week twenty two // lily's last week at home

my last week of homeschool, with my firstborn.

we had the sweetest week together, where Lily relished some solo brother-less time at home ;) and some well-earned time off before the big return to school.

she has done an incredible job at home - her teachers have labelled her a shining star who is ready to totally smash highschool! she is soooo ready, having been able to work so independently and diligently the whole time. honestly, I don't even know what she has been doing because she has managed her work and schedule all on her own! she has thrived on creating her own routine, working so hard, finishing work early and being so organised. what a champ!

couldn't be prouder of this little munchkin!! we topped off the week with a girl's day, including our first shopping trip in months :) so lovely.

blessed to have this wonderful daughter of mine! :)

#project52 #learningathome #coronadiaries

22/31 {the january project} part vet, part ballerina

Always on the lookout for another pet.... this time, a skink!

Lily is full of diverse interests and this week has been a rather good sampling! 

A few days ago , she did a dissection on a chicken!! (eek) The backstory is a chicken of ours sadly passed away recently (from old age) and a lovely vet friend of ours told our aspiring-vet daughter that if she wanted, they could do a dissection to learn more about it. Her eyes lit up (!!!) and so.... they did. She was not at ALL squeamish either! It was seriously the highlight of her school holidays. I was so grateful she got this real life experience but even more grateful I did not have to witness it, haha!

Then this afternoon, we had a special mother/daughter outing to her first ballet! *cue the sentimentality* It was such a precious thing to introduce her to! We saw a Storytime Ballet version of The Nutcracker and it was just wonderful, magical, breathtaking, I could go on! We then did dinner and ice cream together afterwards, and strolled around the city, peeking in on urban life and also doing a special project which I will keep just between us but it was definitely something that was so meaningful to us both. The ballet tickets were her Christmas gift, and I hope those memories will last a lifetime. They will for me, anyway! I just treasure these experiences we get to have together.

Most of all, I love the perfectly quirky and individual mix that makes up this girl of mine. Arty and creative, yet level headed and matter of fact. Animal obsessed, non-squeamish, vet/artist aspiring, ballet loving, girl of mine. 

Keep doing you, forever! God made you just as you are and I love every part xx

{the january photo a day project}

4/31 {the january project} like mothers, like daughters...

>> new friends, forever friends <<

>> bathing chelsea's feet in waterbeads... an act of loving service to start things off right?! haha <<

>> long farewells and promises to write (and FaceTime!) at the train station. always so hard to say goodbye <<

As mentioned, my dearest friend Heidi and her family have been visiting us from Hawaii after nine very long years. In this missing decade, we have both been transformed by the role of motherhood and so many of life's joys and heartbreaks. As excited as I was to see her again (and I was verrrrry excited) I was also just beyond thrilled at the idea of our children meeting at long last too. I know we both hoped our girls would connect but I think we were both truly shocked and moved by how deeply they did. A sweet and true little friendship developed over their visit, these two little ladies connecting over so much, comparing similar parenting rules (ha!) and sharing favourite books and games. Chelsea slept in Lily's bed with her and we parents got so busy talking that night we did not realise till 11.30pm that they were actually still awake, giggling away and 'talking about life' apparently. Oops!!! Then they did it again the next night!!! We could not even pretend to be miffed, as secretly we just loved to see their bond deepen. What's a couple of late nights when you are building a lifelong friendship? #nopressure #justalittle  ;) 

Chelsea and Lily, my prayer is that your friendship will bless you both as your mother's friendship has deeply blessed and encouraged and inspired me. I never even dared to dream when we became friends as young teens that decades later we would have daughters of the same age one day who would also become friends, who could also talk all night without drawing a breath or ever, ever running out of things to say. May you both receive even a fraction of the love and support and strengthening of faith that we have both drawn from our friendship.

