Easter...

Just stopping by quickly to wish everyone a blessed and joyful Easter.

This celebration is one of my all time favourites each year and even more so with my little boy to share it with!
We spent Good Friday together as a little family of 3 before heading off to the Stations of The Cross with our extended family. So proud of our little boy during Mass. It took quite some time for the Stations to get underway so there was over an hour of waiting before the re-enactment actually began and my little boy did his Mamma and Papa proud let me tell you! He was absolutely fascinated with Jesus and recognised him all over the church. It was so delightful to see and brought the biggest smile to my face!

We did a bunch of Easter crafts through the day including a  stained glass window cross craft and Easter plaque painting which I will post photos of up soon. In the meantime, I have added a few pictures below to share how spent our day. I spent a nice block of time finishing my little guy's Project Life Christening album. My boys spent some time catching up on much needed sleep so I took the opportunity to light a candle for our Savior, have a coffee (or 2!) and peacefully worked through all my photos and journalling cards....was a work in progress but is finally finished!

We used play doh to create the different parts of the Stations of the Cross. My little man really enjoyed this activity...so simple but so entertaining for a toddler! His sweet Papa (Daddy) spent some time with him going through the Easter Story Eggs...another activity that kept him busy for some time! Who knew opening plastic eggs could be so exciting?!

Enjoy your Easter long weekend, take some time to light a candle, say a rosary/prayer and remember the true meaning of this sacred weekend.

Term One....

Where has Term One gone? Seriously? Like so many people, I feel like I blink and the days just fly by!  How did Easter get here so quickly? Another week and we will be celebrating such a sacred event on our Catholic calendar......it is one of my favourite celebrations for so many reasons.

Term 1 is already coming to a close next week so I thought I would share the odds and ends of what we have been up to over at Laugh & Learn!

The older students have been working hard on their grammar and writing skills while still brushing up on their basic math knowledge. Times tables have been given a hammering this term but all in the name of fun! We have had a number of new students come through our doors and we are feeling so blessed for the word of mouth that has been happening in our local area.

The younger students have been working hard on their fine motor skills with lots of cutting, gluing, tearing, lacing and tracing going on. One of my sweet boys has been working hard on writing his name and has made amazing progress. I am proud of this little learner. He went from not being able to hold a pencil to tracing his name with ease and almost perfection in just two sessions!
We have also been working on patterns and identifying our letters. Patterns is a concept that isn't always easy for little ones to learn, it can often take a lot of repetition and game playing before children catch on to a pattern. Start with the basics of a colour pattern first then work your way up to shapes and objects. Another little learner has been proudly identifying patterns everywhere she goes with confidence which blew her mamma away!

On the home front we have been having some family fun! With the Easter season upon us we decided to head to our local country Easter show and I must say I was impressed! It was a wonderful experience for the whole family and was truly a country inspired show. It had such a sense of community and was so family friendly.  We had an absolute blast! The little guy went  on rides, ate fair food, got up close and personal with the animals, watched a sweet puppet show and played a few fun games just to name a few. His all time favourite activity was the big four wheeler. He had the absolute time of his life and we could not wipe the smile of his face no matter how many times he went around the track! Warmed my heart and kept a smile on my face al day. Stopped a sweet, country lady and asked about her kids country hats! Had never seen anything so adorable, so needless to say I am on the hunt for those very hats after she passed on the details. Will update you when I have success!

We finally attempted home made ice cream in my trusty little thermie and good golly it was delicious!!! As tasty as the shop bought ones but even better knowing it was truly home mad with no nasties. A huge hit in our home! Have been given a list of flavours for the next round hehe. We did some painting in our high chair many a times so that mamma could get dinner prepped and made in record time on more than one occasion.
We watched the rain come down a few times these last months. I cannot tell you in words the feeling I get when I watch my little main man crouched at the window mesmorised by those droplets of rain time and time again. It never gets old for him and it certainly never gets old for me watching him. I could easily spend minute after minute watching his little face of wonder and awe at God's creation.

On a slightly different note my buddy started soccer today and he was the darnest, cutest little soccer player I ever did see! He rocked it and made me the proudest mamma ever. To top it off his coach sent a sweet email tonight congratulating us on how well he did today and how he had blown both coaches away with all that he did. Extremely proud mamma moment so much so that I had tears in my eyes reading it! Couldn't help myself had to share!

St Patrick's Day came and went but we managed to squeeze in a quick craft along with some Easter crafts both at Laugh & Learn HQ and at home so will be back soon to share!

Life....

Life. It's a four letter word but my goodness it involves so very much. I have been,yet again, fairly quiet on the blog and social media front. Life just seems to get in the way of late and no matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to get on top of things. The days fly past and I have to do lists that I never seem to get through (or more often than not forget to even write!) and before I know it the weekend is upon us again and I feel like I have barely even scratched the surface of what I needed or wanted to get done.

We celebrated my little one's 2nd birthday a couple of weeks ago. We had a fun filled party with our sweet family and friends. We then spent his actual birthday down at the farm and by golly did my little man have the time of his life! He fed the animals, milked a cow, went for a tractor ride and even managed to crack a whip! He truly had a magical and memorable day.

In all honesty I have been a little overwhelmed and confused with Life lately. I don't know which direction I am headed in and just feel like nothing is settled at the moment. I have this yearning of just wanting to be a mamma and wife and treasure every single second before my baby grows up and no longer needs me. People tell me all too often that I need to have a business or part time job to keep busy and to have for when my little guy gets to a point where he no longer needs his mamma. I have run my little business successfully for the last 4 years and while I do enjoy it at times, it is getting to a point where I would much rather be doing the wifey/mamma thing of washing, cooking, cleaning and doing all things 1950s really! People think I am mad, people think I am naive but at the end of the day I think to myself I need to do what makes me happy and not do what people expect me to do. Treasure these days as they are numbered, soak up the lazy days with my little man, the days at the park or baking in the kitchen, crafting and memory keeping because these are the days you will never get back.

