Free Fun for Kids in Brisbane

 

A few weekends ago we went down to Brisbane for the first birthday of our very good friend’s son.

It was a lovely little party, and a lovely time with our friends. We always stay up waaaay too late talking and playing games together. This time they introduced us to Settlers of Catan, which I had heard a lot about from a number of my cousins but hadn’t played before. I LOVED it, it was a lot of fun and I get a lot of pride in saying that I WON my very first game… against my very competitive and strategic husband. I don’t think it was a fluke, but I suppose that remains to be seen!

Anyway. On the Sunday, we decided to take the kids into the city to take in some culture. We initially intended to visit the museum… but we got so caught up in other things that it wasn’t until we were back on the inner city bypass that I said to Pete, “WE DIDN’T GO TO THE MUSEUM!!!!!!!” It was kinda funny.

So where did we go?

Our first stop was the State Library. Do you know I had never been in there before? I was quite impressed really. It’s not anywhere near as grand as the beautiful State Library in Melbourne, but it is more liveable. The one in Melbourne is kind of awe-some (as in you just walk around in awe with wide eyes and an open mouth for most the time – though that could have just been me!!). The one in Brisbane is a place where I’d go just to hang out. You might think a big fancy library like that is a strange place to take your kids, but the Brisbane State Library has an absolutely fantastic children’s area, called The Corner. From what I can gather it has different themes throughout the year, and it is full of activities and fun to be had for pretty much all age groups.

When we were there, it was a music theme. There were huge instruments like a rubber-thong/pvc pipe ‘piano’ (where you whack the ends of the pipe cut to different lengths with a rubber thong to make different notes), and a tea-chest bass. There was a huge soft foam mat, with a great range of instrument-themed baby appropriate toys. Reuben had so much fun on there, and must have played with everything they had! There were a whole stack of different art activities, from etching with carved wooden tiles, to collage, box-art, drawing… pretty much you were only limited by your imagination. It was unreal. Mayana of course spent the longest amount of time there, creating musical instruments out of paper cups and paddle pop sticks and crepe paper. It was loads of fun. There was also video being projected onto the wall of a conductor in front of an orchestra. In front of the wall was a music stand, and to the side was a wardrobe full of cummerbunds, shirtsleeves, bow-ties and batons, so the kids could dress up and conduct their own imaginary orchestra. Mayana thought that was all kinds of wonderful, and Reuben enjoyed playing with the batons that had long pieces of coloured silk attached, and waving them around to the music. In another area there was a mini-disco set up, with a lighted flashing floor, a disco ball and dance music playing. There was marching band outfits complete with strap on bass-drums, and of course, lots of books.

We absolutely loved it. We must have stayed for nearly two hours. We were the first ones there, and we left when it started to feel a bit crowded. On a Sunday morning it did get quite busy, and I’d be interested to see what it would be like mid-week.

We will most definitely be taking the kids back there next time we are in the city!

Our next stop was the Art Gallery. Mayana was far more interested in this than I’d given her credit for. We didn’t look at all the exhibits, but enjoyed what we did see.

Then we popped across the way to GOMA (the Gallery of Modern Art). I had heard that there are free children’s activities there too. At the moment it’s an exhibition called the Gordon Hookey Kangaroo Crew. The exhibition is based on an Indigenous story about a group of kangaroos. When you enter the exhibition you watch an animated version of the story, and then all of the activities available are based on the story. I was impressed with the variety and scope of activities. The main one is to decorate a mask. There are four different types of 3D kangaroo masks to choose from, and once you colour them in and tape them together there’s an area set up like the hills in the story for the kangaroos to play in. Mayana and I had a lot of fun being kangaroos and posing for photos! They also have a bunch of Mac computers, which take you through a process of taking a photo of yourself and creating a magazine cover featuring you (wearing your mask of course!). Next to the computers is a wall of live images of all the magazine coves that have just been created. Mayana was so excited to see hers pop up on the wall! They also had an arcade-gaming section, which just a little too old for Mayana, but it was great to see such a good range of ages catered for.

We had lots of fun, and I think what Mayana liked most about both places was that she got to take something away with her. She’s still talking about it!

We had such a fun time in the arts precinct of Southbank, and I was more than impressed by the initiatives that are available free of charge for families. I can’t wait to take the kids back! If you’re ever in the city, and you haven’t been before, I can’t recommend it more highly!

Have you got any tips for great free places to entertain the kids?

A sugar-free carrot cake.

