37.52 the classroom bear

Is there any pressure quite like the implicit pressure when your child suddenly brings home the precious classroom bear for a 'visit'????

Thankfully, he was returned to school, unharmed, with all his little accoutrements too.

Frankly, it's a miracle!!

PS Plus, very cute and sweet to see Miles excitement and pride of course. But still.... pressure!

Project 52: A portrait of my family, once a week, every week, in 2017.

31/31 {the january project} the project ends and school starts...

First day back at school.....

Year Three, Year One and a very tired Preschooler!

I was feeling #allthefeels after dropping all three kids to school today for the first time!

They were all happy as clams, but I was fighting back tears the whole morning just because... I dunno... motherhood?! Ha! I am so proud of them all, and love to see them so excited for another year in their lovely little school. They are flourishing and what more could I want?! But what is this funny thing, that seeing them so happy and independent brings so much joy and yet kinda breaks your heart for some reason at the same time? It's a big thing to entrust these little people to the world and to their own devices. It's with quivering hands I help them jump from the nest, covering them in prayer for each journey.

Your children are not your children. It is true.

These babies are growing up, that's for sure. Entering these middle years, it's a whole new season, so much to look forward to and yet bittersweet. 

xx

{the january photo a day project}

And so today, it ends. A photo a day, every day of January. With a momentous yet very simple image. For the first time during this month, this is actually just from my iPhone (gasp!!) rather than my 'big camera'. I just didn't have the energy today to worry about getting my big camera as we were racing out the door, so I choose to let it goooooooooooooooo. A rather inauspicious end to this photo-a-day project, but in a way it's kinda perfect because it's a tiny little example of my commitment this year... present over perfect. 

giveaway! win a stainless steel bento lunchbox + trio of reusable bags!

Hey folks, just popping in to say I am currently a fantastic giveaway on my Facebook and Instagram!!!

The prize is a stainless steel bento lunchbox and a trio of reusable sandwich/snack bags from the simply fantastic Litter Free Living! 

You all know I LOVE reusable and plastic free options wherever possible so suffice to say I have fallen in love with all of Litter Free Living's lovely wares. Another amazing WAHM too :) 

Feel free to pop over and enter!! I am giving away a set of each at each location.

Enter the Facebook giveaway HERE.

Enter the Instagram giveaway HERE.

All the best, lovelies xx

#highlightsreel // home help + school again

January ended and in rolled February - and with it, the new school year.

Life being what it is lately, it caught me by surprise. Lily entered Year One. No longer the 'baby' of the school, a confident, eager student, she was counting down the days till school started back! I am so excited to see her flourish this year. She adores her new teacher and frankly, so do I! This school start was so different from all our fuss and emotion last year. The day before school we were digging out uniforms and wondering if the library bag was still around somewhere. Ha - times change ;)

And Eli. Starting Preschool. My little dude - a huge step for him, and me too! This is the one that shocked me. In Canberra we are very blessed to have government funded preschool (2 days one week, 3 days the next - I know not everywhere gets preschool like this). His little class is in the 'Junior' area of Lily's school, so she loves to wave over the fence at playtime :) This new stage for him just crept up on me. It is funny how the first child starting school is a huge adjustment for you both, but the second child just happily trots off, already so comfortable with the environment and the process, which makes it easier for Mama too! Even though this kid has energy ++++, I do miss his sunny little face around the house. But he is absolutely loving preschool which makes me so happy. He seemed visibly taller on the first day of school pick up, just ever so proud of himself to be a big Preschooler at long last. He takes it all very seriously, including having perfected his own 'putting on his backpack' technique which involves putting it on the ground behind him, putting his wrists through the straps and then quickly lurching it onto his back :) Love this kid. He has made a good little buddy there ('Oliver but it's not Oliver Twist, Mummy'!), and it just melts me to see him so happy and at home, soaking up the beautiful play-based environment. One of the other school mums said to me at pick-up time, after the third day of seeing him bound out to me full of smiles and excitement 'Is he ever not smiling?? I want to be like him when I grow up, he is such a happy boy!' :) 

And then... suddenly all these quiet days hanging out with my littlest! What a change! It's so quiet! The house stays so clean!! Ha! The days pass by so quickly. I am just loving having one on one time with my baby boy, especially as he is a glorious two year old, full of chatter and fun. I was reflecting that I have never been at home with just a two year old before, as by this stage for Lily, Eli was here and then of course Miles came along before Lily started school. So it is very different and frankly, delightful :) Miles is absolutely LOVING the attention and quality time together and so am I. Poor third child often gets lost in the mix, so it feels extra sweet for him to have this time in the sun. We chit chat and sing songs, he climbs on top of things at every opportunity, he 'helps' me do chores, etc. We just chill together. My beautiful boy, I love watching him blossom (and climb  things... always with the climbing?!).

