When it’s not a rainbows and unicorns kind of day,
take a big breath and then slowly exhale
take the kids to the park
climb trees
sit in the grass, ground yourself
slowly crochet, slowly
smile at the wobbly teeth, and then at the gaps that followed
love the fact that the water draws her in
laugh in that tiny moment, because it was there, and it felt good
exhale slowly and remember
there will always be tomorrow.
this is a weekend with
rain
waiting
and wheels
a weekend
that rejoices in a hot cup of chai
…or three
a weekend where arguments are refereed,
and ensuing hugs compulsory
a weekend where plans were made
and then rained upon
but the oven runs hot
and bellies are filled
and finally
there is a snatched moment to think,
plan and ignite a few creative brain cells
…ready to start the week again
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what did you get up to this weekend?
(and a big thank you for everyone’s lovely birthday wishes from my last post)
“Often life’s pleasures pass us by simply because we don’t take a moment to focus on them… Make a point of noticing everyday something that uplifts your spirit or tickles your heart… Stop to breathe in the joy of this moment and then tell someone about it. Share your joy and revel in it. When your joy is savoured, and then shared, it is magnified…” ROBIN GRILLE
A run of reading some wonderful books, life is too short to waste time reading a bad book. There are so many great ones to be had. This particular one, has had me laughing out loud and quietly sobbing.
Hand made dresses that have been waiting to fit.
Finally getting organised to start sewing my advent calendar. Cut, cut, sew, sew… It’s an ambitious colour palate, but I’m fingers and toes crossed hopeful.
Enjoying a coffee with Mr Chocolate in my new adored birthday cups.
Taste testing strawberry blueberry jam. It’s been so long since I made any jam. It was lovely being beside the pot, wielding my berry stained wooden spoon, testing as I went along.
If anyone else would like to do a ‘loving this week’ post, (or simply write something in the comments). Please let me know, link back to this post and I’ll do a link up. I would love to know about those little moments in your week that have tickled your heart.
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Visit Kari @Bite Sized Thoughts for some moments that have tickled her heart this week.
“Often life’s pleasures pass us by simply because we don’t take a moment to focus on them… Make a point of noticing everyday something that uplifts your spirit or tickles your heart… Stop to breathe in the joy of this moment and then tell someone about it. Share your joy and revel in it. When your joy is savoured, and then shared, it is magnified…” ROBIN GRILLE
Getting to take photos at a friends small people party. I get such an enjoyment from taking pictures, the camera is a wonderful thing. Willing friends that let me practise on them, love that.
Making bunting. I had a gentle reminder of why the sewing machine hasn’t been dragged out much lately. My baby helper lay over my foot on the machines pedal, tugged on the bias ending as I sewed it on through, got stuck weaving herself through the chair legs, and taste tested every triangle I sewed. The sewing is definitely a little shonky, but jeez, I’m loving that I did it.
Hula Hoop workshop. Cirque du Soleil performer I am certainly not, but it was fun.
Getting to enjoy the company of my grandparents visiting, obviously I had to make a cake for the occasion.
Co sleeping and breastfeeding, it makes my life so much easier. She loves it, and is happy…which makes me happy. Love that.
A pot of chai to start the day with.
Watching these two love each others company while Monkey Boy is at school. That just makes my heart feel big in so many ways.
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If anyone else would like to do a ‘loving this week’ post, (or simply write something in the comments). Please let me know, link back to this post and I’ll do a link up. I would love to know about those little moments in your week that have tickled your heart.
*******
Have a look at Kari’s “loving this week” post on Rottnest Island– beautiful!
this week it’s been made abundantly clear to me
that the mundane, the every day is not so ordinary
I always try to not take those every day moments for granted. Posts like these ones, focus on my love of those little moments… I know that, I really do.
