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{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. – SouleMama

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I can't quite get it together this week. I'm not particularly tired but my brain just won't function properly. I feel like crawling into bed and waking up next Monday.

This is what I've done:

• Left oven on (twice)
• Put tub of muesli in fridge, then tear down whole kitchen looking for it later. (It usually sits on top of the microwave...)
• Search my bag approximately 56 times looking for BB's pink hat. At least half of those instances I tipped out the entire contents onto the floor.
• Find BB's hat the next day, in same bag.
• Forget to take pegs with me when going to hang out washing, every time. (This results in trip back around the corner and up the stairs...)
• Leave camera on kitchen sink (why?)
• Mistaken whole knob of butter on bench for cous-cous. Shove said item into mouth.

This morning we went for a drive up to Mona Vale. PB had a surf and then watched BB while I had a swim. I love that it is the middle of Autumn and the water is still 23 degrees. We went for a walk to a cafe and got smoothies and read the paper. On the way back I saved this little butterfly from the waves. When his wings dried off and he was ready to fly again he headed straight for the water. Yup, I hear ya buddy. I left him there the second time.

I think I feel human again after that outing. Although best to wait until next week before stepping back into the kitchen.

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What is it about buttons that makes them so much fun?

A friend of mine just emailed me this link to Buttonmania in Melbourne. I think I vaguely remember going there years ago. It will definitely be on my list when we're down there next. (Sorry PB...)

(Images from Buttonmania website)

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This afternoon.

We sat by the cricket oval to watch the magpies fly and the little school boys terrorise the little school girls.

Next week we're getting a new camera. I'm SO excited. 

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The lovely ladies over at Two Tuesdays love Op shopping. So much so they needed a challenge. They offered to Op shop for their readers. You just had to leave a comment of what lovely little gem you have been searching for and they would go and hunt it down for you.

Isn't that super nice (and very cool) of them?

I put my request in for some vintagey floral fabric (old sheets, pillowcases) and to my sheer delight this is just a little snippet of what arrived a couple of weeks later!

I've got a couple of old Karen Walker tee shirts I never wear but cannot bear to part with, so I'm going to use them and this fabric for some cushions. The embroidered hanky is so nice as it is I'm not sure what to do with it, but any suggestions are welcome.

So thank you lovely Tuesdays, you ladies really made my day! xxx

PS. I was inspired by Hayley to go and buy fresh flowers for the house. I bought the cheapest and brightest bunch I could find, then shoved them into vases and teapots and glasses around the house. Something I'm going to try and do more often from now on.

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Thanks everyone for all your help with yesterday's BIG decision. Most of you preferred Rose (and one of you even threatened to de-friend me if I went for the other one – HANNAH!) So Rose it is. I'm very happy with the decision. Although this evening when I was taking BB for a walk to settle her I was eyeing off some navy blue little jackets to offset what essentially was a pink purchase.

In an unrelated matter I was going through my reader this morning when I saw Aura's latest post about her stall at the Arts Market. She's a very talented little lady and I love her photographs. This one above is one of my favourites, so I thought I'd share it with you. I also can't wait to get a pair of Chucky T's onto BB's little feet.

In another unrelated matter this evening for dinner I have eaten my weight in roast vegetables. We had purple carrots. Purple carrots. I think I got a bit excited.

PS. I just got an email from the mother of the little toddler in this pic, Jemellia. She made that little skirt and bought the shoes to match! She has a lovely blog here where you can see more of her creations, as well as the cutie pie little owner the foot above!

(Image by Aurajoon)

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Help!

I've ordered a knitted jumper on made it for BB for the winter, and I'm now stuck on what colour to get.

For those of you that know me, you'll be well aware that anything to do with colour selection is a major decision in my life, and one not to be taken lightly.

Whilst I loved chocolate and khaki and jade green, I've decided to go for a more girly option. I'm not particularly fond of pink baby clothes, but I quite like these muted dusty colours. And hopefully people will stop telling little BB how cute HE is. Ahem.

So after checking the palette about fifty seven times today, this is what I've narrowed it down to. Rose (on the left) and Mauve (on the right).

I'm erring on  the side of Rose. Thoughts?

