible-gifts blog you can find a recipe to make your own Easter eggs as well as a method for marbled eggs

There are many ways that you can decorate plain eggs to lend a festive touch to your table. Children love to hunt for eggs during this time and if they can take part in the decorations, they will really have a good time.

Blown eggs can be used for a lot of stuff like mobiles, candy containers, table decorations in the form of chickens, bunnies and even egg people.

Here's how to blow an egg:

1. With the point of a darning needle, pierce a hole in the top of an egg. If you do this very gently, the egg won't crack. Turn the egg the other way up.

2. Pierce a hole in the pointed end of the egg. Move the needle around inside this hole to make it a little larger than the other hole.

3. Hold the egg over the bowl and put your mouth against the smaller hole. Blow gently and the insides of the egg will come out of the larger hole into the bowl.

4. Hold it under the tap to let the water runs in through one hole and out of the other. If you do not do this, the egg will really smell after a few hours. Shake the egg to dry it out.

5. Set the egg shell aside to dry while you blow some more eggs.

When all the eggs are blown and the egg shells have dried, you can paint or dye them.

Tip 1: Rest the empty egg on a cut toilet roll to dry.

Tip 2: To make painting easier, insert cocktail sticks into a piece of polystyrene, place each egg on a cocktail stick so that the stick goes into the larger hole. Perfect for painting without breaking the egg shell and also to leave the egg shells while the paint dry.

Remember: Do not throw away the egg whites and yolks. Use it for scrambled eggs or in cakes.

Tomorrow Night:- How to make a mobile from blown eggs.

Fun Stuff about Ostriches

2007-03-18T11:38:00.000+02:00

Ostriches are the largest living birds in the world.

They can grow up to 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and weigh up to 345 pounds (156 kg).

They can live up to 80 years of age. Males are mature by 30 months, females are mature by 24 months.

A male ostrich is called a rooster and the female is called a hen.

The male is black with white wing tips and tail plumes.

The female has light brown and gray plumage and is slightly smaller than the male.

Their eyes are larger than their brains - they are 2 inches (5 cm) across and they have very keen eyesight. They also have lovely long lashes.

The eyes have two sets of eyelids. One set of eyelids is opaque and blinks in from the sides. They are used to protect them during sand storms. The other set of eyelids blink like ours!

Ostriches cannot fly, but they can run very fast. They can run at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour or 60 kilometer per hour.

Ostriches only have two toes while all other birds have three or four.

An ostrich hen can lay 40 -100 eggs per year, averaging about 60 eggs per year.

Females sit on the eggs during the day and the males during the night.

Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand! They re-arrange the eggs several times a day and because the eggs are laid in a hole in the ground to protect them from predators, it looks like they are standing with their heads in the sand.

Ostrich eggs hatch after 6 weeks/42 days and the small chicks can run as fast as their parents after one month.

An ostrich chick is born about a foot tall and grows one foot taller each month until it is 7-8 months old.

The ostrich egg can weigh 1600 gm and is equivalent to 2 dozen chicken eggs, enough to make scrambled eggs for 20 people.

Ostrich eggs are very strong. A grown man can stand on an egg without the egg breaking.

Ostriches eat grass, grains and insects. They also swallow small stones and even glass and other debris to aid digestion.

They can live without water for long times if the plants that they eat, contain enough moisture.

People can ride on ostriches.

Ostrich meat is very healthy.

Click here to have a look at lovely masks and other stuff made from ostrich plumes, skin and eggs.

Weekend Wildlife Series

2007-03-18T00:55:00.000+02:00

Mia contracted severe bronchitis a few days ago and since my daughter (Adri) was not able to obtain leave from her job as a bookkeeper at a firm of lawyers, I had to look after Mia.

It is amazing how adaptable small children can be to treatment. Although she hates to drink the antibiotic and cough medicine, she actually likes the oxygen mask. I have to use a nebulizer three times a day for her and she sometimes takes the mask from my hand and holds it over her nose herself. It seems as if she realises that it eases her breathing.

I am glad to say that she is much better now so I have time again to post some new "stuff". A few years ago I worked on a game ranch and learnt a lot about game in South Africa as well as other smaller animals like meerkat, marmoset monkeys and even guinea pigs. I even helped to raise two lion cubs when they were only one week old. I have lots of photos of many of these animals.

I will do a post about these animals every Friday or Saturday. As Easter is only a few weeks away and I will post some fun things that the kids can do with eggs, I naturally thought about ostrich eggs and I think it will be a good idea to start this series with ostriches and their funny ways.

Cool Glass Buddies

2007-03-15T23:44:00.000+02:00

Here is another cool idea for a party. These glass buddies will delight the kids and if you write the name of every child on a glass buddy, it will also ensure that every child will know where his or her glass is.

