Guest post for Brisbanekids.com.au!

Some weeks ago I responded to a request looking for craft, cooking and parenting bloggers, and the lovely Ngaire at Brisbane Kids thought highly enough of my fledgling blog to have me do a guest blog for them - check it out at http://brisbanekids.com.au/2011/09/5-favourite-home-made-toys/.  If you like what you see at Brisbane Kids, I'd encourage you to follow them on facebook.  I also recommend a read of their fabulous run down on the playgrounds of Brisbane.

And a big welcome to any visitors that have found their way here from Brisbane Kids :)

IKEA Hacks

Hello, my name is Simone and I'm an IKEA addict.  I will go to buy just ONE thing and come out having spent three times as much on smaller items I came across instore.  And we love their meatballs!

I'm no stranger to IKEA Hackers, but I came across this link of 20 IKEA Hacks to try (some are also featured on IKEA Hackers) and simply had to share!

On the menu leading up to Christmas and Geekling's birthday is to adapt an old LACK side table into a lightbox table for Geekling, add some BEKVAM spice racks as book display shelves to his room and make a play kitchen.

Water Beads

After being inspired by Play At Home Mom, I purchased a heap of these cool water beads on ebay.  They are made of non-toxic polymer gel and start off a little smaller than mustard seeds but when immersed in water will swell to the size of large marbles.  They feel jelly like and last forever - if they start to shrink I just immerse them in some more water for a couple of hours.

Showing various stages of growth/absorption

Water bead sensory tub and sorting into ice mould 

Water beads in the bath - trying to 'catch' them with slotted spoons and a seive

On our recent trip to our local market I saw many stalls selling these water beads for a couple of dollars a packet (which makes about 1 cup of beads) - I bought ours for $2 for 10 packs including postage, and they're the same brand!

I am saving the packs of clear beads to do an upcoming experiment by colouring the water they grow in to see if they take on the colour.

Brisbane Festival Liquid Interactive Light Scope Tunnel

As part of the Brisbane Festival running at the moment, a psychadelic liquid interactive light scope tunnel has been set up at South Bank near the Cultural Centre and QPAC.  It uses a number of xbox Kinect devices, mirrored roof and floor and is rather like being inside a kalidescope!  Geekling and his friend Lumpy visited recently during a play-date at South Bank and absolutely loved it!

Special thank you to Lumpy's mum for allowing me to use her photographs - they are a refreshing change from the phone camera photos I usually post!

Its free to visit but if you want to catch it you had better hurry - its last day is this Sunday 24 September 2011!  It is open from 9am - 9:30pm.

Update: Lumpy's mum has started her own blog - visit her at http://mylumpydays.blogspot.com/ for fun and frugal toddler activities

52 acts of creativity and kindness

I stumbled upon this gorgeous post giving ideas for 52 acts of creativity and kindness with the idea of doing one per week.  I am going to have a think about it and plan some of these to do with Geekling - he might be too young to 'get it' but it is setting a good example and you would be surprised what our little ones absorb!

Our version of the Pink Tower

I would dearly love to purchase some more Montessori materials for Geekling but just can't justify the investment given that he parties at daycare 5 days a week and is home with us only 2.  His old daycare was a Montessori centre and had their own Pink Tower, but he is now in a different centre.

For anyone who doesn't know what a Montessori Pink Tower is, it looks like this:

There is a lot more information around on the method behind the material for anyone who is interested.  I recently purchased the poor-man's version, being a set of very sturdy alphabet cardboard stacking/nesting boxes by Melissa & Doug, and would you believe they arrived at 8:30am roughly two weeks ago on a day Geekling was home sick - they really cheered the little guy up and they are a current favourite.  Here they are stacked up, and I promise an update with an action shot soon!

Re-bonding with my little man

After a couple of weekends of neglecting Geekling due to rabid studying, this past weekend I got to revel in his presence and catch up with my little guy in a way that I simply cannot during the hour or two I see him of a week-day evening while preparing for bath time and bed time.  I somehow thought I'd taken a lot more photos, but on review have only taken a few - its not as easy to take photos when you're the only set of eyes on a VERY active toddler, I guess!

Hubby had kindly taken him out of the house much of the last two weekends so I had only myself for company while preparing for exams, so I thought I'd return the favour and whisked Geekling off to Underwater World.  I must admit that I love the place, so it was for my benefit just as much as Geekling's.

He loved the starfish, but was not game to touch them when offered one!

He also LOVED the crocodile, and kept running back to it - from anywhere in the place he would find his way back there!  And he liked the otters, but according to Geekling they were "cats".

We stopped for a swing at the park by the wharf.  That swing lasted over half an hour!  Geekling LOVES to swing!

I finally had the time to sort some of Geekling's old clothes for my brother and hubby's brother who are both expecting their first babies (and our 13th and 14th nephews/nieces!) so Geekling's wardrobe got a clean out, which means there is now plenty of room on the floor of the inside for him!  He loves to play peek-a-boo in his wardrobe, and has been the butt of a few 'in the closet' jokes.

After a big day we enjoyed a family dinner around Geekling's table that we dragged into the loungeroom.  It was a dinner of grilled steaks, prawns, egg rolls and capsicum with 3 japanese dipping sauces, salad and rice.  YUM!