Zucchini Fritters

The new school year started towards the end of last week. It's back to routine and preparing lunchboxes for my two girls.

This year, I am trying to keep lunchboxes interesting to ensure my girls have enough nutrition to keep them going throughout the day. I decided to give them the responsibility to create their own list of food that they want in their boxes for morning teas and lunch. This way, it gets them involved and gives them ownership of what they eat. They have create a long list of choices which will hopefully make it easier for me to prepare.

This week, I made zucchini fritters for their lunches. I was planning to make zucchini slice, but I forgot to buy some bacon and it was too late to head to the shops. A quick search on www.taste.com.au and I found an easy fritter recipe.

Back to School 2013 - Lunch box Plans

The new school year started today but my girls return to school tomorrow as today is staff development day. Books, bags, uniforms, shoes, lunch boxes and drink bottles have been labelled and ready for the new term. This year, I am trialling something new to get my girls to be more responsible and accountable for their snacks for morning tea and lunches. This means them eating their food and not bring them home at the end of the day.

I have created a weekly lunch box plan. Each week, my two girls will complete the plan with what they want to eat. In the Comments column, they must make note of any excursions etc so that I will know how to pack. The older girl has a tuckshop at school, so she will need to let me know if she's buying lunch for the day. Hopefully this approach will help them to play an active part in their lunches. I will still have finally say when I review their plan e.g. must have a piece of fruit every day and not too much junk food.

I have fussy eaters, one who likes sandwiches and the other doesn't. Makes my mornings difficult and hence, I have to be organised. A tip I learnt from other Mums is to have as much packed and ready the night before, that is, wash and fill drink bottles, pack snacks and fruits (if needed, cut them up and put them in the fridge).

Let's see how we go with this plan in Term 1.

What do you pack for your children's lunch boxes? Are they fussy eaters too or happy to eat what's packed?

Special Brunch Invitation

Last week I received a special invitation to a French theme brunch. This special invitation was from my older girl, Ash. She is studying Food Tech this term at school. Part of their assessment this term is cook a meal for their special guests. The girls work in groups of four, separating into two groups to prepare each course.

I was impressed by the invitation, menu and overall presentation that the girls created. 

As you can see from the menu, we started with a mini french tomato and cheese quiche, served with a side salad. I really enjoyed the quiche - light and thin pastry and perfectly cooked egg mixture. The dish was light and suited the spring weather (although it felt like winter today with stormy clouds, rain and gale force winds). It was a little heavy on the salt and lack in black pepper (Ash did say they forgot the pepper).

After the main, we were served a french crepe filled with wicked chocolate sauce, sweetened seasonal mixed berries and ice-cream. Very decadent for the morning, but it went down a treat. The crepe was slightly thick in the centre; but thin and crispy around the sides.

Well done Ash and your group. I was delighted by the French theme breakfast and felt privileged to be invited to taste your creations.

Mini cheese and tomato quiche with side salad

Crepes with chocolate filling, seasonal mixed berries and vanilla ice cream

There were four other groups each cooking cuisines from different countries - Malaysia, Japanese, Mexican and Vietnamese. Interesting to note more Asian influences in their palates.

Covering School Books

Two more weeks till the new school year begins. One of the important prep tasks is covering the school books with contact paper. This year, I am able to outsource the task of covering Caitlin's books to Ashleigh (advantages of having a older child), for a price of course! On the last day of school, Caitlin's Year 1 teacher handed us a pack with instructions and cover pages for the books. Caitlin's books are ready. We're still waiting for Ashleigh's books to be delivered.

Next step to check that their summer uniforms fit. We've already bought their school shoes. Lunchboxes from last year are still in good condition. We just need to buy socks.

School's Over for 2011

My girls started their summer holidays a week ago...nearly 8 weeks off! 2011 has been a busy and challenging year for all of us. We survived Year 7 and Kindergarten. Looking back, we are glad the year is over.

