Pre-Term Butterflies

A few days ago, I drove past Grace’s new school and seeing all the teachers’ cars in the staff car park made me think back to where I used to be at this time each and every year prior to having children.  The final days of summer holidays were always spent in my classroom preparing for the term and year ahead.  Day dreaming about all that we would achieve and discover together on our learning journey.  Printing off name tags for each and every student.  Pouring over class lists and picturing the personalities behind each name.  Arranging desks.  Creating a classroom that felt warm and welcoming…

There are only a few days remaining before students go back to school here in WA.  However this year, I’m experiencing things on the flip side from a parent’s perspective and everything feels so foreign.  I’ve become the slightly emotional mama who can’t quite believe that her big girl is off to kindy, when it seems like it was only yesterday she was born.  

Slowly over this past week, we’ve been talking more and more about the journey ahead of us… preparing both Grace AND me.  There has been a lunchbox and a backpack to buy, much thinking on my part about what to actually pack in both, school supplies and uniforms to label, decisions to make regarding morning routines, thoughts on how we will spend our non-kindy days together… and a touch of nervousness on both our parts.

But there is also excitement. Excitement for the adventures and friends and experiences ahead.  For the skills my big girl will develop and for the tales of her days I look forward to her sharing with me as we walk home at the end of a school day.  There will be, I’m sure, many proud moments ahead… moments I look forward to whole heartedly.  So as our first of many terms commences next week, I will undoubtedly miss my little shadow, but will try not to dwell on the butterflies in my stomach and instead think about all the happy times ahead as her schooling journey begins...

Keepsakes And Treasures

We are by no means hoarders in our house thankfully, but lately, I've felt an overwhelming desire and need to further simplify, declutter and sort through anything and everything around our nest, partly due to my desire to start off the new year on a clean and tidy note, partly due to my attempts to create some more storage space as I slowly work on our home office makeover.  Over the weekend it was my keepsakes box that I attacked.

As the girls napped and Paul and I stayed indoors trying to keep cool, I sat down with its contents and poured over each and every letter, invite and treasure that I had saved over the years.  It was a bit of a trip down memory lane as I reminisced over emails from when I was 19 and Paul and I had first started dating, sweet quotes about life and words of wisdom my uni friends and I used to exchange, maps and tickets from past holidays, postcards from loved ones' travels, invitations to weddings and milestone birthdays as well as service booklets from the funerals of those no longer with us.  Each one holding a special memory.  Each one precious.

With storage space in our home lacking though, I had to decide which keepsakes still held meaning for me  as my 'yardstick' for what I consider to be personal treasures has changed a bit over time. Most contents of my box remained.  However when it came to invites and other pieces from various celebrations, I kept only those of immediate family and close friends, rather than holding onto every place setting card, service booklet, thank you note and menu from every wedding we've ever attended. My keepsake box needs to make way for new treasures now like maternity hospital tags, handmade Mother's Day trinkets and mementos of schooling milestones.

Next up, I'm tackling my box of greeting cards...I'm not sure how I'll quite decide which ones become keepers among that collection.  Back when Dad died and we had to sort through his possessions, we came across a box of pretty much every card my sister and I had ever given him, including the handmade clay and honky nut pencil cup I'd made for him as a four year old way back in kindergarten. I have a feeling that my girls will be faced with a similar situation one day when they have to sort through my things...  

I'm curious to know how you decide which keepsakes to hold onto... Are you a hoarder?  Which items make it into your keepsake box?

The metal chest above stores all of my beloved keepsakes from Dad - I'll save the story of it for another post...

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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013"...

Sophie: Our little mischief maker - into absolutely everything and climbing at every opportunity...

Grace:  Becoming much more confident in the water... having access to our neighbours' pool while they've been away at their holiday house has made the world of difference... 

Joining in with Jodi

Sunday Cyclone To Weekend Wonderful

Despite a grizzly teething Sophie, the weekend just gone was in fact a great one in my eyes.  While there was no sleep-in or lazing about reading the newspaper in bed, we had a mixture of relaxing moments and family fun, as well as time spent crossing off ‘to-dos’ around our house.  We had a morning tea with family, caught up on washing, sold two no longer needed items on Gumtree, watched the girls cool off under the slip and slide, enjoyed a fish and chip picnic in the backyard, visited the pet shop to buy some treats for Asha (giving me half an hour of quiet time to do a few chores), menu-planned, spent the morning by the river having breakfast and splashing in the water, read a chapter of my current book and most importantly, stayed on top of things house-work wise.

For the past few weekends, I’ve felt increasingly frustrated come Sunday evening.  After a week of constant tidying, picking up after others and trying to maintain a somewhat presentable home, come the weekend, things seemed to fall into a heap.  Monday would roll around and I would be faced with a sink full of dishes to stack into the dishwasher, endless washing yet to be brought in off the clothes line, toys scattered everywhere and a start to my week that felt like I was constantly playing ‘catch-up’.

