all consuming

29th September, 2008

A little project I've had on the go for quite some time now, has been completed & gifted to a very special birthday girl.

I am excited to begin work on some new projects. Some for gifting, some not.

This is a little doll who's been dancing about my head for months. She was 'born' this afternoon, with help from my little M who chose her felt colours & 'sucked' the cotton for me to thread through the needle ~ a very important job indeed. 

He played happily around me with cars, blocks & playdough while I sat quite contended amongst his creativity on the floor. We fed each other's imagination & excitement for the tasks at hand.

It has taken a long time to reach this point ~ to be able to sit & work & complete without my attention & arms being demanded elsewhere. It was most satisfying.

So when our sweet P came home & Milo asked for a walk in the pram I was so pleased accept his request. We strolled right into the evening, arriving home as the rain & the night sky enveloped the earth.

It was a wonderful time. Of collecting, noticing, sharing & discovering. All treasures for the 'sun' doll.

This is how I believe children should learn about colour. Through the beauty all around them, in the sky, the earth, the garden, their imaginations. We don't 'teach' Miles colours. We believe he should delight in the senses before he begins to dwell in his analytical brain. He should experience colour & music & mango & embrace for the beauty & wonder of each before he learns to classify or read sheet music or understand nutritional value.

“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again." -  Elizabeth Lawrence 

When Milo sees colours, I hope that he feels the memory & energy of each.

That yellow fills him with warmth like the sun shining through the windows, warming the wooden bench just where he likes to sit & wait for Dadda to come home.

That pink reminds him of the giddy sensation of swinging 'too' high on the front porch, just so that he can glimpse the stunning display of magnolias in Jack & Thelma's garden.

That blue catches his breath, like a crisp spring wind as he lays in the grass with his Mama watching the clouds racing 'wild'ly by.

This time of childhood. This time to play. Will be over far too fast. I hope he remembers the sensations. And I hope they are all consuming.

 

pixie boy

21st September, 2008

Last night the faeries, pixies & elves had a party in our garden ~ in celebration of the Spring Equinox I imagine. 

They left the place in a bit of a mess, faeries have great parties but they don't care much for cleaning.

They also left a special surprise for little M..... 

hanging in the trees....

3 pairs of faery wings....

for an honourary pixie boy

who, of course, already knows how to fly

he had to remind Mama faery how ~ it had been a while

such thanks to the faeries for their generosity

we now look to planting season, sowing seeds of the physical & energetic kinds.... 

a book like this

22nd September, 2008

This is rockin my world ~ and my kitchen ~ right now.... 

 Check them out. Sydney artists. Amazing.

it seems pretty straightforward

22nd September, 2008

So it's pretty simple right. Mondays we clean the house. That way the rest of the week looks bright. Until the weekend when my lovely sweet P turns order into chaos & cleanliness into disarray. Then Monday rolls around again (all too quickly) & we start the process over. 

This works well for me. I need routines. I need structure to work within. 

I    need    lists.

So I am (slowly) learning how to clean an entire home on a regular basis ~ a new concept for me my friends.

It seems pretty straightforward. You start in one room. Finish it. Then move to the next. Right? Is this what people do?

However, I'm learning pretty quickly that I am VERY easily distracted. It is soo hard for me to complete one task without being sidetracked by another. 

What does this mean you ask? What has this to do with anything.

Well nothing really. 

Except that my house ~ which would have been more than adequately tidy by now had I just stuck to the plan ~ now has 2 loads of wet washing & four piles of dirty (sorted) washing on the kitchen floor, a clean bathroom but grotty floor, a half started pile of mending on the lounge next to an unstarted vacuum cleaner & a sparkling clean fridge.

Go figure!

x

imaginings

19th September, 2008

I have such joy & pride in witnessing the imagination of this child.

Every. Single. Day.

With the tiniest amount of enthusiasm on my part a crate becomes a boat, thin air becomes the helmet for an invisible motorbike rider, a trolley a lawnmower.

He did not stop until all of the grass was cut 'for mama'. 

oh ~ & Lucy has been with us everyday since Tuesday. She needs nappy changes, meals (especially drinks) & turns on the bike too.

'Milo share, Lucy Goosey do it now'

see the love

19th September, 2008

My favorites from a shoot last week. Such an adorable little cherub.

These smoochy ones have got me in a tizz. 

Little M is soooo affectionate right now. 

Kisses, hugs & cuddles all day long. 

Lucky me! 

I can see the love in these photos & think that it 

must be what we look like too. 

oh me oh my

19th September, 2008

"Milo go morn'ton, bye bye mama, Milo go morn'ton"

{kiss, hug, cuddle}

"bye Milo, have fun"

"Milo need bag, shoes, mama shoes, morn'ton"

{walks to the back of the yard}

"at morn'ton"

{makes hands gestures, then turns & runs back to house}

"Milo home, morn'ton"

"Hi, did you get anything at mornington today?"

"photo, look, mama photo, morn'ton"

Oh my, oh me oh my, he's playing at being me. 

Not the 'Mama', but the 'Jules'. 

The things I love, the things that inspire & relax me. 

He see's me, beyond the 'Mama'. 

Oh me, oh my. 

Touching beyond words.

oh brother

15th September, 2008

I have lots to say & show but not much time right now.

Some pics from a shoot 3 (how does time pass so quickly) weeks back. Off now to process the next round.

 

I've added the 'visitor' box to the right hand side. Add yourself if you're so inclined, it'd be lovely to know who stops by. Or of course leave me a comment. They make my days.

x J

beautiful Flossy girl

13th September, 2008

She did it! She really did it. Our beautiful Flossy girl laid her very first egg.... 