Year 7 was challenging for Ashleigh from the start. She was really threw into the deep end with homework, extra-curricular activities, social events and projects. She had to learn how to manage her time to juggle all that is happening in her life. I am proud of her and she has done extremely well both in school and making friends. Her social circle has expanded to include some girls who were new to the school this year and also girls from Junior school. Her social life is definitely busier and she has been working out her Skype account. Girls these days no longer talk on the phone; unlike in my days when I used to spend hours on the phone ('cooking porridge' or 'poh chook'). Now they chat on Skype, which is something we've had to watch closely. Ashleigh has not asked for a Facebook account, but we know that will come one day. Recently, I met up with a girlfriend for coffee and she suggested that I draw up a contract when Ashleigh asks for a FB account. That's what she did with her daughter. There were certain conditions that her daughter had to agree to and if any of the conditions were breached, then the access to FB was withheld or terminated. She also suggested that Ashleigh adds me as a friend as a way of monitoring; and it also gives you an insight into how she interacts with her friend.

Caitlin has breezed through Kindergarten as expected. She enjoys going to school everyday which is a great thing. She has settled well into Junior School and is looking forward to Year 1. She just can't wait to grow up and head to Senior School. Sigh! When did my baby grow up so quickly? Caitlin has made friends with E who lives in a neighbouring suburb. The two girls will start jazz ballet class next year. This year has also been a year of birthday parties, Caitlin had four parties in two weekends at the beginning of the year. Boy, I was partied out. I guess your social life expands when you start big school. Caitlin loves her big sister dearly, and will always ask Ashleigh to walk her to her class every morning. Her reading and writing skills have improved but we will continue to work on these over the holidays to ensure she stays on top. Caitlin enjoys art and craft and her afternoons are busy with drawing or making something which is held together by sticky tape. Caitlin brought home a great report card this semester. Her teacher, Miss C, commented that she is "always co-operative, follows instructions, listens carefully and is an outstanding role model for other children".  She also received an "Outstanding" for her reading. According to her teacher, her reading and comprehension is beyond what is expected at Kindergarten level.

We are very proud of both our girls. Well done Ashleigh and Caitlin.

Surviving Year 7

I wrote a post about Caitlin's progress in Kindy recently. What about Ashleigh? How is she surviving Year 7?

The 1st term of this year was quite cruisey. The focus in Term 1 was to settle into high school, new routines, new teachers, new environment and new friends. The whole Year 7 class went away on a two-night camp to spend time getting to know one other. I was truly surprised when Ashleigh's homeroom teacher told me that Ashleigh had performed at the talent show on the last night at camp - a solo performaance of "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars.  I am grateful to the school and the staff for their support to help the girls settle into high school. The teachers will setting homework at a reasonable pace.

In Term 2, things moved up a notch. There were assignments - individual and group - to work through and submit on time. Exams to study for towards the end of term. Mid Term 2, there were also Parent-Teacher interviews. Chris and I together with Ashleigh had the opportunity to meet all her teachers (except for PE) to hear their feedback and discuss Ashleigh's progress. We were happy and proud to hear all positive and encouraging reports from her teachers. At the end of Term 2, Ashleigh's report card came home with pleasing results for most subjects. She was disappointed with the grade she received for Technology, since it is her favourite subject. A chat with her teacher revealed that Ashleigh had misinterpreted the assignment questions and should have seek clarification instead of keeping quiet. Well, a lesson learnt for next time.

This term, homework and assignments have really ramped up. We are currently in week 7, another 3 weeks to go till the end of term. In the last seven weeks, Ashleigh has worked on four assignments and completed two tests - Science and Maths, on top of daily homework. Another assignment to hand in and one test to sit before the term ends. The Science assignment has by far been the most challenging. It was a simple experiment on evaporation, the challenge was finding a hot day in winter which will cause the evaporation. Ashleigh had to attempt the experiment about four times before she had any success. It was one of the rare winter days when the temperature soared to 23 degrees. Success at last! I was starting to feel sorry for her and Ashleigh was feeling stressed at the continuous failures. What a relief for all of us when it was over. She received the results for her Maths test today. We are proud of her because she has topped the Maths test in her year, sharing the position with another girl. Her hardwork has paid off. It has lifted Ashleigh's spirits.

Besides her schoolwork, she has also been practising her piano skills in preparation for her Grade 5 exam in two weeks time.  She has also volunteered to play her flute at her godsis' First Eucharistic celebration on the 11th September. Ashleigh is one busy bee!

