Ninja Turtle/TMNT Party FREE Printables

The next party round these parts is Scrag's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bash. It took me a while to convince him to have something other than ANOTHER Star Wars Party (really? How many Star Wars Parties do we need to have, Scrag??!) But after he watched latest TMNT movie, it was decided: Turtles it is. Phew! (the blogger in me was relieved; I've already shared with you all my best Star Wars tricks).

We'll be going to Uptown Bounce in Grey Lynn (an awesome new indoor trampoline place that is very handy to where we live) and having a few other games and TMNT themed party food back at home - our favourite combo of going out AND having an at-home party.

In an effort to make my party posts a little shorter, this time I'm gonna share with you the printables I've designed BEFORE the actual event.

I'm pretty pleased with them, and I hope you likey them too. Of course, you don't have to be having a full-on birthday party to use these - you could always do a bit of a theme dinner/movie night Just Because. Anyhoo, here they are - my slimy sewer-worthy designs, for you. For Free.
(You're welcome).

Printable Water Bottle Labels: "Filtered NYC Sewer Water"

These labels are set up four-to-a-page, ready to print. The design features slimy brickwork background with a Sewer Lid front and centre.

We'll be taking our water-bottles to Uptown Bounce, where our young ninjas will be sure to get hot, sweaty and THIRSTY with all that bouncing around. A bottle of New York's finest Filtered Sewer Water is sure to come in handy...

TO USE: Right click on the image below and save to your computer. Print out in colour (page size = A4; 210x297mm) and then trim and attach to water bottles (with their labels removed) using a glue stick. Voila! Bottles of Filtered Sewer Water!

 

Mason Jar "Sewer Sludge" Printable Lid-toppers

I decided to serve the drinks in these cute Mason Jar mugs I got from Kmart a while back (for $2 each); we'll be serving that delicious sugar-free green tea Apple Punch (also known as Yoda Soda, but which for our purposes will be re-branded as "Sewer Sludge").

To make the mason jars look less whimsical and more sewer-friendly, I've created a sewer lid-topper printable, which I'm pretty pleased with... 

TO USE: After Printing the Sewer Sludge labels (which are sized to fit perfectly on the Kmart jar lids), cut out each label neatly.

Make a cross ("X") in the centre of the white straw-hole circle.
Stick label in place on lid using a glue stick (don't worry they'll peel off easily later).

Finally poke a green straw through as shown and Voila! Cute mugs of green sewer sludge to drink.

Mmmm yummy.

PRINTING: Right-click on the label image (above, next to water bottle labels) and save to your computer, then print and trim. Labels are set up on an A4 Page. (Each label measure 5cm across.)

Sewer Lid Plate Printables

Using the same basic sewer lid graphic, I've created some cute themed sewer-lid plates. Print these off very cheaply (they are black-and-white), then cut out each graphic. To eliminate any copy-toner transfer onto the food, I placed each cut-out graphic face-down onto a sheet of Duraseal/clear "Contact" and then cut away the excess plastic. Then simply glue onto a cheap silver coloured paper plate with a glue stick. Too cute, too easy.

Right-click the graphic below to save to your computer. (It is set up on A4 page ready to print.)

 

Pizza Frisbee Game - Pizza Printable

This is a game idea I've found on Pinterest; it looks super simple, and should be fun.

Free printable Pizza Pictures suitable for sticking on frisbees are harder to find than you'd think! So I've made my own and am sharing it with you below.

TO USE: Right click and save to your computer; then print, trim, stick on a frisbee. Print the sign and stick it on the inside lid of a pizza box. Then PLAY, by attempting to get the pizza in the box!

TMNT Personalised Party Invitations

And finally, I might as well plug my little Etsy shop, and these *ahem* (if I say so myself) super-cool TMNT party invitations I've designed. Scrag can't wait to hand these out (even though there's a whole month until his party).

