Six One Way - two

This week's Six One Way::

Scattered (amongst the table legs).

Crawl (on Ari's fingers. It must have come in with the rose, and fallen out when Mishi was sniffing and eating it).

Thrown (across the lounge room, hall way and bedroom. It took lots of suggestions and games to eventually convince him to pack it up. He was so proud when it was finally done).

Six One Way - one

Just wanted to let you know that Six One Way has started a flickr group for us to join in the fun. I thought I might include mine here as well as there.

This is a little something that maybe I'll try doing once a week - possibly Sunday. Photos only - or minimal words.

Three posts in one day - what's with that. (No house work got done, but the kids had a fun-filled day!).

today

was a good day. We had wonderful + creative play, learning, fun, games, laughing, songs, peek-a-boo (this is what Ari calls hide and seek), joke-learning, sleep.

The builders arrived a little after Play School.

They worked well together,

until lunch was called and they downed tools.

For some miraculous reason Ari slept for 1 1/2 serene hours. He simply curled up behind me in bed, while I was feeding Mish for a mid-day sleep. She took a little bit more playing and games until finally succumbing to sleep half an hour later.

We started work on a project I have had in my mind for ages now. I have been wanting to do a journal of sorts with Ari, and eventually Mishi. I myself am not much of a scrapbooker or journaler, or even photo album organiser. My aim is for special drawings and photographs to happen daily, or at least once a week, and me to form them into some sort of book :: journal shape. I loved bookbinding at TAFE a few years ago (ummm ten years now), and have wanted to start trying a few things based on those preliminary learnings.

Today's drawings were based on a current fascination Ari has with cicadas.

We have been hearing them every day this Summer. At home they are a background drone, and at my Dad's and sister's houses they are louder, more obvious, often intense. A few have flown in live,

or left their empty shells for us to discover in the garden.

He has dressed up as a cicada with flowing blanket :: capes, with face paint :: make-up, with imaginary wings and sounds.Even guessing games have revolved around these little creatures, "I hide in the forest, I'm small, you can't see me, I make loud noises. Guess what I am, Mummy".

Our soundtracks today were BB King & Eric Clapton :: Riding with the King and Miles Davis :: Kind of Blue. The first is great for jumping, singing, washing-up. The second both kids seem to really like, jazzing their little bodies about (Ari's shoulders up and down, Mishi's head bomping up and down), and Ari declaring "I like this one". My Dad would be proud that these little ones like Miles. Amazing sounds on this album, please stop and listen to it for a moment. I could have it on repeat for hours on end.

swapsies

I have just added my name to the list of two swaps that will be happening soon. Very exciting. I have been involved in one 'blog swap', and I really enjoyed it. I loved the making of my swap, thinking about the person I was sending it to, what her family was like, and also thinking about the possibilities of what I would receive in return. I never imagined the beautiful wreath that arrived on Christmas Eve. Thank you Tonya - I still have it hanging inside, as I'm not ready to pack it up yet.

Sarah's Valentine Exchange will be lovely, sweet, fun. Making and receiving a card of love from someone unknown - how perfectly Valentine. I made some simple little New Year cards for my family :: friend list. They were a bit late - which is why they were New Year and not Christmas cards! Little fabric scraps cut into a dove shape (my sister said it looked more like a duck, oh well), glued onto cardstock. On the back I wrote messages of peace, contentment, fulfillment, love and joy for the coming year. Maybe this year I'll manage to get them sent in time for Christmas. Wouldn't it be lovely to have the inspiration from this swap and make Valentine cards for all my family. Maybe I'll talk to Ari about it.

Stefani's book swap is such an unusual, fantastic idea. I was only thinking the other day that I haven't properly read a book for a few years now (hmmm, almost since Ari was about six months old or so :: lost some part of my reading and retaining paragraphs brain). This will be a perfect jump for me to start my beloved reading again. It has also inspired my to finally send the book that I bought (a few years ago) with my friend in mind. I read and loved it, possibly a few times, and now I can finally send it on to her. Of course this swap involves some new learned craft, what an added bonus!

I wish I had been able to add my name to the Mid-Winter Gocco Swap, but seeing as how I have practically no idea of what Gocco is (apart from all the amazing images I keep seeing in blogland), I'll just have to check out all the final results.

I keep thinking about a swap I'd like to start of my own. There are a few I have in mind. But for now, I have things at home that need starting and organising and prioritising. But I do have a giveaway planned, coming up soon (ish) for a special event :: celebration. So, keep a lookout!

giving thanks

I just want to say a BIG thank-you to everyone who stops and reads these little words of mine. I really take such delight, pleasure, inspiration in all comments and love from you. I enjoy finding new blogs :: friends as a consequence. I love receiving comments :: they brighten my day unbelievably, and they give me continued motivation to go on with this blog and ventures and thoughts and hopes and dreams. Thank you for helping me dream.

Lately, I feel, I haven't been responding as I should to the kind, thoughtful words - so this, humbly, is it.

(My computer has been driving me crazy, going so slow and not letting me update my blog as I like. Soon I hope I can put some updated new blog reads, etc).

18th January, 1947 :: happy birthday Mummy Plummy

My Mum was the most influential, astounding woman (person) I will ever know. How can I say this, surely I will meet many more people in my lifetime. Yes, I hope, keep hoping and looking for someone to "replace" (not replace, add to my memories of a 'Mama-figure') the woman who gave me my life in every way possible.

