38.52 ...A family day by the river

It was a public holiday and I was just itching to get out of the house and spent a little time connecting with nature and my family. Life has been a little too hectic of late, for my liking!

We packed up a simple picnic and our new (huge!) picnic mat and took off to explore a new trail by the river not too far from our house. For locals, FYI, it's the Murrumbidgee River Discovery Trail which starts from the Kambah Pools. I couldn't believe we had never been there before!!! A simply beautiful area, I highly recommend it..

We first went for an hour long hike along the Discovery Trail. it was truly idyllic. Mark and I just kept taking deep breaths, sighing and smiling as we walked along the trail. It just felt soooooooo good, so refreshing and so grounding to be out in nature together! The kids alternately went racing along the track to explore or were strolling along by our sides, chattering away. We spotted birds, soaked in the mountain views, observed wombat holes, explored burnt out trees and watched a trail of ants. Out here, together, all the worries and stresses of life just seemed to melt away.

After our long walk, the little legs (and big legs, let's be honest!) were rather ready for a rest. We set ourselves up to relax for the rest of the morning by the river. It was so nice to just find a quiet space where we could just soak up the tranquillity and refuel with a few snacks. However, before too long, the kids were down in the river beds, wading in the water and digging channels in the sand. They don't need long to recover!? Hubby and I enjoyed watching them for a while, as he dozed and I read. 

It was just a few hours out of the house but it was such a recharge. How thankful I am for days like these, making memories, connecting with and in nature, just being together!

These are precious times, of this I have no doubt.

Grubby feet are always a sign of a good time....

When we head out for a picnic, I like to throw a few books in for the kids  as well as the adults. The perfect way to take a little quiet time out in the fresh air before jumping up for another play. If you know me, you know it's never a bad idea to squeeze in a little more reading! And it heightens the chance I get to read some of my own book too ;) 

Mark always squeezes in a power nap whenever possible....

I just have to say a huge thank you to Recycled Mats for sending me the beautiful Reconciliation Mat pictured, as a gift. Truth be told, I have been eyeing off these gorgeous mats online and on Instagram for aaaaages!!! So was beyond thrilled to be sent one. It is amazzzzzzing, is it not?! I'm in love :)

Finally, a mat that is big enough for our whole family to stretch out on - this one is 3x3 metres. It's soft and comfy, fairly waterproof, and easy to just hose off any mess too! I also love so much about this company's approach - recycling millions of plastic items that would otherwise be headed for landfill, and employing Indigenous artists to create many of their stunning mat designs. So much to love! Frankly, I am just so excited for this beautiful mat to accompany our tribe on many more outdoor adventures!

This beautiful Reconciliation Mat was gifted to me by Recycled Mats. No additional payment was made and all opinions shared are 100% my own. I only share about products that I truly love and use!

19/31 {the january project} an emerging writer

"Mum, this says 'If you see a rat or mouse and you scared, you just hug your Mum or Dad', okay?"

His very intentional pre-writing is charming me no end at the moment, Little letters and notes all over the place xx

{the january photo a day project}

16/31 {the january project} nature play

Miles contemplates the structural engineering of his new forest home.

It was a lovely morning at the Arboretum with Kate from An Everyday Story, Kelly from Happy Whimsical Hearts - and finally meeting the amazing Amber of Roam the Gnome who was travelling through Canberra! 

We chatted as we watched our nine combined children enjoy some nature play as they built teepees with sticks, roamed around the cedar forest and made new friendships with each other. How good and nourishing it is to see children simply free to play in nature! 

{the january photo a day project}

40/52 - from the flowers at floriade to the veggie patch at home...

Lily

It's been all about the garden lately. Spring has sprung in it's full glory and we have been busily planting the veggie patch and clearing our mammoth garden in every spare moment we can scrape out (not that many moments - things are still generally an overgrown mess!!!). 

We are excited to attempt a proper veggie patch this spring/summer. The kids each chose something to plant, and Lily, out of everything on offer, chose brown onions. Yes. 'They are good for BBQ's' she said, haha!

A little garden fairy, not afraid to get a little grubby.

Eli

Too cool for school - but not for Floriade.

The kids all got a free pair of sunnies when our tribe and Mark's parents all visited Floriade (our annual big flower festival) on our public holiday. Eli was keen to rock out with his signature style!

We had such a lovely morning traipsing around, tiptoeing through the tulips (figuratively of course!), enjoying the sunshine. Canberra in all it's glory!

 

Miles

My little man, always with a stick in each hand, cruising amongst the crowds at Floriade.  He was walking around like he owned the place, I tell ya!

Mark

Watch out for the guy with the axe!!!

(Clearing space by hacking out an old half-dead hedge to make way for a row of raspberry and blueberry bushes.... mmmmm, I can taste those berries already!! Well, here's hoping?!)

Project 52: A portrait of my family, once a week, every week, in 2014.

More highlight from the week that was...

Box construction... working hard on making a robot.

Snuggling a snail. You never know what you might get to do at Floriade, huh?

Of course there has to be a bunch of flower photos, if you don't mind!

Sniiiiiff. He wore a little clear plastic backpack, filled with jingling coins. It made it very easy to keep track of him, as he jingled all the way around Floriade ;)

Ha. Ain't this the mantra of our era... gave me a bit of a chuckle...

The highlight of Floriade was riding the Ferris wheel with Lily and Eli and Marg. It was glorious and worth every cent... as you can tell from the kid's faces, they were enthralled and I was too! The view of the flowers and city were spectacular as well as the excitement of rotating around. We fielded a few questions from the kids about the likelihood of us falling out of our little cage - but thankfully nothing went awry!

Accidental headlock of little bro when gust of wind almost takes her hat!

Photo with my babies (iPhone) Feeling on top of the world! (iPhone) My little sunshine xx Just cos his every expression  is different and makes me laugh!! Our moment to shine, haha - an 'impropmptu' concert on the main stage, bunches of kids singing away merrily. Mark and Miles checking out the many awesome cubby houses on display. The toadstool was a big hit! A little bit of watercolour painting. These glorious Spring school holidays fill up so quick, we had to lock in one quiet 'PJ Day' for the kids to just enjoy chilling out at home, doing whatever they pleased. They pleased to paint ;) Eli wanted to literally paint the lavender :) A puppet show from Lily :) Surveying her riches....  Counting her coins.... sorting and stacking. 'Is this enough for an iPad?' 'Uhhhh, not quite.' After a blissful morning relaxing in a dear friend's porch swing, Lily came straight home and attempted to construct her own. A whirlwind of taping and knotting ensued... The original prototype needed a fair bit of tweaking before it would hang, but it was a valiant and creative first effort :) It was actually one of those tricky situations where I loved to watch her create and problem solve freely, but then had to discern how much to assist when she asked for it, even though I wanted her to feel she could tackle it herself even when she was frustrated and disheartened. We got there in the end... it's always a tricky balance, I find??

Lily spent a lot of time building this deluxe home for her beloved Lottie. It included a 'fairy wings' hook, rubbish bin, campfire, bed with pillow and all sorts of goodies. Lottie seems impressed ;)

Spiderman helps to plant the corn. His veggie choice was tomatoes this year, but was keen to help with all the veggies, my dear little sidekick!