Tilly's CBeebies Octonaut birthday card

Matilda's diary

Tilly's reading book this week was 'Kipper's Diary'. We talked about diaries and what they were and why people kept them. So this week Tilly has kept her own diary.


Here it is, starts on Wednesday.

What she failed to mention about this bath was that it was the first ever poo-in-the-bath incident. Funnily enough I was filming their incredibly high pitched screaming but managed to miss the moment, just got reaction here. 















Thursday

When blue skies turn bad...when we set off for school it looked a bit drizzly but nothing prepared me for the horizontal driving rain downpour mid way to school, poor Mima got it worse as she was in the pushchair and the raincover was in the car that Richard had taken to work. This was us on arrival.

Friday

Saturday

We rarely go swimming, especially as a  family...the trip didn't go very well. Mima screamed constantly as she is a little under the weather at the moment. After approx 20 mins in the water we were all asked to get out, the session was stopped soon after as there was 'something' in the water. Nice.

Sunday

Party progression

Things are moving on slowly but really well with the creation of the Octonauts themed party.
Richard posted a picture on Twitter of my 'alien' eggs waiting to hatch.
Some of the balloons have popped of their own accord, making me jump as it has also caused them to leap out of their bowls and off the piano.
Shellington's head has been base painted and I love him. I'll paint him with some glossier paint soon and add the details and lines.
The piñata is well on the way now, I've added the string, the sweets and glowsticks and closed it. I've added the fins and the lightbulb thingy at the top. I've given it a base paint. I need to add the propeller to the rear and then decorate with paper for a proper piñata effect.

SNOW!

Loads of snow in Coventry, very deep.  We took the girls out to Lake View Park this morning with the Breadmores, The Harrisons, The McIntyres, The Langston-Holmes. 

Dom took his camera and got some great pictures

Richard also bought a snowboard/snow scooter which although I mocked to start with was THE most fun. I loved it. Very short videos of me doing it with no hands

Kids Birthday parties

When I was little I wasn't allowed big birthday parties...except when I was 7. I have vivid memories because I was allowed 7 friends and my mum and sister had planned some pretty special games. There was a truth stool, a story time about a man with one eye and you had to put your hands in something (jelly) which was his eye socket. It was full of fun and magic. I want to try to give Tilly & Mima the same kind of magic. Last year for Tilly's 4th birthday I did an Alice In Wonderland Party theme birthday. 
What I figure is that really there are only a few years of fun birthdays, I'm guessing by the time Tilly is about 9, she'll no longer want magical birthdays but sleepovers.
With that in mind I'm going to make every effort to give them a great birthday but hopefully not too much cost. Tilly's birthday is not until early March but I'm planning and making now...this birthday may not cost much in real money but will be priceless with time and love.

Tilly wants an Octonauts party.
Thanks to my new found love Pinterest, I've found loads of amazing ideas for the party. One I liked was a homemade Gup A pinata . I love making things and am a dab hand at papier mache so I got to and got a large punchball balloon and started to paper over it.



As there was a pack of 10, I started to do another, not for another pinata but for decoration. I've hired a small hall for the party so there is plenty of space for the kids to play and the house won't get trashed by tiny fingers. However an empty hall needs good or at least clever decoration to get the theme across. 

The spare one is going to be Shellington...I cut up a polystyrene bowl in half and papier mache'd them for ears. I've added a nose and hair for some 3D detail. I read in a blog somewhere that if hanging something like this with string that it is a good idea to put a bottle top with the string inside the papier mache form so the string doesn't come out. 

I made the hat with a cereal box and an upturned bowl. 









I'm so pleased with it so far, I can't wait for it to dry so I can paint it.
I'm not sure what to do with it yet, I guess I'll have to add a body, a disembodied head may be a little scary for a group of 5 year olds. I think I'll make a paper body to hang (with weights on feet), perhaps kids could have their pictures taken with them.

Of course, there are 8 Octonauts....I'm not making 8, probably just the fave characters.... certainly not the Octopus head, Professor Inkling.

 

 

Blue Peter

4 old toilet tubes, tissue paper, masking tape, PVA, origami paper, googly eyes, a twig & string.

Idea from Pinterest. Great activity to do with Tilly, although she got bored after they were finished and left me to put on the stick.

Things Tilly Shoots

We bought a camera for Tilly at Christmas (another one!) But hopefully this one is one that works and less gimmicky.
She loves it & is good at remembering to take pictures. Richard has ser her up a blog for her photos http://t.co/m0zwhzCh

I love you everybody

Tilly is obsessed with writing things at the moment.

A goodnight kiss

I can't help looking in and giving a last goodnight kiss to my girls before I go to bed at night.
They always look so sweet, so peaceful.

Dragonfly

A friend of mine is having a tough time at the moment.  I feel pretty helpless as to what to say or do. She loves Dragonflies, so I've made her one.

It only took an evening to make & I don't think the pictures really do it justice.

I used my wire frame to wind some garden wire in the basic shape.
Wrapped some coloured wire around it with beads down the spine. Adding two beads for its antenna. For the wings, I got some old musical score and cut it to shape, sticking it with Shimmer Mod Podge.

Hey presto. Hope she likes it.