Use the picture to draw a basic shape and then change the ears and faces to make different animals.

The finished glass buddy is about 7 cm high.

Fold a stiff paper or board in half and draw the basic shape onto the paper with the back against the fold.

Cut out but do not cut through the fold.

Color in as desired and decorate with a bow or different colored paper.

Place the front paws over the rim of the glass.

Have fun!!!!!!!

Thursday Surprise

2007-03-15T23:29:00.000+02:00

What a surprise and absolute delight it was to open my e-mail tonight and find a "comment" e-mail from Adwina at insparenting.com to tell me that Mia's blog has been chosen as The Blog of the Week on her site.

Adwina has lots of good advice about parenting and issues surrounding children as well as lots of thought-provoking posts.

There is also a link to her site in the sidebar, so if you need good advice on all aspects of childrearing, visit her site.

Thank You, Adwina.

Easy Party Crafts

2007-03-14T22:35:00.000+02:00

Here is a fun idea to decorate straws for a party.

Find templates in coloring books or look in the clipart section or in card programs for examples. The decorations can be made according to the party theme.

You will need: Drinking straws, colored or white paper/board, a brush, paint or coloring pencils, a paper punch and scissors.

Draw designs of choice onto the paper/board, color in with pencils or paint as desired, then cut out.

Use the paper punch to punch two holes into the designs, one near the top and one near the bottom. Slide the straw through the holes.

Fairy Chimes

2007-03-13T22:59:00.000+02:00

We all have old unused keys lying in drawers. Here is a fun way to use them to make fairy chimes which are sure to delight kids with the beautiful sound they make when they swing in the wind.

You will need:

Lots of old, loose keys - make sure they are no longer in use- some fishing line, the bottom of an empty two-liter plastic Coke or other cold drink container, string and silver or gold spray paint.

Do this:

Spray paint the keys if desired. Tie half of all the keys separately to 30 cm lengths of fishing line. Punch evenly spaced holes around the bottom edge of the plastic container. Loop a length of fishing line through each hole in the container. Tie another key to the loose end, so that the keys hang down in pairs. Punch a hole through the base of the upturned container and loop string through for hanging. Spray the paint in swirls on the container. Hang the chimes near a window or on the veranda where the keys can move in the wind.

Cake recipe for all occasions

2007-03-11T20:39:00.000+02:00

This birthday cake recipe is a firm favorite of mine. I have used this recipe to bake numerous birthday cakes for children and grown ups (even used it for very stylish anniversary cakes) throughout the years. It can be used for cupcakes as well. The finished cake freezes well.

The original recipe uses milk, but I normally use water.

You will need:
4 large eggs and 375ml white sugar. Beat together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Heat together 1 cup of milk/water and 100 ml of cooking oil to just before boiling in a saucepan or in the microwave.

Add to egg and sugar mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add two cups of sifted flour, a pinch of salt and 10 ml of baking powder. Beat on medium speed until combined. Add 10 ml of vanilla essence and beat for a few seconds.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan/s and bake 30 - 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.

Take out of oven and let the cake cool for ten minutes in pan on wire rack. Remove if desired, cool completely before frosting as desired.

Variations:

Party cakes for children: Pour batter into prepared pans, but keep a little aside. Add food coloring drop by drop until desired color is reached.

Add food essence to match the food coloring. Banana or lemon/orange for yellow, strawberry or almond for pink, peppermint essence for green. I normally use vanilla essence for blue because I have trouble finding liquorice essence in my town.

For a marble effect, add some cocoa powder to the batter and stir thoroughly to combine. Use vanilla or rum essence.

Pour batter in patterns into the batter in the pan.

Lemon/Orange Cake: Substitute half of the water with lemon or pure orange juice. Add finely grated lemon/orange rind to the batter and stir with a spatula to distribute evenly just before spooning it into the pans.

Chocolate Cake: Add 125 ml cocoa powder to the water and increase the oil to 125 ml. Stir thoroughly before and after heating to dissolve the cocoa powder. Add rum or brandy essence.

Here is a photo of the two bakings pans I used to bake the cakes for the doll's dress.

The Gift of Parenthood

2007-03-10T00:04:00.000+02:00

I know I promised last night to post the birthday cake recipe tonight, but I think I would like to share links to two blogs with you which I hope you would also enjoy reading as much as I did.

The first link is one that my daughter found tonight on Gledwood's blog. Gledwood is a 34 year old drug addict. Now I know you would immediately wonder why I am writing about a drug addict on a blog dedicated to my granddaughter and giving links from his blog, but I do believe that we as parents and grandparents, should be aware of all the things that can happen to our children and grandchildren in life.