You can order the invitation here on my Etsy Shop and I'll turn your kid into their favourite Ninja Turtle (Raphael, Michaelangelo, Leonardo or Donatello), and add in your party details. Doesn't matter where you are in the world, cos I'll send you the file and you can print off as many as you want, whatever size you pick.


That's all I've got for now. Until next time, party on dudes!

• Our Super-Fun TMNT Birthday Party
• TMNT Party Invitation on my Etsy Shop

The Power of One (plus One plus One...)

[Source]

I still have paint on my fingernails from all the painting I did yesterday. Three quarters of my hallway is now complete. (I'll show you all soon.)

I'm sitting here at my trendy new white trestle desk, in my half-painted hallway remembering how troubled I was as I spent the day rollering the walls and thinking about the gross display of bullying New Zealand had witnessed on X-Factor the night before.

Two judges (a husband and wife couple, Willy Moon and Natalia Kills) had gone after a contestant and skewered him with cruel words, taunting him, calling him disgusting and creepy among (many) other terrible things.

See for yourself (if you haven't already)...

The contestant, a socially awkward chap called Joe, who is usually prone to tears, stood his ground bravely in the face of their bullying tirade.

By the morning New Zealand was in an uproar. There were petitions going around and Facebook Pages set up to try and get the pair of judges sacked; two major corporate sponsors (2degrees and McDonalds) complained to TV3 about "unacceptable behaviour", countless official complaints had been made to the broadcasting standards authority and even Simon Cowell's production company were investigating this "bringing of their show into disrepute." The debacle even made headlines around the world on massive webzines like Daily Mail, People and Buzzfeed.

By the afternoon, they were gone. Sacked, given the boot, gone-burgers.

I never thought it would happen (my kids never thought it would happen).
We thought the best we could hope for was a lame apology and a rap over the knuckles. But no.
It was great to be able to say to my kids, See, it doesn't pay to be a bully. Look what happens when people stand up to bullies. One person can make a difference!

[Source]

Apparently New Zealand really is serious about sending a message to bullies.
The way the whole country responded with a resounding "THIS IS NOT OK!" was pretty awesome.
It's unheard of, really.
Judges on a show like this being sacked in the middle of a season???
Unbelievable.

And who made it happen? All the little people who hate bullying.
All the little people who signed the petition (like me). Over 70,000 in less than a day.
The big people in those corporates who saw a mass of little people making a fuss and for once, used their influence for good (money talks).
And the big wigs who actually listened and did something unprecedented.

I mean, who does that?
Well, apparently here in New Zealand, WE DO!

The power of One (plus one plus one); a tide of voices on social media. Clicktivism.
It's a form of democracy, really, with pretty powerful results!

As I read through the comments which accompanied the Herald article link on Facebook, I saw one comment which really struck me:

"Yep, we used our voices to get rid of of some bullies and see justice done. Awesome New Zealand! Now how about that cyclone in Vanuatu? What we gonna do about that now we're on a roll...???"

Makes you think doesn't it?
Imagine what we could do if we got this up-in-arms and motivated about the cyclone victims in the Pacific. Child poverty. Human trafficking.
Just think what we could achieve.
I wonder why mostly we don't speak out, use our collective voices to demand action, influence change, do something?
And I wonder why sometimes, like in this situation, WE DO?
  

Hunger Games Party How To's (with Free Printables)

Here is the post you've all been waiting for - the answer to "how did you do that Hunger Games Party?" and "How can I do that myself???"

For those of you planning to host one yourself, here are my ideas, tips and printables (the post on How NOT to Kill a Mockingjay Cake will come later in a separate post. Haha).

Mockingjay Stencil

The Mockingjay symbol is a key feature of the Hunger Games, so where would our party be without it? I used the symbol as a stencil three ways:
(1) I stencilled tote-bags with the symbol (for prizes)
(2) I stencilled the symbol on the backdrop (as part of the decor)
(3) I used the stencil on the birthday cake, as a fondant cutting guide (tutorial to follow in a separate post).

