day 706 | may 31, 2014 | Holi Color Fight

With many thanks to Mommy E of Bottomsupblog, we were finally able to throw another color fight party -- something which we'd intended to do since the first time we tried it two years ago. I ran much less this time around, and was very deliberate in rubbing various colors into people's faces and bodies, especially the untarnished ones. Less wasted powder that way, as compared to throwing. :) The bigger kids definitely had more fun than the littler ones.

Won't babble on, and will let the images tell the story. Tons of fun. And if you want ideas on running this activity yourself, go ahead and check out these kid-friendly holi party tips.

Getting armed and ready

day 707 | may 13, 2014 | Curious Little Chefs

It started from watching episodes of the first season of Junior Masterchef Australia, and falling in love with Pierre and Jack, and the rest of the little kids doing big things in the kitchen. Such grace, maturity, and culinary skills well beyond their years. This had fed my growing fantasy of having my kids prepare dishes like herb-crusted lamb chops with stuffed mushrooms,  or something like poached pear with cranberry syrup, vanilla mascarpone, and tuile biscuits. Or maybe a blueberry, passionfruit and banana pudding with butterscotch sauce. Not very demanding, huh?

For the month+ we didn't have a helper, I sought help from the kids to prepare simple lunches and dinners. They were excited by the tools from Curious Chef, and were very game in helping me create a humongous mess in the kitchen. Unfortunately, I couldn't offer them a better mentor -- my skills in the kitchen are limited to 'survival.'

Red's knife skills are getting pretty steady now, and with some time, and a better mentor, perhaps the little ones will soon be able to cook a sumptuous meal (for me...).