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" Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.."

~Unknown

 
 NEWSLETTER # 20
  

DECEMBER 2009   

 



What is happening in the Western Cape?

FULL-MOON PICNICS AT THE TAALMONUMENT

Date: 30 December 2009

Bring your own picnic basket or prebook a basket by selecting delectable products from the picnic menu at VOLKSMOND, the new eatery at the monument.

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NODDY CHRISTMAS PARTY AT VERGELEGEN WlNE ESTATE

Date: 3 - 12 December 2009

It’s that time of the year again, time for Noddy’s Christmas Party to be held at Vergelegen Estate. The members of Somerset West Round Table once again invite all children to go and join Noddy and friends as they enjoy Noddy’s Christmas Party.

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AVONTUUR ESTATE - FUN IN THE SUN!

Date: 5 December 2009

Bring the whole family along and join us on the lawns under the trees next to the parade ring where kids will enjoy hours of fun and entertainment with jumping castles, slippy slides, games, candy floss and much much more (at no charge) - all under the supervision of the experienced guys from "Party Tots".

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ANNUAL FARMYARD TRAlL

Date: 5-6 December 2009

This is an outing for the whole family geared toward small children. You go on a short walk where you meet costumed characters that hand you some little surprises on return you get a hotdog and juice while watching a MAGlC show and have your face painted.

The cost is R30.00 per person and money raised from the event goes towards various projects of the Tygerberg Hills Lions cIub.

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WINNIE THE POOH

Date: 12 - 23 December 2009

Winnie the Pooh, a gifted bear, lives by himself in a tree and loves honey. He has many friends and their well-being and happiness is very important to him. Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo and Owl set out to try and capture a woozle in the forest. While in the forest, they play games. Roo falls into the river but is rescued. To end off their outing, they celebrate Eeyore`s birthday with a picnic.

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SILLY BILLY'S KIDS SCHOOL HOLIDAY FUN

Date: 11 - 30 December 2009

CRAFTY FUN- Come and make your own Christmas Card

XMAS PARTY- Kids will help decorating the Xmas tree. Everyone will get a Xmas hat, treasure hunts, a lunch and drinks for kids. Kids will also receive presents booking essential due to the gender.

GAMES DAY!!! EXClTlNG fun and games will be taking place!

COOKIE BAKING - (Décor for the Xmas tree)

GAMES DAY!!!Come and Play it’s going to be fun

PILLOW CASE PAlNTlNG (Come and paint yourself silly day)

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KIDZ PLAYZONE SCHOOL HOLIDAY FUN

Date: 14 December - 12 January

Extreme Makeover, CD Art, MAGlC SHOW , Santas Helpers, The Meaning of Christmas, balloon twisting workshop, Gift for Mom and Dad, Decorate Christmas Cookies, Christmas Party and much more........

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AQUA CIRCUS - ZIP ZAP

Date: 16 - 31 December 2009

Aqua-Circus will be a circus spectacle utilising the `Best of Zip-Zap Circus` with a water theme. The artists will be costumed and the sets constructed to fall line with the AQUAFESTlVAL event. Juggling Penguins and High flying Dolphins will feature in this one hour family show

 

 

 

What is happening in Gauteng?

CINDERELLA ON ICE

Date: 2 December - 10 January 2010

Cinderella On Ice is a rich and unique interpretation of this well known tale. In this MAGlCAL production celebrating the romance and beauty of one of the world's favorite fairytales, gnomes, fairies and beautiful ladies in luxurious ball gowns glide across the ice in a display of grace, agility and emotion.

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MCLAREN CIRCUS

Date: 4 December - 4 January 2010

Expect to encounter all the Glitz and Glamour when the McLaren Circus rolls into Pretoria for the school holidays.

Performances will take place in a traditional big top in the grounds of Menlyn Park

The McLaren Circus aims to reintroduce the MAGlC and variety of an old fashioned travelling circus through fun balancing; contorting, tumbling, jugging and spinning display of agility.

Travelling with this delightful group of gypsies is a fluffy entourage. Poodles, ponies, camels and pythons all compete with fire-eaters and other colourful characters for attention.    

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NODDY

Date: 3 - 20 December 2009

Based on Enid Blyton's much-loved Toyland character, Noddy and his friends Big Ears, Mr Plod and Tessie Bear offer an interactive experience, encouraging children to converse with the characters or sing along to the easy tunes, including a hearty rendition of the Funky Monkey song. It aims to teach the importance of friendship and life skills in an imaginative way.

