Making Mini Toadstools

I am organising an Enchanted Forest Party for our daughters 2nd birthday next month and to try and save some money on it I have been making a lot of the decorations myself.

The first thing I've been working on are toadstools for the tables and I thought I'd share with you how I made them.

For the tops I used little plastic pots that originally had jelly and fruit in for the kids (you can get them in most big supermarkets).

Then I ripped up some newspaper and started to paper mache on the pots. I used 3/4 pva glue to 1/4 water. 

                                                   

Don't forget to do the last layer in white paper, so that when you paint it the newspaper pattern doesn't show through.

When the pots are dry (I waited until the following evening) the next step is to paint your pots red, you may need two coats. 
After this get a toilet roll and stick white paper to it, this will be your base. (I used prit stick for this)

Then glue your base to your pot (I used PVA for this). The final stage left is to add your spots. I cut out circles from white paper and just glued them on with prit stick. 

and voila... mini toadstools.

Next job is to make a lollipop tree x

I'm linking up with Faith, Hope and Charity Shopping's Ta Dah Tuesday

 

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

'Quote of the Week' - School

 

For this weeks theme for 'Quote of the Week' I have chosen 'School'. 

I thought this was fairly relevant for most people with children at the moment. Whether it be baby ones starting pre schools, little ones going to real school, bigger ones going to big school or even bigger ones fleeing the nest and going to university. 

September can be quite a stressful time for all involved with preperation, worry about the unknown and organisation but it can also be a time when a lot of mothers breathe a sigh of relief. It's not that we don't love them it's just that no one can be a perfect parent 24/7 and sometimes a break is very welcome.

Feel free to join in with this weeks quote of the week, click here for how it works. Happy quote hunting.

Mixed Emotions with Montessori

H has started at a new pre school this term (his last one closed down!) and I'm already starting to have doubts about it.

I was really excited about him starting because I loved the whole ethos that the place has. Think hippy, free play, yoga and nature. It sounded ideal, they even learn Mandarin. 

It is a Montessori nursery...

' Montessori education is characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological development, as well as technological advancements in society.'

Image by Rjabinnik

My main concern started this morning when I dropped H off. All of the doors were open (as usual) so we just walked straight in, hung up his bag and put on his indoor shoes. He went straight off to play, no problems there. It wasn't until I looked around me ane realised that there wasn't another adult in sight. Just masses of little people running around, doing their free play bit. I didn't really know what to do, did I just walk off and leave him there? Should I stay and make sure all of these children were safe? What if H decided to go for a walk, they wouldn't even know I had dropped him off. (There is a signing in sheet somewhere, if you can find it!)

Image by Ian Britton

In the end I decided that maybe I was just be over paranoid as all of the other mummies appeared to be just dropping off and going. So I did the same. 

Can't say that I haven't been worrying about it all day though so I thought I'd just have a look at their ofsted report. Oh my I wish I hadn't! In brief... no CRB checks for any staff, no children observation and achievment folders, no key workers, The effectiveness of safeguarding scored inadequate and overall the quality of the provision is satisfactory.

Image by Isaac Bowen

Now lets be honest here a three year old doesn't care whether he has a key worker or his own folder with chapter and verse on how he is developing. He just knows that when he goes there he has fun with his friends in a nice relaxed atmosphere. What more could you ask for for your child? 

Image by Mark Tomlinson

I like to think of myself as a fairly laid back kind of person, (the OH calls me his little hippy chick) but I fail to be laid back when it comes to my childrens safety. So what do you think, am I just falling into the trap of our ridiculous modern day obsession with health and safety and ticking all of the right boxes? Is this nursery bad for H just because they're not fullfilling the government written standards on how our children should be learning?

A Thing of Beauty

This weeks theme for the Gallery is Beauty.

You'd probably think that this is a picture of my daughter when she was a baby but no it is infact my son! Poor boy.

This is what happens when you live in a pub with a small child, said child suddenly becomes a form of entertainment for the locals. 

Living in a pub with children did have it's plus points though, like now they are very sociable little things, so it's not all bad.

Now go and check out Tara's blog over at Sticky Fingers to see the other entries for this week, you could even join in yourself.

Autumn Love

I feel a change coming, the mornings are getting crisper and the days are getting shorter. Shops are slowly becoming filled with a selection of multicoloured sparkly things and it's soon going to be my most favourite season. 

I love Autumn! I love everything about it.   

• I love the huge array of colour on all of the trees.

Image by Andrew Griffith

•  I love snuggling up next to the fire with a glass of vino and a good book.

Image by Steven.S

• I love Halloween and all of the funny decorations popping up everywhere.

Image by Terry Tyson

• I love fresh Autumn walks through the woods with the sound of crisp leaves under your feet.

Image by Barbara

• I love fireworks night

Image by Bayasaa

• and I love the countdown to Christmas.

Image by Chelsea Oakes

  So many things to look forward to. Bring on the Autumn.