My husband loves carrot cake. Loves it. If it is on offer at a cafe, you can be sure that it’s what he’ll order with his coffee. It’s always his request for his birthday. And he wasn’t about to give up carrot cake just because we quit sugar!

I have made sugar free carrot cake for a few occasions lately, the most recent being the one that Peter requested for his 30th birthday. I’m pleased to say, I really think I’ve nailed my recipe. I’ve adapted and combined a few of our favourite pre-quitting-sugar carrot cake recipes, and substituted a fructose free sweetener, and come up with something really delicious, which has people from both sides of the sugar-fence raving! And that’s always a good sign. Oh and yes, I am aware that carrots contain fructose. We’ll live.

So. I thought I’d share the recipe! Here goes:

And just so you know, I use my mix-master with the whisk attachment for this recipe, but you could easily use your electric beaters, or your own muscle power if you’re so inclined!

Sugar Free Carrot Cake

Preheat your oven to 180C, and grease two cake pans that are the same size. I use coconut oil to grease my pans, with great success.

Beat together 4 eggs, 1/2 tsp vanilla (I use vanilla bean paste), and 1 1/4 cups of oil. I have used olive oil, coconut oil, macadamia oil, rice bran oil, or a mix of any of the above depending on what’s in the cupboard, and once when I was really desperate vegetable oil (which I only ever use for playdough) and any of these work completely fine.

Add to your mix 2 cups of self raising flour, 1 1/2 cups of dextrose (a fructose free sweetener, found in the brewing aisle at the supermarket), 2tsp of bicarb soda and 3 tsp of cinnamon (I actually use spekulaas spice, which is a Dutch spice mix). Beat until well combined, with no lumps of flour.

Finally, add 1 cup of chopped walnuts, and THREE cups of grated carrot. 3, not 1. I made an oops on that picture. Sorry!! I usually just stir these through with a spoon until they’re evenly mixed in.

Next you pour your batter evenly between your two pans, then pop them in the oven! For some strange reason, this cake takes a different amount of time to bake every time I make it. Last time I made it half an hour was the perfect amount of time, but sometimes it needs more. If your cake is starting to go golden on top but is not cooked in the middle, pop some foil over the top to keep it from burning.

I find it best to leave this cake to cool in the tin. It tends to crumble or break apart if you try to take it out while it’s still at all warm.

In the meantime, you can whip up your icing! I also make this in the mixmaster with the paddle beater.

Simply beat together 2 blocks (or 500g) of cream cheese, 1 cup of dextrose, the juice of two limes, and 100g of softened butter, until beautiful and smooth and creamy. This is a seriously delicious icing mixture, and if you have a daughter who is lactose sensitive, it’s probably best to not let her loose with the leftovers, unless you want to be woken in the wee hours of the morning with a baby in pain. Just saying.

Choose your flattest cake to be the bottom layer. You can use a serrated knife, or one of those fancy wire cake slicers (like the one I bought from Ikea) to make the top perfectly flat. Or you can just use icing to fill in the gaps. Either way, spread a nice and generous amount of your icing over the top of your cake.

The plop cake number two on top! It doesn’t matter if this one is not flat.

And then coat the whole thing in icing! You can sprinkle it in lightly toasted shredded coconut for something schmancy, or if it’s the centrepiece of dessert for a 30th birthday Pirate Party, you can decorate it accordingly.

Enjoy! Make sure you get a piece… this cake has a nasty habit of disappearing before I get a chance to get to dessert!

Who ever said you can’t eat awesome food without sugar!

{Crochet Tutorial} Ripple Blanket

I recently posted this photo on my Zoey Makes facebook page. (in case you didn’t know, Zoey Makes is my little handmade business, where I sell some of the handmade goodies that I make.) Anyway, I had a lot of positive feedback about this lovely textured blanket, and a lot of interest in a tutorial. So here I am, about to embark on my first attempt at a crochet tutorial. Including a video. Eek!! Wish me luck!

The ripple blanket is not a new thing, and it’s not an original thing. Your grandma probably has a pattern for one floating around, and there are a bazillion of them online, too. I had done a lot of reading of various freebies, tried out a few… they all work with basically the same idea, just different lengths and numbers of stitches. After experimenting I came up with this particular variation, which I think creates a good length ripple and a nice texture.

For this project you’re going to need a 5mm crochet hook. I’m using the Carnival Soft Acrylic 8ply from Big W. It’s lovely and soft, and a good price. I live in a town with very few options for yarn, but if you can access a nicer yarn than this, go for it! I’m using five colours, and with one ball of each colour, I’m probably about a third of a way through my blanket. I would guestimate that 3 balls of yarn for each colour is about what you’ll need.

