and finally some scrapbooking!

I'm in the middle of doing a circle journal with a wonderful group of women. A circle journal is basically a small scrapbooking album which you give a theme to and then circulate amongst a group so everyone adds a page to it.

There are only 9 of us involved in this circle journal group , but the journal has already taken us more than a year! And we're probably only half way through. I don't think any of us are in a rush.

My journal's theme is "A Mother's Wisdom" - stuff you want your kids to know.

The journal I did a page for last weekend was for Penni - her theme is Girl. I loved creating a page for it (above). Ruby helped me out, telling me all the things she loves most about being a girl. :)

Not a great photo, I needed to use the flash.....

xxxx

Happy little lives

Kids are amazing really. Simple things can bring great joy.

I asked Ruby if she liked the party invitations we'd made. She paused for a second, looked at me very intensely and said "mummy, I LOVE them." What a kind little heart she has. Lots of gorgeous pink and glittery goodness.

We've been hosting a few parties in preparation for Ruby's party. There were 2 parties at our house today: a Strawberry Party and a Camping Party. Both went well. The Strawberry Party was for Barbie who was - coincidentally - turning 4 years old. We ate strawberries and were required to wear our cossies. Elina (yes, Fairy to Mermaid Elina) was the special guest for the Camping party. She asked us to wear camping shoes and a hat (tiaras were acceptable). With all this practice we'll be seasoned party hosts by the time it is actually Ruby's birthday.

I cannot believe we're spending so much time preparing for this gig! Even though mostly we just talk about it, we're not doing a whole lot just yet.

In other news:

* work is exhausting. Sooo much travel. Too much really. It's getting to the stage that Ruby and Max (especially Max) freak out when I drop them off at kindy for fear I won't be home that night. It's not what I want for my family, things need to change. Nuff said.

* I had a haircut this afternoon. Hooray. Much needed. I came home and asked Ruby and Max if they would like a haircut next weekend. Both are keen. Both want hair *exactly* like mine. mmmm, might be tricky.

* Max is finally starting to play on his own, rather than just trailing around behind Ruby. He played with some little cars today. He's a sweet little kid. Crazy and jealous and rampaging, but sweet. Just to balance up the photo stats, here's a pic (well at the top of the post anyway, cause I can't move it).

Hope you're having a happy weekend.

peace and love

xxxx

A few random things

It's been an ordinary kind of week, one of those bits and pieces kind of weeks, where nothing remarkable happens but it seems crazy just the same - you know what I mean? Anyway, some things from our week.

1. Ruby thinks heaven is a holiday destination. *sigh* She took some Little People on a bus trip there this week.
2. Kath's been in Canberra and Melbourne. Canberra again this week and the week after and the week after and the week after and....... :(
3. Max has 'discovered' Wiggles band aids. They're our new reward. Better than fruit icy pole bribes.
4. We had a water tank installed. Of course it hasn't rained enough since Tuesday to put any water in the tank. But it will. We have great hopes for a green garden now.
5. Ruby has chosen to have a My Little Pony party instead of a Barbie party. While we're glad we're not doing the Barbie thing, we're beginning to realise My Little Pony might be a bit trickier, especially as Ruby is insisting she needs to dress as a pink horse. Maybe, m-a-y-b-e, we'll hire a pony for the party. Depends on $$.
6. Right now: this is the cake Ruby likes best. I've got a few weeks to convince her that a simple number '4' with a few ponies stuck on top is a better option. Do you think I can do it?


7. It was our godson's birthday yesterday. Dominic turned 7. There was lots of swimming, lots of cricket, lots of shouting and lots of cake. Perfect.


8. We're overwhelmed by the number of people we know right now who have cancer. Dominic's dad has cancer. He's doing OK, but it's very sad.


9. A lovely friend had a baby girl (Elizabeth Katherine) yesterday afternoon. I wish I could see them - but they live in Sydney, so Elizabeth (Lizzie? Libby? Lillibet?), will be a few months old before I meet her I guess. I love how I don't feel clucky anymore when people I know have a new baby. Phew.


10. I've been doing a little bit of scrapbooking lately. Not much, but enough to get me excited about it again. I'm amazed by the work Briohny is doing lately. Good job B. These layouts are amazing.


11. We're on a car lease thing through work which means we must do 25,000 kms per year (or it will cost us a bomb). The FBT year ends on 31 March and we've still got 5,000kms to do. Holey moley. So we'll do another trip to Mum's - that's 1,000 kms. And then? We haven't really got a plan yet. But we've got to do it. Maybe a trip to Sydney, via Melbourne, for our 10th wedding anniversary in March.

This is a pic of some nanna and poppy lovin' from when we were at mum's a couple of weeks ago. If I was clever, I'd have it all photoshopped and shiny and colourful - oh well.

Happy Sunday.

peace and love

xxxx

A bright and beautiful imagination

It doesn't take much for Ruby's imagination to run wild. I love that about her. She creates beautiful play activities for her and Max that can last for days - and sometimes weeks, from a very simple prompt.

We got home from Armidale yesterday, after a week away, and there was a parcel on the front deck. For Ruby and Max. Very exciting. We got inside and it was ripped apart. Which was a bit of a pain because it was one of those packets with all the fluffy bits inside that fly out of the layers of packaging. The parcel was from the Department of Environment and Heritage. Wow. It was an bundle of posters. Fantastic posters of threatened species: bilbies and cockatoos and potaroos AND a poster of dinosaurs (which Max has claimed) AND, most excitingly, a poster of whales and a poster of dolphins (which are high on Ruby's list of ten fave animals).

Today at kindy Ruby drew an amazing pic of a whale. A whale swimming in the ocean, eating meat and splashing with it's tail in the air. If you were here she would show you how whales splash their tails in the ocean.

Tonight, she's created an ocean on the kitchen floor. Some blue sheets for water, some hairbands for pieces of meat and daddy to perform as the whale (lol, glad she didn't choose me). She asked daddy to make whale noises (which he did) and she patted his back while feeding him pieces of plankton (which she says whales like to eat). She gave daddy some step by step instructions about how to splash in the ocean. Beautiful.

I love how Ruby can think about something, almost always an animal, and try to learn everything about it, how it eats and moves and lives. She's an incredible kid. Every day I'm amazed by her.

This is her picture. The orange colour in the drawing is Nemo (and Dory) being blown out of the whale's spout. Of course. ;)

peace and love

xxxx

ps. Sam - the original pic is on it's way to you. We're guessing you're responsible for this fabulous treat. Thankyou. lots of love. xxxx