rummey bears

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2012-01-30T22:03:00.002+11:00

Sometimes I feel like a broken record on here, harping on about how our weeks are long and hard and sweet moments like this are few. But they exist and for that I am grateful, everyday.

I was asked a little while ago to help spread the word about a charity gala dinner to raise money for the CCIA's neuroblastoma research. I'm sorry I've not done it sooner, but if I'm honest I find this a hard topic to write about, and my head has not been clear enough lately to find the words.

Sienna’s Frangipani Annual Gala Dinner is held on the 17th Feb in Pyrmont, in honor of Sienna Hoffmann – who coincidentally lived only a suburb away from me and died at the age of two. Her mother Lucy has organised this event to help raise awareness of neuroblastoma and raise money for research into this aggressive childhood cancer. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a child and I commend her mother's strength for being able to do something positive in such a tragic situation.

The event is on the 17th Feb and tickets are $130. There are many prizes available from local businesses and a bevvy of entertainers. To find out more or purchase a ticket please visit here.

You can also donate directly to the CCIA, here.

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2012-01-28T13:14:00.003+11:00

The last lot of holiday pics – that I'm posting, there are many more – taken at Gardenworld. I spent many hours here as a child while my folks perused, and not surprisingly I remember it being a lot bigger. It's still as rad, although sadly the epic desert mural at Collectors Corner has been taken down. I took home one little succulent who has so far managed to live, despite a shaky start.

And happy belated Australia Day. I have a little video of BB yelling out booooogaaan that I was going to post but then realised doing that would be a bit, well, bogan... so refrained. It's pretty hilarious though!

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2012-01-20T22:05:00.001+11:00

I'd give you all of Sydney Harbour
All that land, all that water,
for that one sweet promenade.

Paul Kelly – From St Kilda to King's Cross.

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2012-01-17T20:42:00.002+11:00

A few snaps of BB with her Babcia and Dziadzia at Christmas. The last photo reminds me of a similar shot from last year:

In which I happen to be wearing the same dress! Just shows how much she's changed and how much I've stayed the same. Can't believe we'll be celebrating a second birthday in a couple of months.

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2012-01-12T23:21:00.001+11:00

Here's the first batch of Melbourne photos; a little one-legged evening scoot. Not all future holiday posts will be so blatantly baby focused (there's an epic session at Gardenworld to come, woohoo!)

This week BB and I have been watching some skateboarding on You Tube, in which I fast-forward* the part when he swears and smashes his deck around, because BB finds it a little too exciting. Hitting! Aaaannnrrgggyyy! She also cringes when he falls, because she knows too well what it feels like to smash yourself from doing something a little dangerous.

* Fast-forward, is that even used these days? Or is that a bit VHS?

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2012-01-10T22:47:00.001+11:00

I've finally downloaded the photos from our trip to Melbourne – all 556 of them. The task of editing that many images will take a few sitings and they'll go up here in separate posts. Many will be deleted, including one of my puffy-eyed Christmas morning face to which even PB said upon viewing, bloody hell Ania that's not your best, is it?

I couldn't even compete with this one, BB smiling for the camera, and smiling for the camera.

(Note to self: don't ask her to smile).

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2012-01-07T21:22:00.001+11:00

I thought I'd have a crack at a new year's post while I'm still avoiding the camera. In addition to my fear of the cost of repairing the lens I'm also stretching out our Melbourne holiday, and well, downloading and deleting those photos makes it feel like it's really over. You know?

Last year I boldly stated that in 2011 I'd be correcting one bad or creating one good habit a month. That's a whopping twelve resolutions, which needless to say I didn't adhere to. But the year presented reoccurring opportunities to rectify my first one – which was remaining positive – and I'm pleased to say that after conferring with my Behavior Specialist (PB) we both agree I've done pretty well. Hi fives!

In 2012 I plan to continue with these habits and dedicate as much time to each one until I'm ready to add the next. Towards the end of last year I started focusing on efficiency, in a bid to balance out the ratio of work produced to energy spent. It's not that I'm lazy, but I'm (very) easily distracted. To the point where during a clean up I'll hypothesize possible colour combinations of dropped crayon particles for longer than one really should, then freak out at dinner time when nothing is prepared. Meal plans and weekly grocery shopping goes on this list too, even though I do really enjoy my morning avocado and blueberry run.

And as I keep kicking objects around the house, I'll be reminding myself of quality over quantity when it comes to consumption. I seem to be carting to as much as from Vinnies these days, and I forget that there are things out there that I would like to try and save up for. This idea will also carry across to visual stimulation. Instead of cramming as much of the internet into one hour and walking away frazzled I'm going to focus on one or two things – be they blogs, articles, artists, whatever – each time I sit at this time-sucking thing. The feeling that if I don't look at everything I'll miss out is one I'll be aiming to curb this year, whilst trying to actually retain some of what I see online.

* People by French Illustrator, Blexbolex. A Christmas present for BB that I decided to withhold as with everyone's collective presents she had enough to open on the morning, and was so uninterested that it took hours to get through it as it was!

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2012-01-05T11:57:00.000+11:00

Happy New Year! We're back from Melbourne and off to a slow start. There's a slew of photos to post but they're yet to be downloaded. My lens started to malfunction towards the end of our trip, and I've not been able to bring myself to unpack it and admit it may be broken. That's in the Deal With It Later basket, for now.

Hope the start of 2012 has been a cracker for you all!

PS. I was going to edit this down but BB is too hilarious at the end there so here's the full version.
PPS. Also to clarify, I didn't draw the bear in the new header. He's scanned from a vintage Polish children's book that I rediscovered whilst I was doing a routine mold and damp check in our bookcase. I've been compulsively sniffing any object within my reach.

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2011-12-21T23:03:00.001+11:00

This time last year my unchristmassy self stated that card-making would become a tradition in our household. Although these ten second scribbles have nothing on the googly-eyed trees, I've held true my word. And what I've lacked in effort I've made up with in consistency – not getting around to sending them again.

It's been a tumultuous year to say the least, and I've gone to and fro with this space but I end the year feeling grateful for this warm and kind online community. Thank you for reading, taking the time to comment and email. Have a happy and restful Christmas and a joyous celebration to bring in 2012.

Until then,
Anna xxx

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2011-12-19T23:50:00.002+11:00

One of my goals to knock off before the end of the year was to finally finish BB's space. I've been procrastinating as the completion of this room means I now need to focus my attention on the rest of the house, which is nowhere near as rad to do.

As we've co-slept since day dot this is the first room and bed she's ever had. It's a small space and tricky to photograph – hence the different lighting in almost every picture – but I'm chuffed with how it's come together. It's a mix of hand-me-downs, roadside and op-shop finds, gifts and existing stuff I've had for years all centered around a good old Ikea pine bed (to which we hack-sawed off the bed-head.)

