Babysitting Weekender

Last Friday, on what was a very dreary Cairns day, I headed up the mountains to a friend's farm. I was officially on babysitting duty for their four kids while they headed to the races for the  afternoon.
 

When I got up to the tablelands it was just as dreary as in Cairns, maybe a bit more so with the low clouds and drizzle. We had fun all the same. I played games with the two littlest like fishing and marbles. We also went outside and the two helpful little kids helped hang out the washing before playing on the trampoline and in the sandpit. We explored the garden and little Miss K instructed me to take photos of flowers so she could look at them. My camera toting ways were a fascination to them.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner, putting little ones to bed and a movie with the older two (who fell asleep during it anyway) we were all tucked into bed for a good nights sleep. Well good for some I am sure. I never sleep well the first night in a different bed. Does anyone else have that problem? This meant (or maybe it is my early morning wake up training from Mr Sparky) that I got to watch the sky change colours in the early morning quiet before the kids got up .
 

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed my babysitting stint especially playing with the little ones although I was quite happy to hand the reigns back over to their parents when they arrived back mid morning. I then headed off to visit Mr Sparky's Grandma for a couple of hours then back on down the mountains to Cairns.
 

Note: On this farm they are growing corn, potatoes, peanuts and grass seed.
 

Mud Pies and Other Things

Here is a snippet of today ...

Mr Preppy did cooking in the sandpit. We had mud pies, sand stew, sand soup and something he concocted called 'very disgusting'.

Mr T decided to come over and join in the fun. He found an old plant pot and told me 'castle, build castle'. So Mr T and I made castles, every one of them as exciting as the last with a huge 'YAY!' to express his enjoyment or a 'oh no' when they fell apart.

As you would notice our sandpit isn't one of those pretty ones with white sand. Instead it is made with sandy soil from a deposit somewhere on the property. The kids love it all the same ... in fact probably more because it is super messy.

Also we did some 5x revision today. I drew answers on the cement and the kids, when asked a multiplication table, had to go find the answer. Mr Preppy also joined in, he got to find numbers and jump on them. This jumping or racing game never gets old and makes everyone happy ... me because it get revision done and the kids because it is outside and fun.