Mother JoieDeVivre

this moment friday

2012-02-10T22:55:00.002+10:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.
As inspired by SouleMama

being put to the test

2012-02-09T14:53:00.001+10:00

pic of Koala with his donated handmade toy from the hospital

Today was another 'eye test' day for Koala. He has them every 3 weeks. When he was in hospital, it was every week. Then when he came home, it was every 2 weeks. But now that his eyes are more stable, the regime has been lengthened out to 3 weeks. It involves turning up at the hospital by 9am where the nurses put two sets of drops in Koala's eyes. One set of drops is to dilate the pupils, the other set is to numb the eye area. Then we wait for usually 2 or more hours. After which, we're ushered into the darkened testing room where the opthamologist puts a metal clamp onto the eye area to prise it open. A strong beam of light is shone into the eye. This is done in order to see the blood vessels surrounding the retina. The procedure is then done on the other eye.

Preemie babies are born with a condition called 'retinopathy of prematurity'. If the disease is not monitored, it could lead to retinal detachment and blindness. Most of the time, the condition resolves itself. But in the cases where it doesn't, early laser intervention is required to correct or at least ameliorate the situation.` (Please note that I am not a medical professional - just a mum - trying to make sense of all the jargon! If you'd like more technical information there are lots of medical sites on the internet that explain it more fully).

The blood vessels in Koala's eyes are taking quite a long time to resolve. After initially worsening, they improved a little. Now they fluctuate between stabilising and improving which is a good thing. As long as they're not going backwards, there's hope that they'll fully resolve.

Eye test day is always a 'testing' time for us both on several levels. As it involves returning to the hospital, I am flooded with mainly distressing memories and emotions surrounding the 13 weeks I spent there both before and after Koala's birth.

It's a 'test of patience' because there are a lot of babies requiring the procedure and only 2 nurses and one opthamologist. Often there are emergency cases also. So the wait can be excruciatingly long.

Then there's a 'test of endurance' during the procedure itself which is quite traumatic. Koala's head is placed in a padded casing and he's wrapped up tightly. Then he's held down by two nurses while the opthamologist does his investigations. This is the worst part to endure because you're not allowed to hold or comfort your baby, even though he's distraught and screaming for the duration of the testing, which at least is only a few minutes. After it's over, and you're handed back your baby, you have the chance to comfort and console him. As you hold him close, you feel his rapidly beating heart return to a slower rhythm. His screams diminish to a whimper and then to a gurgle and a smile as he looks into your eyes and you assure him that everything is okay again. You'd hardly know he'd had the test at all if it wasn't for the red marks left by the clamps, and the extremely dilated pupils!

Then comes the moment when you look up at the opthamologist for the diagnosis. Today, I was hoping for an "all good, vascularisation is complete, no need for any more tests". (And no need to put my little baby through this pain and discomfort). However, what I heard was "they're both stable. You'll need to come back in another 3 weeks". I fought back tears, swallowed hard, and asked if there was any reason why Koala's eyes were taking so long to resolve. Longer than any of his little preemie peers who we no longer catch up with in the waiting room! We discussed one possible reason I won't go into in this post. But the doctor reassured me that "while they're not regressing, try not to be concerned". This is my 'test of faith'. To trust and believe his eyes will eventually resolve and to keep things in perspective. Our family is so blessed to have him in our lives.

this moment

2012-01-27T11:58:00.001+10:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
As inspired by SouleMama

you're braver than you believe

2012-01-24T12:06:00.001+10:00

I just said goodbye to Possum. It's his first day of prep. He was trying so hard not to cry. As was I! It felt like more of a wrenching separation with Possum than it did with Blossom when she started prep. Blossom is a very different child - far more gregarious and social. She thrived at kindy and as such I was less concerned about her transition to school. Possum however, never settled in to kindy, prefers his solitude and the company of his mama ;-)

It does seem very unnatural and unnerving to leave your child with 23 other children they don't know, under the care of a teacher neither of us have ever met before. A lot more could be done to make this transition to the first year of school less stressful. It seems every state school has its own procedures even though they all belong to the one department of education. But I don't want to get into politics in this post. Overall, I do know that he is at a good school, that Blossom loved grade 1 there, and I have to trust in the professionalism of the teacher.

As for Blossom, it was a very different experience saying goodbye to her this morning. She knew at least 4 girls in her new class and we'd met her new teacher by chance last week when we'd snuck into the school to check out where each child's room was. When I left her she was happily chatting and playing with play doh. It was lovely too, to have daddy jdv with us this morning for the first day back.

Koala was very well behaved and slept in the sling - even though he was due a feed at the same time as drop-off. I know that him being child number 3 means that he just needs to go with the flow and fit in with the family. However he is preemie and needs special care and an intense feeding regime. So I do have some angst around that! He fed well though - we went to the groovy cafe just opposite the school. And now he's sleeping peacefully...

So it is very quiet in the house, just the rhythmic sound of the breast pump and the metallic erratic sound of the laptop keys as I type. It will take some time for me and the munchkins to settle in to this new rhythm. There's likely to be a few mixed and missed beats along the way. But as A.A Milne wrote: “You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” If you too had munchkins starting a new school year, l hope it went well too. Here's to a fulfilling, enriching and manageable 4 terms ahead!

renewed beginnings

2012-01-04T12:39:00.001+10:00

greetings!
The new year has begun, and the motivation has returned to write again 'a travers' the mother jdv muses, probably because I gave birth to child number 3 last August and am consumed again by mothering and home-making!
I'm actually expressing right now. I've worked out a way of holding the pump to my breast with my thigh so that I can type. In my ABA book, there's actually a picture of a woman typing on the computer while double pumping and she has cut holes out of an old bra to insert the pumps into!! Ideally, I'd be breastfeeding my newborn son directly. However, he was 3 months preemie and we tried and tried and tried to establish the breastfeeding but it wasn't to be.This has caused me quite a lot of angst as I breastfed Possum and Blossum until they were 12 months. And I'm a strong advocate for breastfeeding. However, as I've discovered this time around, despite our best intentions, sometimes things don't always work out as we'd like them too. He's had breastmilk for just over 4 months now and I'm aiming for 6. Who knows! Once I reach that goal, I might go further. I have a bit of a love hate relationship with my breastpump, as anyone who has expressed long term can probably relate to!
(I've just realised I need a nickname for child number 3....mmm...any suggestions?)
A new year is such a wonderful time, so full of promise and hope. 2011 was a very difficult year for our little family. And we are welcoming 2012 with open arms. As it says in one of my favourite bible quotes from Romans 5:3: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope.
Something that 2011 has taught me, that I will carry on with me into 2012 and beyond is an extreme sense of gratitude for what I have and being content with one's lot in life. Life is so precious. So so fragile. We take so much for granted. Our health. Our incredible standard of living in this beautiful country. With Koala (I just thought of his nickname - he's just like a koala the way he snuggles and curls up on my chest) being in hospital for 10 weeks, and me being in hospital for a month before that, and not only personally experiencing trauma and stress but also witnessing it in others on a daily basis, really brought home to me just how lucky we all are. And also how important and crucial faith and prayer is in my life.
So happy new year to you too, whoever you may be, reading this blog! Looking forward to sharing the journey of this incredible life with you throughout the year.
Mama JdV xx

messages for birthing and beyond

2011-07-19T20:59:00.007+10:00

Since my last post on this blog, I've been put in a high risk pregnancy category so the medical aspects of pregnancy with tests, specialists, scans, medication etc have been at the fore. But tonight, I had the first of my active birth yoga sessions and it was so wonderful to give time and space to the 'affective' or the 'feeling' aspects of this pregnancy. With both Blossom and Possum, I attended pregnancy yoga in Melbourne and I'd found it so rewarding, that I sought out classes here in Brisbane. Dedicating 90 minutes a week to your baby in the company of other pregant women in this way - I can't recommend it highly enough! From this first session alone, I gained three powerful messages that I would like to share.

This is the first: The teacher started out by saying that all we need to know about birthing our baby is already within us. (So empowering a thought!) But sometimes, this knowledge can be difficult to access because our fears, or our mind, or societal influences get in the way. Through yoga, breathing, and postures, we can tap into this inner knowledge, our instincts, our being in order to birth our babies.

The second message came out of a relaxation/meditation where we were asked to sense what we wanted from this birth. 'A peaceful birth' was what came to me. And then when I actually thought about that later, this rings so true for what I would like this time.

The third message is embodied in the card pictured above. The teacher placed several different cards on the floor and we were to choose an image that appealed to us. Then we turned the card over to read the message - mine was 'creativity' and the message was 'powerful creative energy is within you, ready to be expressed today. What would you like to say? How would you like to say it?'. It was so apt for me and reaffirmed what I already know about myself, it was uncanny!

What wonderful messages to focus on throughout the next week and throughout the rest of the pregnancy. Where attention goes, energy flows!

(the card comes from 'Joyful Expectancy' by Carina Glanville, 2008)

Where attention goes, energy flows

2011-06-08T21:46:00.004+10:00

Greetings!

Life has been extremely busy with my JoieDeVivre House business so this blog has been somewhat neglected! And recently, we've had to move cities, have had some broader family issues to deal with, and I've also been in the throes of extreme morning sickness (which I've renamed 24 hour sickness). Needless to say, this blog has been one of my creative endeavours that has had to take a back seat. But recently a good friend reminded me of its value and how it's helped her celebrate what is joyful about homelife and motherhood (and how it's helped me through writing it). This was in response to an email I'd written to her lamenting how hard it had been lately to find 'joy and artistry in the everyday' and 'what was I thinking' when my husband and I purposefully created a 5th member of our little family!

I have been quite enjoying wearing my motherhood cloak open and more loosely around my shoulders. With Possum now 4 and Blossom now 6, I've been able to work at least part-time on building my business, I've had time to exercise, and enjoy a modest social life! But with the reality of this 3rd baby and it's arrival in about 6 months, I'm struggling with the thought of returning to that survival mode of motherhood that comes with a newborn; of getting bogged down in the minutiae of daily chores, cleaning and cooking; and the fatigue!

However, if I continue to focus on these less enjoyable aspects of motherhood, then that's of course where my life-force will go and I'll inevitably feel my spirit drained and dulled. As the maxim goes - 'where attention goes, energy flows'. So my lesson for myself, and it might be helpful to any other mothers out there that might come across this blog, is to remember to shift focus on what does bring me joy in motherhood, to make time for myself, and to still prioritise doing activities that make my soul sing. Even when life events have shifted gear and forced me into survival mode, for this is precisely when mothers need to do these things the most!

I know it's easier said than done (from direct experience!)- but I'm going to attend my energy to making it happen - even only if its a little notch in the cloak's belt for now. There's first little notch now - writing this blog post ;-) Now to the dishes...

Cheers
Renée

{this moment} friday

2011-02-11T09:48:00.000+10:00

"{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember." soule mama

Carnival of the Animals - a classical children's classic reinvented!

2011-02-04T22:17:00.002+10:00

Ah, the Carnival of the Animals! I was initially introduced to it when learning the violin around the age of 9 when one of my exam pieces was 'The Swan'. Originally written for cello, it's as equally as beautiful on the violin. I remember as a child, sitting in the Conservatorium library (I was lucky enough to have been accepted into the Conservatorium Music School), with big black headphones on, putting the black vinyl album into the record player and touching the needle gently down on the first groove. The magic of Saint-Saens music filled my ears and my mind with imagined pictures of each animal (or fossil) he included in his carnival.

Now, I have had the opportunity to revisit this wonderful music by introducing to my own two little munchkins. I already had the standard version on cd and had played it to them often. But the other day, while browsing the cd shelves at the local library (I love my local library!), here I find this version recorded by the ABC with poetry by Nick Enright (the Sydney Symphony orchestra commissioned the work to go with the music). And even though Enright's poetry does influence your own aesthetic interpretation to the music, it's just brilliant! And the voicing provided by the actors is marvellous. My children and I absolutely love this version! If you're looking for a way-in to ignite a child's sensibilities to classical music, I can't recommend this enough ;-)

{this moment} friday

2011-02-04T09:30:00.000+10:00

"{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember." soule mama

Gratitude, Simplicity, Order, Balance - Gratitude

2011-02-03T10:56:00.002+10:00

Heart shell, Caloundra, 2010

That is my mantra for 2011! I gleaned those 4 notions from a wonderful book that was given to me by my good friend, Jen. It's called 'Simple Abundance, a day book of comfort and joy' by Sarah Ban Breathnach. I highly recommend it!

In this post, I'm going to unpack the principle of 'gratitude'. Out of all four concepts, gratitude is probably the least I need to work on. I've always felt immense thankfulness for my beautiful little family and our health and the blessedness of our lives. But it's also easy, particularly in today's consumerist, market-driven society, to feel that we're lacking, particularly in material terms. So, I've begun a written gratitude journal to counteract this. Every day, I note down in a special red book, 5 things for which I'm thankful. (This is to replace my gratitude photo journal I did last year, and is a lot easier to maintain!) As Melody Beattie says, 'gratitude unlocks the fullness of life...it can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend...and creates a vision for tomorrow.' It does create a shift in your thinking and view of the world. Give it a go!