I'm usually vigilant with editing my photos but I'm going all out here. And please excuse the dodgy paint job, we're in a rental and apparently the last tenant decided she would go over the white walls with this murky colour. Nice one.

Here we go!

And that's what the room looks like first thing in the morning. (By the end of the day it looks like someone picked it up and gave it a good shake!)

Apple Papple print by Fine Little Day. Pirate Rosie print by my super-talented mate Cass, who makes custom orders, so check out her shop! Small bunting gifted when BB was a wee babe by Alex Le Jeune and larger bunting from Lou at we heart books. Thanks to my mother-in-law for helping me sew-up the doona cover from two old sheets and to my dear mate and fellow colour enthusiast Jill, for always being an inspiration. xx

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2011-12-17T21:40:00.000+11:00

I love giving and receiving wine as gifts, and it's even better when the aesthetics of the label match up to the quality of the wine. Recently I was contacted by Logan Wines, a boutique family run wine producer from the NSW Central Ranges. (It always surprises me – to find out who reads this blog!) They were extremely generous to send me a selection to sample over Christmas. PB was nothing less than stoked when I told him a dozen bottles had arrived on our doorstep. He's passionate about wine and when he speaks of one he's fond of it's quite something. Often the vocabulary goes way over my head but I love watching him and listening to the cadence of his speech. When we bust some of these open he's even offered to do some tasting notes – would anyone be interested in that?

PS. Thanks for all the comments on my last post. It's a touchy subject (no pun intended) and I appreciate people taking the time to write and share their own experiences. xxx

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2011-12-14T21:55:00.004+11:00

Little BB's intense physicality unfortunately extends to hitting; me, other kids, inanimate objects and when all those outlets have been exhausted she'll resort to giving herself a whack. This has been going on for months now and like Kellie, I also hoped it was just a phase. Sadly, we're still in it.

I feel like I've tried everything and I'm tired of hearing myself constantly saying No. No hitting. Say sorry. Gentle hands. (And so on...) Thing is she's a bright little button and she knows it's wrong. I watch her and I see she can't help it. If you ask her why the child standing next to her is crying she'll tell you, Hit! and apologise immediately. After reading and re-reading this I've decided to take a gentler approach and stop treating her like the bad guy and empower her to understand the intensity she feels. Sometimes that can be tricky, especially in a public situation where parent of crying child is waiting for you to reprimand your little thug. Today a (bigger) girl fiercely screamed in BB's face for incing towards the piece of play equipment she was taking sole ownership of and BB retorted by giving her a deft right-hander. The little girl went crying to her mother who consoled her by reiterating that BB had hurt her. I bent down to BB's level, spoke calmy, firmly and quite audibly to those around me: You didn't do anything wrong to her. She was yelling at your face. I understand that made you feel angry. It's ok to be angry, but it's not ok to hit. Next time you feel like that you can walk away. Let's go over to the swings.

She might not understand it all just yet, but one day the penny will drop (hopefully) and she'll be able to manage her anger without hitting. I don't want her to get a bad label. She's a really good girl, her energy is a beautiful thing but during times of frustration it manifests itself in violence, which is not very cool.

PS. And seriously – I'm going to have a little vent here – Playground Politics (as the term gets thrown around) they shouldn't exist! If it you're not willing to share it LEAVE IT AT HOME. Simple. How can we expect our children to share all of their stuff but the minute they touch someone else's toy they get reprimanded? Surely that must be confusing.

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2011-12-13T21:07:00.004+11:00

I remember – quite vividly – sobbing at the end of last month as PB explained his work schedule for the lead up to Christmas. The thought of 4 more weeks similar to the initial rough one of our new regime made me feel sick to the pit of my stomach.

But. We found our groove and I can't bloody believe we're almost there! Thankfully BB is still a bit wee to understand the idea of Christmas* as sadly December has been more about survival than magic – but with horrid weather encouraging indoor activities we've at least painted up a storm in abstract-art gifts. And three cheers to PB who despite a severe lack of sleep due to 20hr work days still musters up the energy to take his girls out for a (pre-dinner) gelato.

* Months ago while we were looking at surfboards BB latched onto a mini kids one in hope that it might leave the store with her. I said, Oh, maybe you'll get one for Christmas! Weeks later, while she was admiring our neighbors bike I told her, Maybe you'll get one for Christmas! To which she stopped, thought for a very long time then replied (quite firmly)... surfboard!! Looks like surfboard it is, Santa.

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2011-12-10T11:39:00.007+11:00

A little video I shot last Saturday. We had a stolen hour on the beach before the rain set in. Just enough to capture these bare bums in action.

Happy weekend ya'll! xx

PS. Thanks to Claire for the tip off on the 8mm iPhone app.

Music by Beirut. Big call, but maybe my favourite band ever (at least from our time).

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2011-12-08T13:03:00.005+11:00

I've recently embarked upon looking into pre-schools for BB...

...Holy Moly.

Initially we thought about Montessori. It feels like a natural progression, home-birth, breastfeeding, co-sleeping... Montessori. However after some research into schools in our area sadly it's proving to be a financially inaccessible choice. One school even demands $165 to go on the waiting list to compete for 25 spaces. (And we live in a neighborhood abundant with children... so what are the odds?)

Plan B – visit a few local centres and go with my gut feeling on the people that run it. I checked one out last week that I really wanted to like but I just didn't get good vibes. The outdoor space was dismal and they seemed a bit too focused on curriculum which boasts French and Japanese lessons. (Is that normal at this age?) The local KU seems like a good choice, however if we pop her name down now we're still not likely to get in until she's 4.

I feel over my head with this one. I'm not sure what's normal and what's reflective of the extortion that accompanies inner-city living. And at an average of $100 a pop for the waiting list, how many do you sign up to?

It's times like this the urge to swing further left and home-school is strong, and if BB didn't say mama, this, kids, please every time we walk past a pre-school I may even consider it.

Image: BB's first play-dough experience, as per Em's recipe. I love that during full concentration she sticks her tongue out – just like I do.

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2011-12-05T23:51:00.005+11:00

I have an ongoing love/hate relationship with Stuff. Being surrounded by things I love makes me happy, although the upkeep (especially in a humid and partial to dampness environment) does my head in at times. Despite reoccurring thoughts of how much easier a clutter-less, minimalistic existence would be I seem to continually accumulate more and more crap. I can't help it. I'm attracted to colourful things – it's innate.

Top: at Vinnies today: floral pillowcase, picture book (that unfortunately stinks of mothballs), flannel baby blanket and granny rug.
Bottom: spontaneous pedi during my ordered-out-of-the-house-for-being-a-grump break. I thought I'd go for something a bit rad to cheer myself up. In hindsight not so sure... (Shoes from Greek-sandals that I found via veronica loves archie – which I'm currently a little bit obsessed with, particularly for interiors inspiration.)

PS. I put together another video! But you know, two video posts in a row would be ke-razy. Will pop it up here soon.