So, with that being said I am seriously thinking of taking a small step back from my little business and just taking the time to BE....you may notice that this little blog will start to share everyday events of Life. The daily happenings of our little life. My life and world are only small but by gosh I feel so full and blessed for everything I have been given. I want to make memories with my little man and not just have the days pass me by. I don't want to look back and say 'where did the days go?' and feel sadness. I want to look back and say 'they were the best years of my life' I feel so fortunate to have embraced and treasured the simple ordinary days as a wife and mamma. Life doesn't get better than what it is right now and I need to soak it up.

Back To School

Happy 2015!!!! I hope you all had a magical Christmas and New Year break with your loved ones. We have taken some much needed time away as a family and I have come back feeling refreshed and re-energised to get back into things!

Many of you are sending little ones off to BIG school over the next few days and for some of you it may be bitter sweet in that you may have more time to yourself without a little one wanting your constant attention but bitter in that it means your baby is growing up and it is time to start letting go. I for one, get teary just thinking about the day I need to send my little man off to school and he is not even two yet! Lord, give me strength when the time comes!!! I am going to be one big mess :/

I cannot tell you how many times these holidays I have heard parents around the shops telling people 'Oh I can't wait for school to return!' or 'I am counting down the sleeps until they are back at school'.....While they have long faces, I chuckle to myself. Many parents are struggling for 6 weeks, thats only a fraction of what teachers deal with day in day out 10-12 weeks at a time but multiply that by 20-30 students at a time! In saying that I know that many of these same parents do treasure the holiday time with their children, doing activities that they normally wouldn't do, making memories to last a lifetime.

From a teachers perspective back to school means so so much....it means starting fresh, decorating your classroom, getting to know 20-30 odd students and all about their strengths and weaknesses and quirks! It means getting back into the rhythm, planning, programming, implementing, reporting just to name a few. It means starting a new little classroom family and growing and learning together :)

From a mother's perspective, my heart aches. It aches for those first time mammas sending their first born, second or last born off to school for their first day of kindergarten....some days when things at home are not so easy us mammas can't wait until our little one starts school but when that day comes it is hard beyond words to explain how much your heart hurts.
That little person you have nurtured, protected, nourished, soothed and loved to pieces is now a little independent kindergarten in a BIG school uniform with a school bag as big as them starting their very first day. As a mamma you pray for so many different things for your little one about to enter a different chapter in life.

So, here is a prayer to help all those mammas out there who have a little one starting BIG school, a new school, high school or simply just starting another new year at school.....the words to this prayer are perfectly written, they made me cry and most importantly touched my heart. Thinking of all you mammas out there xx

Better Late Than Never....

I know I am a few days behind but this festive season caught me a little off guard and snuck up on me! So from my little family to yours, I hope you had a magical and memorable Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ! We had an amazing day with family and seeing my little man's big brown eyes light up all day and night with everything Christmas just made our day that extra special. I have always loved Christmas (and any other celebration through the year!) but with our little man around things just seem so much more amazing and make me feel so very blessed!

I also wanted to stop by and let you know that things will be quiet on the blog and fb front as we are going on a much awaited for family holiday to relax and spend some quality time together making memories! Once we return and life returns back to normal I will be sure to do a photo dump of all the happenings we have had going on lately!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year, may it bring love and happiness xx

Sydney Sadness......

Today has been a sad and heart breaking day in Sydney, a day that will forever be in our hearts and never forgotten.

I have no words to explain the sickening feeling I had yesterday when it was announced that numerous hostages had been taken and were being held against their will in a Lindt cafe in our renowned Martin Place. 

Early this morning I simply could not sleep. I tossed and turned all night thinking of what those poor innocent victims and their loved ones must be experiencing. I decided to get up and switched on the t.v and was shocked at what I saw unfold. Two precious, innocent lives lost. Several injured but free hostages. Their lives will never be the same again. 

I have lit a candle for those involved and for those two lives lost in such horrific circumstances. It has been the only thing I can think to do as I pray with all my heart that those who survived and their families can find the strength in God to get through the hard times they still have to face.

With a heavy heart thinking about what has happened in Sydney, I will hold my little man closer and tighter tonight....light a candle, say a prayer and hold your loved ones near.

A link I found through Retro Mummy on the Mass that took place at St Mary's Cathedral today for the victims....heartfelt and touching, it really hit a chord with me.

End Of Year Christmas Gift

Each year as Term 4 comes to a close I like to give my students a gift, acknowledging their hard work through the year. As I have a number of students on my books I can only give each one something small otherwise it would become an expensive exercise! The last two years I have given the Smartie Pants gift. I used it back when I was teaching my Year 1's and have used it with my tuition students the last two years. It is always such a hit with parents and children alike!

This year I have been super busy and time just passed me by, before I knew it the final two weeks of the term was upon us. After perusing so many cute ideas on Pinterest I decided to go with the cute little reindeer idea and so far it has been a hit with both the little ones and older ones!

The idea was so simple and easy to make. After finding a stencil of a reindeer, I outlined it onto green board drew on eyes and a smile and finally cut out the nose. Then with a a piece of tape, I stuck a strawberry flavoured Chupa Chup to the back and created Rudolph! Not the most creative gift this year but it definitely had the cute factor!