I've also extended the idea of a daily 'I feel grateful for' list and also write down 5 things 'I feel good about'. So things that I've done during the day that have hopefully given back to the world 'a portion of its lost heart' :-) (Louise Bogan). Okay, so I may not have closed a successful business deal, made lots of money, or won a gold medal! But hopefully, through some of the simple things that I do, I'm making a difference and bringing beauty into the lives of my little family and my friends. I find that it's so easy to get bogged down in the daily routine of child-rearing and house-keeping. But, as I've discovered in the last month of writing, keeping this list counteracts that feeling. As there are no 'performance appraisals' or a 'boss' to give us a pat on the back in the lives of stay-at-home mamas, it's really up to ourselves to appreciate or acknowledge what we do. And not diminish them either - for as the song goes - 'from little things, big things grow'!

This moment - Blossom's last day of prep, in 'free dress'

2010-12-11T00:10:00.006+10:00

As inspired by Soule Mama - {this moment} - "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember. "

ps This post is also inspired by 'The Story of Bee's' {this moment}s posted by my beautiful friend, Donna.

Changes in perspective

2010-12-10T23:11:00.006+10:00

Wow! It's been a long time since I posted on Mother JdV. I've been busy looking after my new baby, JdV House! It's funny, because I started this Mother JdV blog to write about how I incorporate artistry into motherhood - in an effort to lift myself out of the doldrums of daily, domestic life. I wanted to document some of the creative endeavours that my children and I were doing as a way of valuing and recognising the 'domestic' arts and also as a way of enriching motherhood

But there has been a bit of a shift this year in my role as a mother. It's not as 'full-time' and all-consuming with Blossom being at prep 5 days a week, and Possum at kindy for one and a half days a week. I wanted to be 'active' again financially and intellectually, at least in a part-time capacity. After deciding that going back to teaching in a school or university context was too difficult to negotiate, particularly as I still wanted to be able to drop off and pick up Blossom, I conceived and gave birth to JdV House.

JdV House is my little 'school' that I run from home. I teach French, Music, and Papercrafts to small groups. As all new babies, this first year has been very intensive. I found that I've had to let go of a few things - like writing weekly on this blog and spending hours reading other people's blogs - in order to keep up with the demands of my new 'baby'. And trying to keep things in balance has also proved to be a challenge. I think all working mothers have this issue to deal with. Indeed, so do fathers!

I still take tons of photos of our little lives and still honour my Mother Muses, I just don't have the time to document them as much. Maybe as my JdV House baby matures, I'll be able to spend more time with Mother JdV again.

Cheers, Renée M-B.

ps photo is of Possum at Swell 2010.

New beginnings!

2010-09-11T19:28:00.005+10:00

Don't you just love Spring! After photographing these beautiful flower beds at our local gardens - I just had to share them. Ah, it's actually really nice to be writing for Mother JdV again. I haven't posted here for a while, concentrating instead on my Fun in French and CardARTistry blogs. My visual diary of '365 days of gratitude' has continued, but in hard copy. After stumbling across a fantastic journal one day called '365 days' at Kikki K., I decided to use that format instead. Another reason for this is that some of my gratitudes were rather intimate and wanted to guard them closer to my heart ;-)

Anyway, here are some of the pics I took the other day. Wishing you all a wonderful Spring.

365 days of gratitude - days 39 to 52

2010-07-11T22:42:00.006+10:00

14 days worth of gratitude moments this time! They've taken place over the 2 weeks of winter school holidays. They're all small things, but as Robert Brault wisely said: "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

Gluten-free Apple Streusel Buckwheat Muffins Recipe

2010-06-29T18:59:00.006+10:00

It was a steely cold grey day today. I just had to warm up our hearts and home with some muffins for afternoon tea. They are a bit more complicated than your average muffins but so worth the extra effort. Here's the recipe. I'm proud to say it's my own!

Step 1

Before you do anything else, peel and core about 4 large granny smith apples, slice fairly thinly, place in pan with a dash of water, a few cloves and a cinnamon stick. Simmer gently until apple is nice and soft. Allow to cool. (You can always do this the day before)

Pre-heat oven to 180°C

Cut 12 squares of baking paper, spray muffin tray pans with canola oil, place square of baking paper over muffin hole and press down with a cup that fits.

Step 2

Make the streusel topping by chopping/combining with your whiz stick the following:

1/2 cup of walnuts

1 tbl sp of brown sugar

1 tbl sp of brown rice flour

2 tsp butter

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Step 3

Mix the following dry ingredients together in a large bowl:

3/4 buckwheat flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 tapioca starch/flour

(or equiv. of 3 different gluten-free flours or a pre-mix)

11/2 tsp of cream of tartar

11/2 tsp of bicarb soda

1 tsp xantham or guar gum (this is really important - it's a binding agent that acts as gluten would - you can find it at grocery stores and health food stores)

11/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice, and a pinch of cloves

pinch of salt

Step 4

Mix the following wettish ingredients in a different bowl:

1 cup of the stewed apple from step 1 (making sure to leave a cup's worth for the topping)

1/3 cup of sunflower oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/3 cup of vanilla yoghurt

Step 5

Tip wet into dry and mix to combine.

Step 6

Place large spoonfuls of mixture into the muffin tray. Top this with a tsp of stewed apple and a good sprinkling of the streusel topping.

Step 7

Bake for about 25 minutes. And enjoy with a cup of spiced black tea :-)

365 days of gratitude - days 32 to 38

2010-06-28T19:40:00.004+10:00

Day 32 - this gorgeous poinsietta flowering in our backyard

Day 33 - ah, a good red in a tumbler (just like in France ♥)

Day 34 - reading the latest edition of Notebook in the glorious winter sun
Day 35 - organic, raw honey produced by my dad's bees on his farm

Day 36 - being a part of the beautiful blessingway for the bubba inside this belly and its mama ♥

Day 36 - the magical spiral and lantern walk at JoieDeVivre House's winter festival

And on day 38, which fell on Sunday, 27th June - this precious, joyous, simple moment

365 Days of Gratitude - days 25 to 31

2010-06-20T21:07:00.005+10:00

This week, I had to dig a bit deeper to find what I felt grateful for. Maybe because I'd had a busy and draining week, maybe because over the past 24 days I'd covered the 'obvious' and I don't want to repeat myself...In any case, I've decided that I'd like to extend this daily gratitude journal to 'what I feel good about'. There is a nuance between what one is grateful for and what one feels good about. Both involve appreciating and recognizing the positive things in life, but the former is more related to things that are created for you, whereas the latter is related to things you actively create for yourself.

On day 25, I felt good about...

...this cute, little dressing gown I'd made for Possom. He looks like a little jedi knight in it, plus it keeps him cosy and warm :-)

On day 26, I felt grateful for...

... my beautiful, beautiful daughter, (for whom I feel grateful every day), but on this particular day, she'd gotten up early and suprised us by setting the table for breakfast!

On day 27, I felt grateful for...

... my kind, supportive and caring friend, Donna;

On day 28, I felt grateful for and good about...
...the wonderful and loving relationship between Possum and Blossom. My husband and I have worked hard to foster mutual respect and kindness in our little family. And it is very heart-warming to watch our children treating each other, most of the time, in this way.

On day 29, I felt grateful for...
... the equally wonderful relationship between my husband and our children. I'm so glad they have a hunky, strong daddy to toussle with and climb on :-)

On day 30, I was grateful for and felt good about...

... our Saturday morning pancake ritual. Need I say more!

And on day 31, which fell on this day, Sunday 20th June, 2010, I felt grateful for...

my beautiful faith ♥

365 Days of Gratitude - days 18 to 24

2010-06-14T21:33:00.006+10:00

Day 18 - - the camelias blooming outside our bathroom window;

Day 19 - - the generosity and love of my brother towards my son;

On day 20 - - my heat packs!!

On day 21 -

- juicy, bitter sweet, winter strawberries;

On day 22 -
- the azure-blue wintry skies that we are treated to, here on the GC;

On day 23 -
- the artistry, expertise and friendship of my 'uppie', Petronela :-)

And on day 24, which fell on Sunday, June 13, I found myself feeling grateful for -

- flannel net sheets!!

What have you felt grateful for lately? ♥

365 days of gratitude - days 11 to 17

2010-06-06T22:58:00.009+10:00

I am grateful for...

on day 11 - my new mixmaster!!! it makes the best meringue!!!

on day 12 -

the opportunity to teach Blossom how to knit;

on day 13 - the library - we can borrow 20 items each - which makes 60 alogether for myself and the munchkins - hence the need for the travel suitcase!

on day 14 - Blossom's prep teacher and her wonderful, local state school;
on day 15 - ah...tea...my current fave - glögg;
on day 16 -
these cute little wild flowers that just popped up, out of the ground, no doubt planted by the fairies, as Blossom promptly suggested;

and on day 17, the final day of this series of a full week of daily gratitudes - the love of my life, my rock, my sun and moon,
for whom I'm grateful every second of every day.

Mother Figure Interview - Melissa Luxmoore

2010-06-03T21:04:00.010+10:00

This is the second interview in the Mother Figure series and I am honoured to introduce you to Melissa - mama to the beautiful Ayla. I first met Melissa and Ayla at Lavendilly House. Jen had organised a fundraising morning tea for Ayla's Rainbow Connection Foundation. We were all to make a pretty, little felted flower for Melissa to sell at the various markets around the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Ayla was born with Polymicrogyria and Cerebral Palsy . The costs of care and treatment for her condition being extremely high, Melissa set up the Rainbown Connection Foundation to help to raise the necessary funds. She also has a beautiful blog where she documents Ayla's treatments amongst other things, on a more personal level. This amazingly resourceful and creative women also has a fantastic etsy store, called 'don't tell mama', with the most gorgeous hand-crafted gifts for babies and children.

Melissa is an inspiration to all who meet her. Here are her responses to the Mother Figure questions, based around each of the Mother Muses.

♥

Mother Maison
How you feel about the following 3 aspects of running a household, what you do about it, and do you have any tips or tricks to share?
House cleaning: I finally have a child-free day at home which has now become my cleaning day. With my little one not being able to do very much for herself, my attempts at cleaning are VERY often interrupted with toileting, therapy, constant snacks and meals and just basic entertainment. My philosophy is ….I’m not superwoman, I don’t want to be superwoman and my friends aren’t going to judge me based on my housekeeping skills.
Home-making : I don’t have a beautiful home with every last thing in its place but I definitely feel that my home is a home. When people come to visit, they don’t have any trouble making themselves right at home on my couch. Just the way I like it!
Family planning – as in time management!! : Big believer in Rhythm - I have little rhythms for Ayla all throughout the day, mainly based around meals. There’s also a weekly rhythm of things we do each day of the week. The weekends are open slather. We also have Ayla’s therapy time that weaves in and around our overall rhythm: 3 hours per day fitted wherever it can.

♥

Mother Figure
Instilling good parenting – what’s an important parenting skill you’ve acquired? Multi-tasking! And I think the most important thing has been to let go of expectations. Expectations I have of myself and what I can and can’t get done in a day, and expectations of Ayla too. Some days are good, some days not so good, and some days are a disaster and I fall in a heap and cry. This brings me to another important parenting skill: allowing myself a little time to have a good cry on a disastrous day before I force myself to get up and keep going.
Uplifting – what child-free activities do you find uplifting? Spinning, knitting and sewing. Cooking is another. I know most people enjoy cooking with their kids but Ayla just isn’t there yet and sort of makes cooking a little stressful. But I love to cook for her. She eats just about anything so it’s always rewarding. My final me-time activity is reading; fantasy to be precise. I love escaping to another time and dimension.
Inspiring – what mother or mother- figure inspires you and why? I have a couple of these, too.
My Grandma (Mamma): She had 6 kids, lived in caravans and tents for most of her life, a real survivor. She had very little money but she cooked like you wouldn’t believe. She used to babysit me while my Mum worked a couple of days a week. She taught me to cook and had all of her recipes in her head. I never once saw a cookbook or notebook out while she was cooking. My Mum: She’s a survivor too. She survived betrayal and the loss of a child. A classic third child, she’s fierce in her protection of her family, friends and people less fortunate in the community too. She works hard, both at work and at home and she is always there for me when I fall apart. We don’t always agree but we rarely find reason enough to argue about it. She always told me that I could be anything that I wanted to be….and she was right.

♥

Mother Meditation
What life lesson, maxims, quotes, prayers, thoughts etc help you to get back on the path when things get hard?
This little quote has helped me through some of the hardest times in my life:
“There is no right or wrong choice. Every choice I make is perfect at that time for it leads to an outcome which is necessary for me to grow in love and wisdom”.

