What We Got Up to in the Holidays

When people ask how my school holidays were, I say "I feel like I can breathe again". It has been a really hectic term, and a big adjustment going back to work. The kids have still being going to Child Care (for a shorter day) and I've been able to catch up on everything that needed to be done, and just BREATHE. Enjoy time on my own, a quiet house to myself, and getting reacquainted with the blog. On my first day the floors were vacuumed and mops, every dish washed and put away (not just left sitting in the dish rack) and every item of clothing washed, dried, folded and put away (which never happens all at the same time).

I felt like I could breathe again. In my own home, I could breathe again.

You may have read this article I wrote a while back, explaining why I still sent Miss M to child care last year when I was home with Little Man, and a lot of the same reasons apply now during the school holidays. I completely understand that it wouldn't be the choice that everyone would make, but for me, it saved my sanity.

I felt like I could breathe again.

But, we have had awesome fun in the school holidays together as a family! There was so much fun stuff happening and so I wanted to do a quick wrap up to share what we did with you.

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Archie and The Bear {Book Review}

Book reviews are one of my favourite types of posts here at Teacher Types! Books are such an important part of childhood and if I can introduce you to a new book, or give you some activity ideas based on a brilliant book - well then I'm going to do just that.

You may remember Zanni Louise, author of Too Busy Sleeping (which I reviewed back in 2015 before Little Man's arrival and it's still a favourite in this house). I was so excited to hear that Zanni's new book Archie and the Bear was going on a blog tour and of course I put my hand up! Kindly gifted for the purpose of this review.

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A First Pen Pal {Jack the Wombat}

Encouraging children to read and write in a fun way, from an early age can be so instrumental to how they'll flourish at school. Whenever I come across a brilliant product, brand or business which is trying to do just that, I can't help but share!

(Not sponsored)

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Get Creative With... LOOSE PARTS

I often think to myself - how did Instagram become a place for teachers, early childhood educators and parents to turn to for lesson plan and activity ideas? It really is amazing! There are so many brilliant accounts you can follow for daily inspiration. Or search specific hashtags if you're looking for something in particular. You could also get some motivation from accounts such as Get Creative With who have weekly theme prompts. (You may remember I was a guest just for Early Learning 101's scissor theme - and I blogged about it here.)

This week I got to choose the theme "Loose Parts" for our insta-community to "get creative with" and there were some fantastic ideas, but I'll share those later in the post.

Tinker Tray from Invitation to Play

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#PegPeopleOnTour + Giveaway

It was all fun an games over on Instagram last month! Liv (aka Eenie Meenie Miney Mum) challenged me to take photos of these cute Rainbow Friends (from The Creative Toy Shop) in random places purely for her own amusement. But then it turned into a photo challenge - each trying to out do each other with the crazy and sometimes iconic places these little guys ended up. It's been sooooo much fun, and we've both gotten a few weird looks along the way (doesn't look so weird when you have your kids with you because the rainbow friends are totally for them ;)). 

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Little Lion Boutique {Feature}

This post is kindly sponsored by Little Lion Boutique. All opinions are my own :)

I've been so pleased to feature some beautiful local Adelaide businesses lately - and today I'd like to introduce you to Little Lion Boutique. They have some lovely things for babies, toddlers and preschoolers including clothing, play mats, toys, teethers, blankets and more. I recently blogged for them and shared my 5 favourite educational toys from their website - check it out here.

It is also thanks to Little Lion Boutique that I discovered (and fell in love with) the brand Make Me Iconic. The coolest funkiest and uniquely "Aussie" toys I've come across. Firstly this 4 piece watermelon puzzle is magnetic and there's a super cute surprise inside which adds an extra element when your child is putting it back together.

Watermelon Puzzle - SHOP HERE

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Returning to Work After Maternity Leave {again}

So, I wrote this post weeks ago. Right at the start of the term when I had only been back a week or two. Now it's nearly school holidays and I'm getting into the swing of my new routine (well, we all are). Honestly, some days I'd rather be at work and some days I'd rather be at home. Each type of day has it's pros and cons, challenges and benefits. The kids are doing brilliantly at child care and I feel like I'm extending myself as a teacher by learning lots of new things in my new role. 

Miss M and I when she came to visit my school on Open Day.

I was feeling motivated by the IBOT link up to get something up today - and thought that this would be just the story to share...

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It's beginning to look a lot like Easter...

Since when did Easter become the new Christmas?

I started pondering this question when I saw Kmart selling "Easter twig trees" for $15 (yes I bought one!). My Instagram friends then filled me in on the symbolism of this German tradition in which the decorated twig or branch represents new life.

I guess what I mean is; it feels like the commercialisation of Easter is what's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Easter themed products, decorations, gifts, cutlery, treats and hot cross buns have been flooding the shops since January - and I wonder if the main message of Easter is being forgotten in all the hype and sugar? (Not to mention, the popular TV show & movie themed Easter gift packs which are catching the attention of little eyes every time they go through the check out - why oh why to they make life hard for parents by forcing you to walk past these products to leave the store?).

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Lovely Blocks By {The Little Wooden}

It makes my heart happy to support a local biz mum who hand makes her products. Erica from The Little Wooden and I met up at a play cafe last month and our little ones had a lovely time (she is also expecting number two which is very exciting!). We got to sample her story blocks and geo pattern blocks (gifted for the purpose of this review) and I'd love to share a few of our play and activity ideas!

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