But hearing what is going on in some other peoples lives at the moment and I’m left speechless…
This weekend, I’m celebrating my everyday.
this boy…
with the soft warm little hands
that still want to hold mine
this boy…
who runs with his big brother,
and sometimes needs help with his shoes
this boy….
who loves to eat apples
and listen to stories of old red trains and happy french lions
this boy….
who still likes to wear a cape
and yellow work goggles up the street
this boy…
who’s big brown eyes and long camel like lashes
that make you melt with the love that it sparks
this boy…
who will never be three again,
and instead will now be four
At the beginning of May the lovely Kate set a challenge to herself to do a motif a day in May, and asked if anyone else would like to play along by setting their own challenges for May.
I did, I wanted to play. My challenge was to crochet a little every day, as I wanted to get better. Not show stoppingly better just better than the very, very basics I did know. I wanted to understand what the hell all of these terms meant like, hdc2tog, sc, treble clusters etc. So I did, and now it makes a little more sense instead of looking at it as if I was reading ancient Greek. May is now over and I’m determined to keep practising and keep getting better, (as everyone needs a hat with flaps and ears I think.)
Coming to the end of the month, I came across this short TED talk. He talks of trying something new for 30 days. I was in again. It didn’t have to be big, it could be really quite small. Teeny tiny steps towards doing something I would like to do.
I still want to keep crocheting to get better, so I think I’ll keep that one. It might not be every day, but it will be there for a whole lot of it. I thought I might also try two other challenges during June. One, I want to make each person in our family laugh. Not by performing a slapstick comedy routine, but just to find a genuine chuckle each day from them. My second thing I want to do is read about coal seam gas. Not technically your usual combinations, but important ones for me this month anyway.
I asked Mr Chocolate and Monkey Boy if they would like to play along. A lovely yes from Mr Chocolate. He is going to practise playing his new ukulele each day. Monkey Boy was a bit unsure about the whole thing. But he was happy enough at the suggestion that he and I read a little of a special book every day, and Wind in the Willows we are starting off with.
How about you? Feel like doing something each day in June?
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* I really was so very humbled by all your lovely comments from my last post. That sort of honesty that so many of you wrote about in the comments is invaluable. Not only for me but for any other mums out there that might be reading and not commenting. So really, a heart felt thank you.
I had a long honest post. I wrote it. It sat there. I read it, then read it again.
I then decided it was probably a bit too honest, and then deleted it.
So instead I’ll write… I stopped, I paused and that feels a whole lot better.
I also want to acknowledge the fact that parenting is hard. Juggling two small children, a young baby and a husband that works really long hours, with no other help can be hard at times. Really hard.
So what do I need to do?
Acknowledge that some moments, days, weeks are hard. Allowing myself to feel that and not try and suck it up all the time.
Be realistic and not try to do too many things. Lower my expectations a little and remember that things change all the time.
See beauty that sits around me.
Take time out for me. The world won’t come to a rolling stop, if I take a half an hour off to sit and stare vacantly into a coffee cup.
Remember to stretch, and most importantly… breathe.
Honestly, I think things will be just fine and for those days when it’s not so fine?
That’s fine too…
(and there is nothing quite like a family fun beast of a virus to give you some perspective.)
*****
Thanks for all your comments, I really appreciate all of them lovely people.
Now, what’s been happening with you?
Listen to the breeze
the breeze says out, lets go out
drawing us to
takeaway coffees
the weekend paper
she wants to be close, the closeness draws you in
they want to go fast, scooters can go fast
beauty collected in colours by small hands
snatched conversations
dreams and thoughts
dappled sunlight surrendering to dusk
the breeze says home, lets go home.
“We spend most of our time and energy in a kind of horizontal thinking. We move along the surface of things…but there are times when we stop. We sit still. We lose ourselves in a pile of leaves or its memory. We listen, and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper.”
James Carroll
each bead representing it's own beautiful birth
Loving this week…
after bed time meet ups for coffee and cake with my girls
crossing things off lists
rediscovering cooking tasty food, (I had lost my mojo, but Friday saw it swinging back)
my internet connection coming back… I feel human again
wonderful visits from my wonderful midwife
knowing that my time is close… knowing that so many women have gone before me with their own birth journey, and are now sending that love on to me for my journey
Saturday morning cafe visit…chai tea. In a pot…and the paper
soothing massages from hands that know just what to do
early morning walks with the sun rising over misty grounds
giggles with The Monkeys and
chuckles with Mr Chocolate
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What have you been loving this week?