I can't wait to start our family holidays in Malaysia and Singapore. The holidays will be a great opportunity for all of us to recharge and relax after an extremely busy year in school and work.

Lemon Butter

Besides the raspberry jam, I also made Lemon Butter (I think it's also called Lemon Curd). I found an easy to follow recipe on Best Recipes.

4 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
125gm unsalted butter, chopped

1. Put the eggs and sugar into a heatproof bowl
2. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved.
3. Add lemon juice, lemon rind and butter. Whisk mixture for 20 minutes until smooth and the butter has melted and thickened enough to coat the spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil or it will curdle.
4. Pour warm mixture into a hot sterilised jars and seal immediately. 

Makes about 2 cups.

Lemon butter can be eaten as spread on toast, in sauces, tart fillings e.g. lemon tart or lemon meringue tart, in crepes.

Caitlin's Reading and Spelling Skills

My youngest daughter, Caitlin, started Kindergarten (or Prep) this year. When she started Kindy, she had basic reading skills. She had learnt the sounds of each letters (phonics) at daycare last year where they followed the Letterland system. She could recognise simple sight words like 'a', 'the', 'and', 'but', 'an', 'like', 'my', 'big', 'one'. She was also able to sound out 3-letter words e.g. cat, hat, sat, big, dig, pig, map, tap, etc.

Gradually, her reading skills have improved and she has reached a level where she is able to read well on her own. I am really proud of her progress. She is now able to read independently, with some guidance. If she does not know the word, she will attempt to sound out the word before asking for assistance. As part of her daily homework, Caitlin has to read two books at her level. We have to record the books she has read and make comments in her reading log which is checked by her class teacher everyday. Three days a week, there are 3 parent helpers that spend 30 minutes in the class, helping the children to learn to read. To provide additional support, there is a teacher who helps the K-2 girls to develop their reading skills. Mrs. M sees each K-2 child individually, guiding them and advising when they are ready to progress to the next level.

Her spelling skills have also improved. Caitlin enjoys drawing and writing little notes for her friends and family. Most afternoons you will find Caitlin in her room, working away on her drawings or writing notes. When she is stuck on a word, she will ask one of us to help her with spelling.

Raspberry Jam

We are not a jam-loving family. We would be lucky to finish one jar of jam every 6 months. This year, I challenged myself to make jams for the Year 7 Gourmet Food stall at the school's spring fair. I figured, it shouldn't be too difficult. As usual, before I started, I search on Google (my dear friend) for recipes. I also looked for instructions on how to sterilise the jars (I had 4 jars to fill). I found an easy to follow recipe on the CSR sugar website - which also had a step by step pictorial guide - great for jam making novices like me. When I told one of the mums at school I was making jams, she suggested that I use raspberries instead of strawberries. Hang on, I thought strawberry jams will be more popular. She sent me an email to explain how jam sets. It was a long email detailing fruits had different levels of pectin and jam is set by a combination of pectin and sugar. So, if the jam is not setting, could be due to the pectin content in the fruit being too low. To cut a long story short, she suggested I use raspberries instead of strawberries, frozen ones work too. Sweeeet!

Bought the ingredients - raspberries, jam setting sugar and butter - so I was set (pun intended!). I was a little nervous before I started the process, and had to read the instructions several times to make sure I could do it (what a idiot!). Anyhoo... I made the jam and sterilise the jars. Four jars of raspberry jam are sitting pretty on my kitchen benchtop, waiting to be dropped off at school tomorrow. Pretty pleased with myself.

Surprise, surprise... it didn't taste that bad. I would actually buy a jar myself. Chris said it was good.. high praise from hubby, then he made a comment that I should have made scones to go with them.

For future reference, here's the recipe:

1kg raspberries
1kg CSR Jam Setting Sugar
1 knob of butter (10gm)

1. Place the raspberries into a deep heavy based stockpot (about 6 litres). 
2. Crush fruits coarsely with a potato masher or blender (hand held works!)
3. Heat the mixture over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Do not allow to boil.
4. Add a knob of butter then increase heat, bring to a full rolling boil (that is a boil that cannot be stirred down).
5. Boil for 4 minutes only. Remove from heat and skim off any foam.
6. Test for set (push finger gently through a small amount on a cold plate to check that the surface wrinkles. Do not remove jam from heat until this has been achieved (note to self: put a plate in the fridge to chill before making the jam).
7. Bottle in pre-sterilised jars.