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2011-12-02T20:53:00.001+11:00

The other night I finally got around to compiling a video of all these snippets I've taken with my iPhone. I'm absolutely not one to brag but she is a gun on that thing, there's no denying it. There's been plenty of accidents too but I've always refrained from putting them up here due to the sheer gore (thankfully, they always looked worse than what they were).

Music by Yann Tiersen.

PS. Excuse the dodgy video work, it was my first go and although iMovie is very intuitive to use I can't say I spent a lot of time on this!

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2011-12-01T21:22:00.003+11:00

Thank you for all your comments on my previous post. I really appreciate people taking the time to write their thoughts – it only cements further in my mind that a simpler life is the right thing for our little family.

Part of me feels like I've quit my job and I'm left to work out my notice period. You know – just finishing up things and preparing for a handover. But that's not the case. We have a business and we can't leave yet. There's still a couple of years to slog it out and I don't want to wish that time away hastily for a better future. Because there's always a new set of challenges around the corner. (Bloomwhereyou'replantedbloomwhereyou'replanted...)

So in aid of continual blossoming I'm going to set myself mini-goals to draw attention away from the big one. Finishing BB's room (it's so close), snazzying up the remainder of the apartment and finally addressing the ever growing piles of crap that seem to circulate without a home. There's a list of craft projects to tackle, sewing to finish (and start) and thousands of photos and files to be sorted.

It's on. I even plan to document photographic evidence of these happenings on this blog. And by saying that it means now I really have to do it. (Crap).

BB's first ever piggy-tails. Or as she calls them, taihallls, two!

PS. The last photo is for my parents, who have FINALLY sorted out a new computer with proper internet and are avid readers. Czesc Mama i Tata! Duze buzki!

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2011-11-30T12:29:00.000+11:00

After returning the Ford Focus last week, we're back to reality driving our beat-up old wagon and figuring out logistics of who needs it at what point in the day. The winner gets to drive around in traffic and clock-up wasted hours of their life looking for car spaces.

(I'm writing this post to vent...)

In the last couple of weeks I've aborted several supermarket missions because I couldn't park the car. I've had to leave a friends party early due to her residing in an area with only 1hr parking and the process of looking for a new spot with Raging Toddler was too much for me on that particular day.

PB continually jests that one day we'll move to Ulladulla, a coastal town he inhabited a while ago. We won't – but we will leave Sydney for a more peaceful, affordable existence. In recent talks we even managed to agree upon a possible location, which has been a major breakthrough in discussions of this matter. A new bloggy-buddy passed on this little gem of a quote – Bloom Where You're Planted – and I've been repeating it to myself constantly while deep down my heart is waiting for a sea-change.

I'm interested, do you live in the city or country? I always thought I'd be a city girl but more and more the noise and crowds overwhelm me. PB and I joke that by the time we're 80 we'll be total recluses – living in a dead end street and only trekking into town once a week for groceries. As long as we can get a car space I guess that'd be ok!

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2011-11-29T21:38:00.001+11:00

It's been a hard slog but finally, after 5 days of passing ships we managed to see each other on Sunday – which was also our 2 year wedding anniversary.

The first day together after a hectic work week can rapidly go pear-shaped and over the last year I've learnt – through many a trial and error – to ease into it slowly and gently. The key for us is to let the day take its course naturally and ease up on any pressure to make every second of it meaningful. I used to get very frustrated if things weren't going according to what I had envisaged in my head but I've since realised that it's much more beneficial to wake up with no expectations and an open mind.

(For the record we had a cracker day).

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2011-11-25T21:33:00.002+11:00

Apologies in advance for the recent onslaught of baby photos. But you know, it's been raining all week and we're just hangin' out and bonding. Clearly mama's getting a bit camera happy.

Our cranky neighbour recently told me that by allowing BB to draw with chalk on my – my – back step I was 'defacing common property'. One of my fondest childhood memories is chalking up the whole block with the other small denizens of the summer concrete. We drew elaborate directions on how to locate the Ninja Turtles. It was nothing short of a masterpiece.

After my initial retaliation and defense I've decided not to let her ludicrous accusations get to me. I now encourage our next door buddies to come and partake in the so called vandalism – that washes off with the evening rain.

PS. Council clean-up non-working display bike only. But bless her little heart she loves it up there.
PPS. Snap!

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2011-11-23T20:43:00.004+11:00

We're almost at a point where time wise, the clean-up doesn't exceed the painting.

BB's very interested in colours at the moment, and thankfully no preference for the pink one yet. I spoke to my small friend Matilda on Skype tonight, and when questioned was told her favourite was red. Good choice.

I remember this being key information to one's personality as a child. Even as an adult I find decisions regarding colour serious stuff and have been know to spend a freakishly long time choosing a new toothbrush. And now that I'm in charge of dental hygiene for the whole family? Well you can only imagine how such a selection would impact my supermarket trip.

For the record my favourite colour is yellow, and as a kid it was blue. What's yours?

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2011-11-21T22:12:00.003+11:00

And before it had a chance to really come to fruition, our two-day weekend reverted back to one. It is – without a doubt – a hard run from now until Christmas, and even then a break is not guaranteed. I'm not going to use this space to wallow and I know that many people have it tough. Generally we keep our spirits up. We have our health, we are fed – albeit with my dodgy cooking – and for that I am grateful.

And so BB and I spend our days flying solo again. Even at 20 months she's rapidly leaving toddlerhood and turning into a little (rough-nut) girl. In the past week I've given up keeping track of new words, as they slowly string together to form sentences. She's entered the esoteric world of childhood make-believe, sharing her lunch with Jimmy the Dog and even giving him a go of her snazzy new goggles. This current evolution evokes feelings in me reminiscent to the marvel I felt at her existence as a newborn. Those same intense emotions of love and fear have returned and sneak-up on me unawares throughout the day, resulting in sporadic bouts of tears. I suppose – if I'm honest – that from about 7 months of age until now has been such an intense time of physical learning for BB, that my days were inundated with wrangling her little bones away from danger and that brought a lot of frustration to both of us. But now that she's agile and rather dexterous, we've stepped into a new era; of verbal communication and words. I'm in constant awe of this little girl developing rapidly before me. Every. Single. Day.

Jacaranda inspired knit by PB's mum – ready for next winter but managed to convince myself that it was cool enough for a trial run today. Jimmy the Dog from PB's childhood, out of all her stuffies she seems to love Daddy's old one the most.

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2011-11-18T20:30:00.000+11:00

I had no intention of posting again tonight, however half a Coopers and extreme procrastination of cleaning the squalor I sit in has led me to do so.

Just a few Oppie finds from yesterday, while I was zipping around looking for some not-too-scary-just-endearing-enough second hand teapots for PB.