 {a photo a day in January}

P.S. I should state the obvious, that I clearly generally fail at choosing just one photo a day! A minimalist I am not!! Ha. But hey.. my project, my rules, right!? ;)

a letter-writing journal // staying connected with your kids

As our children grow and especially once they head off to school, it can be a little jarring to realise that they are becoming their own little people, with emerging private worlds of their own. It is a glorious thing of course.... we want them to be independent! But like most parents, I've also been really aware of wanting to keep those channels of communication open as they start to venture into the big wide world! Especially as these early years slowly but surely morphing into the tween years (and, like, 'tweens' didn't even exist when I was one, lol)... and then the teens. Eeeek...what a ride we have ahead!

I am not even sure now how this precious routine emerged. Something to do with a glut of beautiful little notebooks and a very eager little letter writer and pen pal. My eight year old daughter, Lily, is the kind of kid who pre-writes responses to her pen pal friends so as soon as a letter arrives she has one ready to send in reply. Ha!!!

So, about a year ago we began to write letters to each other in the pages of a journal. These notes were written 'in secret' then the book was surreptitiously placed under the pillow of the other person for them to discover. Often accompanied by a few eager and not-so-subtle hints of 'have you looked under your pillow lately??'

There has been a beautiful and gentle evolution to these letters, especially as her writing skills and stamina have improved over time and her desire grew to write more and more. Lily had the idea that we should ask each other a question in each letter, which we then answer, as well as writing about our day, our thoughts and anything that's happening in our family. It's even been a safe place to write about miscommunications and some hurt feelings. Sometimes, the journal has been passed back and forth several times in a day, other times a week or even a month can go by before it is delivered under a pillow again. Life gets in the way, you know! And that's okay.... the journal is there when we need it. Sometimes I need a few reminders before I get a chance to reply and sometimes I have to teasingly request a little return mail from my daughter too!

How fascinating it is to have a peek into her world, to hear about her favourite things and to be charmed by her questions and insights about life and family and her many dreams and big ideas. She is her own little person, and so utterly lovely to get to know. She is getting to know me too, in a different way (as a real person, not just a mother haha!), as we ask each other questions as friends do.

Right now she is an open book (no pun intended!) and I love how easily we can share our hearts. But in years to come, when emotions and hormones, peers and other influences pervade, my hope is that this simple little journal, and the trust we have established along the way, might provide an avenue to continue to openly communicate with each other through the written word, at times when speech may otherwise fail.

It's also been a bonus to have all our notes bound safely into one book rather than loose papers that often get waylaid... or is that just me?!  Best of all has been having a blossoming conversation with my daughter that I hope and pray will continue to evolve and mature over the years as we do the same.

Day by day, letter by letter, we grow together xx

a Barbie alternative // the lovely Lottie doll

We welcomed a new little friend into our household recently... her name is Lottie!

She was a special gift for Lily after she achieved a major milestone (stopping thumb-sucking at last after a significant regression - hooray, hooray, hooray).

Our journey to little Lottie was a winding one. Lily had started asking for 'a Barbie' after seeing several of her little friends had them. But... I just couldn't bring myself to buy her one. Now please don't get me wrong, I don't think Barbie and her ilk (Moxie, etc) are the devil incarnate or anything!! I grew up with Barbie dolls and certainly don't consider myself scarred for life or anything ;) And yet... knowing my daughter, I just felt myself pause at the thought of consciously purchasing a Barbie for her. Maybe it will happen one day, but she just seemed too young and I just didn't feel comfortable about it.

I love to see my little girl's imagination run free as she plays, creates, and processes through her dolls and toys. I appreciated the idea of a very special doll for her but.... I kinda wanted her to live out this creative world through a little girl doll who looked a bit more like her. You know - with a real child's body. Or at least a real woman's body!!! One of the things I am conscious of with my kids is letting them truly embrace their childhood, and just be free to be kids. As much as possible, to be free of the body image issues and the early sexualisation and adult-ification of childhood that seems to run more and more rampant in our society these days. She is growing up in her own sweet time, no need to rush the process!

And so began my internet search for 'a Barbie alternative', thinking surely there would be a plethora of them after all the Barbie controversy over the years. I was pretty surprised to find the pickings were slim to almost non-existent. Really???! C'mon, people! I knew I could not be the only parent looking for an alternative.

And then I finally stumbled across Lottie. Lovely little Lottie!






