A Skater birthday party!

I wanted to share with you some pics from my nephew's Skateboard themed 6th birthday party that we went to a couple of weeks ago.  You might remember his awesome Pirate party last year?

The children were invited to bring their wheels - scooters, bikes, skateboards, etc.

They could decorate their ride with streamers...

colour in skateboard pics...

apply skateboard tattoos...

eat some yummy & healthy goodies

or pin the wheel on the skateboard...

and then they all headed off around the block a few times 

in their decorated bikes (and back to front helmets!!)

before coming back for some sweet treats and birthday cake!

Party printables were purchased from this etsy shop.

Great theme for a cool 6 year old school boy!

It's harder to find cool themes as kids get older, what fun themes have you had for school aged kids?

If you'd like to see some of Frog, Goose & Bear's parties, head over here.

If you'd like to share your party with us, head over here.

Another Weekend in the Country...

We seem to have enjoyed quite a few weekends away lately.  It is so good spending time outdoors.

Last weekend we were with my extended family in southern NSW on one of my favourite properties.   My parents no longer own the farm where I grew up, so being able to share with my own kids, a space where I spent quite a bit of time in my own childhood was pretty special.

 The gastro that slowly passed from one family member to the other on our return home was not so special.  Amazing how much kids really can fend for themselves!  It was my turn on Tuesday and thank goodness Goose was home from school as she managed to get breakfast, lunch (sandwiches) and dinner (baked beans) for all.  I couldn't have been more grateful or proud.  Four movies later and they are still sporting fake tattoos all over their bodies (the crab on Bear's forehead is my particular favourite) but they survived just fine!  

How gorgeous is this property.  I could easily live here permanently.

21 adults and 8 kids, tents, tennis, long lunches on the lawn, dessert making competitions, kids style party games for Mr FGB's birthday, bagpipes, food fights, the annual Australian poetry competition to win the prized golden rabbit trap...

but for the kids, catching yabbies was by far the favourite activity of the weekend.

Do you have a favourite place from your childhood where you love to take your own kids?

Mini Aussie S'mores

Ever since tasting my first S'more in Cranberry, Pennsylvania, USA 17 years ago I have been lamenting the lack of the Australian equivalent.  However, it seems that all this time I have been living unaware that there actually was one!

After being introduced to the answer a few weeks ago, I was keen to try it out on our Easter camping weekend.  

Instead of the American Graham Crackers, here in Australia Arnott's Chocolate Wheatens or McVitie's Chocolate Digestives serve the same delicious purpose.  After coming across some bags of mini chocolate digestives in the supermarket, I thought it would be fun to make a mini bite sized version of the classic camping treat using mini marshmallows!

MINI AUSSIE S'MORES

Place 2 mini marshmallows onto the perfect marshmallow stick that you have scavenged somewhere on the ground* and cook them to your liking in the coals** of a campfire.

Place a mini chocolate wheaten on your lap***, chocolate side up.  Then place your marshmallows, still on the stick, on top.  Then on top of your marshmallows, still on the stick, place another mini chocolate wheaten, chocolate side down.

Slide your marshmallow stick out, leaving the marshmallow behind so that you have a delicious marshmallowy, chocolatey biscuit sandwich.

Indulge in the mini bite sized moreish treat!

Of course we also made the other classic campfire dessert choc bananas wrapped in foil.  I think we might be adding Aussie S'mores to the camping repertoire from now on!


Do you have a favourite camping treat?

* who knows where it's been?!
** coals really are the best for cooking marshmallows.  I'm sure you're all aware of this.  There are those who do like a charred marshmallow, I am not one of them.
*** Also filthy from a days worth of chocolate and fun outdoors with children.
I was always taught that a bit of dirt is good for the immune system.....although this recipe would no doubt work deliciously well, and more hygenically on a gas stove.

A Creative Camping Weekend

We had such a lovely time camping over the Easter long weekend.  Four nights with my Mum, sisters, their husbands & kids.  7 adults & 5 children.  The weather was perfect.  It started to rain as we were driving out of the camping ground.  Timing.

There is a strong creative influence in our family, so we got up to quite a bit of camp 'art & craft' over the weekend with not one of them organised by me!  Going camping with  aunts & uncles who are artists, sculptors, builders & crafty mamas can be quite a bonus!  So much creative fun to be had outside with nature!

They made their own paint from dirt, charcoal & leaves.

They made their own charcoal in fire, using sticks, foil & coals

and did some sneaky grafitti...

They carved sculptures using rocks (children) 

and knives (the sculptor uncle) 

and even chainsaws (the builder uncle)

 This cricket set below was made with the chainsaw, freehand!

Climbed cubby houses.

 Rubbed paper with crayons to discover the secrets beneath.

Children waking at the crack of dawn and long days meant that there was still plenty of time for other non-creative pursuits ...

firewood collecting

reading in the hammock

climbing trees

nature collecting

eating potatoes overcooked in foil in the fire

Sack races

making even more easter baskets and hunting for easter eggs

Eating too many easter eggs

Some Bear Grylls re-enacting

and lots of precious quality time 

spent with those we love

and the absolute highlight - learning to ride on two wheels for the very first time!

I love my little family, I really do.  Now I'm home.  Never more keen to have a shower!    Exhausted and doing load upon load of dirt encrusted washing!

What did you get up to over the Easter long weekend?

Are you a little addicted to taking photos like me?  I took over 500 photos....(!?!)