<---------- I've set it up ready for you to print on an A4 page (left). Simply click on the image, then right-click, save to your computer and print three copies.

To turn the printed image into a stencil, use a craft knife to cut away the unneeded portions as follows.

1. Cut away the white areas inside the symbol; Cut out the arrow head and wing tip which protude beyond the circle in reverse (see picture below for an example)
2. I found black nylon swimming/sports bags on TradeMe for around $1 each.
3. Position the symbol stencil on the bag and hold in place with one hand; Dip a clean soft cloth into a metallic gold testpot and carefully dab the colour onto the bag
4. Make sure you get colour in all the areas; hold the stencil firmly in place to prevent "bleeding".
5. Remove the stencil and Voila! A gold stenciled Mockingjay symbol on your gear bags.

 [Cut out the arrow head and wing tip which protude beyond the circle in reverse]

MOCKINGJAY WALL DECOR
Cut out another stencil this time cutting the black symbol out completely. Hold the symbol stencil in place (on wall, backdrop, sacking - wherever you want the symbol) and dip another clean cloth into leftover house paint (or poster paint) and dab the colour on and around the symbol as shown.

Creating "The Hob" in our backyard
"The Hob" is the Black Market in District 12; Katniss finds her Mockingjay pin and sells the game she shoots here. I chose to create our version of the Hob in our backyard's covered outdoor area, which enabled me to use and re-use old found objects and rusty broken things from around the place, resulting in next-to-no-cost party decor...

Decor Printables
To set the scene in our "Hob"* I created some simple printables which you can also take and use.

"MELLARK BAKERY" SIGN AND BREAD WRAPS
Click on the image, then right-click, save to your computer and print in colour. (They are all set up to print on an A4 page). I put the sign in a chunky wooden frame I had, and trimmed the bread wraps and wrapped them around baguettes (which we ate with sausages grilled over the fire).

 

DISTRICT SYMBOLS LABELS for drink bottles
I printed and cut these symbols out and then glued them onto my glass mini milk bottles, so each person could keep track of their drink. (Each person was assigned a district in a "Reaping"). The labels peeled right off afterwards.

 

(right click on the image, print and then carefully trim
each label then attach to bottles with a glue stick)

They were also cute as favour tags on the black mesh gift bags, each containing a Mockingjay pendant...

(You can contact Donie on Etsy directly if you want to find these charms to make the pendants)

OTHER DECOR:
I used coffee sacks & hessian, building paper (backdrop), rusty cans, along with old pallets, tree stumps and anything old and rusty I could find to create our "Hob"....

The "Fresh Rabbit (shot by Katniss this morning)", "Refreshments (no tesserae required)" and "The Hob" signs were made from crusty old decking, lettered roughly with leftover white house paint. Cost = Zip.

Activities:
We had one main activity planned for this party: an epic "Hunger Games" water battle, complete with our own "Reaping" to assign districts, and a cardboard Cornucopia.

DISTRICT REAPING SLIPS:

For the "Reaping" each guest's name was written inside a District slip ahead of time, then drawn out and announced. Each guest then received their "life" wristband with a metal-stamped "district" tag attached. The black bands were found in packs of 12 at a dollar store; the metal tags were from Mister Minit in St Lukes, where the guys there did me a great deal and supplied the tags complete with the thingy to attach them. I stamped the district on using my metal stamping set and a hammer.

You can print out your own District Reaping tags here... (right click, save, print etc)

CARDBOARD BOX CORNUCOPIA
In true HG style had the various "weapons" & "survival supplies" (water guns, water bombs etc) were spilling out from the cornucopia, ready for the cannon to sound signalling the start of the Games.

Here's how to make your own cardboard box Cornucopia...

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• Two large cardboard boxes (the same size as each other)
• Two smaller cardboard boxes (one a little smaller than the other)
• Silver duct tape (lots of it)
• Metallic Silver paint (2-3 testpots from Resene or similar)
• A an extra pair of helping hands!