♥

Mother MasterChef
What’s your fave recipe that you cook for you and your family? Would you believe Scrambled Eggs?! We love them. Straight from the chook pen, a little fresh cream, a huge dob of butter and sprinkled with chives from the garden. Ayla’s favourite and we have them most mornings.

♥

Mother Craft
How do you bring creativity into your life as a mum? What’s your favourite crafting endeavour? It’s funny because I really wasn’t that crafty until Ayla came along. With every little challenge she brings me, she seems to spark my creativity. Ayla is literally ‘creating’ me. I taught myself to knit as a way of escaping negative thoughts and worries and it has become something that I love and has even evolved enough now for me to start spinning my own gorgeous yarns. My favourite things to knit are things for the family. Ayla has beanies, cardis, shrugs and will soon have socks…if I can work them out. Steven, my husband, has a beanie that he loves and currently has a seriously funky jumper in progress. And I have spoiled myself too with 2 cardis and a scarf.
♥

Mother Nature
How does the natural world influence your life and your mothering? I love the seasons and the changes they bring. Changes in temperature, changes in the vege and herb garden, leaves changing colour, changes in our home activities, changes in ingredients, changes in our menu staples. My favourite season for cooking is Autumn….figs, walnuts, pecans, pears, pumpkin, apples……yum.
♥

Mother Aesthetica
What things of beauty or artistry lift your spirits and make your creative soul sing? Fibre. Definitely Fibre: wool, alpaca, yak, angora rabbits, mohair, cotton, bamboo, seacell, silk. Natural colours and hand painted especially. I love the look of it, the feel of it and the functionality of it.

♥ Thank you Melissa for all that you do

and all that you are.

♥ Ayla chose well ♥

good bye dear little autumn pixies

2010-05-31T23:02:00.006+10:00

thank you for gracing our seasonal table again this autumn

we shall miss you!

ps I haven't posted a daily gratitude entry today - I've decided to each weekday into one entry on friday, and then saturday and sunday into one entry on monday. I'm still taking the photos each day, but just not uploading them - was proving to be rather time-consuming for this busy mama!

365 days of gratitude - days 9 and 10

2010-05-31T09:40:00.006+10:00

How grateful am I for our piano! I've started to teach Blossom to play. So far, she's enjoying it :-)

And our potted herb garden. Nothing beats fresh herbs! And they're so easy to grow. My vege garden comes and goes, along with my motivation. But my herb garden seems to handle the ups and downs of my care and neglect gardening cycle!

365 days of gratitude - day 8

2010-05-29T00:58:00.003+10:00

Yes, this is a photo of my washing machine! I am very appreciative of my washing machine. While it industriously washes, rinses and spins out the family's clothes, I can be crafting, or designing, or writing, or cooking, or enjoying the company of my little munchkins! When I hear stories of my grandma's washing days, when it was all done by hand, even down to boiling the water, I'm even more grateful for this wonderful invention :-)

365 days of gratitude - day 7

2010-05-27T19:34:00.005+10:00

walking my little munchkin to school, with the other little munchkin peeking out of the bottom of the stroller, on a bright, clear and not-too-cool Autumn morning

365 days of gratitude - day 6

2010-05-26T20:25:00.005+10:00

my berkies and my feet - not the most attractive of feet, but they function and serve me well :-)

365 days of gratitude - day 5

2010-05-25T22:25:00.006+10:00

Today, I found myself feeling very grateful for my new scoring tool, of all things! Particularly given that I had a card-making workshop on tonight that involved a tricky side step fold card...

365 days of gratitude - day 4

2010-05-24T21:06:00.000+10:00

365 Days of Gratitude - Day 3

2010-05-23T17:56:00.005+10:00

365 days of gratitude - day 2

2010-05-22T08:05:00.005+10:00

365 days of gratitude - day 1

2010-05-21T10:59:00.007+10:00

This morning, I read an article in last year's April issue of Notebook called '365 days of gratitude'. In it, a woman describes how she took a polaroid photo each day for the duration of a year, of something she was grateful for. She then compiled the photos into a photo album. My heart and mind resonated immediately with this idea, and I've decided to emulate this endeavour, but digitally through the vehicle of my motherjoiedevivre blog. And my 'gratitudes' may not always be depicted in photos, but they're a good place to start :-)

On this first day of my '365 days of gratitude e-journal', I am grateful for...

We're going on a train trip!

2010-05-01T21:08:00.007+10:00

It all started with this little invitation, that had inside it, a special train ticket.

After many hours of preparation and train constructing and painting,

the day of our little Possum's 3rd Birthday 'Train Party' arrived.

10 little munchkins, all with their tickets in their hot little hands, boarded the special Birthday train, and headed off to the 'park', with Possum in the driver's seat and his big sister bringing up the rear.

After an initial hiccup, where one of the carriages needed to be re-coupled by our on-hand and trusty Engineer,

they were well on their way and arrived at their destination safe and sound, under the watchful eye of the Train Conductor.

There, they had a party picnic all together on the grass, and some playtime before...

...boarding the train once again to return 'home'.

Once home, Possum got to open all the wonderful presents he received from his special little friends and...

... we all got to devour the Train Cake.

Happy Birthday, our little man. We cherish you and the joy you bring to our lives.

Free Stamp Set Giveaway!

2010-04-12T13:13:00.004+10:00

Hi all you crafty mamas! If you like stamping (and card-making and scrapbooking), hop on over to my Card ARTistry blog and enter the competition to win a free Stampin'Up stamp set of your choice (open to Australian residents only). I also have card-making and papercraft workshops coming up on Thursday 15th and Tuesday 20th of April for those of you living on the Gold Coast. They're heaps of fun and a wonderful oppportunity to get out of the house and get some creative me-time happening!

New Life. New Hope.

2010-04-09T19:43:00.003+10:00

Another Easter has come and gone. Time is passing so quickly since Blossom began prep this year and I started my JoieDeVivre House venture! And I did not have time to write this post about one of my favourite times of the year, prior to, or during it. However, it's still nice to reflect on it and document it, all the same :-).

As the regular readers of this blog know, I love family traditions and themed celebrations. And Easter is no exception. Apart from enjoying the glorious Autumn weather, I love...

...putting up our Easter seasonal table, with our hand-made eggs, peachy chick, autumn wreath and our cute long-legged bunnies (we didn't make these - Bed Bath'n' Table did)

... eating, giving and receiving Easter eggs. And this year, I went all out and hand-made Easter cards, baskets and treat bags for my friends and family, our GP and Blossom's prep teachers! It was so nice to personalise these gifts and make them Autumn-like (as opposed to having to buy the all-pervasive Spring-like mass-marketed and mass-produced Easter fare!)

...that it provides impetus and opportunities for crafting with my munchkins. They absolutely love using my stamps, in their own individual ways!

...the "Easter bonnet parade" tradition. And this year, I got to make a 'bonnet' for Blossom's inaugural parade at her school.

(It was dwarfed somewhat on the day though! But I still thought she looked beautiful :-).

...how Possom and Blossum get incredibly and overwhelmingly excited when they find the hidden Easter eggs on Easter Sunday morning. And this year, was no exception.

....that my birthday comes along around this time - Easter Monday this year. So we got to spend the entire day together. What a treat!

But what I love most of all about Easter is its message of new life and new hope, of liberation and freedom, of peace and grace.

Happy Easter!

Mother Figure - Jennifer McCormack

2010-03-08T20:38:00.006+10:00

This is the first of my ‘interview’ posts honouring Mother Figures. How important it is to have role models and sources of inspiration in our lives, particularly in our roles as mothers!
My beautiful friend, Jen, has gifted me with her time, her kindness, and her guidance since meeting her two years ago at her Lavendilly House playgroup. She is the first of the Mother Figures to be honoured, and indeed provided the inspiration for this series of interviews in September of last year. I had been experiencing some personal and parental difficulties and Jen’s wisdom and perspective helped me immeasurably. Jen is a mama of two gorgeous munchkins and is eagerly awaiting the birth of baby number three. Her professional background is in early childhood teaching, being a celebrant, and also an amazing fibre artist. By sharing this interview, (finally!), and the other interviews that will follow, I hope that you too, can find some food for thought for your own life's journey from these amazing women.

The questions and responses are organised under the Mother Muse headings, beginning with a favourite of mine, Mother Maison:

How you feel about the following 3 aspects of running a household, what you do about it, and do you have any tips or tricks to share?
House cleaning:
I'm still learning the skill of 'clean as you go'. I like to break tasks up and notice the clear space left behind each item is put away where it belongs. My mum told me about this when I was a little girl and it was such a nice image that it stuck.
Home-making :
Home making is an art-form that must be learned and practiced. It is one of the most important things about cultivating happy relationships. Every person must have a home that welcomes them, forgives them and allows them the time and space to express whatever needs to be expressed.
Family planning – as in time management!! :
Rhythm is everything. It is so important for children to experience this because it allows them space to feel secure in knowing what is coming next, and the freedom to explore individual choices within given expectations. Time management for my family is about keeping it simple and predictable.

Mother Meditation
What life lesson, maxims, quotes, prayers, thoughts etc help you to get back on the path when things get hard?
"I take life in perfect balance". I don't always...but when I feel things tipping out of balance this reminds me to put everything into perspective and bring myself back to centre. It is written on my fridge in whiteboard marker.

Mother MasterChef
What’s your fave recipe that you cook for you and your family?
Chocolate self saucing pudding - visit Lavendilly Garden for the recipe!

Mother Craft
How do you bring creativity into your life as a mum? What’s your favourite crafting endeavour?
I have too many interests, but they all have their limits: I love to make beautiful and amazing felted pieces, but don't enjoy rolling it. I love knitting, but only small things. I love to sew, but only if I feel an affinity with my sewing machine that day. I love to draw, but only when inspiration hits me. I love to write poetry....there is no but to this one. I love to write poetry. Always have.

Mother Nature
How does the natural world influence your life and your mothering?
In every way. I like the elements to be present in my home. I like to share nature stories with the children, and delight in the surprises the Mother Nature sends us. Nature is a source of relaxation for me. I am not much of a gardener (yet) but I do feel relaxed when I sit quietly with running water, firm earth, cool breezes and warm sun nearby, replenishing me.

Mother Aesthetica
What things of beauty or artistry lift your spirits and make your creative soul sing?

Anything that calls to my authentic self. Anything that is beautiful and useful. Anything I have made myself. Anything that expresses an emotion I couldn't find the words for. Anything that makes me laugh. Anything that allows me the time and space to feel like me. Anything that has obviously had a lot of intricate thought gone into it. Anything that has history.

Mother Figure
Uplifting – what social or me-time uplifts you and how?

Any peaceful time when I am alone with my thoughts and can cultivate the peace surrounding my body, my feelings and my thoughts. It may be when I am lost in a book, or some knitting. It may be the snatched moments of solitude in the wee hours of the morning. I enjoy the company of my womenfolk, and I crave the opportunity now and then to share and download and compare experiences ... but I find I am energised the most when I spend quality time with myself, and this is where I retreat when my batteries need recharging.

Instilling good parenting – what’s an important parenting skill you’ve acquired?
Waiting. Once, a wise person told me that 'waiting is a gift'. I never truly understood that until I became a parent. Helping my children to wait, to know what it is to be hungry, to be hurt, to be so excited they will burst, to long for something, to earn things through patience and wait until I am ready to help them. I often stop and take a breath and finish what I am doing before I respond, to give the message that they are important, but the task I am engaged in is important too. There is a time for everything.

Inspiring – who is an inspirational mother figure for you and why?
My mum. For leaving her whole family behind her and moving to an unfamiliar country with no friends and no support network, with two young children so close in age. For insisting upon a natural, VBAC birth for her second born (me) despite the presence of a still-recently vertical scar along her belly from her first birth. Must have been quite rare in the 70s. For following her passions all her life, for finding creativity and self-expression and encouraging my brother and I to do the same. For feeding me good food all my life. For loving my Dad so much and showing me how a loving family stays together.

Thank you, Jen, for accepting to be honoured as a Mother Figure at Mother JoieDeVivre, and for providing me with such a beautiful role-model in who you are as a mama and all that you believe in.

The making of Frederik and 'Sunshine' - Part 2 - the body

2010-02-24T20:29:00.008+10:00

In part 1 of this waldorf doll-making series in Mother Craft muse, I showed how to make the head and face. You'll notice by the title of Part 2 that there's been a name change. Since giving Possum the doll for Christmas, she decided that the name Sunshine suited her better!

So, the body. I found this part of the process the most challenging. Stuffing the body is very time consuming as it requires gently tearing wispy bits of fleece off the roll and stuffing it bit by bit into the body. (I don't have photos of sewing the body, but it was very simple to sew the cut body pattern pieces together).

So we started with the legs, and now and then we pushed the fleece down with then larger end of a chop stick (you can buy doll stuffers). We also stuffed each arm, making sure to form the thumb. The really important thing to remember when stuffing the doll is that it needs to be extremely firm. This is because the fleece can continue to pack down with time so if you under-stuff, you can end up with a lumpy, limpy dolly.

