Book Week 2011

I am a capable woman. I can sew, and I can craft, and I can make interesting cakes. This year I had distinct moments of regretting all three. It is LOVELY to make things for my children, particularly if I am on top of all the basics at home and am feeling exited about the item I am making.

It is NOT lovely to be bullied by children who think you can perfectly create what they have imagined in their heads and who are happy to drop items all over the house and then expect you to have time to create a masterpiece for them. Argh.

I have stated firmly that if I am the creator, then I have the last say on what is to be created and how it is done. It didn't make me feel much better or get much more sleep though.

So, here is book week, 2011. Somewhere inside, part of me loved it, but most of me sadly did not feel so happy about the whole work/life/craft/sleep balance. It kills me. I think it was after 3am when I got to bed.

Leila as Mildred Hubble from "the worst witch" series

Bethany as "Dragon girl" from a little book she wrote and illustrated herself

One of the reasons why I got to bed so late was because I was formatting, printing and stapling Bethany's story.  I also refused to make a top from scratch and temporarily altered a merino top with felt spikes (removable).  The boots are gumboots which Damien decorated with coloured adhesive tape.  Rocket boots to help flying dragon girls to rescue baby dragons.  Her teacher read her story to the class, so she was very pleased with how the whole event went.

Leila's costume required a drastic last-minute alteration:  she woke me up at 6:30 having found it to be too tight.  You can't see it clearly in the picture but there is a little velvet cape too, and Hannah kindly found a toy tabby cat for Leila to carry.  The Broom was considered a great success: it is just a cardboard tube stuck into a decorative store bought grass sheaf which we trimmed to suit.  It had pearl beads threaded onto some of the grass, which Leila liked a lot.  There were plenty of girls dressed up as witches, but no-one had an academic logo and trim on their hats like Leila did.  We have been listening to recordings of the worst witch audio books.  Leila has even been reading along with the narrator.  It is fun to see my child enjoy the same stories that I did growing up.

Damien thinks I am crazy for spending so much time and energy on it all, but it is hard not to.  They were so happy about dressing up for school.  Perhaps it was almost worth it.