1. Open up your two large boxes and fit one inside the other with the flaps overlapping, to create a box "tunnel" (the main base of the cornucopia). 
2. Get your helper to hold the boxes in place while you tape them together with duct tape, on the inside and out where the flaps overlap.
3. Stand the smaller box upright at one end of your box "tunnel" with the new box's flaps "pointing up"
4. Tape the smaller box in place and then up-end the smallest box and place it in top with it's flaps pointing "down"; (make sure the smallest box is "shut" on one end as shown)
5. Tape the two smaller boxes' flaps together to create the end of the cornucopia
6. Tape the flaps at the other end of the cornucopia "open" as shown to create the open mouth shape.
7. Use a long piece of duct tape to pull back the top flap and keep the "mouth" open
8. Use more duct tape to patch in the gaps and help create the shape (do this til you run out of duct tape!)

... then paint the whole thing silver using your testpots...

It's certainly not picture perfect, but it does the job and gets across the idea of a cornucopia to incorporate into you backyard Hunger Games without costing heaps of money, taking heaps of time or causing heaps of stress. Which is all you really want aye?

Hunger Games Party Menu:

We kept the menu really simple for this party, and ate the food in two parts.

[Metallic orange and black Baking cups, silver Cola Rolla sweets and black'n'white paper straws from KiwiCakes]

FOOD PART 1: Afternoon tea/snack (before the Games began)

After everyone arrived and had time to hang out, we did the Reaping  - which allocated Districts (and drink bottles) to each guest - and then ate Flaming Coal Cupcakes, Nightlock Berry Bites, orange slices (chosen simply for their colour) and of course some chips; we drank  sugar-free-but-delicious Nightlock Punch (in those cute District drink bottles) and "Capitol" Water...

<------ FREE PRINTABLE Water Bottle Labels. 

Right Click to save to your computer, then print and attach to water bottles with their labels removed, using a glue stick.

FOOD PART 2: Hot food around the fire (after everyone got wet & could do with some warming up)

While the kids were still biffing water at each other and splashing in the pool we lit a fire in the brazier and brought out the "fresh rabbit" skewers and some pure beef sausages from our favourite butcher to sizzle over the brazier.

The rabbit skewers were actually strips of chicken, marinated in honey and soy sauce (soooo tender and delicious cooked over the fire).

The sausages were served in cut-up baguettes from "Mellark Bakery" (where else?).

They went down pretty well!

Then we ate birthday cake for dessert...

Tutorial (and the story of how I nearly killed the Mockingjay cake) coming soon.

................................

• Our Epic Hunger Games Party
• Personalised Hunger Games party invitation (listed as Battle Games for legal reasons but wording can be changed upon ordering)
• Nightlock berry bites recipe (refined sugar and gluten free)
• Sugar free nightlock berry punch recipe
• I have a 12 year old: Is this my last theme party ever for my tween? 

The Foolish Things (I'm one of them)

Last night I did something I haven't done for a very very very long time: I stood on a stage and spoke to a crowd.
With a microphone in my hand, trying hard not to show how much I was trembling, I told my story (or at least part of it).

Public speaking. Preaching. I used to do it a lot. (But that was a lifetime ago, back when that was part of my job description as a Pastor).

For many many years now, I've been silent, my story untold apart from here on this blog.
Those who have known me for a long time know that back in my dim distant past, before marriage and kids I was a youth pastor, and I started a programme called CLS (Creative Learning Scheme) to reach/help educate at-risk kids. It started small, flying by the seat-of-our-pants in true Simoney-style, but now it's MASSIVE, the biggest alternative education programme in the country.

I won't repeat the story again now, (you can read it in detail here) but basically I began the programme out of response to a need. I was moved by the plight of lost, broken kids and I took the little that I had and put it in God's hands, and said "Use me, if you can."

[Some of the earliest CLS students, back in 1997-1999]

This month our church is doing a series called "The Revolutionaries", asking the question, "Can one person really change the world?"