Today you would be 61. I keep thinking how you would be as an "old woman" - not that 61 is anywhere near to old, but years and years from now, what would you be like. Five years ago, what were you like. Some days I barely remember your face, your voice, your laugh, but most of all your words. These are what I want to remember the most :: your words and intentions, the way that you challenged stereotypes and narrow-mindedness. The way you reached out and helped and offered your love, time, knowledge, warmth, kindness, whatever you could to assist someone else, anyone else. You were always helping people :: often times to the detriment of yourself, but that didn't stop you, did it Mum?

Sometimes when my son calls me Mum, I stop and think about you. Softly, slowly. Little things of who you were. Mainly of the fact that you will never meet these babies of ours on this Earthly plain. Though I know, and they know too, that you see them in their dreams. And that you know these little ones of mine so deeply and intimately and intensely :: you know who they were, who they are, who they will be.

I know that you know that of me too. You are such a wise woman, soul. Deep, warm, giving, sharing, knowing, feeling, being. Who you are :: were is so deeply ingrained in me that I know it does not matter if I don't remember your voice, words, smell every day or even every week. I remember, I know your being, your soul. I am you (of sorts).

So this year I will be with all the little babes. The two you met (though briefly) - Taliesin and Ashra, the one you knew about before you left us - Sidera, and the three you choose for us - Ari, Rollie and Mischa. Not with all my siblings, but with their offspring - and that is rich and loud and loving and intense in itself. We will have a party for you. Anouk and I will tell tales about you, stories and memories and wishes. We keep trying to show the Grandchildren who never really knew you, who you were, what you were.

And I will continue to remember that you will always smell of the warm, musky aroma of mothers-breast milk, to me. And that as you nurtured me, and your children, you taught me (us) to nurture my (our) children in the most natural, instinctual way a mother can. And that as a mother, I know you will be proud of me.

Happy Birthday. Cake and Champagne will be on the menu for sure.

city learning

Even though the countryside keeps pulling and enticing me, we still continue to find advantages of city living. Last night we went for a walk, after dinner, in the glorious afternoon-sun colours of our Summer. We had to go and water the plants at my sister's house - and of course, have a jump on their trampoline. She only lives one long block away, but we managed to draw the five minute walk out. Exploring and learning on the way.

I keep going round-about on this thought process of homeschooling. Keep wondering if it will be something that is good for our family, if we will do it. Last night really reconfirmed to me that it's not will we, but that we already are homeschooling. Each house number, letterbox we passed on our walk we stopped at. Ari and I talked about what the number was, he traced the metal forms with his fingers. We talked about how a 3 looks like a backwards E, and a 5 almost like an S. And yet again, he impressed and surprised me when he could read all but one of the letters on the STOP sign. (The P is a letter that isn't in any of our names, so he doesn't know it as well).

He has been recognising letters for quite a while now. Seeing them on street signs, shop signs, boxes we bring home from the supermarket, at the bakery, on the corner store. Especially he knows an A, I suppose that would be the first letter that most kids learn - the letters in their own name.

So, following on from that, he can write his name - beautifully is I do say so. And other letters and number-forms are slowly following.

For a long time we have been talking about numbers and letters, and it is falling into place for him (and me). His first 'writings' (possibly even more than a year ago) were generally shopping lists, long squiggly lines of words that he told us said pasta or toothpaste or cheese or tofu.

We were always reading when we were kids. It is my hope is see my kids curled up or sprawled out devouring their books, or languishing over images and words. Pity that they don't see me doing much reading these days - I think since Ari was about six months old, I have not been able to focus on any book for long enough to actually remember what the story is about! Maybe one day again, I will find the time and mental capacity for novels, and finish those that I have started.

being drafted

I have been going through all my old drafted blogs entries. The ones that I didn't finish - either by running out of time, or ideas, or.... That's often the way I think, anyway, in snippets. I write in unfinished sentences. I feel that maybe this is because I form my sentences quicker than I can process the entire idea. And then, sometimes, by the time I'm at the end of a sentence or paragraph I'm not sure I still agree or believe where I started. Or often-times it's becuase I find that I've started rambling too much, and gone on and on and on. And just as often, I'll be called away half-way through writing (a woken baby, or crying child) and won't be able to return to finish the writing.

I've decided to make these posts 'published' rather than just sitting there in draft-land. This blog is a diary of sorts, for me, my children. It's a record of them as a baby, toddler, child, kid, youth. I don't have hand-written journals for them, and my photoalbum skills aren't up to scratch. This blog is it, at the moment. And as I look back on my previous writing and photos, I'm noticing that it really is my family that I'm looking at and reading about. I like that :: somehow, through this experimental writing, for me, I'm being truthful and accurate and honest - in who I am.

So, if you're interested in looking at these previous "unpublised writings" follow these links ::

Friday 22nd June :: Monday 2nd July :: Wednesday 4th July :: Thursday 12th July :: Tuesday 17th July :: Wednesday 25th July :: Saturday 18th August :: Wednesday 22nd August :: Monday 3rd September :: Saturday 15th September :: Saturday 3rd November :: Monday 19th November ::