If you are crocheter who knows what they’re doing, I’m gonna give you the pattern straight. I know that I sometimes get frustrated when I find a website with a great pattern and have to sift through pages of explanations and photos to find the actual guts of it. If you just want to see the pattern, without the step-by-step how-to, scroll to the bottom now!

This pattern requires for you to really only know one stitch: the double crochet. The internet is a wonderful place to learn how to crochet; in it’s mainly how I learned! Once you find a pattern you like, jump on to youtube and look up the stitches you need.. there are loads of fantastic tutorials. I am going to recommend that you watch this video if you don’t know how to do a double crochet. Have a practice while you watch until you get the hang of it. That video is exactly how we’re going to start off this project.

In the above video, she chained 15 stitches to begin with. For our ripple blanket, you’re going to need to chain 146. This will make your blanket around 90cm wide. Then you need to miss two of your chains, and double crochet (dc) into the third chain, just like she did in the video. You need to do this six more times, so all up you’ll have 7dc, and the 2 chains you skipped will form an 8th. Into the next chain, you need to work 3dc, all into the same stitch. This is how you increase, and it will create the peak of your ripple. Then, you double crochet into each of the next 6 chains.

The next step is a little tricky, which is why I’m making a video. So if this doesn’t make sense in written form, hopefully the video will help you! You are going to double crochet three stitches together (of which the fabulous abbreviation is dc3tog), which means that you will have 3 dc but with only one top! Confused? Sorry! What you need to do is the first part of a double crochet: put your yarn over the hook, hook through the next chain, and pull up a new loop. Pull your new loop through the first two loops on your hook (just like usual). Then, instead of pulling it through your remaining two loops, leave them there. You’re going to repeat this first step of a double crochet again. Put your yarn over the hook, hook through the next chain, and pull up a new loop. Pull your new loop through the first two loops on your hook. Now you should have 3 loops remaining on your hook. Do this one more time, into the next chain, and you will have 4 loops left on your hook. Now, pull your yarn through all four of the loops on your hook to finish the stitch off. Phew!  You’ve just made your first valley! 

Now you need to double crochet into the next six chains, then work 3dc into the next chain. Keep repeating this pattern (6dc, dc3 in next chain, 6dc, dc3tog). Do this all the way to the end. You’ll have two stitches left over after your last 6dc. You need to double crochet those two stitches together. This is worked in exactly the same way as a dc3tog, except you only need to do it two times: put your yarn over the hook, hook through the next chain, and pull up a new loop. Pull your new loop through the first two loops on your hook (just like usual). Then, instead of pulling it through your remaining two loops, leave them there. You’re going to repeat this first step of a double crochet again. Put your yarn over the hook, hook through the next chain, and pull up a new loop. Pull your new loop through the first two loops on your hook. Now you should have 3 loops remaining on your hook. Pull your yarn through all three of those loops to finish the stitch off. Finally, chain 2 to finish the row off, and turn, ready to start your new row!

It might look a bit wonky at the moment, but doing your next row will help to neaten things up. To start the new row, skip the stitch that your ch2 is coming out of, and work a double crochet into the next stitch. **Now work dc into the next 6 stitches, then work your 3dc peak into the next. If you look at your previous row, you will notice that you are working these 3dc into the middle stitch of your previous 3dc peak. Work a dc into each of the next 6 stitches, and then work your dc3tog over the next three stitches. Repeat this sequence from the **. Again, you will have two stitches left at the end for you to work a dc2tog. Chain two to finish the row off, and turn ready to start your next row.

That’s it! You just keep repeating that second row over and over until your blanket is at your desired length.

I like to do two rows in each colour, then change. When I change colours, I work my stitches into the back loops of the previous row (I explain this in the video). This gives it a really cool layered texture, and makes the ripple look really effective. I also explain how I change colours in the video.

And…. here it is: my first ever video tutorial (eeek!!). Near the end we had a massive roll of thunder, and Mayana comes out a bit scared… I don’t have the skills/time to edit, so sorry about that!

My video tutorial!

I really hope that you find that helpful, please comment if you need clarification on anything! When I’m finished my blanket and decide if/how I’m going to edge this thing I will post an update with a tutorial for that too.

Now for people who were just after the pattern: here it is!