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We didn't make it to any of the ANZAC services yesterday. PB was on the breakfast shift at work and I wasn't brave enough to take the babe to such a big event alone, especially seeing as we've both still got the sniffles.

I've been reading all of your ANZAC Day posts and thinking about what it means to me, as although I've grown up here my ancestry is Polish. There are so many stories that I've been told about what War was like for my family. My mum even remembers being a wee girl at the end of WW2 watching my grandad and uncles trying to defend their farm from German soldiers.

So as well as thinking about all of the Australians and New Zealanders that served our country, the grandparents and great-grandparents of the people around me now, I also think about my own family and  how hard it must have been for them, and the bravery of my parents to leave their loved ones behind to give me a better life.

(Image: my uncle on the farm during the 1940s)

Scenes from yesterdays sunset swim.

Without the bump I can see my wobbly knees again. Those things have a mind of their own.

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{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. – SouleMama

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One of my best friends and very talented illustrators Cassandra Allen has recently had her latest children's book There Was An Old Sailor (text by Claire Saxby) published. She has five signed hardback copies to give away with the purchase of one of her prints in her etsy store. How cool is the sailor? I think he's my favourite character she's drawn so far. More information here.

PS. Cass  has a big pregnant belly and is about to meet her little bean ANY DAY NOW!!!

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I used to shop... a lot. When I lived in London Liberty was my second home. Two words: Disposable Income. Had I known my life would change so quickly I would have saved some of those pounds. It's a regret I carry with me but one I try not to dwell on too much.

Nowdays, as well as not having the cashola I also don't have the urge to shop like a maniac. 

But then there are baby clothes. Sweet, tiny little baby clothes...

One could really go nuts, but at the rate BB is growing I've shown some restraint. That is, until I found an online store by the name of Little Pinwheel. I went straight to the sale section and amongst other things picked up this Tiny Mammoth dress for over 50% off. It's a size 1 so will be perfect for next summer. Is it cute or what?

They are having a store wide sale until this Friday, 25% off everything! Just enter 'newfb' in the voucher code at checkout. A great opportunity to pick up some cool Australian and NZ threads, including Nature Baby, Rittenhouse, Tiny Mammoth, Polka, Heavenly Creature and more! (They ship internationally too.)

And it's run by a lovely local mama of two of the best dressed little cuties in town.
Go shopping or check out her blog here.

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We are still sniffling away here, but on our way to recovery. It's funny the stages of a cold. First the chest, then the throat and then always a blocked but runny nose. BB is still handling it like a trooper, although needs extra cuddles at night time.

I've been looking at lots of new (to me) blogs the last couple of days. A very special one I've found is resurrection fern, which I stumbled across via Kristi's site when I was gaping in awe at a crocheted fish her mama made. I was so excited that I called PB over, thinking that he would share in my joy. He is into fishing after all.

His reply? (In the best authoritative cross manly voice he could muster...)

"Darling. The day a crocheted stone enters this house is the day I leave."

Luckily they're small enough to hide in my pockets.

Images from resurrection fern (top) and Giggles Down Under (bottom)

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BB and I had grand plans for today.

An adventure. A picnic.

Instead we caught PB's cold,

just as he recovered.

I know she'll be fine

but it hurts my heart a little,

to hear her sniffling away.

The last week or so

she's started to smile

left, right and centre.

Not even a cold

will stand in the way of that.

So today I stayed in bed

and rediscovered my love of Ryvita

while the sun shone outside.

I left the house once though

to do a load of washing.

It was a beautiful day,

after all.

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{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. – SouleMama

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Today we're resting. PB is sick, I have a headache as a result of carrying our little munchkin, and our little munchkin is going through a growth spurt and is not sure whether she should be eating or sleeping.

Yesterday was a big day for us. Big adventures but unfortunately no photos. I went for that swim. PB and BB sat in the sidelines and waited whilst I paddled out a few laps. It felt good. Soooo good. No one swimming except me and and a big school of Yellow Tail. My boy and my babe close by.

