[Tamara]

Pb sandwiches are outlawed at our school because of nut allergies and just about every class has at least one kid with some sort of allergy. My children went through a Pb sandwich phase and I rolled with it but like you I was wondering about it at the same time. I think because she is still little it is a way for her to explore her taste preferences – I guess seeing if she’s more a savoury girl than a sweet tooth. Don’t stress too much and if it involves wanting them where nuts aren’t allowed, maybe trying her with Tahini could be an option. It is still a nutty taste minus the nuts.

My kids are currently wanting homemade sausage rolls for lunch boxes. I’m ok with that as it means I can plug the veggies in without the complaints I usually get at the dinner table. I have one that will happily eat why is in front of them and the other is just in one endless bad mood concerning everything!

I think I need to memorise the serenity prayer and change “serenity” to “sanity”.

Oh and we are finally getting a drop from Heaven’s water supply! So we will send some over your way Nicole!

[lattemama]

The whole world was covered in hoar frost this morning and it felt like it was growing as I drove to work. We had a weird fog and -5C which would explain it I suppose.

My little one woke twice tonight and ended up sleeping in my bed from 4 am until the alarm rang. She hasn’t done that in a while but for some reason she dreamt about Vampires tonight.

Sarvi, if you are looking for fun lunches for A I would suggest having a look at this Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/50806695@N04/sets/72157631465131102/with/8460602817/ – she does really fun and varied bento boxes for her kids. (She has a blog too: http://www.meetthedubiens.com/ ). I get weird urges to send lunch with my kids to school/daycare when I read her blog. But since lunch is free in school here there is no need for me to do that.

[Tamara]

Lucky you to have a school that provides lunches. When I went to school in the UK the school I attended did that too. So nice to have a meal with friends that everyone else is also enjoying.

What’s a hoar frost?

The thunderstorm we had this afternoon was short and sharp and it attempted to take our guttering to the rain water tank away! Easy fixed! Yesterday I watched the huge round trampoline be picked up and get thrown about! Such weird weather everywhere it seems!

[lattemama]

Yes, it’s very convenient not to have to pack lunch every morning for the girls as well. I have to make lunch for me though and now there is someone fighting me for the left over dinner – Rickard’s company moved offices and now they no longer have a restaurant and in-house chef like they used to.

Hoar frost: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost

I wish I had had time to fetch my camera and stop to take a few pictures. The frost is gone now since the temps rose.

[cybele727]

Oh my. I was perusing the flickr group and my 3 y/o daughter came upon me and said, “ooohhhh a dwess fo me?” And as I was paging through I got, “oooh you make dat fo me muhmmie?” “OOh I wike dat.” “Oh das not pretty.” “Dat color not fo me.” And other sundry proffered strong minded opinions.

She was cracking me up. I mean who knew at 3 she had her own taste and that she realized *I* made her clothes?

I may have created a fashionista monster!

[Sarvi]

She knows what colors suit her, even!!

Thanks for the reassurance, gals. Our school has no food rules, just that the kids can’t share food, and since the teachers eat with the children, they seem to be pretty closely supervised. I do make her nut butter myself from good quality almonds, pecans, etc. so it’s not even so much that I am worried about it being wholesome, but I have the time, energy, and interest to make something a little more jazzy, you know? Come on, kiddo, this is mama’s strong suit.

[cybele727]

Sarvi, the best part? The one she said wasn’t pretty? Made with a fabric that is in my stash that I bought for her years ago. LOL….

[cybele727]

I stopped making my son’s lunch. The battle: home made, healthy, and yummy but uneaten, or the crappy school lunch?

Crappy school lunch won out.

[Tamara]

Cybele, I am tempted to do the same with my daughter but I am frightened it will be the worst thing ever to do! I’m scared it will make her one of those “fat kids” because of her choices. I measured her last night and she has burst out at every proportion. I know I shouldn’t worry of get sad over this as the day was inevitable. But she is only ten and very tall and because of this she has to be careful she doesn’t go flabby at the sides also. It means enlarging every size 12 pattern I have and making the next size available on the ones that go larger. A bit depressing as it means less Oliver and s patterns too!