Remember: hot jams in hot jars.

Term 3 2011

source: burleighshowcasejewellers.com.au

The winter holidays are well and truly over. Unfortunately, the cold wintry weather is still around.

This term is going to fly by quickly. Now that school has started, it is back to routines, no more sleep-ins, homework and extra-curricular activities. A few birthdays to celebrate, Father's Day celebrations and a piano exam to get through. My girls will be missing the last week and half of this term. We're heading off to Malaysia to celebrate a wedding (girls are excited to be asked to be flower girls) and then Singapore to catch-up with friends.

Term 1 2011 and School Holidays

It's the Term 1 school holidays. Where did the first term go? Caitlin has already finished her first term of Kindergarten It's been amazing to see how she has progressed since the 1st day in February. Caitlin enjoys going to school and actually looks forward to school everyday. Hope this feeling will last for the next 13 years. We are proud of how far she has come in her reading program, in the 10 weeks, she has moved to Level 3 of the school's reading program. Her teacher, Mrs. Z has commented at the 1st Parent-Teacher interview that Caitlin is doing exceptionally well for a child her age. Caitlin makes friends easily, with birthday invitations coming home nearly every week.

Ashleigh is also well settled into Year 7. She finished off the term with a Maths assessment to see how the girls are progressing. She came in at 3rd position in her year and is happy that she is staying in the same top Maths class. No assessments for the other subjects yet. There is no rest for the weary though... exams will start in Week 4 in Term 2. Ashleigh will be busy these holidays preparing for the exams and also her Grade 3 flute exam in early May. If she is busy, it also means I will be busy too, helping her.

We will be taking a short break in the middle of the holidays to spend some time in the country, relaxing and taking in the fresh air. We'll also be visiting the Sydney Royal Easter Show  - where the country meets the city - with many animal exhibitions, dog and cat shows, amusement rides and side show alley, entertainment, junk food like popcorn, dagwood dog (aka corn dog) and show bags.

Settling into School - 2011

It's the end of week 4 of the school term, nearly half way there. Both girls have settled into school routine, and hubby and I have as well. It took us a while to get a routine going as the first two weeks were out of sync with early 7am starts for Ashleigh to attend water ballet practices (for swim carnival in the 2nd week), concert band auditions and Caitlin had her swim carnival on Day 4 of Kindy.

Ashleigh is managing exceptionally well in Year 7 with the demanding timetable, new environment, new teachers, new friends and new classrooms. It's a big leap from junior school to high school. They are now expected to take more responsibilities from taking notes (there are fewer notes from teachers), homework, time management and also to ensure they get to school on time and get to classes on time. Instead of staying in the same classroom, the girls move from one room to another depending on the subjects. Each girl has a slightly different timetable to the other. The timetable runs for 10 days and repeats itself each fortnight. From week 4, teachers start giving out detentions for incomplete homework, late for classes, general tardiness etc. I guess the honeymoon period is over for them.

To my surprise, Ash has been highly organised with her homework, extra curricular activities, books etc. After being reprimanded once for being late for Maths class, she came home and worked out a way to be more organised in the mornings. Each girl gets a locker in school for their books and bags. They are not allowed to get anything out from their lockers except during recess or lunch. No loitering around lockers. This means that Ash has to have all her books for the day organised and grab them during the breaks. She's worked out a method - she bought 3 different carry-all folders from Smiggle, organised one colour for each session (before recess, after recess and after lunch), place the relevant books in the folders each morning. Then, all she has to do, is grab the session's folder and head off to classes. I was impressed and it really made me realised my girl is growing up. I have been consciously making more time to spend one on one with her to ensure she gets enough attention at home. I am glad she's settled and enjoying high school, participating in many activities from water ballet, talent quest at camp and playing the flute in concert band as well as flute ensemble. Ash also ensures she makes time to visit Cait during lunch breaks and has been very kind to buy her ice-creams or jellies from the tuckshops on warm, hot days. Needless to say, Cait is also enjoying these lunchtime visits and treats.