Here are a few images from our first week or two back at school...

You know the soup is a hit when it requires drinking from the bowl. Three bowls in fact. Zucchini and Mushroom Bisque - a sentimental family favourite. 

My gloriously grown up Year One girl. Rocking a (wrinkled!) skort like nobody's
business, heehee! It's her first day outfit of choice :)

Love that face. Mwah xxxxx

Dump out all the Jenga blocks. Pick them back up. Rinse, repeat.

A big first day of school requires whipping up a berry banana smoothie afterwards for refreshment.

Oh brother, what a face!

All packed up and raring to go off to Preschool...

Eager and excited, he could not be more ready!

My darling boy xx The sweetest.

The first time ever he insisted on standing and getting his own photo.
He wanted to hold the sign like the other kids. #nailedit

Huh?

The laundry cycle is now pretty much complete - they have been sorting, folding and putting away for ages, now they can also hang washing and take it off the line too! (well, fairly haphazard but it's good enough for me!). Eli loves to put it in the machine and press the buttons to turn it on... so soon I will try to help him be confident to do that solo and then they will be able to handle a whole laundry cycle on their own!?! At which point, I get to hang up my hat and take a nap for a couple years, right!!?? ;) 

#boylife

My beautiful kids. Our family has been under a burden of late, some difficult news that I haven't been ready to share on this blog and to honest I'm not sure if or when I will. Suffice to say, the housework has been hit and miss (mostly miss) as other things require my time and energy. One day I walked out to find L&E enthusiastically mopping the floor as a 'surprise' for me. Water slopping everywhere, happy smiles and giggles as they worked. Such a glorious mess, such a heartfelt gesture of helpfulness from my children, it kinda broke my heart and healed it all at once.

My little treasures at work. Oh yeah - that cover-less carseat in the background
is because Miles vomited all over it. Mmm, good times ;)

A trip to the hairdressers for a much needed trim... and this little lady decided to get herself a fringe! It changed her face so much we could barely recognise her... had to keep taking a second look. She looks so much older?!? 

The sign of a very big first week of Preschool - falling asleep in the late afternoon, in really awkward positions.

You can never pick what toys your child will really attach to...or at least, I never try. And so somehow amidst the zillions of stuffed toys we own (that I swear multiply in the night!), Miles has appointed these two as his Most Beloved. 'Teddy' happens to be Marks from when he was a little boy (awww!) and 'Mih-mee' (Miffy) was actually a gift to Lily when she was a newborn, from her Auntie Helen C. He loves his little cot buddies to pieces :) This image makes me smile.

Thank you, thank you to all who read here. Thank you for sharing in my little snippets of blessings, these treasured times. This blog is my happy place, a #highlightsreel of those golden moments dug out from amidst the everyday. I feel grateful for all of you who take the time to read along with me xx

51/52 - finishing the school year in style

Lily

We might have created a new tradition this week. 

My little girl finished her first year of Kindy - what a milestone! She has flourished, worked so very hard, kept her love of learning, and best of all remained a kind and faithful friend - we could not be prouder. I decided to celebrate and honour her big year, and welcome in the first day of holidays (Yippee!! Six weeks of holidays!). So I delivered a simple but special breakfast in bed - just fruit salad topped with toasted muesli and greek yoghurt, Nutella toast (!!!) and juice.  

As you can see from this gleeful face, Lily was thrilled when I presented this simple little tray. She just kept repeating 'Thank you Mummy, I love this Mummy, I love you Mummy! Wow, I love this!!'

Such a simple way to celebrate my girl and make her feel loved. A simple little gesture but it meant the world to her - what a gift it was to me to be able to bring her such joy. It was a very fitting way to end the school year and welcome  in the holidays. From this luxurious start, we rolled into a much needed quiet 'Pyjama Day' at home. Just loving that we have a whole week now to prepare for and celebrate Christmas. A few little Christmassey traditions ahead that we need to check off our list!