The Pattern! 5.00mm crochet hook, 5 colours, three balls of each. I am using US crochet terms. This pattern yields a blanket of just under 90cm in width, and you can repeat the pattern until it is your required length. Basically your initial chain needs to be a multiple of 16, plus two stitches extra. If you want your blanket smaller or longer, adjust your initial chain accordingly. Special Stitches: Double crochet three together dc3tog: Yarn over, hook through stitch, pull up a loop, pull through two loops (2 remain on hook). Yarn over, hook through next stitch, pull up a loop, pull through two loops (3 remain on hook). Yarn over, hook through third stitch, pull up a loop, pull through two loops, then through 4 remaining loops. Double crochet two together dc2tog: yarn over, hook through stitch, pull up a loop, pull through two loops (2 remain on hook). Yarn over, hook through next stitch, pull up a loop, pull through two loops, then through 3 remaining loops. Row One: ch 146. Skip first 2 chains, dc into 3rd chain. *Dc into next 6 chains. Work 3dc in next ch. Dc in next 6 chains. Dc3tog over next 3 chains. Repeat from * to end, working dc2tog in final two chains. Ch2, turn. Row Two: Skip first stitch (where the 2ch comes from), dc in next 7 stitches. Work 3dc in next stitch (this will be the middle of your dc cluster from the previous row, and will form the peak of your ripple). *Dc in next 6 stitches. Dc3tog over the next three stitches (the second of these three stitches will be the top of your dc3tog from the previous row, and forms the concave of your ripple). Dc in next 6 stitches, work 3dc in next stitch. Repeat from * to end, working dc2tog in final two stitches. Ch 2, turn. Repeat row two until your blanket is at desired length! I do two rows in each colour, then change. In the rows where I introduce a new colour, I work into the back loops only. This gives a layered texture, and is definitely my preferred ripple style. The second row of each colour I work into both loops. Now, I’m not finished my blanket yet so I haven’t gotten to the part where I edge it.. in fact I haven’t even decided how I want to do it yet! I have found this great tutorial on pinterest through, and it is probably something I’d like to try.. I will be back to update this post once my blanket is done!

I would really appreciate any feedback on this pattern/tutorial. It’s my first attempt at anything like it, and if I’ve made any mistakes or caused any confusion, please let me know! And if it’s brilliant and you learn something from it I’d like to hear that too… ha!

Thank you!

How do you do meals?

 

In our home, mealtimes are a really important part of our family time. For breakfast and dinner, the four of us sit down together every single day, and eat as a family. We say grace, (even Reuben holds hands with us, bangs our hands up and down as we say the familiar words, and pronounces ‘A-men!’ at the end), and interact together as we eat our meals. The children eat what we eat and when we eat. At lunch, I sit down to share a meal with the kids too. It’s just what we do.

Growing up, my family did the same. I maybe didn’t value it in the same way when I was in highschool, being woken up at 5.30am so that we would have time to get ready for school, have family breakfast at 6.30am and be out the door and off to the bus at around 7am. We would hold hands and say grace, and have a family devotion when we finished eating. Family dinners always happened around the table, with the TV off. They still do, at my family’s house. Dinner around the Buma Table is a Thing now, and so many of our friends love to be a part of it. My family eats great food, and has great conversation that almost always ends up littered with raucous laughter and borderline inappropriate jokes. But it’s so much fun.

When Pete and I first got married (and both moved out of home for the first time), we did get into a habit of eating our breakfast and dinner on the couch together, while watching TV. When I became pregnant with Mayana, we talked about it and made the decision that this was a habit we had to break when she arrived. And it was such a natural thing to do once she was born. Even when she was a tiny baby we would have her in her lay-back highchair up at the table with us, and as soon as she was eating proper foods she would join us properly at meal times. We have very rarely had the television on during mealtimes since, and we never watch TV in the mornings anymore.

I remember being on a teaching practicum once and talking to the kids about healthy eating habits. We talked about where we eat dinner, and I was genuinely shocked at the number of kids who proclaimed to never eat dinner at the table. Literally more than half the kids (who were around 8-9 years old) always ate dinner from their laps or the floor in front of the TV. Admittedly, we do that on occasion, as a special treat if we are having a family movie night or something, but I know it will never, ever be a normal thing in our household. On one level this could just be out of pure selfishness, because I really do value the concentrated quality time our family gets to experience when we sit down together to share a meal. There are no distractions (other than our food I suppose) and we get to talk, catch up or plan our days, share stories, and enjoy each other’s company. But on another level I really do think that it promotes lots of positive habits and healthier choices to our kids.