The shows are performed twice daily 10h00 and 13h00 at 64 @ The Palace, Wednesdays to Sundays.
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THE CIRCUS COMES TO LAKESIDE

Date: 11 - 24 December 2009

Step right up because the circus is coming to town! The Circus and a kiddies fun park will be at Lakeside MaII. So if you are looking for some great December family fun then juggle your way to Lakeside MaII.

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ZEAL FOR THE NEW YEAR HOLIDAY WORKSHOP

Date: 7-8 December 2009

Every year, at this time, there is a rush to define behaviour improvements and new commitments and resolutions to correct everything from weight, eating habits, to academics and behaviour. Help your child by exposing them to new and improved ways for achieving success in the New Year other than setting meaningless New Year’s Resolutions! Our “Zeal for the New Year” workshop aims at reflecting objectively on what your child has achieved in 2009 and what they would like to achieve in 2010. A realistic objective setting plan is provided that ensures movement in the right direction as well as motivation to maintain momentum.  The children learn in a fun and interactive way which motivates them to reach for their objectives and dreams! The tailor made, 2 day workshop is suitable for age 6 – 18 and will leave your child feeling inspired and motivated for the new year!!

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WONDERING WHAT TO DO WITH THE KIDS DURING THE HOLIDAYS

Date: 7-18 December 2009

Learn while having fun! Young animal-lovers are invited to come and see some wonderful feathered friends during the holidays at the Montecasino Bird Park.
Your children can enjoy a full morning of activities including the bird show, interactive tours, fun and games and crafts. Entrance fee includes lunch and refreshments, a box of goodies and take home craft activities.

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PRETORIA ZOO HOLIDAY COURSES

Date: 14 December - 8 January 2010

- Junior Nature Conservator
- Meet the birds
- The World of Reptiles
- Meet the mammals
- An Introduction to Identifying Birds

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FRIENDS OF THE RAlL FESTlVAL TRAlN TRlP

Date: 16 December 2009

Steam locomotive TRlP in and around Pretoria. A distance of 60 kilometres. Bring your picnic basket on board. Braaifires provided the morning of departure from 11h00.
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DECEMBER HOLIDAYS AT YEESH

Date: 15 - 23 December 2009

Sand Art , Christmas pottery to give as gifts to granny or grandpa, Christmas arts and crafts 
Decorating polystyrene balls and finishing off with glitter and sequins to hang on the Xmas tree, making book marks for mom or dad and more . . . ) 

COOKIE FUN
Christmas cookie icing on homemade yummy biscuits and then eating

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SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS LIVE AT CARNIVAL CITY

Date: 21 - 30 December 2009

Join SpongeBob, Patrick and their zany Bikini Bottom pals as SpongeBob embarks on his dream to fly with the jellyfish. Will he succeed, or will his dream come crashing down to the ocean floor? It`s a tale too EXClTlING to be kept undersea! So dive into the world stage premiere of the EXClTlNG live show about dreams, friendships and soaring to new heights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


FEATURED LISTINGS  

 







 


 

TIPS FOR TRAVELLING WITH KIDS DURING THE HOLIDAYS

 

 

It's December holidays and for most parents this means travelling.
And if you have ever travelled in a car with kids, you know that at some point mom and dad will seriously consider driving off a cliff.  Here are a few tips that might be helpful when travelling with the kids.
Tips for travelling with a baby:
If you have a baby in a car seat, and you're afraid that if you take that baby out of the car seat, you'll never get her back in, because she's just a teeny bit fidgety after 8 hours strapped in, you should:

  1. Leave her in the car seat. The disposable diaper probably won't burst, and a thick coating of diaper cream will keep her tender bottom protected.
  2. Let her crawl around at each rest stop until she's exhausted. Once you've cleaned off all the rest stop dirt and grime, cigarette stubs, dead bugs, etc, she'll be sound asleep. This plan may cause your travels to last nine days instead of twelve hours.
  3. Drive at night. She'll sleep instead of drinking from her bottle, so she won't produce liters of baby urine, and you won't have to test the limits of modern diaper technology.
Tips for travelling with toddlers:
It's extremely important to realize that they are not old enough to articulate "carsick". If your two-year-old starts to turn a funny color, you should:
  1. Pull over immediately, even though you're in the middle of the Karoo, and yank her out of the car so she can throw up on the side of the road, drenching several scorpions and a rattlesnake;
  2. Drive with that really bad "used food" smell and a host of complaints from the other people in the car until you find a Engen 1-Stop and plan on an extremely long stop, during which you will find yourself dismantling and cleaning a car seat in a tiny restroom sink;
  3. Hand the person nearest to her a very large cup and instruct them to collect what they can.
Tips for traveling with preschoolers: What should you bring?
  1. Crayons. They're entertaining and tasty, too. Inevitably, one will be dropped (no one will mention this to you) and it will melt in the hot sun during one of your millions of potty stops and become a permanent part of the upholstery. This may sound bad, but it... Well, it's bad. No crayons.
  2. Grapes. They're easy to eat: nothing to peel, no pits to spit at your siblings, no sticky juice running down the chin. And, at the end of your travels, when you clean out the car and find raisins, you can explain the awesomeness of dehydration to the kids. It's Science! An added plus, if you have really big grapes, you may get to practice the Heimlich Maneuver! Oh, wait, on second thought, that's bad. No grapes......
  3. Pets. They're cute and fuzzy and will keep the kids entertained, plus they'll eat the food that falls to the floor (and there will be a lot of that.) Of course, after Fido eats a sandwich, some animal crackers (that little cannibal), and a squashed banana, he'll need to take a "walk." And since you can't tell if a dog has to "go", you'll make extremely frequent potty stops, just in case. Oh wait, that's not good either. No pets......
Ok, the above is more a “What should you NOT take .....”

Tips for traveling with kids of any age:
Accept the fact that they will undoubtedly learn a few new words from you when things go wrong. And things WILL go wrong........ But you'll make many happy memories which they will relish repeating to their friends.
 
  
 

KIDS CRAFTS AND RECIPES

 


 

 

Microwave Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments

Supplies:

- 4 Cups of Plain Flour (not self-raising)
- 2 cups Fine grained plain salt
- 1 cup water
- paints, markers, pipecleaners and embellishments

Directions:
Mix the salt and flour in a large container and then add the water. Knead the mixture for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. Cover with cling wrap to stop the dough drying out and let the
dough sit for 30 minutes before using.
The addition of 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil improves suppleness of the dough making it easier to work with.

1. Half of the dough recipe featured above is enough to make all the ornaments shown above, plus some extras. You will also need paint in red, green, white, and gold, plus green glitter paint, and trims such as iridescent stars, pom poms, mini candy cane erasers, and glitter chenille stems.

2. Use Christmas cookie cutters to cut a variety of snowmen, Christmas trees and stars. Use a
toothpick to make a hole for hanging, being sure to make the hole a little larger than you will want
as they tend to close when baking.

3. Using a microwave-safe plate (not paper or cardboard), microwave a plate of your ornaments for
1 to 4 minutes, increasing the time by 1 minute increments and keeping a close eye on the microwave
as the ornaments bake. Microwave power levels differ greatly, so use high power in a less-powerful oven, but lower it if your oven tends to heat things very quickly. You don't want to risk a fire! Let the ornaments
cool completely before decorating.

This is also a good kid's craft or group project - just provide a variety of paints, markers, pipecleaners
and embellishments to let everyone excercise creativity. Properly dried, the ornaments should last for years.
 

UPCOMING MOVlE FOR THE KIDS

 
  

ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS : THE SQUEAKQUEL

 

 

Release Date: Friday, 25 December 2009 (Ster-Kinekor)
Suitable for All Ages: Rated PG for some mild rude comments

Pop sensations Alvin, Simon and Theodore end up in the care of Dave Seville's twenty-something nephew Toby (Levi). The boys must put aside superstardom to return to school, and are tasked with saving the school's MUSlC program by winning the $25,000 in a bandbattle.

But the Chipmunks unexpectedly meet their equal in three singing chipmunks known as The Chipettes -– Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette. Amorous and musical sparks are ignited when the Chipmunks and Chipettes square off.

GIVEAWAYS

 

 

CUTIE OF THE MONTH

 

Thank you to MARCHÉ CILLIERS who sent us these very cute pics of her

beautiful little girl, Mila on her 1st Birthday.

 

  

If you would like to show the world your "cutie" then email me your pics and your precious one might feature in our next newsletter - debbie@parentportal.co.za




 

BABY HANDS - PHOTOSHOOT AND DEMONSTRATION

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PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS AN ARCHIVED NEWSLETTER