I was at my (awesome) connect group on Tuesday night and we were watching the discussion-starter DVD they send out, when the guy speaking (Jordan, an old pal of mine) said, "A friend of mine was watching the movie Once Were Warriors and it moved her to do something..."

I thought, "Ha, that's funny, somebody else got moved by that movie as well as me..."\
But as he kept talking I realised, "Wait, what? He's talking about ME!"

In a few moments the girls in my connect group also realised he was talking about me and somehow I ended up telling them my story.

Later my connect group leader (my long-time friend Kathy, who also happens to be our pastor's wife) went home and told her hubby, the pastor, what I'd shared and somehow word got around and next thing I know the Pastor of our South campus is ringing me up asking me to share my story. And then Kathy txted me and asked me to tell it again in the City at night.

And that's how after fifteen years I found myself up on the Auckland Town Hall stage, microphone in hand, spotlights shining in my eyes, telling my story for the second time in a day, to a massive crowd
.

It was surreal. It was terrifying. It was thrilling. (I think I did OK).

There were two things I really wanted to get across to the people listening, which are the signature message of my life. If there's anything they can learn from from my story this is it.

THE FIRST IS THIS:
Use what you have, start where you are.
If we wait till all the ducks are lined up in a row, til we have all the i's dotted and t's crossed, til there is funding and structures and strategies and projections in place, well, we'll never get started. So we take what we have and we use it right where we are. We put what we have into God's hands and let him do a miracle with it - like the little boy who gave Jesus his lunch and from those five loaves and two fish a crowd in excess of 5000 people was fed.

THE SECOND IS THIS:
God chooses and uses the most unlikely people, rarely the clever or the wise.
I take heart from the verse which got me through on the occasions when I doubted that I had what it took, when I railed against the sky and wailed, "Why me?! Why did you choose a scared shy girl like me? I don't have what it takes!"

In those moments of self-doubt I was reminded of this:

"Oh yeah! That's why you chose me! (I'm one of those foolish things)...!"

It was 21 years ago that I watched the movie, Once Were Warriors, and spent the night sobbing on my couch, weeping over all the broken kids out there in my city, begging God to use me to help them.

He heard my prayer and took me up on my offer, though I was the least likely person you could ever imagine.

Shy, timid, scared of confrontation, white, never taken drugs, never been pregnant out of wedlock, never been in trouble with the law, never been abused. There was nothing in my background or my personality that qualified me to relate to  - let alone help - kids from the dark side of life.
Plus, I had no qualifications. I left school after sixth form, never went to uni. I wasn't a trained teacher, or social worker, or anything. AND I was dyslexic and didn't even know it.

But God chose this "foolish thing" to shame the wise (the experts who said it would never succeed).
He chose the weak to shame the strong (so nobody can boast this thing happened because of their cleverness).

[Grace, the character from Once Were Warriors who broke my heart]

It's amazing that CLS has become what it is today (a programme reaching hundreds of kids on a daily basis, making a real difference, changing lives and futures) from such a humble start.
It was a series of miracles - some may say "coincidences", but I know better.

See, God cared about those broken kids. He let me get a tiny glimpse of his heart for them that night, watching Once Were Warriors. When my heart was breaking, it was just a taste of his heart breaking. And he was waiting for somebody - anybody!- to volunteer. Once I put my hand up, he started sending things across my path - the right people, resources, funding. But I wouldn't have gotten any of that if I hadn't stepped out first, and used what I had, right where I was.

So yeah. I think one person CAN change the world - or at least the part of the world they let break their heart enough to do something about.

It was a long time ago now,
I haven't been hands-on at CLS since 2000. Others picked up the baton, people with the skills and qualifications I didn't have. They could take it where it needed to go, to the point where it is now far beyond what I could ever have dreamed or imagined.
But I did my part, the part I could do. I got the ball rolling, and that's what matters.


TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS:
My Part in the Story of CLS

A Glimpse of the Future?

For posterity, I'm writing this story down, so one day we can all say, "We knew it! We knew that boy would go far!"

