time

Since becoming a parent the thing I miss most is time. Long uninterrupted moments of time. Being a mother is extremely rewarding and I wouldn't take it back for anything. I couldn't even think of anything I would rather do in the day the spend time with my family. However, sometimes in the whirlwind of family chaos, endless playing and a constant companion, I long for time. A whole day to do whatever I want- to slowly potter around a project. A whole night of sleep. All without the deadline of a babe awakening from a nap or in the middle of night for comfort. 

So I have decided to change my thinking. Instead of longing for more time I will appreciate those small pockets of uninterrupted time I do get. Artie playing with playdough alone for 7 minutes means I can have a cup of tea all to myself and flick through a magazine. Mostly, I am learning to appreciate the time Adam takes Artie to the park in the late afternoon after he gets home from work. Even though I am usually preparing dinner and quickly finishing those chores I didn't get to, it is quiet and peaceful and the light of the late afternoon always looks so lovely. So this week I am going to remember to make the most of those small pockets of time and my thoughtful husband. And I am also going to gently remind myself that one day (even if it ten years from now!) I will sleep through the night again and have long stretches of time, but Artie will only be this age once.

Saturday Afternoon

I love taking photos. But I often only remember to take my camera out on special occasions, for activities we have set up and holidays. So I am challenging myself to take more photos of the everyday. These moments are often even more special then those fancy and planned for occasions. I want to remember the little things that make me feel at peace and happy. 

So here are some pictures from our Saturday afternoon. Nothing special but it felt just right. After a morning of cleaning, Artie and I watched Adam mow the lawn; watched some old Sesame Street songs on the laptop; admired the light in the late afternoon; read some books; rearranged a shelf; had a quick dip in the pool; then headed out for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. Our little family walked the streets as it got dark and felt happy to be outside as it finally cooled down. 

Perfectly ordinary in every way. 

Outside

There is a certain time of the day. When the sun is getting lower. Adam is only a couple of hours away from arriving home. My to do list is looking longer then it did at the beginning of the day. Late afternoon is when I feel myself getting most frustrated and anxious about getting things done. Cooking dinner, a quick tidy or sweep. Lately, when it gets to this point, Artie and I simply leave the house and head outside. We play downstairs until Adam pulls into the driveway.

Because you know what? The chores and to do lists are still waiting for me, they are not in a hurry and are not going anywhere. However, Arthur will only be this age once. It is times like this that I remember to be truly grateful that I am able to be a stay-at-home mum and watch my boy play in the late afternoon sun. 

Trying

I have been trying to stay off the Internet. Lately the TV has been staying off but I tend to waste a lot of time on the computer. There is so much inspiration, but sometimes it is too much, and I feel the need to switch off and enjoy other things. 

Like running outside;

watching for airplanes;

a bit of sewing;

some knitting, with an excellent helper;

growing potatoes;

and spending time with my favourite, adorable and cheeky boy;

Gardening

The sun actually made an appearance around these parts so I made the most of it and took the bump out to do some gardening. We both enjoyed being in the sun. Baby jumped about and I was warm enough to take my jumper off.  
We planted spinach, rocket and pumpkin seedlings. I hope that by the time baby makes and appearance in the outside world the seedlings are also popping there heads out to see the sunshine.

New Home

*We are moved into a new home and the grass is mown.
*Loving that the push mower is not only environmentally friendly but fun (at least for now!).
*Baby check ups are going well, the baby is a normal size and healthy.
*Looking forward to unpacking the last box.

show and tell

Adam and I had an excursion to Ikea yesterday. It is an adventure to get there! We felt like we were putting our lives on the line to drive there and arrive in one piece. Crazy drivers were rife! However we came away with all our limbs in tack, the car unscathed and a couple of new treasure. A brand spanking new chair. So comfy and cosy and a perfect place to sit and listen to my old records.
The real reason we went was for the coffee table. It is our very first coffee table and I am so excited. Finally the chaise of the couch will no longer have stacks of paper, magazines and books as now we have a real home for them all.
Oh Ikea, how we love thee. We have a lot of Ikea in our home, I blame the ridiculously reasonable prices- plus I have so much fun putting it together, it is like giant Leggo and I feel so darn handy.

While I was cleaning up today. Cleaning because reports have to be written in a week and doing ANYTHING is better then doing the marking. I found these;




I started this series of paintings based on cages and the act of caging awhile ago. I used watercolours, coloured pencils and ink on watercolour paper. I put them away in a folder at the back of the cupboard with only Adam having ever seen them. Now I decided to bring them into the light of day and share them. I am champing at the bit to do some creating (amazing how it always happens when I am supposed to be marking). I have so many unfinished projects on the go (Mum? Did I inherit that trait from you?) I have a vest which needs its final seams sewn, a mini quilt cut up and ready to put together, a case full of paper and photos to be stuck in somewhere, a painting half done, a ....I think you get the idea.

Hopefully, after a few weeks, when the boring work stuff is out of the way, I will have some more creations to share on here.

House Hunting

We are hunting for a new home to rent. The pickings (in the area we want and the price we want) are slim. We have about two weeks to get our act together and move. It is a difficult process and if you see a place you remotely like you really need to put in your application ASAP or you miss out, as we discovered. Hopefully sometime soon there will be an update about a new home of some sort.

Otherwise I am thinking maybe we could just live in a tree somewhere. Especially if we had one of these ones!

A tree house.
A free house.
A secret you and me house.
A high up in the leafy branches.
A happy as can be house.
A street house.
A neat house.
A be sure to wipe your feet house,
is not the kind of house for me.
Let's go and live in a treehouse.

TreeHouse
by Shel Silverstein

(quote found on the Treehouse Company's site)

Light

Yesterday Adam and I were both feeling a bit flat after average days. I walked up to meet him at the train station as per usual and walking home I noticed we seemed to be in the same kind of mood. But once we were home and together it all seemed irrelevant, all the things that had been getting us low. Our catch-phrase "things are better when we are together" from the Jack Johnson song "Better Together" seems to be more true everyday.

While I was cooking dinner Adam noticed that the light through the window was creating beams across the living room. It looked extremely cool and Adam took pictures because we were so fascinated! See the other stupid things we were worrying about are nothing compared to light beams in the living room! Thank you Sweedy for always cheering me up and making it all better.