In the evening we went along to the Community Cabinet Meeting held at Epping Boys High. We were there to show our support for home birth and fire questions at our Health Minister about her proposed legislation. This was the plan. Plans and newborns don't really mix. We arrived just in time for refreshments. PB loves refreshments, those sandwiches didn't stand a chance against him. We went into the hall and took our seats. The high school band was playing a medley of Disney theme songs. BB was loving it and looked to be falling asleep...

Then the music stopped....

And those little peepers opened...

The Cabinet Members filed in and took their seats (I was secretly excited to see Peter Garrett), followed by our Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. The crowd applauded. I could see BB's distress growing slowly. The School Principal came on and made a welcome speech. That was it. BB was having none of this. I walked out and stayed out for the remainder of the evening. In between fits of crying I poked my head in to see my husband sitting there with his hand still in the air. Two hours later he came out with a stiff arm, having not been chosen for a question. There were no questions regarding the current midwife situation. But apparently, one woman asked why the government can't make it compulsory for high school students to wear hats. C'mon lady, these are the people that run our country and you're wasting their time with this rubbish? We left feeling angry, tired and defeated. But we tried.

Tonight PB has gone to work, I've finally managed to settle the the wee one (who again is sleeping on my shoulder) and I have a whole tub of Maggie Beer Dark Chocolate and Orange Ice Cream waiting for me in the freezer.

Ay yeah. Bring. It. On.

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Earlier this week we had some friends visit us from the Blue Mountains. They have a gorgeous little girl which I met for the first time at our wedding last year, when she was only three weeks old. I was 24 weeks pregnant at the time and remember thinking that one day, our little babes will meet each other. And so they did. And it was so sweet it nearly made my heart burst. We're so happy and lucky to have this beautiful little family in our lives. You guys rock. xx

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Sorry, another fashion post already. I'm just excited to see all the new season stuff by our Aussie designers, so there may be a few more coming...

My favourites from Arabella Ramsay A/W 2010.

(I think the middle outfit might need some tights though. Hrm.)

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Whilst slings are okay during the daytime, lately little BB has decided that the best place to take naps in the evening is on me. With her head nuzzled in my neck and her bum in the crook of my arm. This is good because I like to cuddle her, listen to her extraordinarily loud grunting noises and smell her beautiful milky baby head. This is bad because the whole left side of my body is cramped, I have pinched a nerve in my back and it is now starting to hurt when I breathe.

Today I went to the osteopath. It was heaven. (Except there was pain and I don't imagine there to be much pain in heaven.) I've been told to start swimming again. We're just about at the stage now where we feel confident enough as a little family to start adventuring again, so hopefully there will be a beach visit in the next couple of days. Since her birth I've been swimming once, and it was amazing. I'm so excited to do it again. And now I can fit my belly back into my red speedos. Those things go fast. Watch out everyone!

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BB is still a bit to young for this (and I'm a bit old...) but how very cool is this play dough? It's made from all natural ingredients so it's ok if some accidentally-on-purpose falls into a little mouth somewhere.

eco-dough is a molding dough handmade with flour, salt, cream of tartar, organic rosemary oil, vitamin E oil, soybean oil, coconut oil, potassium sorbate, citric acid, natural and organic fruit, plant and vegetable extracts from beets, spinach, paprika, carrots, purple sweet potato, red cabbage, blueberries and tomatoes.

 Available at one if my favourite places to look at Cool Things You Don't Really Need, Third Drawer Down.

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My favourites from Gorman A/W 2010. 

Not shopping, just looking. (And dreaming...)

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The Schnauzer arrived! I used him last night for nappy changes. BB is mesmerised by the light.

I've named him Captain. Because I really want a dog and I really want to call it Captain. I'm waiting with bated breath for the day BB asks for a puppy. This is how the conversation will go:

BB: Mama, mama! Can we have a puppy?!?!

Me: Why yes Rosemary! Of course we can have a puppy! What kind of puppy should we get?

BB: Hhhmmm.... an Airedale Terrier?

Me: Good choice kiddo!

Although this is more likely:

BB: Mama, mama! Can we have a puppy?!?!

Me: Why yes Rosemary! Of course we...

PB: We're not getting a bloody dog!