This is a Scrag story, a wee glimpse into his future and the man he might become.
Bear with me while I paint the picture...


"SCRAG THE SAVER"
Scrag is the youngest, and has only recently started getting pocket money, which we noticed him saving diligently and counting regularly.
When before our aunty and uncle from England returned home last month, they gave each of the kids $50, which Scrag raced to add to his growing stash.

He now had $80 saved - a lot of money for a six year old. We went shopping for a toy he really wanted, but he only spent $30, saying "I'm saving the rest."
(All this so you know that Scrag is a diligent saver who is careful with his money.)

[Scrag with Grandad on father's Day last year]

"SCRAG THE MATHS GENIUS"
Scrag is amazing at maths. He is two maths stages ahead of where he needs to be, so although he has to work super hard at reading and writing (which leads me to suspect he may have my dyslexia) he is amazingly bright, intuitive, canny and insightful as well as "a maths genius". The questions he asks and the things he intuits are really beyond what is usual for his age, and numbers just seem to make sense to him in a way that is a complete mystery to me!

SCRAG'S PREDICTION
The other day we were driving somewhere and out of the blue Scrag announced:

"When I grow up I'm not going to have a job working for someone else. I'm going to make my own job and be my own boss."

Wow. What six year old says things like that??? The thing is, when he said it his words had a ring of truth to them.
Scrag, I reckon you just made a true prediction. With your maths genius and canny brain, I can totally see you being an amazingly successful businessman, with your own company, being your own boss.

[Playing cards at Lake Taupo with our Aunty Irene from England - using the Hobbiton playing cards]

SCRAG'S GENEROUS HEART
Now comes the bit that melts my mother-heart.
Last night my parents were over for our Thursday Night Grandparents Dinner (woop) and they told me the story of a conversation they had with Scrag.

They were playing cards using our Hobbiton card pack, and my mum said something about how she wanted to go to see Hobbiton but it is so expensive so she's been saving her pennies, and her birthday money but her birthday money got all used up paying to get things fixed on the car, doctors etc so now it's all gone and she didn't get to buy anything for her birthday.

Scrag says to her, "Nan, wait here. I've got a birthday present for you."
He runs out of the room and comes back a moment later with his hands behind his back.
"Close your eyes, Nan, and hold out your hands..." he says. "Now open them!"
My mum opens her eyes, and there is Scrag's treasured $50 note, lying in her hands.

Just like that, he had run and gotten the money he had diligently saved and gave it away without a second thought.

(Mum went on to tell how after she gave him back his $50 and insisted he keep it, he said, "OK well I have another present for you. Close your eyes again..."
Then she felt his warm little arms thrown around her middle, with a "Love you Nan, Happy Birthday! And one for Grandad too!")

[We are loving our Thursday Dinners  with Nan and Grandad. NOTE TO SELF: Take more photos!]

So there we go.
A glimpse into my youngest son's generous heart, and I think a glimpse into his future.
I believe he will be a man who is good with money, but who gives generously of his resources.
A businessman philanthropist. That's my prediction. And now I've written it down.
Let's see if I'm right.

"The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil" (finding my voice)

Something's changed in me over the past year or so.  I've always been a scaredy cat, never one to rock the boat, speak up or make waves. Ask anyone who knows me. Unlike so many other Lioness Mothers who would roar if anyone stepped out of line round her cubs, I was always more of a Mouse.

If I had to speak up, whether to a teacher, a bully or a fellow parent I'd be shaking so bad I'd lose my words and feel like I was going to vomit. I just hated "confrontation".

But over the past year or so I've noticed that I no longer procrastinate and avoid confrontation. I've become better at speaking up with teachers, family and coaches (it doesn't even make me want to vomit anymore).

Instead of staying silent and hoping for the best, I've begun asking for what I want, because I've realised this earth shattering truth: The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil.

It started when one of my kids was struggling at school, miserable. At first I felt powerless and overwhelmed; I didn't know what to do but I knew I had to do something, talk to someone, so I gathered my courage and headed to school.

