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The Beginning Woods by Malcolm McNeil
A mystery no one can solve. The Vanishings started without warning. People disappearing into thin air – just piles of clothes left behind. Each day, thousands gone without a trace. A baby no one wanted. Max was abandoned in a bookshop and grows up haunted by memories of his parents. Only he can solve the mystery of the Vanishings. A secret that could save the future. To find the answers, Max must leave this world and enter the Beginning Woods. A realm of magic and terror, life and death. But can he bear the truth – or will it destroy him? A story that will take you to another world. Greater than your dreams.…
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Pretty in Pink Tutu Dress
A few weeks ago, I had the sudden realisation that my daughter is going to grow out of wanting to dress up as fairy or a princess soon. So with her birthday looming on the horizon I thought it was time to have a go at making her a tutu dress. I looked at lots of tutorials on the internet and decided to use a crochet tutu top as the basis of my design. The next step was to source my materials. Living in Australia, I wasn’t able to find the tutu top in store anywhere and had to purchase one online. The recommended rolls of 6 inch tulle were…
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May Gibbs: Snugglepot & Cuddlepie
To us she is May Gibbs, creator of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie. But to her family, she was known as ‘Mamie’. In a land far away, where fairies and pixies and elves live deep in the woods, a little girl is born. Her family call her Mamie. Mamie loves to sing, dance and paint with her magical friends. Her days are like a modern-day fairy tale. But when her family moves to the bottom of the world, Mamie’s life is turned upside down. From green fields drenched with rain to hot skies and dusty plains, will she ever find new fairy friends in this strange and beautiful land? For my daughter’s birthday…
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The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron
What isn’t written, isn’t remembered. Even your crimes. Nadia lives in the city of Canaan, where life is safe and structured, hemmed in by white stone walls and no memory of what came before. But every twelve years the city descends into the bloody chaos of the Forgetting, a day of no remorse, when each person’s memories — of parents, children, love, life, and self — are lost. Unless they have been written. In Canaan, your book is your truth and your identity, and Nadia knows exactly who hasn’t written the truth. Because she is the only person in Canaan who has never forgotten. But when Nadia begins to use…
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Ikea Trofast: from 3 to 2 Compartments
The last few weeks I have been busily rearranging the kid’s playroom… again. This is my fourth try at getting it just right. We are pretty big fans of Ikea in our house and the playroom was bursting at the seams with it’s storage solutions. The Trofast and Kallax shelving have been fantastic for storing all the kid’s toys, books and LEGO, but I got to the point where I just needed something more, especially when it came to LEGO. So it was time unfortunately for the Trofast units to go. I was feeling a bit sad about this because there was nothing wrong with them and they are relatively…
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Star Wars: 16 Books for Padawans
As today is May the 4th, I thought I might join in the Star Wars fun and take a look at some of the Star Wars books I have in my Junior School Library. Star Wars books are always extremely popular and are almost always out on loan. Below are some of the student’s favourites. In this selection you will see Non Fiction and Fiction books with something for everyone, both younger and older children and everyone in between. Non Fiction Books Star Wars: Complete Vehicles The complete guide to the spacecraft and vehicles of the Star Wars six-film saga. It features 55 giant cross-section pictures and hundreds of smaller…
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Lego Disneyland Mad Tea Party
While my family and I have been stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, we have been watching lots of homemade Disney videos. Feeling inspired, I decided to have a go at recreating one of my favourite rides at Disneyland, the Mad Tea Party, in Lego. It took me a bit longer than I expected to recreate the ride (especially finding the right pieces), but I am pretty happy with the results and the most important thing, my kids love it! Yes, the purple plates do spin, but not by themselves, they need a little push. I attempted to capture the feel of the ride by including the vines and…
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Our Visit to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
Our daughter Zoë (5) loves dressing up as princesses and fairies, so on our recent trip to Disneyland we just knew we had to visit the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for a princess makeover. Even our son Max (7) joined in the fun becoming a knight for the day. They both had so much fun both during and after the makeovers. It really was a magical experience. I must admit that I was a bit uncertain about the makeovers at first, as I had read lots of negative feedback on the internet, but there was also lots of positives, so I chose to go ahead with it anyway. Kids are only…
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Our Stay at the Hyatt Regency Orange County
We have just come back from the most amazing trip to Disneyland, California! My family and I spent 11 days in Anaheim with 9 days at Disneyland and California Adventure. We had the best time and can’t wait to go back! One of the things that made our holiday so amazing was our choice of hotel. While we really would have loved to stay on property at a Disneyland Resort, our budget didn’t stretch quite that far. So after a few months of researching, we found a place that had pretty much everything we were looking for in a hotel, the Hyatt Regency Orange County. We really loved the amount…
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Disneyland | Days 10 & 11
We have just come back from the most amazing trip to Disneyland, California! My family and I spent 11 days in Anaheim with 9 days at Disneyland and California Adventure. Here is how we spent each day, the rides we went on, shows we watched and the Disney food we ate. To find out how we got from Australia to Disneyland and our first day at the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’ check out this blog entry. To continue on with our adventures and read about our first day at California Adventure click here. Day Ten | Disneyland We arrived at Disneyland at around 10 am. Zoë was all dressed up…
A few small adventures in books & reading, craft & diy projects, and a touch of Disney magic