In order to form the ankles, we placed a large pin as shown through the side of the legs.

Same with the hips, but this time on a bit of a diagonal.

Then, you sew in the hip 'line', and tie off the legs. However, I just stitched in the ankle line as I preferred that look to the round, stumpy-like feet!

Then, we stuffed the body and gathered in the neck with a gathering stitch.

Next, you insert the head and pull the gathering stitch in tightly and tie it off.

Then, we did an invisible stitch to attach the head firmly to the neck, followed by a couple of rounds of linen thread.

To attach the arms, our doll mid-wife, Jen from Lavendilly House, came to the rescue with her really long doll needle and some linen thread.

As you can tell from the photos, the needle and thread goes through one arm, then the body, and then through to the other arm.

And there you have it, a baby with a head a body. Almost ready to be birthed... as soon as Part 3 of the doll gestation process is completed - the hair! Stay tuned.

Making meaning of Valentine's Day

2010-02-16T19:49:00.009+10:00

I'm a hopeless romantic and I love Valentine's Day! Usually, it is just my husband and I that celebrate it by organising some child-free time to 'be' with each other; by exchanging a Valentine's card; and my favourite part - my husband presenting me with a bouquet of red roses.

However, this year my friend, Patrice, at one of my CardARTistry workshops, dedicated Valentine's Day cards also to her children.

This got me thinking and prompted further exploration into this celebration (which like so many other commemorative moments in the year has become overly commercialised.) After doing some internet research, I discovered that there are at least 5 possible foundations for Valentine's Day, 2 of which I'd like to share here. The original foundation is that February 14th is the day in the Catholic calender when 3 Saint Valentines are honoured. Apparently, neither of these 3 men were initially linked to love and romance! All the same, folklore would have it that one the Saint Valentine's, on the eve of his execution for his beliefs in Christianity, left a farewell note for a loved one and signed it "From Your Valentine." The other link to the love theme I found particularly interesting was that a "High Court of Love" was established in Paris on Valentine's Day in 1400. Interestingly, the court dealt with love contracts, betrayals, and violence against women.

Anyway, after discovering all of this, I reached the same conclusion I've written about previously on this blog.

When it comes to the festivals that take place in our year, if we are to celebrate them meaningfully, we need to appropriate them to our own lives, hemisphere, beliefs and needs.

So here's our little family's re-appropriation of St Valentine's Day:

Valentine's Day for us is an opportunity to acknowledge the love and affection we have for each other, to communicate this in writing, and to dedicate time to each other to honour this emotion which is the foundation of everything in our loves.

So this year, my husband and I had breakfast together in the morning, and later that day, it was a fantastic excuse to bake some heart-shaped brownies (dusted with vanilla sugar and served with vanilla bean icecream) and for the four of us to have afternoon tea together. I also made cards for Possom and Blossom - and they were absolutely delighted.

Step by step

2010-01-28T11:12:00.017+10:00

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with one step ~ Lao Tzu

My two little munchkins have begun new journeys this year. Blossom has taken her first step into the world of School. And Possum has dipped his toes into the Kindy pond.

And I too have a new venture - operating a small business from home. Not wanting to return to conventional school teaching just yet, I've concocted my own little teaching and learning space called JoieDeVivre House, or JdV House for short. It's where I aim to provide a selection of workshops or classes on artistic endeavours that I love to teach, to participants who love to learn.

There are 3 main courses on the JdV House menu: Card ARTistry workshops, French for Fun classes, and A is for the Arts. Card ARTistry is my focus for this first 'term' of the year. I've always loved making cards and now I've been inspired, through my friendship with Petronela Hardy from 'keep stamping' to teach how to make cards by becoming an independent Stampin'Up demonstrater. Their products are so gorgeous! Details for the first semester of workshops for 2010, as well as postings on how to make beautiful cards and other papercrafts can be found here on the Card Artistry blog.

So, three new beginnings for my munchkins and me. Time for a cup of earl grey tea :-)

Solitary "Mother Meditation" Rest and Reflection

2010-01-23T23:34:00.011+10:00

Mother Maker - Profile

2010-01-12T19:27:00.007+10:00

Sharing is not about giving people something, or getting something from them; that is only valid for information sharing. Sharing knowledge occurs when people are genuinely interested in helping one another develop new capacities for action; it is about creating learning processes.

Peter Senge - American scientist

Mother Maker is all about sharing what I learn as I travel along my creative arts journey. Being creative and doing lots of 'making' has been my lifeline throughout these past years of full-time motherhood. I think that often we don't attempt something new or different, in a creative sense, because we are missing a piece of the map that we might need to get us to our destination. Hopefully, through the Mother Maker muse tutorials, something may help point you in the right direction, or give you that added fuel to get you going and sustain you on your crafty, arty travels.

Photo: the waldorf doll I made for my Possum, Christmas 09

The joys of the season...

2010-01-09T17:13:00.008+10:00

...beginning with...

my 'now' sister-in-law's gorgeous wedding ceremony to my 'already' brother-in-law

...and continuing with...

the much-anticipated arrival of Christmas morning

delicious baked ham flavoured with cloves and citrus honey glaze

the best gluten-free plum pudding ever, served with custard, ice-cream and brandy butter

my 'little' brother's beautifully-rendered Christmas carols

the pleasure of giving the hand-made gifts Blossum, Possum, and I had made

the bliss of seeing Blossom and Possum fall in love with their hand-made dolls

...and ending with...

the frolicking fun of the French-inspired 'Fete des Rois' which was celebrated on the 12th and final day of this special and blessed time of the year.

And now to 2010!

Here's to a new year and a new decade full of peace, fulfilment, joy and love.

xxx

Four candles!

2009-12-24T06:35:00.006+10:00

Four candles are flickering on the advent wreath, with the Christmas Day candle waiting patiently until tomorrow when it too can shine.

Both the MotherCraft and Mother Aesthetica Muses have been very busy this past fortnight

making making making...

...bibs for friends with newborn babies

.... wedding accessories for myself and my munchkins for their uncle's wedding

and upholding my self-imposed HandMade Christmas Gift challenge by

...pastel painting

...doll-making

...crafting with Possum and Blossum

... and turning their creations into gifts also.

Even though it became quite stressful, because I'd left it all to the last minute, hand-making gifts is so rewarding. I highly recommend it! Now to the wrapping and gift-tagging, and the loving and being with my beautiful family and friends during this most magical time of year.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and to thank you sincerely for reading my blog over the past 4 months since its inception, and for your wonderful, wonderful comments.

xxx

Miam Miam! Fruit Mince Muffins!

2009-12-11T13:41:00.007+10:00

Two candles flickering on the Advent wreath

Ten baubles hanging on the Advent Calendar Tree

A dozen Advent Fruit Mince Muffins for afternoon tea!

My munchkins and I made these yesterday afternoon to celebrate week 2 of Advent. It's a recipe I've adapted and extended from 'delicious.' Christmas magazine. They are really yummy! You can make 24 baby ones or 12 toddler-sized ones.

All you need to do is:

Pre-heat oven to 180°C and line your muffin pans with paper cases

Put all of the following dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well -
2 cups of gluten free flour ( I used 1/2 cup each of buckwheat, white rice, tapioca and soy and was really happy with the texture)
1 tsp xantham or guar gum
2 tsp of gluten free baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
35 g of brown sugar

Into another bowl, put all of the following wet ingredients:
100 ml cream
200 ml milk
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon molasses

Add dry and wet together, along with 200 g of fruit mince, and stir only until just combined.

Fill muffin cases with mixture and cook for about 20mins. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, place 1 cup of icing sugar into a bowl and add in enough lemon juice to make a soft icing. Drizzle over the cooled muffins.

My munchkins also decorated ours yesterday with cachous. We couldn't wait until they'd cooled completely and even though the icing ran off and soaked into the muffins, they were delicious warm...

Bon Appetit!

Muslin, spice and all things nice

2009-12-10T16:49:00.008+10:00

Grandma's Christmas Pudding (gluten-free version)

My grandma used to host the most wonderful family Christmas parties. And I always remember her steaming her Christmas puddings at least a month in advance and wrapping them in muslin cloths. The past couple of years, I have carried on this tradition in my home. Last week, I steamed up our own little pud and wrapped it up in a brandy-soaked muslin cloth where it will stay until Christmas day.

Here's the recipe.

Day before:
Place 500g of dried fruit of your choice, 1 large grated apple, and finely grated zest of 1 lemon in a bowl with 100ml brandy and let macerate in the fridge overnight.

Day of (make sure you'll be home for at least 5 hours):

Melt 175g butter in a pan and allow to cool slightly.
Mix together 1 cup of gluten free flour, 2 tsp of gluten free baking powder, 1 tsp of xantham gum, 3 tsp of mixed spices (I like nutmeg, cloves, cardamon, cinnamon, and allspice).
Food process up some gluten free bread to make up a cup of fresh breadcrumbs
Add all of the above together with 3 eggs, 100g dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of molasses and mix well.

Grease and line base of a 1.5 litre pudding basin. Spoon in mixture and cover tightly. Place an upturned saucer in the bottom of a large pan and fill with water to reach up to halfway up sides of basin. Steam over medium heat for 5 hours.

Turn out, allow to cool, and wrap up in a brandy-soaked muslin cloth. Store in airtight container in fridge until Christmas day. Each week, moisten with more brandy! When Christmas Day arrives, you can steam the pudding again for about an hour so that it's piping hot. Serve with your favourite custard, or icecream, or cream, or grand marnier butter. Miam miam!

Brandy and blanched almonds, by the light of the moon

2009-12-04T16:26:00.013+10:00

A gluten-free, sugar-free, delicious Christmas Cake Recipe

Last night, by the light of the beautiful Advent moon, my (gluten-free) 'advent' fruit cake was born. I'd actually set out to make out Christmas pudding, but forgotten that it needed five hours to steam, so I whipped up a cake and put the Christmas pudding on to steam today. It's still bubbling away as I write this - smells amazing! This is the first year I've made a gluten-free Christmas cake. Not finding an exact recipe I liked, I made up my own from 3 different ones. It's really yummy, and actually quite healthy...!

I did a bit of internet research on the origins of the Christmas cake. All I really knew about it was that it's an English custom. Anyway, I discovered that it was originally a porridge eaten on Christmas Eve to line the stomach after a day of fasting! It evolved from that to a cake, and then to a boiled pudding. For more info, click here. I like the idea of baking, eating and sharing a fruit cake for Advent and then also baking a Plum pudding, and anticipating it's devouring on Christmas Day.

here's the recipe:

* 150 g dates, chopped and placed in a pan with 130 ml of water, bring to boil and simmer until soft
* 100g each of raisins, sultanas and currants (or whatever dried fruit you like), and a splash of brandy
* 150g of gluten-free SR flour, spiced with 1/2 tsp each of ground cardamon, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and a 1 tsp of xantham or guar gum to prevent it from crumbling and falling to pieces
* 3 eggs
* 110ml of sunflower oil

Mix all of these ingredients together thoroughly and put into a lined, greased, 18cm cake tin. Decorate with blanched almonds. (I made a star shape on mine. )

Bake for 20-30 mins at 170 degrees C and then another 40 to 45 minutes at 140 degrees C.

Allow to cool for 5 mins, then turn out.

Put 2 tbls of apricot jam in the microwave for 30 secs and brush over the top to glaze.

Allow to cool and serve with multiple cups of steaming hot earl grey tea. If you use the recipe, would love to hear how it turned out :-)

Enjoy!

Living Christmas Traditions - the Advent Calendar (Tree)

2009-12-01T21:29:00.013+10:00

Another Christmas tradition our family celebrates is the Advent Calender (Tree). This is a new tradition for us given that we only started it last year. Not wanting to purchase a mass produced cardboard/chocolate version and wanting it to be more than just opening 'windows,' I raided my craft materials box and devised the one pictured above.
If you'd like to make something like this too,

this is what you need:

*25 (gold organza drawstring) bags
*(multicoloured, wooden) beads
*(gold) pipe cleaners
* a decorative branchy tree thingy (mine's something I picked up from IKEA last year)

* round stickers and a pen (I do intend, one of these days, to embroider the numbers on the bags in metallic thread...)
*Mary and Joseph (wooden) dolls and a (wooden) Donkey

optional
christmas chocolates or candy canes

this is what you do:

On each organza bag, stick a sticker with a number on it from 1 to 25. Then inside the bag, place a wooden bead that has a gold pipe cleaner looped on one end (to stop it from sliding off), and 2 chocolates (if desired). I put in two small chocolates, one for each child, every two or three days, so that it's a surprise. In the day 21 bag, put a Mary and Joseph and a donkey inside, (as well as the wooden bead decoration.) And on day 25, put a star. Place the bags in a receptacle, next to the tree.

