26/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week every week in 2013"


Sophie: We went on a family drive today to Toodyay and the Chittering Valley... this is Sophie cheekily foraging through Grandma's bag, sneekily unwrapping a chocolate while trying not to be caught out.

Grace: She has been wanting to use our phones all weekend to take snap shots... this is her using Grandma's with ease... I think she is more tech-savvy than her Mummy when it comes to smart phones!

Joining in with Jodi

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Love-Filled Projects

In the final weeks of my pregnancy with Sophie, my nesting took on a specific focus… project nesting. Rather than cleaning out cupboards, organising my pantry contents alphabetically or scrubbing bathrooms as some mamas-to-be instinctively do, I instead whipped up floral pillowcases, made pretty bunting and other decorations for my Pink Ribbon Day fundraiser (which I crazily hosted at 36 weeks) and every afternoon in those final months, I sat at my sewing machine while Grace napped and sewed.

169 squares were lovingly cut out and stitched together to create a patchwork quilt. I was desperate to complete it…wanting so much to create a piece especially for my big girl before the new addition to our family arrived. With the hum of the sewing machine, energetic kicks would thump from inside my belly. Snuggled up in one of Paul's jumpers (one of the only warm pieces of clothing big enough to cover my bump) with endless cups of herbal tea by my side, I would sew and spend time deep in thought about the imminent changes which were about to happen to our growing family. There was lots of unpicking, lots of swearing and lots of technical challenges for me (my sewing skills are very basic) and when that quilt was finally finished, I almost wept tears of joy, vowing it would be a LONG time before I ever did anything patchwork-related again.

Fast forward two years later and I’m all set to begin work on my second quilt. Just as my memories of all things ‘pregnancy’ and ‘newborn’ have softened over time, so too have my feelings of frustration over what for me was a not-so-straightforward project.

Sophie’s quilt will be a similar style to Grace’s, with simple squares cut from a mixture of floral prints and pretty patterned fabrics. Colours will be predominately mint / aqua greens and soft pinks (perhaps with a touch of lemon).  I’ve been spending many nights recently browsing sellers on Etsy and making little purchases, eagerly skipping to the letter box every few days to see which new material has arrived.

While this time around, there will not be a round basketball belly in front of me as I sew, this quilt, like my first, will be just as carefully planned, just as thoughtfully made and just as love-filled as I work on it for our little one...

Today...

Four days of solo-parenting with Paul away on a work trip meant slow and simple days for us girls over the weekend.  We had a few morning outings to parks and duck ponds, ate meals consisting mostly of left-overs and allowed ourselves the luxury of a few much needed sleep ins.

As for today, Tuesday is normally Grace's kindy day and my grocery/errands day.  However, having caught her sister's cold overnight, my big girl has spent most of the morning resting on the lounge with Sophie running around creating mess and chaos next to her.  I've ignored the house that looks like a bomb has exploded in it and focused on the lovely parts of my day instead.  Here's a few snapshots...

I've been taking some photos of Sophie's nursery for an upcoming post and am debating which colour to paint the wooden 'S' in the photo above.  I'd like to pick out one of the colours in the sweet mini-bunting hanging below it... but which one?  Any suggestions?

These two have played relatively well together considering we've been cooped up indoors due to it being a dreary day with on and off showers (not that I'm complaining as my vegetable patch will be very thankful).  There's been play dough sessions, a Happyland village created, puzzles and dress-ups.

I have been pouring over my recently purchased patterns, looking over out pieces and trying to decipher the list of materials needed.  I'm hoping to pick up some fabric tomorrow from Spotlight so I can get stuck into sewing very soon.  However, I'll have to master the skill of inserting a zip... or perhaps find a simpler pattern...

And now, with Sophie napping (hopefully) and Grace having a lie-down, I'm off to take tonight's tea out of the oven (shepherd's pie), make myself a cuppa and catch up on what's been happening in everyone else's worlds...

25/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week every week in 2013"


Grace:  A pupil free day on Friday came at just the right time for our tired girl (there are still two weeks until school holidays).  As a treat, us three girls had lunch in Fremantle, followed by a play on the esplanade.

Sophie:  Yet another cold for our little chicken... the cycle of winter sickness seems never-ending in our household at the moment.  Fortunately, swings and sunshine brought back that sweet smile...

Joining in with Jodi

Last week I smiled at this sweet bub having a summer splash, Sammy's museum visit and Melinda's darling little pirate girl...

Making The Decision To Change Schools

As the girls and I return home after being out and about during our days, there’s a little routine of landmarks we recite on the last leg of any journey…

“Past the shops… Past Grace’s school… And here’s our street!”

As of recently, I’ve stopped saying the words ‘past Grace’s school’ because as of a few days ago, we have decided that Grace will be changing schools when she enters into pre-primary in 2014 (five days full time here in WA).  Major changes within her current school which we do not support have been the driving force behind us doing so.

Last week was filled with indecision, the weighing up of options, much deliberation over what was best for our gentle girl, lots of research and plenty of discussion (with a sprinkling of worry on my part). Grace will still be attending a government primary school, one which is fortunately within our same suburb.  However, it will no longer be the school conveniently located at the end of our street, the one where we take Asha for a run on the oval and which we drive past day after day.

With our decision now made, I am hoping that this change is going to be for the best, that perhaps Grace’s new school is where we should have been all along and where she will hopefully receive the type of education we wanted for her from the start.  Less pressure. A place where childhood is valued and not rushed.  Respect for our Australian culture.  A caring school community filled with like-minded families.   

For now, she’s happy in her little kindergarten class and so any talk of a new school won’t happen until the year is over...

For now I have to have faith in our decision and in Grace’s ability to smoothly transition to a new environment come February...  

For now, I have to accept what is and trust what will be…