It's not that PB doesn't like dogs. He loves dogs. (Cats not so much...) But he's more realistic when it comes to pet ownership than me. He also wants to call the dog John Steinbeck. We should probably focus on getting a backyard for said dog first, before debating on his name.

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A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed by The Australian about having a home birth, for an article they were writing in response to the current situation about independent midwifery in Australia.

Although I said a lot of positive things about the beauty of a woman's body being able to birth naturally and the intimacy of a home birth, the journo chose to focus on the one negative I said about hospitals and birth centres.  Ah well, I guess he had a point he was trying to get across.

So if you want to have a read, we're in today's Weekend Australian, in the health section. Or you could go online here.

PS. We're not moving overseas. But he asked me whether I would have a future unassisted home birth if independent midwifery was outlawed. I wouldn't, but I know there will be midwives who will still practice underground. I didn't really want to say – Our midwife will be there no matter what the law says! So I told him that I wouldn't want to endanger myself or my child with an unassisted home birth, so if it did become illegal here we would have to consider moving overseas to a country that supports independent midwives for my next birth.

PPS. Excuse the photo. I'm trying to cover my butt with a cushion, PB has terrible hat hair and little BB just looks like she's over the whole thing.

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{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. – SouleMama

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I've only been blogging a short time. About six months, I think.

I started posting here because almost all of my friends lived overseas or in Melbourne, and I thought it would be a nice way to keep everyone updated. I have to agree with Jodi about facebook, I'm not a fan. I thought this would be more personal. I also read quite a lot of blogs so felt like I could be making a small contribution, too.

Little did I know what a warm, kind and supportive community this would turn out to be. I love getting to meet people here. I love reading all of your comments. Sometimes it still takes me by surprise that people visit this space.

One of the lovely and talented ladies I've had the pleasure of getting to know is Nath from le petit oiseau. The other day a package arrived at my front door from her. A gorgeous little elephant she'd made and a pair of sweet booties made by her ma-in-law. I'm so touched to receive such a thoughtful and beautiful gift for our little girl. Thanks Nath – you're a gem. xxx

I'm so happy for everyone up in the northern hemisphere. From looking at all your blogs winter has come to an end and the warmth of spring is shining down. There's something so magical about the changing of the seasons. Autumn is well and truly here now. The other day we bought kilos of pumpkin and PB made a delicious dip which has since been turned into yummy soup, pasta sauce and spread on toasted sourdough bread.

We ventured out for another mini-adventure today. A walk to a cafe for some chai and a muesli cookie. Another visit to the bank*. A mooch down the high street poking in and out of shops, whilst I pleaded my case to PB for a new pair of little winter boots.

We will have bigger adventures, soon. Tonight PB has gone to look at some cars as the three of us (plus a couple of surfboards) don't squeeze into a 3-door hatch anymore. Hopefully we will have some new wheels this week. A good sensible family station wagon. We feel very grown up indeed.

*Does anyone live in Sydney? If you're feeling a bit down and need a pick me up pop into the Commonwealth Bank in Mosman. I'm not kidding. The folk in there are so damn nice we could (um, and often do) spend hours hanging out there.

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We've been on the lookout for a good nightlight. There is no power point in our bathroom so when I change BB at night I have to have the big bright light on, which is not good for tired squinty eyes. Mine or hers. I also have to have the light on all night, so I can see where I'm going. Not good for the environment. Not good at all. But at the moment, necessary.

I remember seeing these little sweeties in a shop on Crown Street months and months ago, and have been trying to find them online the last week or so. I was just about to go to sleep when I saw them in a magazine laying on my desk... hooray! They come with a charging base so at night you just take it off and put it where it needs to go. Perfecto! Now the only problem is picking which little critter to get. Hhhmmm... at the moment it's a toss-up between the green dog and the monkey. What do you think?

Nightlights by Giimmo. Check out the rest of the gang here.

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One month old today!

And what a month it has been. It's fun having this new little family, not always easy but I think we're doing okay. We're doing what feels right for us. I want to elaborate and tell you all about it, but today I'm too tired. It's a good tired though...

BB and PB are already cuddled in bed together, fast asleep in fresh sheets. I think it's time I go join them.

Hope you all had a lovely Easter. xxx

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{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. – SouleMama