(I put my number bags in a little vintage tin, the bare tree, and a traditional St Nicholas figurine on our children's seasonal table, as well as a little basket to put the empty organza bags in.)

this is how it goes:

On 1st December, the children roll a dice to see who gets to find and open the first bag. This year, it was Possum, who literally trembled with excitement on finding a little chocolate bauble and a wooden bauble decoration. The chocolate was immediately devoured and then the bauble was hung on the tree. This ritual continues on every day so that by day 25, all of the little wooden beads are hanging on the tree and the star is atop.

(On day 21, when Mary, Joseph and the donkey are found in the bag, they start their metaphorical journey to the stable. We put up our tree and set up the creche on the Summer Solstice - more on that later :-) )

Living Christmas Traditions - the Advent Wreath

2009-12-01T19:58:00.018+10:00

Everyone has their own special Christmas Traditions that they revisit each year. I have a particular desire to 'own' the Christmas rituals that our family celebrate. By this, I mean understanding why and the historical background behind a particular ritual and also to make them especially relevant to our existence, here in the southern hemisphere.

A wonderful Christmas ritual that our little family lives each year is that of the 'The Advent Wreath'. I first discovered it when I was 18, and spending some time with a family in Germany. On the fourth Sunday before Christmas, my German friends made a wreath of green pine leaves, attached four white pillar candles to it, and tied it up with red ribbon to hang from the ceiling. Only one candle was lit, then the following Sunday, two candles shone brightly and so on, until all four candles were lit on the Sunday immediately preceding Christmas Day.

For my German friends, the Advent Wreath was not only as a countdown of the Sundays to Christmas. It was also a symbolic depiction of eternal life, in the shape of the circle, and the spiritual enlightenment brought to Earth in the birth of Christ as symoblised in the candle flame.

(Further historical background and other interpretations can be found here on Wikipedia and here on my friend, Amber's, blog.)

This tradition resonated with my own aesthetic and beliefs and the following Christmas, I incorporated it into my own celebrations with some modifications. Instead of hanging it from the ceiling, we place it in the middle of our dining table. And we light the candles successively each Sunday, at each meal, while we sing this song, particularly suited to the consciousness of my two little munchkins :-):

Christmas Light Fairies

Come to us

Bringing all the sparkles from the stars

To this peaceful home of ours.

I've also decorated our wreath with ribbons in my fave Christmas colours of royal blue and gold and this year, I've replaced the pillar candles with tea light candles in recycled glass jars decorated with shiny gold stars. This is inherently more practical because the breeze from our pedestal fan cannot extinguish the flame, and the candle wax no longer drips all over the table! I also inted to decorate the rim of the jars with some chunky gold glitter...as soon as I get to a craft shop to purchase some :-)

---

Do you too have an Advent Wreath tradition in your home?

Starting school...

2009-11-27T14:18:00.006+10:00

My little Blossom is starting Prep in a couple of months time. I have mixed feelings about this - including some sadness, a fair amount of concern, and a little excitement too. Fiona the Pig's parents also went through these same emotions I discovered today, when Blossom and I read all about their daughter's Big Day. My munchkins and I happened upon this book at our library (love the local library!) and if you are also sending one of your little ones off to school for the first time next year, it's worth a read :-)

Creative flames burming bright - 12 Dancing Princesses Party

2009-11-24T15:24:00.016+10:00

I love creating magical birthday parties for my little munchkins. It really gets the creative flame burning hot! And provides lots of opportunities for the three of us to create together. For her 5th birthday, Blossom chose a '12 Dancing Princesses' theme - her fave Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Talk about a creative firestarter! This theme definitely called for...

...Costumes!

Simple capes for the four of us, made using scrap material and gold rope (the invited guests also came in royal garb)

crowns for the invited princesses, made using a template and purple and pink cardboard

each princess got to decorate her own using little rhinestones, glitter and punched symbols

...Royal Bunting!

Made with pink, purple, yellow and green crepe paper and string

with punched gold symbols glued on the front

and strung up in the ' Royal Courtyard '

...Princess Party Games!

like 'Place the Slipper on the Princess' - made by painting a barefoot princess onto butcher's paper with poster paint, then cutting it out and glue-ing it onto blue and green card, and also painting some dancing slippers, then laminating it (also used green spots to mark the invited guests' guess)

they loved it!

... Storytelling and Paper craft!

Made with a recycled Huggies nappy box, butchers paper and poster paint, I created the backdrop for the fairy tale and made 2 lots of 6 paper dolls, the king, and the soldier, and re-told a version of the story for the little princesses

...Dancing Shoe Place cards!

Made with recycled cereal boxes, painted with poster paint, glitter and pink yarn for the bows

(wrote their name in pink pen on the 'inside' of the slipper)

...Pretty Princess Necklaces as party favours!

Made with pink yarn, a mixture of beads, and a little princess charm

in a little swirly silver organza bag

... Dancing Slippers Birthday Cake

with little crowns

(my first birthday cake of original design!!)

...Pretty Pink Thank you cards!

using the leftover cardboard and punched symbols from the crowns and Stampin'Up stamps

I feel so blessed to be able to create this for and with my daughter.

All the mother muses are in their element and play a role - what mother joie de vivre!

Spring Greens - notre petit potager

2009-11-17T14:11:00.012+10:00

When you rent a house and can't dig up your backyard, you have to get creative if you want to cultivate a little kitchen garden. That's what my little munchkins and I did this Spring!

We started with some lettuce and carrots in our old play pool;

Herbs, tomatoes and more carrots and lettuce in an old fibreglass pool filter and some pots;

And some zucchini, capsicum and French beans in the little garden bed just outside our kitchen door.

With the help of the warm spring sun, a little rain, a fair amount of grey water, some local sugar-cane mulch and our very own amazing compost, we watched our little garden grow.
Here are just some of the wonderful sights our eyes have been feasting on...

"minty-me"

"spring lamb roast rosemary"

"du bon basilic"

"climbing thyme"

"fried green tomato" tomatoes

b'cos, b'cos, b'cos, b'cos

calling all capsicums

les haricots verts

et encore

courgettes - en - fleurs

courgettes-toute-prêtes

organic, home grown vegies and herbs

They taste even better than they look. Miam miam!

Amelia's 5th Birthday Party

2009-10-30T13:18:00.000+10:00

After many hours of preparation,

the day arrived to celebrate Amelia's 5th Birthday Party

As it was as '12 Dancing Princesses' inspired party, the little princesses made themselves a crown on arrival,

King Jock

and Queen Renée re-told their own version of the Grimms' fairy tale

to a captivated audience.

Then the princesses and princes moved to their places on the Royal Birthday Table in the Royal Courtyard.

And partook of a Royal Morning Tea,

along with the Queen mother, duchesses, and other royal guests,

the birthday girl,

the birthday girl's little brother,

and the proud parents.

Then it was time for the Royal Games - beginning with Musical Chairs,

followed by Place the Shoes on the Dancing Princess,

then Musical Princess Statues,

and ending with Princess Pass the Parcel.

Then it was time to return to the palace to sing Happy Birthday, to blow out the candles,

to take a family photo,

and a photo with great-grandma,

to eat the delicious Dancing Shoes cake,

and finally, to open the presents.

It was a beautiful party for our beautiful

Amelia

Happy 5th Birthday for the 4th November.

Anyone for pancakes? Family tradition

2009-10-15T20:07:00.014+10:00

We have a family tradition at our house. Actually, we have a few. But the one I'd like to share with you in this post is our "Saturday Morning Pancakes".

I first got the idea for a Saturday morning breakfast ritual from a family I lived with for a month in Germany, during my 'gap - backpacking around Europe' year. Their 'vater' would get up early, go down to the local bakery and come home with a huge basket laden with still-warm breakfast rolls. My favourite was the sonnen-blumen brötchen: a bread roll full of sunflower seeds on the inside, and entirely encrusted with them on the outside. The whole family would gather at the table, chat about the past week, ponder the weekend ahead, and devour the breadrolls, washing them down with characteristic thick black German coffee. It was such a wonderful, warm and comforting couple of hours they all made a commitment to spending together.

So, when I began my little family, a Saturday morning breakfast tradition that embodied those same qualities was definitely something I also wanted to instil into our lives. This is how ours goes!

After a Family Snuggle (another Saturday morning tradition), Father JoieDeVivre does not go down to the local bakery (I have coeliac disease so we pretty much bake everything at home), but rather he helps me in the kitchen to prepare either pancakes or crêpes, depending on our mood, while Blossom helps set the table. Possum usually sits straightaway at his place and waits patiently for his favourite meal of the week.

Standard fare is a pot of hot coffee for us, and warm milk for the munchkins, and our regular toppings: lemon and sugar (my favourite); whipped cream and maple syrup (Father JDV's and Possum's favourite); and Nutella (Blossum's favourite). We also often have fresh seasonal fruit to pile on top if it's pancakes, or to roll up inside, if it's crêpes.

We cook the pancakes or crêpes on a little portable gas cooker that we put on the table. This means that they are always piping hot and the cream, or sugar, or nutella melts into the pancake...

I will post my recipes for café-quality gluten-free pancakes (above) and crêpes (below) over the next couple of days, under the muse, Mother Masterchef...

Over the past 5 years, this little tradition has become an institution in our home. The four of us love our special Saturday Morning Snuggle and Pancake time together. Family life can be peaceful and harmonious - une grande joie de vivre!

What's one of your fave family foodie traditions?

Isn't she beautiful!

2009-10-14T17:24:00.008+10:00

I would like to introduce you to my Creativity Angel.

She has always been with me, but now she's really come to life. I made her at my friend Amber's inaugural Mama Moontime Creativity Club last Wednesday night. And today, I gave her some hair, a pretty flower to hold, and christened her Petal.

A larger verion of Petal's flower also adorns the title page of my Mama Moontime Creativity Club Journal. I used the bubble pictures we made last week for the petals and stamen.

A flower is an apt symbol for creativity, don't you think?

Tonight, we get to make a felted cover for our journal. 2 and a half hours of completely child-free creative bliss awaits me! Petal will be in full bloom :-)

What our daughters want...

2009-10-06T21:27:00.006+10:00

I found this wonderful, thought-provoking picture book at our local library this week and have been reading it to Blossom. It has really resonated with both of us as we are experiencing the same issues as Fanny and her mama at the moment.

Fanny's birthday is coming up and she's been begging her mum to buy her a Connie doll (they look like a mix of a Bratz doll and a Barbie). Her mum repeatedly says "no" even though as Fanny points out - everybody has one; well, her two best friends at least. So Fanny decides that she will make her own Connie doll using materials from her sewing basket and her pink pyjamas! It turns out. of course, like a home-made rag doll and is sadly rejected by her friends at their next play session.

Fanny's birthday arrives and her mum presents her with a beginner's sewing machine, fabric and haberdashery items. Once again, her friends are not impressed - preferring store-bought, more professional looking clothes and dolls, and being unable to use a sewing machine anyway...

In spite of all this, Fanny ends up loving her doll, feeling proud that she had made it herself, and
also sews it a wardrobe of clothes with her new sewing machine. And what's more, her friends finally accept her doll. And at the subsequent doctors and nurses play session, Fanny's doll is in role of course as the all-important doctor, with the glamour puss Connie dolls as the nurses!

Fanny's mum and I evidently hold the same philosophical views on appropriate toys for young girls, valuing and encouraging self-sufficiency and self-expression, and daring to be 'different'. She also didn't give in to her daughter's pleas, but maintained her conviction that a Connie doll was inappropriate.

This could have been misconstrued as being 'unloving' however in fact it's quite the opposite. As it states in the Parents Pledge of Intentions for Helping Children to Love Themselves, that I saw up on the wall at my daughter's prospective school:
I will have the strength to say 'no' when I know that it is for my children's highest good;
and
I will show my children how to be self-reliant and immune to the negative opinions of others;
and
I will consistently support the building of my children's self-esteem and positive self image by continually focusing on their good and positive qualities.

It is evident from the story that Fanny's mother is achieving all of these, and that Fanny is flourishing and thriving, even though she's not 'like everyone else'. This will stand her in good stead for the future, when it won't be inappropriate dolls but rather more harmful and destructive things her peers will be potentially urging her to have, or try...

It is my daughter's birthday soon too and she's begging for a Barbie doll. However, I do not believe that Barbie dolls are appropriate for a 5 year old. This little picture book has affirmed my own parenting instincts and it has inspired me to continue 'swimming against the tide' as it were. Plus, it's an enjoyable and amusing read that brings my daughter and I together.
Highly recommend it!

Housework - bane or blessing? pain or pleasure?

2009-10-06T13:48:00.021+10:00

As all full-time homemakers are aware, domestic chores take up a huge chunk of our time. Over the past 5 years, I've had to come to terms with the fact that if I want to be at home with my children while they're young, then that also means I am responsible for keeping the house clean. Now that's a hard thing to grasp when you're as 'domestic chore' challenged as I am. As Heloise Cruse perspicaciously put it, I think housework is the reason most women go to the office.