I don’t know if it should be added to the developmental profiles that the average ten year old girl will not eat her lunch if you don’t provide sausage rolls lol! My kids can order lunch once a week and they generally like it on pastry day so they get the pies and hot dogs as choices.

Oh! Sarvi! I hope her tastes improve enough for you to flex your cooking muscles! My daughter thinks my food is not good enough, especially the macaroni and cheese surprise (just has chicken in it because N doesn’t like eating chicken after he saw them being processed). I make the sauce myself and put all the yummy things in it. I even tell her it is veggie free and still she doesn’t eat it! Her version consists of pasta cheese, better and the microwave!

[meleliza]

If it were cheaper, I might be motivated to make them, but I couldn’t make pants and dress shirts cheaper or sturdier than store bought ones. I also couldn’t knit the sweaters cheaper! Lol. Now the girls jumpers I would happily make because they are a truly abysmal quality. However, it’s such a specific plaid for the school that I’m not sure it’s possible. Anyway, I’ve got three more years before she starts school to worry about that anyway.

What is a custom made modesty dress? And what does it have to do with school? Things sound very different on the other side of the world, lol. I wonder what uniforms look like over there. One of these days you will have to post pictures.

[Maggie]

My daughter has been full of awkward compliments for me recently. Things like, “Daddy makes the best eggs, but you make the best toast.” Then “You are a good cooker, but a better sewer.” Um, okay.

I’m a pretty good cook, but my kids like boring food. My daughter likes tortolini, yogurt and fruit for lunch almost every day. She only eats the school lunch if it is pasta or a hot dog–twice a month. I don’t mind. I think the school lunches are rather fatty.

I just got Growing Up Sew Liberated. The patterns are cute, but I miss the clear instructions of O+S. the instructions aren’t bad, but I’ve been spoiled by the best. Anyway it is fun to dive into some new knit patterns.

[Tamara]

Basically it is a princess lined version of the Jumprope dress with two box pleats at the front so when they sit cross legged on the floor the dress is supposed to fall inward to not reveal what they had for breakfast (so to speak). I am totally not convinced by the name. It allows me to conjure up visions of nuns making the girls line up to measure the correct length of their dresses or something! In other words Really old fashioned and strict! It is supposed to be be,ted at the back which is no skin off my nose to do that. I have so many patterns that can allow me to make a knock off version.

http://www.permapleat.com.au/girls/schoolwear/dresses. Have a look at the dress up the top on the extreme right. This is the dress but in our check http://yas.com.au/YAS%20WEBSITE%208000/8145-8156.htm number 8147.

This is basically what the private schools generally wear. State schools generally wear polo tops with skirts and shorts, which is what we are currently using.

I’d buy the jumpers and cardigans and if we really really have to. I’d get a blazer. But I really don’t think my kids would be comfortable in that sort of thing.

The winter uniform order form will be issued soon and possibly before the summer things get here. I am hoping the girls get the chance to wear trousers and not the para silk track suit which costs the earth already. I can’t see stockings surviving my daughter’s treatment of them.

[Nicole]

The summer tunic is what I make my girls,it is lovely on and has plenty of room to run and play.

You will have no trouble finding a pattern for that.

[Tamara]

With the many patterns I have plus drafting books, it shouldn’t be a problem you are right.

It has just occurred to me that I hadn’t even asked if she would prefer the dress to wear! But I sort of took her reaction to the skirts as the dress being the alternate and more preferred choice.

I do think that the dress would make a nice change and with bike pants underneath, it wouldn’t be so much of an issue in terms of the upside down swinging on the monkey bars scenario. We probably won’t have the issue of the dress being caught in the undies scenario either lol! Childhood memories of those pleated netball skirts that seemed to be “the uniform” of the day. I know though, given the choice she, like most of the girls her age would prefer shorts.

Would you do white or black bike shorts for underneath? I vote black but it may show through.

Oh on a subject curve, does anyone know how to get rid of ants from out of the iron?

[Tamara]

Do your children ever tell the most amazing stories? My son found a rash mark on his ankle likely caused by his sandal strap probably being too tight. He told me that a child in his class did come to school today but when the teacher asked him to show this child to his seat, a little germ crawled all the way up his leg, along his arm and jumped onto this child and caused him to be sick!

Oh how I love these stories! I need to write them down! They are the stuff of family legend!