I remember sitting in the office of the department head stammering out my concerns about my child's anxiety and bursting into tears. Right there in her office.

This lovely H.O.D. gave me an hour of her time, listened to my concerns, handed me tissues and reassured me that they would work to support my child in a number of new ways.
It wasn't so hard, this talking thing.

A week later I met with her and the child's teacher again and she presented me with two charts, depicting my child's progress so he could see in colour just how far he'd come. When I told the H.O.D. later that he was calling those charts "my treasures" and sleeping with them under his pillow, tears sprang into her eyes.

I was learning that a little bit of squeaking will get your wheel oiled.
A little bit of asking will get results. It's not that hard, once I get over myself.
And if I don't squeak for them, nobody else will.

After all, the H.O.D. has hundreds of kids to think about; the teacher has thirty. I'm the only one with just my own kids' interests at heart.

In the sea of faces my child's struggle might not be apparent to the teacher he/she is trying so hard to please. The teacher doesn't see my child fall apart at the end of the day, after using all their energy working so hard to stay on task and just keep up. The teacher doesn't have to drag my child out of bed as they wail, "I don't wanna go! I hate school!" The teacher doesn't have to wipe their tears of frustration and talk them down from the bridge of self-doubt, patch up their shattered self-esteem and send them out to face the world again... I DO.

I have to live with these children, so it's worth being a squeaky wheel if it means happier kids who know their mama has got their back.

I may not like "confrontation" or "making waves" but there's a nice way to do things.
Being a squeaky wheel doesn't mean becoming demanding or difficult. It just means becoming my child's advocate and speaking up on their behalf, which I can do with a smile on my face. Being pleasant and reasonable-but-determined will probably get me further than being antagonistic and bolshy anyway!

I've now lost count of how many times I've been up to school in the past year. I rarely used to go up there, relying on school reports, and the inadequate twice-yearly parent teacher interviews.

No longer.
Now as soon as there's a ripple I'm there. Talking to the teacher, clarifying the situation, getting information, helping them to know my children and understand their needs,
I'm now one of "those" parents... in the nicest possible way.

The more I talk to my kids' teachers, the better the relationships with the teachers become and the easier it gets to talk to them. (And the more positively they'll work with my kids too).

This worked to the point last year where I knew Miss Fab's teacher well enough to invite him to come watch her perform in the church Christmas production - and he came.

It's so freeing, not being scared anymore. Having found my voice I don't just use it to advocate for my kids at school, oh no.

It translates into other areas of life as well.
Like I noticed that with life being so busy, we were hardly ever getting to see my parents. There was just not enough grandparent-time and I worried that if we didn't set aside some regular time to connect, one day I'd look back and regret that my kids never got to know my parents before they were gone.


I could sit around feeling sad and resentful or I could ask for what I wanted for my kids and take the risk that I might get knocked back...

So I baked some muffins, took my coffee machine with me and went to my folks to ask for what I wanted: dinner with them once a week. Regular time for my kids to spend with them hanging out, getting to know them.

...I wasn't knocked back. As of last week, every Thursday night Nan and Grandad will come for dinner. I cook, they play. Last week it was Monopoly Empire, homemade spaghetti and stories after dinner. There are plans for bike rides with Grandad, card games and more.
We all said goodbye at the end of our first night with a warm fuzzy glow, with the kids agreeing "This was fun!"; I believe it's the start of a beautiful thing.

I'm so thankful that I've learned to speak up.
After all those timid years of being afraid of knock-backs or angry confrontations, it's a pleasant surprise to learn that I can still be me, but a bolder Squeakier version of myself.
After all, what have I got to lose really, by speaking up? If I ask for something and the answer is no, have I lost anything apart from a bit of pride?
No I haven't.
But I stand to gain so much for my kids when I lose my fear and find my voice.

I may not ever be a roaring Lioness Mother but I can be a Squeaky Wheel.

...........................

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