Holiday Lessons

Yes, we totally dropped off the radar.

Sorry, dear readers.

It actually all started when my computer broke down the week before Christmas. I was horrified at first, and then sunk into the lack of technology like a pig in mud. There is a lot to be said for taking a break from life for a few weeks – Dave and I played long treasure hunting games with the kids, swam, ate and ate, and had random afternoon naps; the kids rode their bikes for hours, we went on long drives, dug up the gardens, cooked the most delicious food, and watched lots of kiddie movies.

It really was heavenly.

And I actually managed to learn a few things while on our long, lazy holiday:

1. Yes, it is possible to go back to sleep in the morning if you close your eyes long enough (and if there’s a pillow over your head to muffle the outside noise).
2. Holidays = messy house, frequently empty fridge. It also means that no one really has the motivation to do anything about it, which makes it a lot easier to turn a blind eye and indulge in fantastic takeaway.
3. You can never have too many swims in one day. And lazy after-the-kids-are-asleep swims are the perfect way to wind down.
4. Holiday breakfasts may just be the best kind of breakfast: there’s very little guilt involved, you’re able to take your time (perhaps even read the paper or pour another mug of coffee), and can then crawl into bed or onto the couch for slow digestion.
5. Having a little girl that loves pretend tea parties is really the most delightful thing. Thinking that we’d always have a tomboy, the emergence of the very girly Lou really is a thing to marvel at; and all those endless cups of pretend tea and cake, the tucking and re-tucking of dolls into makeshift beds, and a sudden obsession with pretty skirts and beads, adds a lovely (sometimes sparkly) shine to the house. 

Even though it may feel like an age ago, did you have a holiday over Christmas? What did you do?

Nat

Ps. I’ve been writing. A lot. And isn’t it a novel thing, to write with a pen on paper? I think it took me two weeks to write without an aching hand!

Image from here.

Rowdy, rough-and-tumble types...

My babes are wrestlers.

They’re also fast-running-around-the-table, rolling around in mud, climbing dangerously high (and jumping without fear), and fake laughing in the mirror kind of kids. They do everything in a loud way; will shriek and screech over the smallest finds, and love making up circus tricks and tumbling down the hallway. They make loud, scary noises when pulling faces, breakdance to bad 80’s music, and sing off key to our favourite songs. I never dress them in white. Ever.

Even though I’m more than aware of their boisterous beginnings, this week I had the opportunity to see a work in progress performance in an inner city theatre, a play for two-to-five year olds all about play – and I must admit, I hesitated. Especially because when I was reading the email invitation, Judah was standing on the dining table shouting ‘Fi! Fi! Fo! Fum!’ and beating his chest like King Kong, and I could hear Lou outside squealing repeatedly over a colony of ants that she’d found in the mud.

But then I thought, why not? They may just surprise me…

As it was, my energetic two were very good, and aside from a few feet stamping and jumping on cushion episodes, all went beautifully. But the thing I love the most?  How seeing the performance has influenced their own imaginings and the way that they play together: Judah’s been pretending to swim around the house, holding his breath so his plump little cheeks stick out, breast-stroking at a furious pace, and diving onto the couch to paddle-kick his legs at breakneck speed. And Lou has been exploring with boxes, copying Judah’s enthusiastic swimming displays, and hiding under sheets – just like the actors did.

It was an interesting lesson for me – perhaps I box my wrestlers/mud rollers too quickly, and don’t really give them the opportunity to experience new, quieter things because I’m afraid they’ll be too disruptive. But I’m thinking that we may just become a theatre-going family after all… which is very, very cool.

Have your children ever surprised you in a similar way?

Nat

Ps. Only one more week left before we draw the winner of our $50 Quill & Ink Handmade gift voucher! To enter, all you need to do is post a photo on our facebook page of your Quill & Ink product with its new owner, and like us (if you don’t already). Simple as that! Best photo wins…. x

Grateful #20 – What are you thankful for today?

It’s a grey day in Brisbane this morning, and the rain is soaking in and softening our soil again – just in time for a new spurt of vegetable planting that I was hoping to do sometime next week. Our poor veg garden has been a wee bit neglected of late – the weeds are in competition (and seem to be winning), and Ella, our sad-faced mastiff, has taken to burying her bones in the root vegetable patch (and heavens, do they stink!).

But the weather is warming, and I’m starting to think of summer salads, leafy greens, trellis-covered snow peas, and a carpet of cheerful bee attracting flowers. And maybe even some citrus and a small apple tree.

So with gardens on my mind, this week I’m grateful for:

The promise of Spring. Even though I loved winter this year, and revelled in the feasting, sharing, and comforting goodness of it all, I’ve been feeling a bit grey, and unconsciously looking out for signs of a warmer change.

Our house backs onto a steep incline, a bubbling, story-book type creek, and the local golf course, and in the first blush of spring, the trees in this wild ravine become covered in a strange kind of pure white, mock orange flower. The scent is amazing – especially first thing in the morning; and this week, I noticed that the tall gums and smaller shrubs in our pretty bit of wilderness are absolutely covered in it.

A small dance of joy for the beginning of spring in our pocket of the world.

A morning play. The last few mornings, I’ve let the kids play outside in their pyjamas, a little after 7am. With a million things to do first thing in the morning, and two very active toddlers wanting something fun to do RIGHT NOW, this seemed like the most sensible solution. Yes, pyjamas got covered in dirt (and mud after one rainy night), the dog’s dry biscuits got eaten by Lou (ick!), and socks got buried in random holes, but they were content in exploring their early morning backyard, which was cool and fresh and alive with the sound of birds (And inside, I was more than grateful for the space to tick a few tasks off my daily to-do list!).

What are you grateful for this week?

Nat

Ps. Linking up with the wonderful Maxabella– and you can too! Post your Grateful list here, or write it in the comments section below. Have a wonderful weekend!