Not today.  Today I woke to a clear bench and a tidy family room, with toys in their baskets and books on the shelves.  I have an empty washing line and the dishwasher was ready to be unstacked as soon as I woke.  A frittata for today’s lunch was waiting in the fridge and I have all the ingredients I need for dinner tonight.  Today has been a happy day…

I hope your Monday has started off on a good note too…

3/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013"...

Grace: Forever keeping herself busy at the kitchen bench - drawing, cutting, gluing, colouring...

Sophie:  Discovering, playing and giggling... fearless around water (the teething necklace a permanent fixture since Christmas) 

Joining in with Jodi

Grateful For Good Health

 

When I was going through IVF, all I dreamt of was being pregnant.  When I was pregnant, I was desperate to reach the stage where our little one had a good chance of survival in the event of a premature birth.   When in labour, I just wanted a healthy baby boy or girl to be placed into my arms.  Four days ago, a friend of Paul’s family had her baby girl at 35 weeks… only the ‘healthy baby’ part was not quite as expected.  A path of medical intervention and surgery lies ahead and I feel such overwhelming saddness for her and her precious little one.  However, with a loving, supportive family and surrounded by their prayers, I know she will be in the best hands possible.

During my own childhood, my parents had to deal with me having hip dysplasia as a baby and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis from 18 months of age.  Weekly hospital appointments were a part of our lives for some time, along with no doubt much worry for my Mum and Dad.  It is only now that I have become a mother myself and have recently gone through a flare up of my arthritis that I can truly understand how hard it must have been for them to see me in pain, to tuck me into bed each night with splints on both my legs and to blow me a kiss as I was wheeled into the operating theatre.

This week, I am so immensely grateful, more than ever, for our two healthy girls, whose only visits to doctors have been for colds and viruses and typical childhood illnesses.  I am grateful that we live in a country where we have access to medical professionals and services.  And I am grateful that any health issues in our household at the moment are minor ones that I am facing, rather than my loved ones...

 



Linking up with Bron and Kidspot in the 52 Weeks of Grateful

 

Things I'm Loving Around Our Home...

Today I thought I'd share with you a few bits and pieces around our home that are making me happy right now...

This sweet vintage children's book illustration was initially purchased for Sophie's bedroom. However, the more and more I looked at it, the more it seemed suited to Grace.  And so before Christmas, I had Paul hang it in our big girl's room above her bedside table.

Grace is a huge animal lover.  One of her favourite weekend outings is a visit to the pet store with her Daddy.  Upon returning home, she tells me about all the animals she got to see, the python being the one that seems to intrigue her the most.  As I tuck her in each night and catch a glimpse of the picture above, it really does make me smile and I know its found the perfect spot in her room.   

For Christmas, Paul bought me a Tivoli Audio Model One radio, something I have had on my wishlist for a long time.  I love it!  Taking up a prominent position on our kitchen bench, it looks great, has amazing sound quality and I love being able to switch it on each morning as I make my first cup of tea for the day.

On the topic of tea, this new brand I picked up before Christmas from a health food store hasn't disappointed.  While it was its cute packaging that initially drew me to it, it also tastes delicious, so nice in fact that I find I'm not as eager to reach for an accompanying sweet treat, instead preferring to enjoy its taste alone.

Is there something new in your home currently making you happy?

2/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013"...

Grace: Always happiest outdoors... blossoming into such a sweet little girl

Sophie:  She walked around the house all afternoon with Daddy's t-shirt draped around her neck

  

Joining in with Jodi

Three Moments From Our Week

My blog posting has been a bit erratic over the past few weeks.  But with a 'holiday at home' of sorts now over and with our days returning to their normal rhythm, I'm keen to get back into writing and taking photos and sharing bits and pieces with you all in this space of mine, starting with a few moments from our week which have made me smile...

A paddle in the river after Sunday breakfast at a favourite cafe turned into a nudie swim for Sophie after she got her outfit completely soaked... 

Grace re-discovered an old childhood kaleidoscope still in the toy box at my Mum's - the only way she could use it was to cover one eye with her hand...

Sophie pushed her 'baby' everywhere around the house in the play shopping trolley, pausing to add things to the basket in her travels just like a little bowerbird...

While the past two days have been somewhat cooler, the weather in Perth lately has been uncomfortably hot.  Temperatures above 40 degrees have been common and as a result our air conditioning has been working over-time, the girls have been running around in next to nothing most days and we've been snacking on lots of fresh, summery fruits.  Fortunately, we've also had access to our neighbours' pool while they've been away on holidays and so over the weekend, we'll probably try to sneak in a few last swims before they return home.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend ahead...

1/52

This year, I've decided to take part in Jodi's 'Portrait A Week' series.  I'll be taking and sharing a photo of each of my girls every week, hopefully improving my photography skills as I take part in this journey and hopefully coming away with 104 precious shots at the end of it all...

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013"...

Sophie: Eagerly awaiting a lick of cream from Daddy's iced coffee

Grace: Enjoying a post breakfast splash in the river

Joining in with Jodi