Movie Night

I don't know about you, but I find it really difficult to get to the movies these days. I can't remember the last time I went with my husband, even though we often say how much we'd like to. Because of the kids, we often end up going to see a movie with friends, that way the other parent stays home to watch the kids. One of these days though, I am going to call in a favour from a friend (who always kindly offers) and have her babysit so that my husband Michael and I can see a movie together (maybe for our anninversary next month?)

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, some great girlfriends and I all met for coffee and a movie. We had decided to go and see 'Going the Distance' with Drew Barrymore. This particular movie was chosen after one of my friends had practically wet herself laughing at the preview to this movie (when we had been seeing another moview a few months prior).


True to the preview, it was hilarious. It was the best 'laugh out loud' movie I have seen in a long time. It even resulted in us 30-something year old girls, being in a fit of giggles after one happened to 'snort' through her laughter.

I highly recommend it.

I also want to see this but wondered whether I should hurriedly read the book first?
Anyone read the book?

Kindness

I discovered a new favourite blog recently. It is called Kind over Matter, and it really stops and makes you take note of all the wonderful things that life has to offer.

As a teacher and parent, I found this particular post really beautiful. If you have time, go over and read it. It made me stop and remember just how lucky, we truly are to have our little ones in our lives. It also served as a reminder that we need to stop and see the world from the eyes of a child, probably more often than we take the time to do in our busy lives.

Fathers Day

We took a trip to the zoo to share some family time on Father's Day. The weather was glorious and all the animals were out to say hello..

Failure

"If you're not failing every now and again,

it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative"

- Woody Allen

Miss Muffet turns 1

My little girl, Juliet turned one recently.

On the weekend we had a ladybug themed party for her. It sent me a bit crazy, as I searched high and low for ladybug goodies to no avail. It seems that when you are looking for something, they are nowhere to be found. I did locate some cute goodies on overseas sites, but the postage I was quoted did not make it worthwhile.

Anyway, here are some pics from the party

Cooler Weather...

doesn't mean less fun in this household.

We still really make an effort to get out and about, even if it is a bit colder outside.








We also realised that colder weather is not necessarily windy weather. Try explaining to a three year old that its not really kite-flying weather. Luckily, Joshua was happy enough with the slight lift of the ground he got when he ran around dragging the kite behind him! That's what being a child is all about...

Relativity

I went to high school in the CBD and often had the opportunity to pop into the Art Gallery. Nowadays, the visits are few and far between - unfortunately. Pre-kids, my husband and I always made a point of visiting when ever there was an exhibition that interested us and we always visited when the Year 12 Perspectives exhibition was on.

This weekend, we made the trip in to see Patricia Piccinini's - Relativity.

It was so wonderful...both the sculptures and the experience of casually browsing around and looking at all the amazing and inspiring works of art.

Here is the blurb about the exhibition from the art gallery:

Created using a combination of materials such as silicone, fibreglass and human hair, Piccinini’s sculptures are familiar yet fantastical in their depiction of possible future species and their interaction with human beings. Often confronting yet endearingly vulnerable, her sculptures give form to her fascination with the relationship between the ‘natural’ and the ‘artificial’ while asserting the power of social relationships, love and communication.

The Long Awaited (below) was my favourite piece. I love the serenity in the little boys face and the obvious acceptance he has for the creature. It reminds me how accepting children are and how unpredjudiced that they are. It is a shame that this innocence is lost as they face the reality's of our world.

The Foundling was another I was drawn to. There was a guide giving a commentary on this piece when I was there and she said that the artist was asking us whether we would accept this creature if we found it on our doorstep. The guide thought that 'The Foundling' had a depthof sadness in its eyes and that it understood it wasn't accepted. I tend to disagree. I think the eyes show its innocence and a desperation to be loved. I think this piece speaks to me as a mother and the need to protect my children.


If you are in Perth, I highly recommend having a look. If you enjoy and appreciate art, I am sure you won't be disappointed.

Birthday plans...

There is something about celebrating a birthday that is just so special.

I was very lucky. My Mum had birthday parties every year for my sister and I when we were little. I now like to follow suit and have a special celebration of the day that my child was brought into our lives.I think the day is deserving of effort and the devotion of my love and attention... I relish in planning and decorating for birthday parties. I also take lots of pleasure in gift giving and start thinking ahead of time what little gift will be perfect. I like to buy something for birthdays that will not just be a passing toy, but something that will get lots of use and hopefully be around for a few years at least.

For Joshua's first birthday we bought him a trike. My husband and I also seperately bought him our favourite childhood novel. He is obviously still too young to read novels now, but 'The Magic Faraway Tree' and 'Tales of a 4th grade nothing' are sitting on his bookshelf waiting to be read one day.

Juliet turns 1 in just over three months, and I decided that I would love to get her a nice wooden dolls pram. One that she could use as a walker as she learned to take her first steps and then one that she would tuck her dolls into as she grew...