I went sky diving when I was nineteen years old. Jumped right out of a plane. Attached to a man, who was attached to parachute.
Whoosh!
I don’t like heights, so how I ended up jumping out of that tiny plane I really don’t know. A friend had convinced me it would be fun, we were both leaving the area and moving on to greener pastures. A final farewell.
Bon voyage, adieu, auf weidersehen… see you later mate.
Realistically it was probably the umpteen tequila shots beforehand, that had made the idea seem like a good one. But I locked it in, committed and booked. The weather was bad on the booked day and my friend had to cancel as he couldn’t make any other day. I nervously said, oh sure, of course I still wanted to do it. Love to jump out of a teeny tiny plane from a great height.
The day comes. I get in the plane. A plane about the size of a small tin can coffin. The pilot seemingly running with his legs to take off, Flintstone style, with two jutting out stumpy looking wings to aid our flight. It really did seem like a good idea at the time of booking.
The plane kept climbing up. So did my heart. We reached the desired height. My heart reached my mouth.
Too late to turn back? I’m not sure that I wore the right socks today…ahh, well let’s go back down and try again perhaps another time.
No?
Right. Door was opened. Wind rushes in. My long hair flys in every direction. It looks like Cousin It is flying with the team today. Probably should have brought a hair band, but no time to think of that now as we are perched on the edge. Long hair being enjoyed by my tandem jumper.
The edge.
Edge of a fast moving open door plane, flying at a billion feet above the solid earth…and I paid money for this? I can’t look down, actually I can’t breathe. My sky diving partner yells some last minute instructions into my ear. I can’t speak as a 500km wind is flying into my mouth and draining it of any necessary saliva needed in order to speak. I nod, sort of and tilt my head back on to his shoulder. He enjoys a full head of Cousin It hair flying into his face and then tips forward.
I don’t jump, I don’t need to. My tandem partner has done that for us, and I’m now hurtling towards the ground somersaulting towards a sure death. I let out a piercing long scream that seems fitting when death is just the corner.
I don’t die though, not just yet, we stop spinning and…. I’m flying! I’m really flying! The world looks so pretty hurtling up at you. I can’t stop smiling, which is a bit of a problem as the wind is still rushing into my mouth, flapping my cheeks at 500km an hour.
This is great! This is so much fun!
Over too soon and the cord gets pulled. Our parachute gets ripped open and with a jolt, we continue our descent a quite a bit slower. Adrenaline pumping, I try to create some saliva to speak again.
That was fantastic!
Which was closely followed by …actually I don’t feel so well.
You’re fine mate. You did well,” as we floated our way back down towards the small airstrip.
No… I really don’t feel well, I think I’m going to faint.
And so I did. Fainted that is. Waking up just in time to vomit into the grass as we landed, legs buckling under me, and our parachute elegantly fluttering behind. Thankfully I have it all on film for my kids to enjoy down the track too.
What can I say?…
It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Celebrating the everyday.
Crowded bus on a grey drizzly evening, Full of anonymous people all plugged in to their own technology. Young girl steps on with her protective mother, clutching a home made card and wrapped present. “Happy Brithday” it said beautifully written out in a nine year olds hand writing. A cut out head of Bruno Mars made up the picture. In that anonymous crowded bus ride I loved that miss spelt card and the effort the young girl had put in.
Holding hands with Little Monkey, as we walk to school to pick up Monkey Boy. Soft rain falling, our rain coats squeaking as we walk. A warm little hand that still wants to be held by mine. Love that quiet moment.
Big rounded belly with soft kicks from inside. Trying to capture that time, as it will surely pass.
Loving listening to this album.
Stolen moment chats in my foyer stairs. With a wonderful friend that reminds me to celebrate the every day, as some people simply don’t get to have the everyday.
What’s been happening in your everyday?
cityhippyfarmgirl 