Lottie dolls are a range of dolls from the UK. They are little girl dolls designed especially to look like....little girls. No makeup, no jewellery, no insanely disproportionate body shape. And even flat feet so she can stand up for herself! Ok, yes, there are the long lush locks and the big googly eyes but... in comparison to market offerings... it was leaps and bounds ahead. Kids can still change outfits and brush hair (and take it in the bath - a serious requirement according to Lily!) - but with a doll that looks a lot more true to a child/life. I was thrilled!! But now I had to see if it met the standard of my discerning five year old.... after all, this was a special gift and I didn't want to purchase something that I loved but didn't win her heart. I pulled up the website with the range of dolls and with trepidation, let her survey the offerings.... would it passed muster??

"Oooooh' she breathed. 'I can really choose one??!!'

Yup, Lottie passed the test! Phew ;)

A spare outfit for parties ;)
Every girl knows that swapping outfits every half hour is the best part of having a doll, right?!

There are a range of Lottie dolls with different hair colour and fun, kid-friendly outfits. Of course, my little dancer chose the ballerina-esque outfit... with a backup outfit very similar to the dressy outfits she owns. The tag on the box says 'Lottie has a 'childlike' body developed by a range British academics; she doesn't wear makeup, jewellery or high heels. Best of all, she can stand on her own two feet - an invaluable life skill for all girls, big and small' . Here, here! (Much more info and research on the Lottie website listed below). The doll range 'themes' focus on activities that a child can do (from soccer to swimming to butterfly catching!) and helps present a healthier view on body image and an active lifestyle. I really appreciate that they have a range of dolls and outfits that includes the sparkly fun stuff that many girls enjoy but does not limit the range to those 'hyper girly' options. Just like the colour pink - nothing wrong with the colour itself, but it gets tiresome when it's the only option for girls to choose from - it's so limiting and self-perpetuating! Argh! Likewise with Lottie, there is pink and sparkles but there is also soccer and hiking themes! And - all of them are child appropriate. At last.

When the time came at last to open up the Lottie doll box (Lottie was kept on a shelf until Lily's no-thumbsucking goal had been reached), Lily was sooooo excited. Thrilled. Swept away. 'She looks just like me!!!' she squealed with joy, and I was very happy to admit it was true, 'Except I don't have a fringe. Maybe I should get one!' (Uh oh, hide the scissors, lol!!). Yes, a girl like her, through which she can dream, imagine, create and adventure.

I think the grin on her face says it all really!

Her first moments with Lottie. As soon as Lily opened up the box, she raced to
dress in her own ballet outfit so they could be matching :)

Putting those teeny little ballet slippers back on!

Introducing Lottie to Mrs Scratch :)

Twinkle toes times two.

Soaring high into the sky...

My own little lady, feet firmly planted on the ground.

a Lottie love 

Twirling ballerinas

And.... rockstar Lottie?!

Girls don't have to be sweet and delicate. Ha! Belting out her tune with gusto.

Giddy with excitement, going a little cookoo ;)

Lottie, standing on her own two feet!

I am thankful for how Lottie encourages girls to enjoy their childhood in all its facets. I think we found a good fit for our family values with this sweet little doll. Childhood is a magical phase that passes quick enough without encouraging them too soon into adult worlds and concepts. With Lottie, I feel like Lily can happily linger in her girlhood a little longer.

And now, I am enjoying watching Lily and Lottie and their many adventures unfold (it's both hilarious and sweet). The dawning of a very special friendship indeed :)

P.S. I probably don't really need to say it on this teeny tiny blog, but this isn't a sponsored or affiliate post or anything! Just happy to have found a doll that we love and wanted to share it around so if anyone else out there is searching for a Barbie alternative, they can get a review! 

PPS The Lottie Australia website is here. You can buy it online at lots of places, I found the best online price for the doll Lily wanted here (very affordable, I thought), and apparently you can buy them in store at David Jones, Toys 'R Us and hopefully many other stores will start stocking them! Available also in the UK and US and I'm sure other countries... have a Google and see. Get on the Lottie train, I say! She rocks :)