We have a winner!

Recently we run a competition for one of our new Grace Vintage Headbands and a new Necklace.  To win the prize you had to nominate us for the Handmade Kids Rising Star Award.  Well we are very happy to announce that Natalie is the winner.  Congratulations Natalie.

We also have to announce that because of all our lovely friends who voted for us we have been voted into the top 5.  YAY!! We are super excited.
Stay tuned for some more voting details so we can go on to win the big prize (advertising on the HMK website).

Book review by Miss M

In school this week we have been doing work about being a good friend in one of our subjects.  I think that this has been a really great concept for children to learn.  Maybe if we all concentrated a little more on what being a good friend means then bullying may subside.  We are really lucky that our children are not exposed to bullying through Distance Education but it doesn't only happen at school.  It can take place anywhere and I would be totally heartbrocken if my child was bullyed.  People have different views about bullying but I stand for it to be dealt with through the proper channels and that children should not have to suffer from unacceptable social behaviour of other children.

Anyway on a lighter note one of the books that we have been reading about being a good friend is 'Amy and Henry' written by Stephen Michael King.  My girls have really enjoyed this book and quite frankly so have I.
Miss M is going to give us book review about it.
Miss M says "Henry is an ordinary person who is opposite to all the other people in the world.  Henry likes squiggly things and he is very silly because he has a red coat and a paper hat.  Henry meets Amy and Amy shows him the Ups and Downs and the Downs and Ups.  They build a tree house together.  Amy makes the plan so the tree house fits perfectly in the tree while Henry adds some squiggly bits that make them both giggle.  They share the tree house together.  They are really good friends.
I like all of Henry's sqiggly bits and the tree house because it has pretty squiggly bits."
Thanks Miss M.

Both the girls have decided that we now need a tree house.  They have a cubby house that they both hardly play in so a tree house is out of the question.  Maybe if I add some 'Squiggly bits'.
So I though I would share with you some tree houses that I found.
Bye for now
Angie

Photos: Flickr

Our Schoolroom Disaster

My school day yesterday was such a disaster that I couldn't even face blogging !! Like Angie I started full of enthusiasm for a new year of distance education.  Miss M & Master T are in Grade 3 this year.  Unfortunately they were not so impressed to be back in the schoolroom after such a lengthy holiday.  Our day was a nightmare - we started at 8am and worked till 2.30pm and still didn't finish 1 day of work.  Today is going remotely better. Yesterday I was even thinking that driving the 1200 kms + a week to go into a mainstream school maybe worth considering ?  Here's hoping that the rest of our year isn't so stressful. NOTE- Looks can be deceiving, of course they look like they are doing their handwriting in the photos above but in reality they are whining about having to learn ANOTHER way to write - cursive !! YUCK !!

I do like having an organised schoolroom full of colour with everything in it's place. Even if the munchkins don't appreciate it, I like the look of it...LOL !!  Here are 3 new additions to our schoolroom this year.

Exercise Book Covers that are removeable and can be used over and over again - what a great idea, love them !! Nextra Newsagents - Made by Spencil.

Chalkboard Stickers - adhere (and remove) from walls, cupboards etc.  These have proven to be very useful !! Crazy Clarks' - yes these were a BARGAIN BUY !!

Here are our desks all ready to go - the blue papers are our school papers which we return to the school for the teacher to mark and comment on.  I got these great chair bags at Spotlight for under $10 for the kids to keep all their 'special' things in and leave their desk drawers for their actual work !!

Best get back to it, please think of Angie and I as you deliver your children to their closest school and have a day of leisure sipping coffee/wine (that's what you do isn't it ??)

Kristy

P.S - Don't forget TODAY is the last day to enter our giveaway !! Nominate us  (pretty please) for the Handmade Kids Rising Star Award.  See previous blog for details.

Introducing Distance Education

In Queensland school starts this week.  In a mainstream school students go back on Wednesday but for Distance Education it is different.  We have started today.  8.00am this morning we listened to the school principal read out our classes and find out who our teacher is for the year.  This is done via the telephone just like a conference call.  Then we started work.  My daughter is in Year 2 this year.  I also have  the pleasure of having Sienna join us in the school room.  She will start Prep next year.
I never thought in a million years that I would be teaching my own kids.

Our curriculum is set out in two week units so having a day off for Australia Day is out of the question because we have one days work to complete.

Anyway I thought I would share some photos of our first day and our school room.  Our school room is a demountable building away from our home.  I l;ike to have it out of the house because I can shut the door and leave school behind when I go home.  Now when I say it is away from the house I am only talking a few steps out of our yard.

Here is Miss S in our reading area.  We have a few audio books that she likes to listen to.

Here is Miss M at her desk.  She is doing English.