I can reflect on this as a person who experienced family mealtimes throughout my growing up years, and also as a mother who also provides the same experience to her own children. Eating together as a family provides an opportunity every day (for us twice a day) for concentrated conversation, where attention is divided only between the people who are at the table together. It’s bonding-time at its best, and most definitely promotes family unity.

There are simple things, too, like table manners. Something that I think is disappearing a little from general society. And if my prac class’s mealtime habits are any kind of indication, it kind of makes sense for people to not have table manners when they’re not eating at a table! Dinner around the table is where we learned the little things like to not chew with your mouth open, and not to have your elbows on the table (I still don’t really get that one, although I have been known to say it to Mayana!!), not to interrupt people mid-conversation (although my family is a terrible example of this… we talk over the top of each other all. the. time, it’s just how we roll!). Mayana has learned already how to properly set the table, with the knife to the right of the plate and the fork to the left, and she also helps to clear the table and tidy up after the meal.

When I was searching for the image at the top of this post, I keyed into Google “families that eat together stay together” and dozens of articles appeared, full of research and quotes and statistics attesting to the truth of the statement. Plus, eating together, talking together, laughing together… it’s FUN!

A few weeks ago, my family celebrated the 50th birthday of my dad and the 21st birthday of my sister. Many of their individual friends and our family friends who jumped up to the microphone to honour them with speeches spoke about our family, our togetherness and hospitality, the way we welcome anyone in not just as a guest but to become part of our family. And pretty much everyone who spoke of these things referenced the way we have dinner together, because most of them have at some point (or maaaaannny times) shared a crazy meal around our table. I LOVED that. It made me so proud, and so much more determined to embed that tradition into our children, and make it a key element of the way that my own little family works, too. I have some great role models in my parents on how to make a family great, and I know that this is one simple thing that can have a huge impact on my family, and our togetherness.

Are mealtimes important in your family? Do you eat around the table often or just for special occasions? Maybe you could challenge yourself to make a point of eating together every night for a week, and see what effect it has on your family dynamic.

The Ballet {a mama-daughter date}

As you may know, I might be struggling a little with the fact that my little 5lbs2oz bundle of joy is suddenly big enough to be off to ‘big school’ next year…. Blows my mind every time I think about it.

But anyway. I think about this a lot. And think about how short the time of having the opportunity for my kids to be at home with me really is. I am making a much more deliberate effort to enjoy my time with them; making a point of having quality time, playing, laughing, singing, taking them places. Especially my Maysi, because this season is escaping from us so quickly, and I intend to invest a lot of time and loving into her over the next 8 months.

Last night we had our very first Mama-daughter date night. Peter had found out that QPAC (the Qld Performing Arts Centre) had partnered up with a number of regional councils (including ours) for initiative where they live-simulcast certain events to the public for FREE! This year’s even was to be the Bolshoi Ballet and I jumped at the opportunity to take Mayana to something so wonderful.

So after our zumba classes yesterday evening, Mayana and I shoveled down some dinner, dressed ourselves in some warm clothes and gathered an armful of blankets and a chair, and headed off to our simulcast location.

Generally these are held in theatres, but our local theatre had a sold-out concert on last night, so they had to choose a different space, and it ended up being held outdoors, on a large oval by the sea. It was wonderful.

We snuggled into our blankets and kept each other warm, and thoroughly enjoyed the  music and the dancing and the whole experience. Mayana was enthralled, and kept asking me questions about the storyline. Thankfully they had given us a program on arrival and I was able to describe in detail what was going on. She would whisper to me, “Mama! Look how fast they are spinning!” or “look how the can jump and spin at the same time…. do you think I could do that? Can I try real quick?”

We didn’t quite make it to the end of the show… it goes for over 3 hours, and I had to pull the pin on the fun at about 9.45pm… I didn’t know how I would go on the 30minute drive home if we stayed right until the 11pm ending!

On the way home I told her the end of the story and we talked about how these ballerinas were full time dancers, and how they probably started dancing when they were little kids and danced and practiced every single day! Mayana concluded that she only would like to dance for fun, and not be a proper ballerina, but that she sure loved watching them!

I felt like this was such a great initiative, and a fabulous opportunity to give my girl a bit of culture that was light on the hip-pocket, and not something that she can often be exposed to in our little regional town. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next event like this.. and one day, hopefully, I will be able to take her to the real theatre and we’ll see it all in real life!