I found one online that I loved but was a bit shocked at the $350 price tag... I am very happy to say, that I found this same one on sale locally for $199 on Saturday. So I hurriedly grabbed itm rushed to the counter and secured this little pram for my beautiful girl...

I really hope she likes it as much I do...

Fabric Love....

I got a package in the mail this week of some gorgeous fabric by Patty Young. It is a Fat Quarter of each fabric from the Mezzanine line.

I was inspired by this quilt which is made using the entire Mezzanine range.

I plan to make a big square quilt that will be our Family Picnic rug.

I can't decide which design to make though. While i love the circles on the above quilt, the design calls for raw-edge applique, and I wonder whether that may not stand the test of time as well as a regualr pieced style quilt.

I was then thinking of going something simple like a charm quilt which would mimic the above design but use squares instead of circles. I also found this quilt on flickr which I think could work as a picnic rug too..

What do you think??

And I was very excited when I read Anna Maria Horner's blog this morning to find out I have won a copy of her new book Handmade Beginnings. I haven't won anything before in blogland (mainly because I only enter giveaway if I really really want the prize).

I think this prize may lead to a few more fabric purchases and a very long 'To Do' list. I would particularly love to use some of Anna Maria's new line 'Good Folks' to make some clothes for litlte Miss Juliet... I'll wait until the book arrives before making any decisions though.

one foot in front of the other...

Who would have thought this parenting thing could be so challenging at times...

Recently, our beautiful, vivacious three year old, Joshua, has been testing his boundaries. And lets just say, it has been testing my patience. I have always considered myself fairly patient, but recently, I have been questioning whether this was actually ever so. But, we are getting there.. slowly but surely. After a wonderful chat with Ngala last week, we have deduced that it is probably attention seeking behaviour, since the start of this behaviour commenced around the same time he became a big brother. This made me a bit sad, as I remember reading the analogy that gaining a sibling is a bit like your husband bringing home a new wife and telling you just to deal with it. Obviously, we have tried to be as supportive to Joshua in this new chapter of our lives, but he is a really cuddly and loving little boy - so he has obviously just been missing all the undivided attention he used to get.

To try and make up for it, we have been doing lots and lots of one-on-one play and extra craft activities. Just trying to show our little man how much we love him and how important he is to us, even though there is a sister to share our time now.

We love you so much gorgeous boy!!!

Our beautiful little girl is getting bigger everyday. We can't believe how fast she is growing up. At the moment she is trying very hard to crawl. As a result, my sleep is not quite as undisrupted as it used to be. I have a theory, that when their little brains are making big connections (such as with crawling, walking etc...) then their sleep tends to be a bit off the mark. Well, right now, that is what we are experiencing. Quite often, I will go into her at night when she has woken, and she will be up on all fours in her cot, rocking back and forth.


This is a fairly recent shot of Miss Muffet. The gorgeous dungarees she is wearing are made by the very talented Milly from Tin Whistle. I know I am biased, but isn't she gorgeous?

As mothers, I think we are allowed (or maybe it should be expected) to think that our children are THE most beautiful, wonderful children in the world.

And with that in mind... another favourite blog recently mentioned this song by Macy Gray. I so recommend you listen to it and try and seek out the beauty in your world today.

Happy Easter

We started the day today by watching the joy on Joshua's face as he realised that the Easter Bunny had been to visit.

The Easter Bunny left lots of little eggs around the house, and Joshua very happily collected them all, loading them into his red wagon as he went. I believe imagination is one of the most treasured elements of childhood - so I love watching how happy and excited he gets. We were very disappointed to find that the Easter Bunny didn't mind his manners, and wipe his feet before coming in. This resulted in three rather large bunny prints on our living area floor... Hmmm, what to do with that naughty bunny. Luckily, sufficient chocolate was left to make up for the mess.

We are off to my parents house for Easter lunch, having just been to mass. It has been a little while since we have been to mass, and I must say I really enjoyed it - I think it makes me stop and remember the reason we are celebrating.

Happy Easter all... I hope you and your families have a wonderful day!

beginning...

Many times over the past few years, as I have read, and been inspired by others blogs; I too, have wanted to write and compose some words with meaning. To put these words down and to be open to others reading them. However, I have always struggled with what to write about...what to share.

Today, I read this blog post: http://www.kellehampton.com/2010/01/nella-cordelia-birth-story.html and I cried.

I cried not only because of the journey that this family has travelled but also because of the journey that my family has travelled and continues to travel every day. We have been through our fair share of ups and downs, and yet, I am constantly reminded how lucky I am.

Every time I look at my beautiful children, I am thankful.
Every time I laugh with good friends, I am thankful.
Every time I tell my husband that I love him, I am thankful.
Every time I pull out weeds in the garden, I am thankful.
Everyday, when I realise how much I have, I am thankful.




So finally, I realised something. I could write about the things that I do everyday.
The things I love.
The things that inspire me.
The things I will look back on and smile.

The moments that matter... to my family... or my friends...
The moments that matter to me....