– a strange little footrest thing. It will go in BB's room and I'm sure she'll use it to jump from.
– books, I love the Blinky Bill cover typography and the inside illustrations of tooters, tweeters, strings & beaters.
– enamel bowl, which if you squint you can almost pretend it's Acapulco.
– small granny square blanket, which I don't need in the slightest, but for three bucks could not pass up on the colourway.

Did you find any gems this week?

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2011-11-17T20:22:00.000+11:00

Today the restaurant also opened as a cafe, PB had very little sleep and BB threw a supreme wobbly in a very small yet busy public space. It's the middle of a huge working week here and I'm extremely thankful that we've had two cars to help get us through it.

Ford has been ever so kind as to let me test-drive the new Focus Titanium. Whilst I don't usually do sponsored posts I am so grateful for having this opportunity at a time where I can help run errands and alleviate some of the stress from PB's week.

As for the car it's snazzy whizz-bang and I'm pretty sure I didn't get through all of it's features, but I will say it's fuel economy is fantastic compared to our big ol' wagon. For a person that has never owned a new or near-new car this has been so much fun to drive around in. And it can reverse park by itself, which is both very cool and terrifying the first time you try it. I'm not sure I can photograph it without looking cheesy so for a proper image and more information look here.

Having this experience has made us realise how helpful two cars can be, particularly for me to have while PB is at work. Unfortunately this is not in our foreseeable future so for now we have another solution – we're getting his pushie fixed.

What do you do in your family?

(BB has taken to weightlifting her wheels, as she proudly shouts HEAVY!).

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2011-11-15T00:02:00.001+11:00

PB and I headed over to Centennial Park yesterday, to snap a family portrait of some lovely friends of ours. We arrived early for a quick recce, during which I continued my slightly awkward continuation of Outfit Blogging. Afterwards we were invited to stay for their picnic at which BB hovered over the cheese-platter like a guard-dog. That's my girl.

Billion Dollar Babes denim skirt – bought from a sale rack about 10 years ago and I've never worked out a way to wear it until yesterday / Country Road top / Converse / Ray Bans / leather bag from Greek-sandals.com

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2011-11-12T22:00:00.001+11:00

A rare quiet moment snapped by PB. Her preference for jumping off tables rather than sitting at them must have been forgotten, for this short moment. Thank you for your sweet comments on my last post. I don't mean to be cryptic but I feel the restaurant and its happenings are not my story to tell, so I keep it separate from this space. But like any small business, it's a hard slog and especially one in an unrelenting industry. My dear PB is again working to the bone and BB and I are back to spending our days without him, until further notice.

On a happier note, BB's vocabulary is expanding daily. Her newest addition is colour – caya! And for some strange reason is usually attached to an inflected vowel, i caya! a caya! mummy, e caya! During challenging times it's important to be grateful for what you have. I'm thankful for the opportunity to spend all day with my sprite – despite how I may feel in the middle of a rough one – which allows me to decipher her strange little sounds and witness her foray into language.

Who else would know that caya bobo translates to a broken crayon?

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2011-11-10T20:28:00.000+11:00

We've got challenging times ahead here – our health is fine but our lively-hood is about to hit another metamorphosis. I've really enjoyed getting back into blogging so despite this upcoming turbulence I'll endeavor to continue with this space regularly. It feels a little bit strange to be snapping silly fashion shots amidst a more serious state of affairs, but I've realised it's good for me to stay active in this little community of like-minded souls.

This necklace was gifted to me by a blog reader and talented jeweler from Barcelona, Elena. We've never met yet she designed and hand-made this beautiful piece especially for me when BB was born. I've been wearing it a lot recently to remind me about all the good stuff that's come from Rummey Bears.

Yup, the warm, fuzzy bloggy feeling is back again.

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2011-11-07T12:07:00.001+11:00

An interruption to normal programming for this special announcement:

PB got Wave of the Day on Swellnet today! He made the switch from normal surfing to SUP only three months ago so he's pretty stoked with this wave at Voodoo on Saturday morning, snapped leg-rope and all.

Photos by Darryl Menzies

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2011-11-06T22:35:00.000+11:00

There is always a looming temptation to do some outfit posts on here and join the clan of What I Wore bloggers, however hesitation usually prevents them coming into fruition. But this morning I was feeling a bit snazzy in my new-to-me skirt and asked PB if he would snap a photo before we headed out to a friends barbeque. We both agreed it would be ok to post as long as I was frank about it. BB and I partook in some jumping and were joined by our buddies Tilly* and the Magpie.

I think they were both competing for the same bit of chicken. Magpie 1, Tilly 0.

t-shirt by Zara / thrifted skirt, originally from Miss Shop – a bit scary – I have no idea which era it came from / Saltwater Sandals.

* Tilly actually belongs to our neighbors yet spends most of her days in our yard and house. Unfortunately she loves us so much that any deliveries of murdered rodents come our way too.

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2011-11-04T20:44:00.000+11:00

Usually I'm complacent about the Sydney winter – for its lack of extremity and length – but this year the present arrival of balmy nights are welcome as we embrace the warmth with some outdoor art. It's hard to get this little mite to sit still and draw inside for more than five minutes so giving her free reign with the chalk and our back steps (door, floor, dishwasher...) allows her to draw and move about freely and me to clean up after dinner without her clinging to my leg. This piece was inspired by Zeph via Rothko.

And I've still been lurking around Op Shops, albeit with no supporting funds. Luckily this gem was only 2 bucks – which PB brought to my attention the whereabouts of in the back seat of the car. Thank God for change residing in couches and cars and spare handbags on weeks like this.

Good night! x

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2011-11-01T22:04:00.001+11:00

"Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." – Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby.

Not entirely true, but I do feel obliged to supplement yesterdays tutu with a more accurate image of BB's little get-up – before it was dismembered to accommodate for the sudden change in temperature. And there's a glimpse of those chipped teeth that have finally, naturally and thankfully filed themselves down a smidge.

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2011-10-31T21:49:00.001+11:00

My little sprite, currently demonstrating an ineffable joy for jumping – not exclusively in a hazardous manner – from any height she deems suitable.

PB wasn't completely comfortable with this outfit, a demonstration of all things he believes his daughter not to be.

Luckily it never made it past the morning.

(That's apple juice, not wee).

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2011-10-29T23:21:00.002+11:00

Unbeknownst to me, while I was recently hailing the OSG's they were silently sending a couple more gems my way. This post is – in part – to brag but more so to document. Because if I didn't see it with my own eyes I would not believe that a trifector like this could be had in one week.

Exhibit A: Acupulco cup. A cup I was coveting many months ago on this fine ladies shop however due to exorbitant shipping costs and low bank balance I decided to let it go. My dear friend Jill, op-shopper extraordinaire said not to worry, the Universe will bring me one eventually. And lo and behold it bloody did. 9 dollars at my new favourite local.