Caitlin is doing great in Kindy. She's had some tears especially on Fridays after school, I guess the busyness of the past week comes crashing down and gets to her. Often, she falls asleep in the car and will continue sleeping for another hour or more when we get home. I am glad I have not returned to full-time work as yet. I knew it was important to have Fridays off for some 'me time' and also to spend with the girls after school. Caitlin has had the advantage of being familiar with the school environment as well as knowing a few of the older girls in school who have welcomed her into their circles. She loves her Kindy teacher and her music teacher. No homework yet but the reading program will begin next week. She will bring two books (the girls have been assessed and determined which is the right level) home each night, which we will have to help her to learn to read. There is also a log book that parents/grandparents/siblings who helped them read have to note their observations down. Ms. Z, her teacher has stressed that it's important for the girls to understand and comprehend what they have read and not to focus on reading and getting the words correct. In term 2, parents can help with the reading program 3 days a week where we go in for about 1 hour and have one on one sessions with our daughters and also a small group of girls in the same level. I have really enjoyed the one on one sessions when Ash was in Kindy and look forward to Cait's.
Cait is also enjoying the attention she receives from the older girls at junior school, and all the Kindy girls do because they look so cute in their uniforms which are too large and over the knees. Absolutely adorable!

Getting ready for school - 2011

Another two weeks to go before the new school year begins in NSW. We're almost ready...

• Stationery  - check
• Uniforms - ironed and labelled - check
• Books - labelled and covered - half-check (still waiting for a few of Ashleigh's books on back-order)
• Black school shoes- check
• Sport shoes - check
• White and sports socks - check
• Lunchboxes - check
• Drink bottles - check

The girls will need a visit to the hairdresser the weekend before school starts. Oh yes, a visit to the podiatrist to collect Ashleigh's new orthotics, and then we may need to exchange the black shoes for a slightly larger size. We were lucky to buy the black and sport shoes when they were on discount. Hope Caitlin's shoes will last the whole school year, like Ashleigh's.

I taught Ashleigh how to cover her own text books with contact paper. She did a great job and was a big relief for me not to cover another set (wipe brow!)

I think we're nearly there.

Final Assembly and Award for Ashleigh

source: http://forum.xcitefun.net/

Today is Ash's last day in primary school. Caitlin and I attended her assembly which went on for 1.5 hours. During the assembly, the new school leaders of 2011 received their badges from this year's school leaders. It was a lovely gesture to see the older girls past on the leadership baton. After that, each class presented their performance to say 'good-bye' and 'thank you' to the Year 6 girls. The performances were lovely and well rehearsed. My favourite performance was by the Year 1 girls who each carried a letter which formed the sentence "We Love the Year 6 girls because.....", then each Year 1 girl spoke about what or why they loved the Year 6 girls. There were some great comments - "I love the Year 6 girls because they make me happy when I am sad", "I love the Year 6 girls because they help me during the swimming and sports carnival". It touched my heart because it shown how the older girls take on mentoring and nurturing roles to the younger girls in the school. Then the principal of the school, Ms. B, called out the award winners from each year. I was both surprised and proud when Ashleigh's name was called to receive the award for displaying the school values of "Verity - the search for truth". It was a really proud moment for me. Caitlin was cheering loudly as she was also very proud of her sister. She is truly her sister's biggest fan. It was wonderful to end the year and her primary school years on a high.

Kindy Orientation

Image from: http://www.leonieshearing.co.uk/portfolio/books.htm

Tomorrow is a big day for Caitlin. It's orientation day for the Kinder children at her new school. Sigh....whilst we are all excited for her, deep down I am sad my youngest is going to big school. She's really growing up too quickly. I know she is ready for school - emotionally and socially. She will have the advantage of being familiar with the school since both girls will be going to the same school - junior and senior school separated by a driveway. I am worried about getting her fitted for uniforms, because she is quite petite in size. Uniform fittings have been booked for later this year, just before school closes for the year.