We should not shy away from talking to them about controversial topics such as drug addiction, Aids, sex education and many other things. The only obstacle here is to know when it is the right time to start talking and teaching them about these things, but I have found that sometimes it can happen so naturally that it sounds like a normal conversation.

We should also be level headed enough to see both sides of a coin and although I will never condone the use of drugs, I am able to see the man behind the drug addict and have respect for his intelligence.

We should always teach our children to have compassion for people and although we will not always understand the choices people make in their lives, our children and grandchildren should be able to understand their point too and only then can we say: "There, but for the grace of God, goes I."

Anyway, to come back to the link on Gledwood's blog: It is a blog about pregnancy , but written from the view of the baby inside the womb, complete with photos of scans and really a blog worth visiting.

The second link is to another blog dedicated to a soon to be born grandchild. Peter Chen has been in a way, my "mentor" since I have started blogging in October last year. Whenever I want to try something new on my blogs or need to find out how to do something, the first place I go to is Peter's Dummies Guide to Blogger blog.

I have been wanting to put a graphic in my blogs' headers now for a long time, and especially here on Mia's blog, so last night I went to his blog and it was so easy to follow his instructions and put "Mia's Rose" photo in my header.

Since it is weekend, take some time off from baking and cooking and have a look at these two blogs. Really worth visiting.

Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice

2007-03-08T22:13:00.000+02:00

I promised my daughter that although this blog is dedicated to Mia, it will not be a blog ABOUT Mia and that I will not post lots of photos of her here.

However, I just have to put this one here so that you can see how cute she looked on her first birthday party on Tuesday. Quite the little lady also.

I did not realise when I offered to take care of the party preparations, that it would take me nearly four days to finish everything. 20 children ranging in ages of 1 year to 6 year times 2 snacks for every child times 4-5 different snacks come down to a lot of snacks. Add 20 star shaped meringues carefully attached to "magic wands" decorated with lots and lots of florist ribbons plus boxes for a small packet of sweets, popcorn and juice as well as a picture to colour in, and you find yourself with one very tired grandmother. Oh and do not forget the birthday cake!

Many years ago I could do these things with my eyes closed, but it took me nearly three hours to decorate this cake. However, when I saw the joy and delight on Mia's face, I knew it was all worth it.

I did not want to just hand out sweets and cold drinks, so I baked butterflies and round biscuits from my favourite cookie dough. The biscuits was decorated with marshmallows cut into slices with scissors and arranged on top of the biscuits to look like flowers. I used butter frosting coloured with food coloring and decorated with thousand and ones and silver balls.

I made bread snails by cutting off the edges of slices of white bread, flattened it with a cake roller, spread it with butter and cheese spread and rolled it tightly around a vienna sausage. The bread roll was cut into 4 pieces and one side of each roll was topped with half a glacé cherry. Small dots of frosting was piped onto the cherries to form the eyes. I made sandwiches with cold meat slices and used a star shaped cookie cutter to cut out small sandwiches. Cottage cheese was coloured with a drop of food colouring, topped with coloured chocolate vermicelli and a tiny star shaped piece of cheese.

I will post the recipe for the birthday cake and the biscuits tomorrow night. This will not really be a recipe blog like my ezi-edible-gifts blog,however, it is such easy and versatile recipes and this blog has started with news of Mia's birthday party, so I think it is quite appropriate to also post the recipes.

One year of education for a grandmother

2007-03-05T01:16:00.000+02:00

Mia will be one year old on Tuesday the 6th of March. Since her birth I have learned so much about babies again. The first time I held her in my arms, I felt so many emotions. Awe for this perfect tiny human being, wonder, sadness, and most of all, the sudden huge wave of love that rolled over me and is getting stronger every day.

I have remembered so many things that I did not think of in the past years since my children became young adults and left the house. Sometimes I was not certain if the advice I have given to my daughter was the right advice. I guess there are some things that you do not forget after all and just as my daughter has become more confident as Mia grew up, I also stopped to worry about wrong and right and followed my instincts whenever Mia was here and I had to look after her.

Now, one year later, she is a happy, bright little girl who gives us endless hours of pleasure with her baby talk and little ways.

I have been looking through many of my baby folders in the past few weeks and realised that so many of the things I have done with my children when they were small, are things that I can teach her now.

That is how the idea of this blog was born. I can share crafts and ideas to keep young children busy with other mothers as well and in the process also create a legacy for Mia. As she is growing up in the information technology age, and has been sitting on my lap in front of my computer from a very young age, she will definitely be interested in computers and this blog is something that she and I can build together as she grows older.