Exhibit B: Rug. This mornings' walk back from my coffee with BB I went past a bells-and-whistles garage sale. Balloons and signs and people everywhere. Little tyke was too wriggly for an activity of this calibre so we headed home to rouse PB up from bed and to the park. Upon leaving the house I mentioned the the garage sale and to my sheer shock PB was willing to go. This good-as-new and of decent size Kilim was the first thing I saw as I turned the corner and why it was still there at 9.30am remains a mystery to me. I had to do everything humanly possible to constrain my excitement when the lady told me it was 20 bucks. Definitely only one zero on the end of that two. Oh dear lord.

If I never get anything rad at an op-shop again I will be ok with that.

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2011-10-27T23:57:00.001+11:00

Besides the visual eye-candy of blogging, I love the ability to share a dilemna and find yourself instantly supported and left feeling a little less daunted about the situation. So thank-you, for your kind words and suggestions to our present sleeping arrangements.

But now, back to some pretty-pretty.

This year the Op Shop Gods have been kind to me. Thank you OSG's. Last weekend I spotted this in the window of my new local and set a reminder to go in first thing Monday and check the price. I was hoping for 40, prepared for 60, ready to beg husband at 80 and walking away at 100. (100 seems steep but Op Shops aren't cheap these days, and it is a whole set – plates, bowls, mugs, milk jugs, everything – of vintage Noritake.) Ready for it? 35 clams. Later when PB drove to pick it up the nice lady told him she gave me a good price because she likes me and was very happy that I got it. Aaaww shucks.

Speaking of Op Shops I have – finally – gotten around to enlisting my mother-in-law (hi Jane!) for some weekly sewing lessons to put to use mine and Jill's joint vintage fabric collection. This collection spans over 10 decades of heart stopping back-pocket-change purchases and must not sit in a dusty box any longer. Week one I begun a cushion, week two was interrupted with an emergency duvet cover for BB from two sheets (photo a few posts below) and week three saw me complete said cushion, zip and all.

Next week we move beyond straight sewing and embark upon a Wikstenmade dress with a 6 dollar duvet cover that is just a little bit too 1986 to actually go on a bed.

Apparently I will be required to do binding. Yikes.

* The blue cushion is the one I made. The other one my mother-in-law made earlier in the year. It's a MIL sweat-shop, cups of tea included.

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2011-10-25T22:03:00.001+11:00

As much as I expected to be getting up during the night, I was definitely not prepared for the exhaustion that follows such shenanigans. After her initial chunk of solid sleep (2-3 hours) little BB stirs continuously for the remainder of the night, every hour almost to the dot. The first two nights are still a blur, as are the days that ensued with me at my possible worst form of parenting. Shout. Cry. Repeat. Perhaps it was bad timing to start this out during the middle of a freelance job (me) canines almost through (her) a demanding work schedule (PB) and gallons of snot (everyone).

So we adjusted our little plan to accommodate the first part of her sleep in her bed and the remainder back in ours. Win/win for everyone and a much gentler way forward.

*For anyone looking closely, photos above are pre chipped teeth.

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2011-10-20T22:47:00.002+11:00

Tonight – for the first time since her birth – BB is sleeping in her own bed. Although definitely time to make this transition, my heart feels broken. Unfortunately so does my back and since last week, breasts.* A fall resulting in two chipped front teeth has made night time co-sleeping resemble a small vacuum cleaner attached to a cheese grater on my chest.

We have been talking about doing this for months, but it wasn't until this incident gave us a kick up the bum that we finally heaved everything out of the study/junk-room to transform it into her bedroom. It is without a doubt my favourite room in the house, especially considering all the crap that used to be in there is now floating around like a giant obstacle course in the rest of our small apartment.

This photo was actually taken from her daytime nap. I wasn't going to start sleeping her in there until the weekend, but she responded really well to having her own space (Yeoshie!!! Yeoshie!!)** so I thought best not to confuse her why she has her own bed yet she can't use it.

I feel sad that her warm little body won't be snuggled into me, and even sadder that I'm likely to have to get up numerous times in the night – something I've never had to do. Let's see how we go. This is Night Number One.

* I asked PB whether it was appropriate to say breasts on the blog. He suggested I should say titties instead. Not sure about that one.

** It's how she pronounces her name, in regards to her possesions. Mummy's cup. Daddy's cup. Yeoshie's cup!

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2011-10-12T20:58:00.004+11:00

Recently great attempts have been made in our kitchen. Unfortunately I'm yet to produce any photographic evidence of this claim.

But in all seriousness – I'm trying to make more of an effort with cooking rather than just steaming whatever at the last minute. The above example is an adaptation of Jill's Raspberry and Buckwheat pancakes, which were created like this with the ingredients I had on hand:

Spelt flour
1 egg (beaten)
Frozen blueberries
A bit of apple juice (we ran out of milk)

Put it all in a bowl and mix around with a potato masher and whisk. (One utensil for mama and one for toddler).

It may look like scrambled eggs with berries, but in fact it was highly edible. Just remember to season to taste with your own snot.

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2011-10-08T22:17:00.002+11:00

One morning this week I hopped on a bus into town for a few hours. The eve of my solo adventure saw me experience a mini-meltdown on what activity to select for the next day. Amongst other things it had to be suitable to do early in the morning and avoid peak hour traffic, so many of my top choices were struck out.

PB: Don't make such a big deal of it. Just do something, anything! Enjoy yourself!
Me: Okay I'm going to check out the new Zara.

For the people that shared my bus I must have looked like a deranged lunatic who fell on a box of crayons on the way out the door. In a sea of black suits and tired eyes I stood grinning like the Cheshire Cat and smiling at anyone that caught my eye. Oh look! There's the Opera House! And a big boat!

For the salesgirl at Zara it must have been a similar experience:

Me: How good is Zara?!?!?!
Salesgirl: (polite laugh) Um, yup.
Me: Is it the same stock in Australia as it is overseas?
SG: Yup.
Me: Wow! Because when I lived in London I never found anything in Zara, but this is like, unreeeeaaaal!
SG: (nervous laugh) Oookay.

Clearly, I don't get out alone much.

Top image: My loot from Zara – beige knit, 2 polkadot tees (25 a pop people!) and rad panda socks.
Bottom image: Socks in-situ and new-to-me pink tsubi jeans. Not a sought after item but for a tenner at Vinnies I couldn't pass them up.

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2011-10-06T21:54:00.002+11:00

We've been waiting so long to do this – yet it came as no surprise that the excitement lasted for about 10 minutes before she scurried towards a nearby bush to explore.

PB and I have been going gangbusters reading How To Raise Your Spirited Child, as recommended by Em. It's made a huge impact on us and not only shifted our attitude regarding parenting but also our own relationship. If ever a Spirited Child grew into a Spirited Adult, my dear husband is the prime example of one, which – as he suggested to me earlier – explains his ability to manage BB's intense energy with calmness and understanding (and very little of the frustration that I seem to harbor).