Now there are lots of women who enjoy doing the housework, or at least, don't mind it. So my 'Mother Maison' muse and I have tried to work out why this is not the case for me, and why house-cleaning causes me such stress and resentment. We've come up with three possible reasons to do with 'nurture', 'nature' and 'situational factors'.

'nurture'
My own mother detested cleaning the house. She was a "work-outside-the-home" mother - and thought that therefore she should not have to work inside the home as well; that cleaning was something denegrating almost. Even though I don't hold to the same opinion, these negative attitudes towards cleaning have permeated my psyche and they're proving hard to shift. Added to this, is the fact that I didn't acquire any good house-keeping skills or habits, which is unfortunate because it is not 'second nature' for me to keep things tidy - which brings me to the 'nature' side of things.

'nature'
I actually think that being clean and tidy is a personality trait. For example, my mother's mother, ironically, is one of the most meticulous house-keepers you could ever meet. She still cleans her entire house from top to bottom on a weekly basis - and she's 90!! Her sparkling home is her pride and joy and, like Josephine Moffett Benton, sees our ever-present disciplines, the pattern of creaturely necessities- cooking, laundry, decently clean houses- as a blessing. Now, cooking I would agree to, but as for the others...not so sure.

'situational factors'
I find that trying to keep a house clean while having 2 small children around is like living groundhog day, all throughout the day, every day. As Simone de Beauvoir pointed out - and she didn't even have children: Few tasks are more like the torture of Sisyphus than housework, with its endless repetition: the clean becomes soiled, the soiled is made clean, over and over, day after day. (In Greek mythology, Sisyphus had been condemned by the gods to ceaselessly roll a rock to the top of a mountain after which the stone would roll back again of its own weight. After all, what more dreadful punishment could there be than futile and hopeless labor?)

Now that fact of the matter is - cleaning is a necessary part of life; something I'm also trying to instill in my almost 5 year old daughter and my 2 1/2 year old son. I believe that having a clean and organised home is akin to having a beautiful and welcoming home - which is one of my very strong values. So, over the last year or so, I have had to come up with several 'tools, tips and tricks' to help make house-cleaning in general less of a bane and more of a blessing; less of a pain and more of a pleasure. So, watch this 'Mother Maison' space!

A Hand-made Christmas Challenge

2009-10-02T17:35:00.024+10:00

This year, I'm setting myself the challenge of creating a Hand-made Christmas. In previous years, I have hand-made several gifts, but this year, I'm going to try to make them all! Where this is not possible, I will purchase tools, ready-made craft kits or make up craft kits myself, so that the receiver can hand-make something themselves!

Why have I set myself this challenge?

* To take a political stance against mass consumerism at Christmas time

* To render the gifts I give meaningful, unique, and full of love

* To promote, value and celebrate hand-made

* To encourage my loved ones to nurture and develop their own creativity

My idea of a hand-made Christmas also involves making my own plum pudding, turkey stuffing, and bon bons! Which reminds me - I need to get on to making my plum pudding straightaway!

This is going to require lots of careful planning to make it possible, and enjoyable. I'm also going to involve my two little munchkins as much as I can - they're great at making wrapping paper, cards, and the crowns for the bonbons :-)

Firstly though, I need to get through Blossom's 5th birthday preparations and party, and the CarbonSmart program I'm implementing at her kindy, and the baby bootees and bibs I've got on my 'to do' list for friends who are expecting babies, sewing tasks for my brother in law's upcoming wedding...

But I'm committed to creating, instead of consuming, this Christmas!

A new crafting obsession...

2009-10-01T20:30:00.005+10:00

I'm still buzzing after a 'stampin' up' workshop I hosted this morning, outside in our courtyard. There were 1o adults and 11 small children under 5, so yes, we were outnumbered! We still managed however to make a little gift bag and a Christmas card each to take home. And our wonderfully creative and expert demonstrater, Petronela, showed us a few extra techniques that I got to keep. Lucky me!

Stamping is a new crafting sphere for me, along with majority of my friends at the workshop. I've always hand-made cards, especially since I've had children - their abstract drawings and paintings are so apt! But I hadn't ever come across card-making with stamps. Until one morning about a month ago, on arriving at my local gym, there under the 'business of the month' sign were some of the most gorgeous hand-made cards I'd ever seen, along with a lucky door prize box. And yes, yours truly won the lucky door prize!!! A little box of sweet hand-made cards, a little flower stamp, a gift voucher, a catalogue, and a flyer about hosting a workshop.

And after our wonderful workshop today, I think I'm hooked! There is something really sweet about stamps and ink - the nostalgia maybe, the muted colours, the paint-like appearance. And there's so much scope for personal creativity - with the different coloured inks, pens, papers, ribbons, and techniques. Do I need another crafting obsession? Probably not! But nothing beats hand-made, and nothing beats a hand-made card.

Emma, Patrick et Manon chez nous!

2009-09-27T21:10:00.000+10:00

This month, we had the pleasure of welcoming more members of the Beechey family into our home: Emma, (Jock's cousin on his mum's side), Patrick (her French husband - yes I was in heaven getting to converse in my fave language), and Manon (their gorgeous daughter).

I was a little nervous as Patrick is a real, live chef - as in - Emma and Patrick run their own extremely successful cafe in Perth. Thankfully my chicken thai curry got the thumbs up! When it came to the dessert, Patrick offered to jazz it up a bit...

the master chef at work...

How gorgeous does that look!

Manon and Amelia got acquainted

and practiced a puppet show

that they performed together for us after dessert.

Patrick also treated us to his expert balloon squealing/farting sounds,

complete with facial expressions.

Dominik was absolutely fascinated and promptly tried to

follow Patrick's example.

We all had a wonderful time and it was so nice to see you guys again!

A common thread

2009-09-27T01:30:00.014+10:00

There seems to be a common thread linking the mamas in my circle of friends at the moment: the thread of simplicity - simplicity as opposed to complication - whether it be in doing less, having less commitments, consuming less, or wanting less. Essentially, a desire of living less through 'doing', and instead, living more through 'being'.

How is it though, that we so easily fall into the trap of 'doing'? Is it because we find 'being' a foreign and strange state to inhabit? I'm definitely a product of a 'doing' upbringing and a 'doing' society. I actually don't have the skills to just 'be', although I am endeavouring to acquire them.

I posted on my facebook wall the other day - "Renée wants to learn how to relax and not do anything, without feeling guilty or non-productive". A close friend commented back - "Relaxing is productive". What a liberating thought! A thought that is totally contrary to the values of productivity and achievement that were instilled in me from an early age. So how do we change life-long habits that we have always sensed were destructive, when it is all we really know? How do we let go?

It's actually easier to distract oneself, busy oneself, than it is to go inward, to be 'in the moment'. Switching off the computer, saying 'no', setting boundaries, organising 'me time' all takes effort - but the emotional and physical health benefits are bound to be worth it!

As mamas, we are all juggling multiple roles and responsibilities, we are all endeavouring to find balance, and we are continually having to choose between a myriad of options and hoping we're choosing the right ones. These are our common threads and our constant challenges. And through it all, we still find joy: joy in each other, joy in our children, and hopefully, joy within ourselves. La joie de vivre, quoi!

Magic Moonlight Music for Munchkins - and their Mamas!

2009-09-24T21:11:00.012+10:00

One of the most wonderful things about having children is encountering and enjoying aesthetic forms that you wouldn't normally have had the inclination to. Lullabies are a good example. I have always sung a lullaby to my children on putting them to sleep and music cds have always accompanied them on their journey to the land of nod.

I've built up a bit of a collection of appropriate music for my children's bedtime and have also discovered it helps me wind down at night, too! My latest addition is a cd I happened upon at our local library called Mama's Lullaby, Lullabies Sung by Women Around the World. Track number 2 is one of the most exquisite pieces of music I have ever heard. The musical arrangement is haunting, with the beautiful harmonies seeming to suspend in space. Chiara Civello's voice is like that of an angel. Listening to this piece of music transports me to another place - a floaty, peaceful realm - a lilting lullaby perfect for dreamtime, or any time the need for repose arises.

What's your favourite lullaby?

The fascination of flowers to fruit

2009-09-22T09:48:00.007+10:00

My munchkins and I have been enthralled this spring by the beautiful flowers in our backyard that will soon turn into fruits!

Currently, we are lucky enough to be renting a house that has an existing lemon tree...

and recently, we planted in pots some strawberries...

And some cherry tomatoes...

We also have a mango tree that is flowering for us this year - but that is another story!

KItchen Tea Apron Glee!

2009-09-20T22:33:00.009+10:00

Yay! After a follow-up mama moon time session, I finished sewing the kitchen tea gift for my sweet friend, Mary. I sourced the pattern from Heather Ross' "Weekend Sewing" book that I found in my awesome local library - still can't get over the wealth of resources in the GCCC library network.

Anyway, Heather Ross dubbed her apron, which was made out of bright yellow fabric with big red strawberries on it, the 'Sunday-dinner hostess apron'. As I used sweet floral and gingham fabric, reminiscent of Manosque-en-Provence, and as Mary is a fellow francophone and francophile, I just had to name hers Apron Provençal!

Blue and Orange Beetles and Bootees

2009-09-20T22:13:00.012+10:00

My munchkins and I have been spying beautiful blue and orange beetles in our backyard lately.

So when a baby shower for a gorgeous friend, Gabi, come on the horizon, and I spied blue and orange cotton yarn in my "yummy yarns to knit with one day" box, the idea to make the bootees was born.

Inspiration can come from the most unexpected of places at times!

ps I got one of the bootees knitted up in time for the baby shower, its matching mate I hope to have done in time for the arrival of the baby!

How much fun is sewing!

2009-09-17T22:29:00.005+10:00

What Bliss! The house is silent except for Diana Krall's 'Quiet Nights'. I'm sitting at my craft table sewing someone special 'something special' for their kitchen tea on Sunday... and I'm in heaven.

This is my 'mama moon time'. (Thanks Amber for that gorgeous phrase.) And tonight, it's just me, my 1973 Husqvarna 2000, and some really pretty pink floral material...

I'm just new to sewing and I'm surprised at how much pleasure it brings - from working with the different materials, to creating something absolutely unique, to seeing a loved one wearing something I've made.

Ah, the joys of the gentle arts of domesticity!

international-day-of-choc-chunk cookies (gluten-free)

2009-09-17T13:42:00.012+10:00

I've always been a huge fan of chocolate. So when I received an invitation from Mama Moontime to attend a Choc Party in honour of International Day of Chocolate, I was over the 'moon' with anticipatory excitement!

What was I to wear? That was easy - my chocolate brown Metalicus dress with my chocolate brown ribbed tights.
What was I to bring as my offering to the Altar of Chocolate? This was not so easy! Several options popped into my head - chocolate brownies, flourless chocolate cake, chocolate banana bread - but I couldn't go past choc-chunk cookies. Yes, they would have to be my all-time favourite chocolate-based treat.

So I whipped them up, let them cool as I dressed, packed them into a waxed-paper-lined biscuit tin and headed off .

Here's how they looked:

Here's how to make them:

* Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius, line trays with baking paper.

* Cream 125 g butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of brown sugar (add more sugar if you like them sweeter)

* Beat 1 egg into the mixture

* In another bowl, sift together 1/2 cup each of arrowroot flour, corn cornflour, white rice flour and soy flour, 1 tsp of xantham gum, and 2 tsps of gluten-free baking powder. And then add to that, 1 cup of dessicated coconut and 1 cup of chunkily chopped, good quality, dark chocolate.

* Combine the wet with the dry

* Roll hunks of dough into 20 or so balls and place on prepared baking trays, then flatten a little.

* Bake until golden (15 minutes or so)

* Allow to cool on trays

* Devour with gusto!

(What you don't devour, put in a sealed container in the freezer - a crucial element when cooking gluten-free biscuits if you don't want them to become a stale mush the next day!!!)

Note added on 18th September: Re the flour used, you can substitute the flours I've suggested with a pre-mixed gluten-free flour or with other gluten-free flours you may have in your cupboard. I have found though, through trial-and-error, that the combination of the 4 flours above does make a good 'cookie' gf flour.

The making of Frederik and Poppy - Part 1 - "la tête"

2009-09-14T14:22:00.017+10:00

I've undertaken an elongated but immensely rewarding process of making a waldorf doll each, a boy and a girl, for my two little munchkins. This is part 1 of their story.

Boy Doll was first conceived last year as a companion for Possum, and was to be welcomed into the world last Christmas. However, due to extenuating circumstances, his gestation period had to be put on hold.

Girl Doll, a companion for Blossum, was just a twinkle in my eye when I began making Boy Doll, and I was looking forward to the day when she too, could come into our lives.

Luckily, Mama Lavendilly, our experienced and trusted doll mid-wife, became available to hold more 'birthing' workshops at her homely consulting rooms at Lavendilly House. I was so excited and signed up straightaway. Boy Doll would no longer be just a head! And Girl Doll would no longer be just a figment of my imagination...