This is our craft table that we do all those messy activities at.  Sienna also like to do her 'school work' at this desk.

This is where Mikaela does her daily telephone lessons with her teacher.  A lot of our curriculum is done on the computer so we alternate from here and the desk.

So this is where I will spend about 5 hours (most times more) a day, five days a week for the rest of the school year.

I will update you with how our first day went.  At the moment it is going very slowly, that 5 hours might have been wishfull thinking...

Good luck to all the parents who are starting there distance education papers today and for all the little first timers to school.

Angie

EDIT:  Who am I kidding!  5 hours is far too optimistic.  Still here at 2:45 pm and we have only had short smoko and lunch breaks.  I hope it's not like this all year.

Things I Love..

There a few things that I love (other than the most obvious like family in which I cherish).  One is stationary.  Whether it be in Major stores like Office Works or in boutique stores like Smiggle or Kikki-K, I just get lost in thoughts of organisation.  I like things to be in there place, but I think it is more the idea of all the little beautiful things you can get to make organising worth it in the end.

These are the things that I bought home from a recent Shopping expedition.  They are all from Smiggle.  Smiggle is so fun and it has really caught the eyes of my daughters too.  I think they are going to be as bad as me.   It has also caught the eyes of all the students going back to school.  The store was packed full of students stocking up.  If only when I was a child I had access to these really cool things for my school days.

I have some more things to show you of my shopping expedition as soon as I find them amongst all the other shopping and holiday unpacking.

I am counting down the sleeps until school starts.  I know that there are probably a lot of mothers who can't wait for school to begin but for me it is a different story.

Have a great weekend.
Angie

Free Headband

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Cupcake Fever

Although it's still 3 weeks away Miss M and Master T have already began planning their 8th birthday.  The Donna Hay Kids Issues are spread all over my lounge room floor with ear marked pages on birthday party ideas.  Master T has requested a figure 8 race car track and Miss M after much deliberation wants a Giant Cupcake Cake !! So the Wilton Cupcake tin has been ordered and I have started the shopping list - chocolate bullets, musk sticks, lollipops, sprinkles......lots of icing sugar !!  We have also been practising perfecting our cupcake recipe.  I have finally found one that appears to be foolproof.

We made these little butterfly cakes yesterday and they worked out quite well.....and even tasted better than they looked.......filled with strawberry jam and whipped cream....YUM !!  Now onto the present list - Miss M wants a pettiskirt, a charm bracelet, more rainbow fairy books and some new singstar games.  Master T has an impressive list - motorbike (I don't think so !!), nintendo ds lite, pocket knife (!!!).  Now that our creek is down we're off to the shops - 6 hour return journey for us so hopefully I can fit in all the cake decorating, party food and present shopping lists whilst negotiating the list of dozer parts, cattle vaccine, ribbon supplies and groceries.  In the meantime we'll just enjoy our last week of school holidays :(

Don't forget our giveaway is still open until Australia Day - check out our previous posts or have a look at our Facebook Fans for more details.

Have a great weekend

Kristy

Tantrums Bags

We are delighted to present some beautiful products from the Tantrums Bag Range.  We have small quantities (first in best dressed) available of the following.

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  Girls Handbags in Strawberry, Cowgirl and Fairy Prints - $24. 
  
  
  
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  Insulated Lunchboxes in pink spot and oriental print - $24. 
  
  
  
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  Makeup Bags in Fairy Print - $30 
  
  
  
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  Overnight Bags in pink spot and oriental Prints - $60. 
  
  
  

If you are interested in any items please Email Us.  To see our complete range visit our Facebook Fans Page for all our photos.   Don't forget our giveaway below- you have to be in it to win it !! Good luck.

Kristy

Please Nominate Us

Please nominate us in the annual 

HANDMADE KIDS 'Rising Star Awards'... TO NOMINATE: send an EMAIL to Jemma with the heading title NOMINATION. In that email tell Jemma WHO you Nominate (www.madeit.com.au/ankbowtique); and WHY. The FIVE stores with the most nominations will go up for the big vote off. ...Comment on here (or on our facebook page - for two entries) when you have nominated and you will go in the draw to be the first to get one of our new fabric necklaces and Grace Vintage Headband. GOODLUCK !!

Blue Vintage

I think it must be all the lovely rain we have been having.  I'm addicted to blue and white.  During our recent holidays I had a splurge at Spotlight and came home with a whole basket of blue and white goodies.  I've already managed to create this lovely blue vintage headband.....mmmmm wondering what else I will come up with.  Meanwhile I'll just enjoy the rain, we've had  4 1/2 inches since Christmas and it is still raining.  The creek is up and we are flooded in...gives me more time to create !!

Kristy