But 150 pages into it and I'm feeling a lot more confident in channeling her energy and a lot less shouty in doing it. In addition to the day-to-day (which currently involves a lot of physical wrangling and reprimanding) we are – as the book reminds us – building a relationship. And that's a pretty unreal thing to be doing.

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2011-09-24T23:28:00.001+10:00

Hurrah! I finally got around to looking at some photos taken recently, including this early morning drawing session with my Mum while she was here. She taught BB how to do flowers:

While I did some fashion colourings:

Speaking of which, since turning 31 a few weeks ago I'm feeling decidedly older and sartorially smarter (not that you can tell by looking at me, yet). With the weather warming up I'm a little loathed to bum around in shorts and a singlet for the coming 8 months, but alas Mr.Money ain't up for buying me new threads. So I'll be embracing DIY, re-purposing and shopping my existing wardrobe. Maybe the interwebs (just as a little top-up).

And there's a new side project looming in the wings. Exciting times!

Also found these shots of my two little dudes reading:

Upon waking the first thing BB says is Hi Daddy! then she scurries out to get an assortment of books. In this instance, PB was just napping on the sofa. He doesn't actually sleep there, although it's probably more comfortable than sleeping next to a ginormous wriggling toddler.

Five Small Stars – certainly a page turner.

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2011-09-15T21:55:00.000+10:00

With Spring decidedly here and bare limbs out flailing, poor BB's collection of bruises will be – from now on – joined by grazes and cuts.

I love those delicious little scrappy legs.

PS. Toy cars from Babcia, who desperately wanted to get BB a little something from the toy store yet strangely was not expecting her to grip onto a box of Hot Wheels for dear life. CAH! CAH! BBrrrrrvvvvv....

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2011-09-06T21:42:00.002+10:00

The visitors (part two).

My mum and the Maggie.
Eat! Eat! You so skinny!
was what she used to say to me as a kid.

Now she can say it to little BB, who turned 18 months yesterday. I've never seen her in so much pink. It was accidental, but worth photographing.

This week see's a birthday, a farewell and new musings for the future. As well as the bare arms and legs of Spring. A slew of photos will follow soon(ish).

Happy belated Father's Day to all the papas out there, and our favourite one of all. x

PS. The Vegemite jar – disgustingly – is actually my mum's makeshift ashtray. She's old school like that. Fags, sweet (SWEET) tea and thick butter on thin baguette. Only the latter appeals to me, although PB will be the first to remind me that I used to smoke – a long, long time ago.

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2011-09-03T21:01:00.000+10:00

The visitors (part one).

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2011-08-20T19:56:00.000+10:00

I'm jumping on the bandwagon and blogging about the weather. I also don't have much else to say, not publicly anyways.

Today was as beautiful as yesterday was rotten. It rained and rained and rained. Little BB was surprisingly tolerant of being stuck indoors most of the day, perhaps with eager anticipation that the next break presented an opportunity to don her bokbools and bumboos.

We sat by the window drawing on-the-paper-not-on-the-table as I explained that it's raining and we'll go out when it settles. She looked out the window, examined the water dripping down the glass, listened to the sounds and pointing her little sausage finger outside gleefully yelled...

WEE-WEE!!

(Pronouncing her W's as V's hence sounding a bit glamorous and Russian.)

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2011-08-11T20:30:00.001+10:00

Although my childhood was abundant with love and toilet-paper roll craft, it was – for the most part – lacking in 80's brand-name toys. Proud owner of one My Child and one Barbie (no accessories). I don't recall feeling too jibbed at the time, the kids in my street had enough toys for the whole neighborhood to play with including He-Man, She-Ra and their respective much-coveted castles.

And yet. Every time I trawl through a thrift store I do a quick ransack of the toys for a Care Bear (for BB, of course). And today there it was in full ginormous pink glory. Untagged.

Excuse me. Is this for sale?
Yes.
How much is it?
Eight dollars.
ARE YOU CEREAL?!?! ONLY 8 BUCKS FOR A SUPER-SIZE CHEER BEAR AND NOSTALGIC FULFILLMENT?!
Um ok thanks. I think I'll take him.

My soft-toy-hating husbands' reply when I sent him the above photo:
It's official. I don't live there anymore. It's just a place I sleep most nights.

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2011-08-02T19:49:00.003+10:00

Thank you to everyone that took the time to comment on my last post. There were some interesting aspects raised that I hadn't thought of, and perhaps unintentionally some of them made me giggle. Sometimes I'm not totally competent at verbalising the idea knocking around my head (just ask PB) so I hope I managed communicate it accurately. I don't believe photographing my grotty bathroom shows I'm more or less real, as I suspect most people – especially mums – are in a similar predicament. I suppose I just meant that as a blog author although you are free to write and style your images as you please, perhaps it's also good to consider that blogging is becoming another form of media, slowly being infiltrated by marketing companies and ads, which presents an opportunity to be mindful of what influence is had on our readers. Anyway, food for thought. It's good to chat about stuff. Just the other day I tried to wrangle PB into a discussion on why men's trousers have much deeper pockets than women's. (So unfair). Surprisingly, he was not interested in pursuing my train of thought.

Photos taken from BB's first (unplanned) stand-up-paddle yesterday. PB's new toy which he classes as Family Friendly. Shallows for us and 500m offshore big swell for him. Bonkers. But BB was happy as a pig in mud. Standing, balancing, water, dad, and being naked. All the best things in life rolled into one activity. Thank god it was warm outside in the sun.

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2011-07-31T21:09:00.001+10:00

As Rummey Bears continues to evolve and morph into more of a personal mummy (type) blog I keep hitting walls of inner turmoil. Presently I'm mulling over the balance between keeping it aesthetically pleasing whilst remaining true to reality.

We interpret information based on our own experiences. If my experience on a particular day is that of Shitty With Raging Toddler I am not particularly receptive to someone who has merrily cooked and baked or sewn matching outfits for their children (and managed to document it all with a cumbersome DSLR). Nor do I take well to seeing the latest show-and-tell purchases, strategically placed objects in styled photographs or make-believe wishlists. As I write this I realise that on those days it's probably just best to stay off the computer at all. Dang.

However, on a good day these same things may wash over me as I bask in the interwebs endless stream of inspiration and try desperately not to follow any links for handmade wares on Etsy.

Initially I was quite content to pretty up my images (shove mess to the side, pull out a floral sheet here and there – that kinda thing) but now that the readership here extends beyond my immediate family and friends, and many of people that drop by may be time-poor and sleep-deprived mothers, am I at liberty to continue to edit out the crappy and dull? I don't want create a false personal advertorial but I also don't feel compelled to photograph my dirty bathroom – even with the magical 50mm lens.

This is my conundrum. As a blog author do you retain ownership to portray your life as whatever you please? Or do you think as your readership grows you have an ethical responsibility to be more aware of the picture you are painting?