I'm not sure who was more excited ~ Milo, me or the very curious & proud papa Ebby 

(oh yeah, that's a whole nother post)

spring fever

10th September, 2008

So I know that we are heading out of the cold weather & it seems an odd time to change the warm beach header to a cold 'jungle' header. But I feel the time is good for changes. The spring is evident all around me, all over me, all through me. It's all contagious & all consuming. 

Love & light to you all x J

ps - do you like it?

Hooray

Yay for Australian women. The oppertuntiy to choose.

Yay for Australian babies. The increased likelihood of a healthy birth.

I shall save my excited rant for another time but let it be sais that as I read this I had hope in my heart &  a tear in my eye.

These decisions will have a profound effect on the long term health of our country & the immediate wellbeing of new families.

Births change on way

From: Herald Sun

September 10, 2008

MORE women will rely on midwives to deliver their babies under a major overhaul of maternity services.

With a baby boom looming, the Rudd Government wants to promote midwives as a safe alternative to obstetricians -- one of the nation's highest-charging medical professions.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon will launch a major review today led by chief nurse and midwifery officer Rosemary Bryant.

Click here to read the full article on the website

Alternatively, you can copy and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24322270-662,00.html

ps;Hon Nicola Roxon will at lunch time today announce the release

of a discussion paper on improving maternity services in Australia.

The discussion paper is not yet a policy document, it's a summary of

issues on which submissions are invited.  The website for the paper is

www.health.gov.au/maternityservicesreview

<http://www.health.gov.au/maternityservicesreview> ..  Submissions will

be due by 31 October.

Maternity Review in Australia:

Facing Our 'Inconvenient Truth'

The Australian College of Midwives commends the Commonwealth Government on the launch of its discussion paper on improving maternity services in Australia.

Today is a chance for Australians to face the 'Inconvenient Truth' of a maternity system that is not meeting the needs of women and their families and is turning midwives away from the profession in droves.

It is also time to say enough is enough, with 1:3 women having a caesarean section, most women experiencing fragmented care by strangers and costs of maternity care blowing out to record levels.  More and more babies are being born by the roadside as rural services keep closing.

Aboriginal mothers and babies have unacceptably high rates of death and illness.  Fewer babies are now breastfed to 6 months of age than 10 years ago, and rates of perinatal depression are now worrying high and on the rise.

The President of the Australian College of Midwives, Professor Pat Brodie said, "We cannot afford to continue to function the way we have for the past 50 years while most of the world is moving on with innovative systems of care that are leading to lower intervention rates and better outcomes for mothers and babies, and where midwives are integral to maternity care rather than being the Cinderella of maternity care."

"The commitment of health Minister Nicola Roxon to reviewing maternity services and acting to improve those services is a most welcome change at national level.  Healthy children and healthy families start with maternity care" she said.

Midwives are recognised by the World Health Organization as the most appropriate and cost effective type of health care provider to be assigned to the care of normal pregnancy and normal birth, including risk assessment and the recognition of complications.

"A synthesis of the best international, scientific evidence available shows that when women with normal pregnancies were cared for by midwives they were better supported, more satisfied with their care, have less medical acceleration of their labours, required fewer epidurals and episiotomies, had less need of major surgery for the birth and fewer babies that were underweight or needed resuscitation or admission to a neonatal intensive care unit," said Professor Brodie.

On the 18th to 20th September at the Holiday Inn Surfers Paradise a national conference, 'Breathing New Life into Maternity Care' will see the gathering of midwives, doctors and consumers to face our 'Inconvenient Truth' and work out ways to change maternity care to better meet the needs of women in this country.

Kind Regards

Barbara Vernon

Executive Officer

Australian College of Midwives

Ph: (02) 6230 7333

Fax: (02) 62306033

www.midwives.org.au

called to marvel

8th September, 2008

Happy Fathers Day Dadda!

This year was not such a pretty time.

Shocking head colds all round. 

The three of us spent the morning in bed & the afternoon at the swimming pool - a promise not to be broken we thought.

A lovely dinner with Gammy, Pa & Aunty Windy & then back home to bed. 

So instead today we remember January 9th this year. When the sun was warm & the flowers were blooming & the occasion called to marvel at the wonder of Paulie...

his wisdom,

his stance,

his secrets,

his style,

his love,

his son shine.

We love you Sweet P. 

Today & every.

yumbo

5th September, 2008

So I'm making our morning cuppa's right? I ask little M to get the milk from the fridge, as he like to do each day, & I continue measuring the coffee, warming the cups, pouring the water..... Still no milk... I turn to find a carton of rice milk open & tipped ever so carefully to my little boys lips, some dribbles into his mouth & some dribbles down his chin! I quickly save the milk 'Ta for Mama, Miles", he smiles at me & says "mmm, yumbo" I tell him how we need to put it into the cup first yada, yada & he says ever so sensibly "just a little bit mama, quick just a little bit"

Paulie I think you have some explaining to do.......

newborn photography

4th September, 2008

If you knew, if you thought, if you understood just how fleeting that moment of newborn was, you would definitely have professional photographs taken of your new babe. Wouldn't you?

I love my job.

and of floating away...

I have my eyes set on this for my new weekender.....

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/08/07/garden/20080807-CLINGSTONE_index.html

........ any thoughts?

on the wind

3rd September, 2008

What happens when balloons get stuck in trees.....

(click to enlarge)

When the wind carries them over the fence though, it's not so bad because they then go to play with other kids & maybe even some forest pixies. 

I think my sweet boy wishes he could float on the wind too.

joyful

3rd September, 2008

There are signs of Spring everywhere.....

....... hooray

Happy Springtime to all x