(iPhone pic)

Eli 

My helpful little sidekick, pegging clothes on the line. He loves to help and work alongside me, my little companion who whistles while he works.

I love letting my kids work out their own way to get the job done and am not one to quibble on adult type standards when they are just learning the ropes - intention and enthusiasm goes a long way at this age! I just casually mentioned to him while he was haphazardly pegging clothes that I generally like to peg the clothes from the bottom (of the item, eg hanging Tshirts from the hem). He looked at me confused, then said 'Mummy, you need to peg them at the top - see??' And pegged a cloth to the line. Then he put a peg at the bottom of the dangling item and looked at me bemused like 'Are you crazy? This does nothing!' 

LOL, you sure showed me, son ;)

Miles

His latest obsession is chalk drawing. He is constantly begging 'Play outside?? Chalk??' 

(Sidenote: he also says Dishwasher and Peanut butter, so cute, I love seeing his vocabulary flourish!)

He loves drawing out there, covering the patio with his lines and scrawls, (with assistance from his siblings). My busy, outdoorsy little man. 

Mark

Father and son, off to do the weekly grocery shop. 

A little bonding time, a little project, a little household help from the boy who will bite directly into the plastic wrapped loaf of bread if given half a second's opportunity ;)

Look at that happy smile. Melt.

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

More highlights from the week that was...

It has been a sad news week. Sad our country (the terrifying Sydney siege, the heartbreaking Cairns killings) and also for our family, with some news hitting a little closer to home, to someone we love. Grief upon grief upon grief. But though we are hard pressed on every side, we are not crushed; we are struck down but we are not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4.8-12). I am thankful for hope and peace and God's comfort through every earthly sadness. In bittersweet and somber times, it is all we can do to be ever more grateful and aware of the rich blessings also before us. 

I am so thankful at times like these, for this little weekly ritual, which encourages me to sit and sift through images, remembering and reflecting and storing these blessings up in my heart - oh yeah, and on the interwebz ;)

Last day of Kindy. She wore pink socks to celebrate, lol.
Goodness, look at those long legs, she has really shot up this year!

Me and my girl xx

Celebrating the end of school with a night out at the Christmas Carols - we go most years with dear friends, enjoying singing, food and friendship.

Picnic food...
I made a Four Cheese, Sundried Tomato and Fresh Herb Pull Apart. Oh, and chucky basil pesto dip. Who am I again!? 

This photo fairly well reflects Miles on this night - totally wired! Much of our evening was spent corralling him and preventing him from drinking the mosquito repellant lying out on our neighbours' picnic blanket. Mmm, so relaxing ;) Thankfully towards the end, we had a peaceful half hour, with the kids nestled under blankets, cuddling them and singing carols together. It was so beautiful, just what this heart needed.

This fellow did a smashing job of his first year of playschool. Celebrated him with brekkie in bed too! He is so sad to leave playschool (and his best buddy Thomas) but is going to have a wonderful time at Preschool next year. I am still yet to process that this kid is going to Preschool?! How can it be? 

A very rare treat - Nutella toast - combined with another rare treat - breakfast in bed! Pretty pleased with herself :)

A helping hand to reach the line...

She requested a photo in front of the adorable snowman made by our lovely neighbour! He made one for each of the kids, how lovely is that?!?! They adore them!

Off to deliver treats and a little Christmas cheer to all our lovely neighbours. We are soooo blessed to live on a great street with such a friendly community of good folk :)

Our beautiful friends Mandy and Lucrecia came to town for a flying visit. I absolutely love seeing my kids form cross-generational bonds, learning and being inspired by diverse people. I am so thankful for our church family!

Mandy helps Lily strum a tune on her guitar - Lily is dying for lessons!

Lily decided to organise a craft activity for Miles :) It was adorable to witness, she was very patient and he was thrilled to be unleashed with the glue!!! 

My little Japanese girl!
She has been asking for her own Kimono all year. I had secretly bought one for Christmas, but when she had a Japanese Fun Day at school (they learn Japanese at school), we decided to give it to her early. Amazing or what!?

Fitting that she is standing in front of my beloved Japanese maple tree.

Such a little lady! Tottering around on her Geti (wooden sandals)...

'Ummmm, did you see me drop the chalk into the gumboot??'
Sprung.

Smooch

Miles loves to tickle Daddy's beard :)