(Images. Top: iPhone shenanigans. Bottom: Abstract Expressionism by BB)

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2011-07-26T20:06:00.003+10:00

Presently I have a lengthy post drafted (roughly, in my head) about the internet, blogging and so called mummy blogging in particular. However finding the time, energy and words to translate this onto the computer is proving challenging, so it's yet to come into fruition.

BB on the other hand has her favourite three words down pat. All she needs to get her through toddlerhood are No, More and Mummy. In a myriad of combinations, Mummy, more? No more mummy. Mummy no! More no more mummy. More?

She also says mummy with a posh British twang. She's so fancy.

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2011-07-15T21:50:00.000+10:00

Previous attempts at Drawing with BB go somethin' like this: take crayon from bowl, scribble, throw on floor, repeat. Place empty vessel on head. The whole thing's over in about thirty seconds. This afternoon I provided her with drawing utensils that have lids. So simple. So brilliant. A parenting epiphany. Replacing lids extended the session by at least 6 minutes.

Later on I was chatting to my buddy Jill about other tricks to have up your sleeve when the weather is shit and you can't spend all day outdoors. As parents this is the stuff we need to share. It's desperate times folks. What do you do?

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2011-07-10T19:37:00.003+10:00

A few months ago – in warmer times – I took some photos for my mate Lou, of Saltwater Sandals (Australia). As I've mentioned before, it's hard work getting these two still for the camera. Jill and I certainly had a challenge styling and directing them (directing? HA!) but we got there eventually with a handful of useable images. There were many outtakes, but the following is my all time favourite:

I love how he laughs and then gives her a cuddle afterwards. I could watch these two for hours as they ransack their way through Jills' house like an old married couple. Oosie and Attici – must be love.

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2011-07-04T21:24:00.004+10:00

Back at Centennial, trying to take a picture of my noggin without looking too posy, which in turn just looks a bit strange and stiff. But hey, what a glorious winters day. I could live in a Sydney winter for eternity.

So that's the hair, if anyone wanted to see. I am loving having short hair and have incessantly asked PB if he shares this emotion for my new head. But No Chris, Do You Love It? Like Really Love It? Ahem. Psycho.

And now for this weeks awkward-limbed activity, in which I teach BB how to twirl.

Surprisingly, I walked away uninjured.

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2011-06-30T21:03:00.004+10:00

Since the bump series I rarely post proper photos of myself, but I feel compelled to show that pic up there for two reasons. One: the colours are very rad. The blue of my jacket – which also happens to be score of the year at Vinnies – and the orange of (Jill's) watch. Two: an official goodbye to my hair. This photo is misleading as it doesn't truly portray the spangly mess my hair becomes once it gets long, which could also be due to my hairbrush going AWOL. I keep expecting it to pop up in some strange place but night after night the dreadlock at the back of my head grows beastlier. But whatever. I've been obsessing over it enough so it's time to go. If I look at any more pictures of Alexa Chung online it's going to border stalking.

Monday this week was exceptionally better than last. To start the day, PB and my dad collected an unreal 1940's dresser from the side of the road, very illegally drove it back half hanging out of the car, and returned quite chuffed at their man-mission.

The afternoon was spent at Centennial Park – which has become a Monday ritual –proceeded by a lunch at a nearby Woollahra restaurant. Three times now we've ordered the pear, prosciutto, gorgonzola and radicchio pizza, alternating another dish to share.

We then bode Dziadek farewell and returned home where PB was able to have an early night with his wife's blessings, one of the single most conducive factors to a happy day. You heard it here people, I no longer stand between Husband and Sleep.

And if you thought my soccer skills were epic, check out these stellar frisbee moves.

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2011-06-27T11:43:00.004+10:00

It's a very sacred thing the relationship between the young and old. They carry none of the inhibitions we do in our daily lives and hence their communication is seamless and pure. This is demonstrated so clearly to me in The Summer Book by Tove Jansson – one of my favourite things to read in the whole world – short stories about the young Sophia and her elderly grandmother as they spend their summer on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland.

These two, too young to know and too old to care.

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2011-06-24T20:59:00.003+10:00

My dad likes to antagonise me – constantly – until I either yell or cry. Then he chuckles to himself as he walks away.

He also prepares lunch, washes the dishes, brings in the laundry and folds it. I believe my mum may have something to do with that.

Of his own accord he has fixed my smashed-up vintage clock, repaired the wonky kitchen drawer, changed any busted light globes*, got two broken lamps working again and switched all our UK leads to Australian ones.

Cheers Dad. You're alright. x

* We are not people that change light globes. If one blows we stick a lamp in that room. No joke. Our rear light on the car is also currently held in place with gaffa tape.

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2011-06-23T11:31:00.000+10:00

Dziadek's back! My old man managed to get on one of the last flight's earlier this week – stealthy bugger – even though it was delayed. Hanging out at the airport for 2 hours with BB is not my idea of fun. Damn you evil gift shops and your array of soft-toy Australian dogs. Thank you travelators, you are life saving albeit a little monotonous.

We headed over to Manly yesterday for the sole purpose of getting BB a scooter from her grandad – or DJAJDA! – as she says. Now the poor little mite is faced with some arduous life decisions – will she take the stroller or scooter to bed with her? Tough choice.

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2011-06-21T22:06:00.003+10:00

When two people meet at the end of two very intense and different weeks, it can be a struggle to get that one sacred day working in harmony. Even with no expectations I secretly hope for an epic day to refuel for the coming six.

It's challenging to fullfill the needs of family time, sleep, exercise, adventuring and whatever else may be on the agenda in one day, knowing that if you stuff it up it's a whole week before you get another shot.

Thank god at the end of it communication lines remain open with civility, and tactics are put in place to try again for next time.

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2011-06-17T19:46:00.001+10:00

Two things I'm over: iPhone app photos and the (over)use of the R word to describe an incoherent post without definite rhyme or reason. So while I'll spare you the latter, unfortunately this is all I got in the way of pictures. Family time is rare these days and that big camera seems like an intruder during precious moments.

So what's new? Whilst our house and car remain a shit-fight (I know you'll agree if you've been indoors with the recent Sydney rain) my new acquisition has made life so much easier. Abundantly easier. At least 30 percent easier. Are you waiting breath abated to hear of this apparatus I speak of?

We got ourselves a tumble dryer! Is that rad or IS THAT RAD? I can do washing at any time of the day. This excites me a lot.

In other unrelated news:

I love this recent Selby house. I remember ogling PAM wares in Fat stores when I was just a poor uni student eating Vietnamese rolls on the corner of Chapel and Greville.

Miss Moss tumblr is saving my life while I human dummy at night. I love Miss Moss. I love tumblr.

My new favourite animal might be a Guinea Pig. Especially one with a rad haircut.

Speaking of which now that I've grown my hair out I'm obsessing over cutting it again. Mainly because of this lady, even though it would never sit like that. Two topics that are banned from our house are the current and future state of my hair, and mould. So I shouldn't really be talking about it.