So, the first workshop night of this, the second-round, of doll making arrived. I nervously glanced around the room, smiling timidly at the other mothers-to-be. After some light conversation and introductions, Mama Lavendilly ceremoniously handed out our little bag of doll-making goodies.

The atmosphere changed as we all peered inside and discovered the materials that we were to mould our littles ones out of. I started to relax. I'd done this before. I'd successfully made Boy Doll's head - I could do it again for Girl Doll...

So here it went -

I moulded her head by tightly wrapping the wool fleece into a ball.

Then I needle-felted it a little so it would keep it's shape.

Then we were instructed to divide the wool fleece up into 4 long strips and lay them like so:

Then we pulled some stretchy cotton stocking-like fabric over that:

Then we tied off the neck, and tightly tied thick cotton thread around the middle of the head for the eyes:

Following this, I stitched up the bottom of the neck, because I forgot to do that bit before I tied the cotton for the eyeline!:

Then, we had to tie the same thick thread around the length of the head to form the jaws and the chin. After which, we stitched where the two threads crossed at either side of the head - so you could say, at the ears:

Then, on one side - which became the back of the head - we pulled down the thread. And in order to eliminate the jowly effect, we ladder-stitched the jaw-line and the back-of-the-head-line together.

Then we had to pull the 'skin' over the head:

And tie off the neck tightly, and stitch up the opening:

Next came constructing the face. (This took place at gorgeous Donna's house, the following week). After marking with pins where we wanted the eyes and mouth to go, we chose the colour of the embroidery thread for the eyes. I chose two shades of blue. Then using a really long needle, we had to go in at the back of the head and basically push out the pin. Then after doing a bullion stitch (mmm - I found this tricky - you have to wrap the thread around about 8 times and then pull it through itself), we went back the other way with the needle. This way, it forms like an eye socket. Important - leave enough thread at the back so that you can tie it off with the thread from the other eye.

Then I did the other eye. And with the threads left at the back, I tied them tightly together with a double knot and trimmed them off.

Following this, I chose 3 different red threads for the lips and using the same needle and same method of coming from the back of the head through to the front, stitched a small stitch, and then a larger stitch above it. (For Boy Doll's mouth, I only used one light pink thread).

Et voilà, Girl Doll's head, face and neck had come into being. I lay her next to Boy Doll's head and they immediately become friends.

I lovingly laid them in their little carry bags and took them home, happy, tired and relieved.

Blossum and Possum spied them the next day and after squeals of delight, christened them Poppy and Frederik. Such sweet names! (Blossum named her last doll 'Gloney', so as you can imagine, I was really happy with Poppy...)

I am now looking forward to the next step in their gestation period - giving them each a body and limbs. Yay, Fred will finally no longer be just a head! He's had to wait so long!!

Winter's Wonderings

2009-09-10T16:13:00.035+10:00

My dearest Grandad of mine,

Said "At each turning of time,

One should look backward

And one should look forward."
Now that winter is over

And spring is here,
My mind's meandering back

To how we lived this time

In our year...

This winter was a time to nurture

the gentle arts of domesticity

by knitting my first ever, actual piece of clothing!!,

and by doing lots of gluten-free baking.

_____________________________________________

This winter was a time to drink in the warmth

of the wondrous winter sun

with lots of alfresco afternoon teas,

with lots of trips to the park,

and with lots of outdoor craft activities.

__________________________________________________

This winter was a time to marvel at the

picture-perfect poppies
in our local park

____________________________________________

This winter was a time to
celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary

and my gracious grandma's 90th birthday

___________________________________________

This winter was also a time to enjoy

the wondrous beauty of the ocean,

and my two greatest blessings.

__________________________________

Now Spring is here,
I wonder what joys
this splendid season will bring
you and me?

Happy Father's Day, Daddy JoieDeVivre!

2009-09-07T19:56:00.000+10:00

Father's Day was celebrated by a Bacon'n'Egg breakfast, and gifts from each of us: a plant, a 'Three Men and a Baby' dvd, and new pair of hand-made slippers,

We also made special card depicting our wonderful daddy and all the special roles he plays in the life of our little family.

We love you very much and we're so lucky to have you!

Family set of slippers

2009-09-07T15:01:00.016+10:00

Father’s Day saw the completion of my “family set of slippers for winter” knitting project. Okay, winter is technically over, but it seemed fitting anyway that the fourth and final pair turned into a Father’s Day gift. So last night, we had a Slipper Family Photo (see above) where we all sat together cosily on the couch and our slippers got to know each other. If you like the look of any of these slippers, and would like to make them yourself, here are some pointers.

Possum’s slippers (sunny tweed) – Pattern is taken from “The Children’s Year” and I added some little felt leaves around the heel in autumn colours to turn them into pixie slippers. (This was in honour of his 2nd birthday which was a pixie party.) The wool is very sweet – it’s called ‘magic garden buttons yarn’ and it was one of the first balls of yarn I bought from Clegs in Melbourne, when I started to knit 5 years ago just because I loved the look of it.

Blossum’s slippers (candy pink) – Pattern is adapted from the book “Big book of kids’ knits”. I used thicker yarn (Cleckheaton country 8 ply 2267) and bigger needles to make them larger because the pattern was for baby slippers. I added the heart – just embroidered it on afterwards using chain stitch and matching heart buttons for the strap. Also, because they seemed to fall off at the back, I threaded some of the contrasting yarn around the top edge to gather it in and tied it in a little bow.

My slippers (latte and plum) – Pattern is from needle arts. I used Patons Inca (7024) because it was the nicest beige colour I could find in Spotlight and for the trim, Cleckheaton’s country wide (07). However, Inca’s fairly stretchy wool and the slippers ended up being huge! So I felted them in the washing machine and now they’re really snug! I added the blanket stitch around the top of the slipper because I wanted to add in more of that gorgeous plummy colour.

Father JdV’s slippers (sand and soil) – Another internet pattern: Aunt Maggie’s slippers. I used 2 balls of wool from the local supermarket that cost $1 each on sale! It just said ‘wool acrylic’, but if felt really soft and I thought it was knit up into very manly, earthy looking slippers.

The soles: I’ve left the best bit ‘til last! In “The Children’s Year” book, it suggests sewing leather soles onto the bottom of the slippers. I found some leather scraps in Spotlight, traced around Possum’s foot on some butcher’s paper and cut out the shapes for each foot. Sewing the leather on however, proved to be extremely difficult, even with a leather needle. Then, I had the idea of buying a leather hole-punch. Mitre 10 (Australian hardware store) have them for about $15.
So you go around the edge of the leather punching in the holes, and then you use contrasting or matching yarn, doubled, to sew the sole onto the slipper. So far, the yarn hasn’t worn though and the munchkins have been wearing theirs all winter. Another good idea is to attach the leather sole onto the slipper with safety pins to check that you’ve got the sole in the right place.

Putting a sole onto all of the slippers has transformed them! The kids can run outside onto the dewy grass in the morning, and they don’t get wet. They don’t get holes in. They’re easier to keep clean. Plus, they’re non-slip! Highly recommend it.

Music is the silence...

2009-09-02T21:07:00.020+10:00

... between the notes.

This profound quote* come into my head yesterday when I read my friend Jen's post "sacred idleness", on her Lavendilly House blog.

Without silence - there is no sound. Without space between the notes, there's just noise...

My mind is often very noisy. Even when there aren't any notes to attend to, it still isn't silent. And, the noise can often prevent me from noticing the music.

Without space - there is no silence...

As mamas, we need space. It's difficult to create physical space and mind space when there's so much to do and think about and look after. It requires discipline. It's harder to 'not do', than to 'do'!

I often get caught up in what I feel I need to do, or should be doing or am about to do. Eventually, the noise becomes that discordant and I want to 'switch off' the sound completely. But as mamas, we don't have that option. Our little munchkins need us!

And they need us to be musical, and to hear and nurture their music.

I can seek out silence by noticing the noise and bringing my mind back to the moment and to the breath. I can take 10 minutes out of every day just to meditate on something inspirational. I can trust that things can wait, that I won't lose anything by being still, that all of the ideas and projects and tasks will still be there - if they're meant to be.

How wonderful would it be to have a mind filled mostly with music, rather than noise! My munchkins are having their siesta - now is the perfect time to start to live what I've just written about.

Time to stop blogging and go and sit on my meditation mat and invite silence and space into my heart and my mind!

Photo: the mechanics of our beautiful piano

*I can't seem to find exactly who is credited with this saying - according to one English language website it is Claude Debussy, but I can't seem to find anything on French language websites to confirm this! If it is Debussy, it makes me admire him even more.

Picture perfect Spring!

2009-09-01T14:53:00.015+10:00

The earth is smiling with flowers.

Bourgeoning buds are promising splendours.

The scent of sweet jasmin is wafting on the lilting breeze.

Spring is here!

Photos: my potted orchid, our mango tree, my jasmine vine

Introducing Gned, Gnelly, Gnora and Gnicholas

2009-08-31T21:35:00.013+10:00

On the last day of winter for 2009, I thought I'd better introduce you to our family of four winter gnomes. They love gathering around their fire on a cold winter's night to sing songs and tell stories. They also love the special treasures that Blossum and Possum bring them throughout the season - particularly the shells and coral from winter walks along the beach. It's not often that Gnomes get to go to the sea.
We are all a bit sad to say goodbye to them, but are looking forward to welcoming the Spring Bud Babies to our seasonal table in the days to come. So long, Gned, Gnelly, Gnora and Gnicholas. Thank you for keeping us company throughout these past winter months.

ps I hope to post soon in Mother Craft how these cute little creatures came to life.

Playschool Concert

2009-08-31T13:49:00.000+10:00

Last month, the gorgeous Kymmy and Zarzy,

Took Dom and I to the playschool concert,

This is Zara enjoying the show...

And this is Dominik enjoying the show...!

Thanks Kym and Zara for a wonderful morning! Lots of love, Renée and Dominik

'Pretty'n'Useful' knitted headband with flower

2009-08-27T14:26:00.012+10:00

I knitted this for my daughter recently to go with a red knit dress she'd received as a present from her Aunty Ree. The yarn is Cleckheaton's Country Wide, in the colour of 'milk'. I love this yarn! It comes in gorgeous colours, knits up really quickly, and the pattern book of Women's Knits is great too - check it out at http://www.cleckheaton.biz/ . It was really easy to make. Here's the basic pattern idea:

I started with an I-cord (about 12 cm long) and then just increased the stitches every 2nd row until I got to the width I liked, then knitted for the length appropriate for my munchkin's head and reversed what I did, so decreased the stitches and ended with the I-cord again.

The flower pattern I got from 'Stitch'n'Bitch Nation' by Debbie Stoller. I used red and green DK left-over yarn. For the flower, straight needles, CO 50 sts:
R1: K.
R2: K2, *K1, slip st to L. needle, lift next 5 sts over and off end of needle, k slipped st again, k2; rep from * to end.
R3: K.
R4: *P2tog; rep from * to end
R5: *K2tog, rep from * to end.
Break yarn & thread tail through rem. sts.

For the leaf, I used the leaves from this healthy carrot pattern that I'd already knitted up and never sewed onto the carrot!!:
http://www.craftbits.com/project/healthy-carrots

The stamen is just aqua blue embroidery floss, which I also hand-embroidered onto the bodice of the dress using chain stitch.

Blossom loves wearing it. She finds it's really comfortable, helps keep her head warm, and keeps her hair off her face! I might even knit one up for myself one of these days...

A visit from the Ballarat Beecheys!

2009-08-25T23:46:00.000+10:00

Last month, we had the pleasure of welcoming Chris and Tammy, William and Olivia over to our house for dinner, and Aunty Desley and Uncle Paul too! It was great to see you guys again and to finally meet Olivia. Looking forward to catching up with you all again in December!

A "Maternal and Child Health" Nurse in Melbourne and the "Motherhood Cloak"

2009-08-25T13:26:00.013+10:00

When my first little munchkin arrived, I'd just moved to Melbourne. Being in a new city, where you have no immediate family or friends, is extremely hard on a new mum! Thankfully, Victoria has an excellent maternal and child health system. I would have been lost without it! Aside from organising mothers groups and playgroups, and providing fantastic venues full of resources, there are wonderful maternal and child health nurses that oversee each little neighbourhood centre.

I had the opportunity one day to have an appointment with a nurse that stood out from all the rest. She could tell that I was struggling and suggested that I may be wearing my 'motherhood cloak' too tightly. She mentioned that every mother wears their cloak differently and that you have to find a way to wear it without letting it completely envelope or engulf you. "I, for example, wear mine off the shoulder and dragging in the mud", she laughed.

In the early days of my motherhood, I wore my motherhood cloak that tightly that I was almost completely suffocated by it! And I have learnt over the last 5 years, that it's ok to loosen it, to even take it off sometimes; that it's good for me and for my little family that the essence of who I am as a person sees the sunlight and also gets to shine.

Photo: Fête des Rois, January 6th, 2009

A happy announcement!

2009-08-24T13:16:00.000+10:00

Uncle Gnome and Aunty Pixie, aka Scott (as in Jock's brother) and Jodie, are engaged!!! So exciting. And...Amelia is going to be flowergirl, and Dominik, paige boy, and Daddy, best man!!! We are all looking forward to the happy wedding day in December, as well as the prospective cousins for Amelia and Dominik. No pressure, Scott and Jodie, whenever you're ready!! Jody will also officially be my sister-in-law. Nice. And Amelia and Dom will officially have an Aunty.
For those of you that don't know Scott and Jodie personally, they regularly dress up as a Gnome and a Pixie, just for fun!

Working out - the washing

2009-08-24T09:29:00.016+10:00

If I'm to be honest, there isn't much joie de vivre for me in doing the washing. However, in my 5 year home-maker career, I've discovered that the following things can make it manageable and even pleasurable!

To make it manageable:

5 dirty clothes bins - each labelled - with the following: whites, darks, warm tones (i.e. reds, pinks), cool tones (i.e. blues, yellow), and delicates.
The dirty clothes get put immediately in their respective baskets - thus eliminating the need to sort out the washing before you can even wash it. It also means it's easy to tell which wash is needed the most. Sometimes, in my house, they're all full so then I just pick what colour I feel like working with that day!
I put a wash on every night, (we have a front loader and it takes ages), that way it's ready in the morning to hang out.
I make sure I take the washing off the line before sunset the same day that I hang it out, otherwise, it just gets left out there for a few days that it doesn't need.
Install a little clothes line for the kids and they can help hang out their washing. (see photo)
Have a clean clothes basket for every member of the family, plus 1 for misc. items. I got this idea from my friend, Lorelle. It's great! When you take off the washing, sort each household member's washing into their respective baskets. That way, if you don't get around to folding it all week (which happens pretty often in my house), at least everyone can find their clothes if they need them.
Also, after folding the clothes, placing them in everyone's respective basket keeps them neat and folded until you find the time to put them away.
Of course, if your munchkins are old enough, they can fold and put away their own clothes, like Lorelle's kids too. I'm looking forward to that day!!!

To make it pleasurable:

Sing while you're hanging out the washing, and notice what a beautiful day it is.
Watch a comedy show, or 'Dancing with the Stars', or the French news, while you're folding the washing depending on the time of day.
Take the washing outside and fold it while the kids are playing (I got this idea from my friend, Jen http://lavendillyhouse.blogspot.com/)
Think about how pegging the washing on the line is toning your bi-ceps and tri-ceps. (Ok, I admit, that's a bit of a stretch, but I have found that if I hang out 3 to 4 loads of washing at a time, my arms do start to hurt, so it's got to be doing something! )

Hope these handy hints help you if you struggle in this area, like I do! If you have any other tips that you use to work out your washing, I'd love to hear them.

Pesto Spaghetti with Egg (gluten free)

2009-08-23T21:51:00.011+10:00

I made this for my little munchkin, and myself, the other day for lunch. It was quick, easy and delicious.

Ingredients and Method:

*Put San Remo Gluten-free Spaghetti on to cook, in boiling, salted water. Keep warm.
*Process 1 cup each of basil and parsley leaves, a handful each of pine nuts and grated parmesan cheese and 1-3 cloves of garlic (depending on taste) until just combined. Slowly add in 1/4 cup of olive oil.
*Fry an egg until yoke is hard on the outside, but still runny on the inside.
*Combine another 1/4 cup of oil, the pesto and the spaghetti.
*Plate up with the egg on top, and a basil leaf.
*For munchkins, cut up their egg and mix it in with the spaghetti.
*Extra grated parmesan is also yummy, and I always need an extra sprinkle of celtic sea salt on mine!

Mother Maison - profile

2009-08-22T23:12:00.015+10:00

Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy. ~Author Unknown

Mother Maison's focus is the home environment divided into three categories: home-making, house-cleaning, and family-planning. The home-making aspect brings me great joy. I love ‘designing’ the look and feel of the rooms in our home and hand-making the ‘props’ that bring it character. However, the house-cleaning flip-side is a different story! Over the past 5 years of motherhood, I’ve had to develop techniques on how not to let the housework drive me completely nuts! The third category is all about time management, rhythm and routine. This one, I've really had to work on. Keeping the children on track is okay, but keeping myself on track is another thing altogether...

Photo: winter azaleas from my garden in a fluted glass bowl

Mother Figure - profile

2009-08-22T22:56:00.015+10:00

Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother. ~Oprah Winfrey

Mother Figure is all about honouring women and their work; shining lights that inspire, uplift, or instruct.

Photo: My munchkin at 5 months with his Great Grandma

Be worthy of imitation

2009-08-20T14:20:00.029+10:00

Recently, I went to a Parent Talk given by Amber Greene, aka Mama Moontime, and was reminded about how small children learn by imitation, rather than instruction. On returning home, I wrote the following lines on a piece of paper and stuck it on my bathroom mirror:

Be worthy of imitation:

In voice and movement

In speech and actions

Photo: my 2 year old munchkin spontaneously grabbing the mop to 'clean' his playmat!

Mother Meditation - profile

2009-08-20T13:38:00.027+10:00

Take the time to come home to yourself every day ~ Robin Casarjean

Mother Meditation is the Mother Muse that learns about life by reflecting on the past, musings in the present moment, and nurturing hopes the future. They are life's lessons that help me 'stay on the path' when things get a little muddled! I hope that they can help you too.

Photo: the wet-felted meditation mat I made at a Lavendilly House fibre arts workshop.

Healthy snacks - Fruit Smiley Faces

2009-08-18T13:34:00.012+10:00

For the first of my Mother MasterChef recipes, I thought I would post my little munchkins' favourite munchy - Fruit Smiley Face. You can use any type of fruit in any combination, and you can make them up or let your little munchkins do it! As a special treat for the faces pictured above, I used a marshmallow for the nose - which always produces squeals of delighted surprise. Possum and Blossum could barely wait until I took the photo to eat them.

A moment in time at Lavendilly House...

2009-08-18T10:57:00.000+10:00

We roll the dough...
We knead the dough...

We let it rise...

It grows before our eyes...

It rises up...

To feed us all...

Thank you, Jen, for creating such wonderful moments at Lavendilly House that nurture our hearts, hands and minds. Lots of love, Renée, Amelia and Dominik

Mother MasterChef - profile

2009-08-15T12:37:00.028+10:00

I sometimes think the chef end of cooking is not the real end of cooking. Cooking is all about homes and gardens, it doesn't happen in restaurants. Delia Smith

Mother MasterChef is all about creating delicious, family-friendly feasts and friandises. When you cook most meals, most days of the week, making it interesting and innovative is a key ingredient in making it enjoyable!

I will also post in this Muse my original, gluten free recipes that I've developed through trial-and-error over the past 6 years since being diagnosed with coeliac disease. Gluten free can be yum-mee!

Photo: the cake I made for Blossom's 3rd birthday - design inspired from the kite cake in the Women's Weekly Kids' Birthday Cakes book.

The artful joys of picture books

2009-08-13T14:18:00.035+10:00

Reading to my 2 little munchkins before their siesta is another one of the artful joys of motherhood. If not only for the aesthetic pleasure of being transported to another world through the magic of the written word and the accompanying artworks, but also for the chance to voice all of the different characters (the drama teacher in me!). The key for me is quality and quantity, and hence, lots of trips to the local library! It keeps us all interested, discovering and dramatising new picture books each week. There are so many wonderful books out there. Pictured above are 3 beautiful books we've borrowed recently and are currently reading to our 4 year-old munchkin.

What are some beautiful picture books you've discovered lately?

Moondew Playgroup inviting mamas and their little munchkins

2009-08-13T14:18:00.034+10:00

Amber Greene, an experienced and inspired Early Childhood teacher (who is also my friend!), is starting a new playgroup called "Moondew". Here's some info on it from her website: "Moondew Playgroup is a Steiner-inspired playgroup, run in the hinterland of the Gold Coast.The group will run on a Tuesday morning, from 9.30-11.30am. It is aimed at 1-3 year olds, although older siblings are welcome.

Playgroup Rhythm: 9.30 Outside play 9.45 Morning tea and greeting 10.00 Storytime 10.10 Bread making, Inside Play 11.00 Pack away, Circle Time 11.15 Outside play, Delicious bread! 11.30 Farewell"

Here's the link if you'd like to find out more, and to read about how she made the gorgeous little house picture above: http://www.mamamoontime.com/2009/08/moondew-playgroup-details.html#links

Swinging, scrambling, sliding

2009-08-13T14:17:00.008+10:00

Yesterday afternoon, I took my two little munchkins down to the beach for an afternoon tea picnic and play in the park. Next to where we ate, was a patch of natural beach 'forest'. So we ventured in to see if there were any beach forest fairies, or sand pixies. While we were there, we also spied some good trees for climbing on and swinging off. I think it was the first time my 2 yr old munchkin had actually climbed a tree!!! He'd done lots of climbing in playgrounds, but not any in a natural environment. It was so wonderful to see him eventually warm to the idea. Bark is certainly a different sensation to painted metal! Then, we spied some dunes and ran, scrambled and slid up and down them. So much fun.

Mental note: Get out more into a natural environment with the munchkins and just let the ideas for play flow.

Warm afternoon sun, good coffee and conversation, and crafting with yarn

2009-08-13T14:16:00.014+10:00

There is a wonderful knitting circle called 'knit'n'natter' that I attend whenever it's possible. Normally we meet at the Broadbeach Library on the Gold Coast from 1pm-3pm, but there was a double booking this week so we went to a nearby cafe instead - Madisons at Oasis on Broadbeach. It was so lovely there that we are going to alternate between the library and Madison's so that there will be a weekly circle to participate in. So if there are any natting knitters or 'happy hookers' (thanks to Debbie Stoller for that little coinage - check out her book - Stitch'n'Bitch crochet Happy Hookers) looking for a stitch'n'bitch circle and don't mind a k.i.p (knitting in public), then come along! For more info, post a comment. or contact the knitting circle's oganiser, Christine, through Broadbeach Library http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/libraries/t_library.aspx?pid=7723 .

Mother Craft - profile

2009-08-12T13:37:00.036+10:00

Knitting is a boon for those of us who are easily bored. I take my knitting everywhere to take the edge off of moments that would otherwise drive me stark raving mad. ~Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, "At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much"

Crafting is one of the artful joys I discovered through motherhood; anything from knitting to sewing to embroidery to crochet and toymaking. There is nothing more delightful than seeing one of my munchkins wearing or playing with something I’ve created with my own hands.
Knitting is my favourite Mother Craft because I can do it whilst looking after the children, listening to music, or watching a movie. I always have a few projects on the go depending on the moment or the mood, and keep them nearby so they're easy to grab!

What's your favourite Mother Craft?

Photo: a half-finished project of a new dress for Blossom's Gemima doll, resting on my absolutely favourite crafting magazine - "Marie Claire Idées"

Mother Nature - profile

2009-08-12T13:31:00.032+10:00

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” John Muir (1838-1914)

Getting out into nature with my little munchkins is definitely a joyful motherhood endeavour! Mother Nature can take on many forms: visiting parks and gardens, growing herbs, collecting natural materials, exploring natural environments and celebrating seasonal changes. How do you welcome Mother Nature into your mothering?

Photo: Sunset at Rosser Park, Gold Coast Regional Botanical Gardens, QLD, Australia

Mother Aesthetica - profile

2009-08-12T13:21:00.038+10:00

Music {as with all creative endeavours!} washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life Berthold Auerbach (1812-1882)

Mother Aesthetica is about finding inspiration in the world around you, and indulging in all things artistic that enliven the senses. They can be child-centred or mama-centred, or both. The best aesthetic moments for me are when both my munchkins and I are moved or enriched emotionally and intellectually, and also inspired to create something ourselves.

Photo: One of my colour-mixed containers of Sennelier, Schminke, and Rembrandt pastels sitting on beds of rice

CarbonSmart Kids

2009-08-04T09:52:00.000+10:00

Yay! I took on the role of Grants Submissions Officer on the Executive Committee this year at Amelia's kindy. A few months ago, I sent in an application for funding to implement the Low Carbon Diet project with Amelia's kindy community of children and parents called 'CarbonSmart Kids'. Yesterday, I received a letter from the Minister for Climate and Sustainability - Kate Jones - informing me that my grant application was successful!!! It's such a worthy and much needed project. The last paragraph of the letter reads: "Climate change is the single biggest environmental threat facing the world today - and it affects us all in our local community. Your work in encouraging members of your community to take the Low Carbon Diet is an important element in helping Queensland reduce its carbon footprint." As readers of my blog-community, I urge you to check out their website - and go on the Low Carbon Diet too! Cheers
http://www.climatesmart.qld.gov.au/get_involved/low_carbon_diet