PB has announced that he will never wear pants (trousers) again. From now on and forever he will be wearing shorts. And if it's cold he will supplement with long socks or man tights.

I've gotten a few questions lately, mainly about the restaurant and camera stuff, so I hope to do a FAQ on here soon.

That's all for now. Have an ace weekend! xo

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2011-06-07T19:06:00.001+10:00

I love Mondays. The restaurant is closed and we get PB all to our greedy selves. One day a week and I tell you what, by Sunday I am bah-humbug about seeing dads in the parks while our beloved continues to plug away. I tell PB that we've got a secret on Mondays, because everyone else hates the day we hold in such high regard.

Not the case!

My dear mate Lexi loves Mondays too. And wouldn't you know that yesterday we BOTH went to Centennial Park to celebrate the beginning of the week. Bump into each other we did not – unfortunately – they were at the playground whilst we neigh-neighed at the horses, kicked the ball around and snapped some photos. Then the light turned golden and we snapped some more.

And here's a demonstration of my epic ball-handling skills. I'm a natural. Off to get myself a professional soccer kit this week, I can't be practicing in any old garb.

Hurrah for Mondays!

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2011-06-05T19:34:00.002+10:00

15 months today – an epic post planned reinstating the Rocker Portrait. Unfortunately my camera ran out of juice 5 seconds into the session, so this shot demonstrating current state of mullet hairdo is the best I got. And after an eventful morning of taking BB to the dog park, meeting Jill for coffee, cooking and baking during her nap – when Freya said she was going to Manly for the Food and Wine festival I thought Fuck yeah! I can get on a bus and go too! I don't need Husband With Car!

Nice old lady on bus: Wow she doesn't ever sit still does she?

A rad day. But I'm knackered. No epic post today.

PS. Let it be known I don't achieve much in a day, low expectations keep me content. Baking and our first bus trip in a day is huge. And a blog post, even a half-arsed one like this.

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2011-05-26T19:11:00.001+10:00

Papa brought home a box of apples from the markets the other day. I've been nagging incessantly for a couple of weeks now, trying to convince him I'll use the whole lot. Anything but Pink Ladies. When PB asked the seller what his best eating apples were he replied Pink Ladies. Ah, But Me Mrs Don't Like 'Em!

Red Fuji. In bircher for breakfast, whole for a snack and crumble for dessert. BB loves them too. But not in baby slices. She will only accept a whole apple, just like the grown ups.

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2011-05-22T20:24:00.005+10:00

To blog or not to blog – and what to blog – is something I constantly grapple with. Am I at liberty to share pics of my babe without her permission? Perhaps. I read in the newspaper supplement this morning – in a column that I'm sure polarises opinions – "If the worst thing in your life is that your parents posted some photos of you dressed up as a frog or breastfeeding …. I mean, first world problems." True.

The piece then went on to quote the most successful Mummy Blogger in the world – whatever that may mean – as she explains her take on privacy whilst blogging about children, "The experiences of babies and little kids belong to their parents because they’re pretty universal. All babies eat, sleep, cry, poo etc. All toddlers say cute things and put stupid things in their mouths and by sharing these stories online, new parents are simply replacing the village we’ve lost …. That’s why I feel like it’s okay to write so much about Marlo, because it’s the same story of a million other babies hopefully told in a way that we can all laugh about it enough to want to wake up tomorrow morning.”

Interesting. And again, true.

Lately I've not been sharing too much here. I've been in a down-right bad mood which I've only just lifted. So words written would have been negative and slightly depressing. But for the sake of our online village, let me tell you my recent insight on parenting, as I was recently discussing with my fellow grubby matriarch.

It comes to my attention that as my mothering skill increases, my personal hygiene goes down. More patience equals less showering. An increase in tolerance for mess is a decrease in time for brushing and flossing. The last time I shaved my legs I was politely asked to do so, by my husband, who is quite liberal when it comes to hair. Speaking of which last night as an attempt to save time (and shampoo) I washed mine with soap. Fancy olive oil baby soap, but still.... soap.

I've never been a well groomed and manicured person, but reasonably neat and tidy. These days by mid morning I look like I've had my arse kicked by a vegemite snot sandwich. My hair is clean on the day I wash it (once a week) and whilst I don't get around in sweat pants I often wear things with dinner remnants on them. (Thanks Freya – the Pho was delicious!)

These are standards I've now come to accept and embrace. As Lexi mentioned, we're not here for Mummy Olympics. Having things a Bit Shit is better for the soul. It adds character. Imperfection is disarming, and more often than not just a little bit funny.

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2011-05-18T21:59:00.002+10:00

Staring at her toes is a decoy while plotting her next move on how to successfully dodge around me into the water.

If there is a beach in the vicinity it's always the same. Wet baby, no spare clothes. She departed cosy and satisfied in my cardigan and PB's socks while we shivered back to the car.

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2011-05-17T19:52:00.000+10:00

BB got new wheels. Mama's aesthetic values out the window, to save any further playground debacles today I bought probably the first thing she's ever really wanted. Little sweetie jumped up and down in the toy shop while the lady unwrapped what I thought to be the least-ugly and (luckily) cheapest one of these bad-boys.* I nodded very responsibly when told They Are Really For Three And Up and I Need To Be Careful. Then PB came along and encouraged her to climb aboard for a spin. Until the wheels buckled and I reprimanded them both. Bad mama always kills all the fun.

Speaking of wheels and mama's and fun please go and vote for my mate Lexi, of Potty Mouth Mama fame. She's one of the Top 50 Bloggers but let's make her number 1. Because god damn she needs that car.

* My dear friend warned me that this apparatus would result in tears and tantrums and perhaps even some bath-time fun. So far we've kept it dry but a challenging time for poor BB when they were separated for the car drive home.

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2011-05-08T19:18:00.004+10:00

Just dropped by to wish everyone a Happy Mothers' Day. The reality doesn't even come close to the fantasy, but what better way to celebrate being a mum other than doing it.

(Apologies for the crappy iPhone self-portrait – but check out that little tongue. It went through some bottom teeth yesterday and has been chilled out like this ever since).

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2011-04-08T20:16:00.001+10:00

Four molars at once, poor little lamb. The amber teething necklace has made all the difference this time around, making it more ok than not. Today I forced myself to dust off the camera for the afternoon sun. I was airing out the drawers – which my neighbor then watered, cheers for that – whilst BB pottered around eating dirt, dessert to the sandpit main earlier on.

PS. Autumn, I love you. Stay like this forever.

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2011-03-26T21:12:00.000+11:00

Hello! We're alive, well. The restaurant is open and paying our rent. Occasionally I bump into my husband. BB is busier than ever.

But the big news is that our little sprite got her first pair of Chucks. (Thanks eBay – we have a winner!) It's Autumn now – my favourite. We're toting around the neighborhood in matching hi-tops. A bit sad? I'm relieved to have my poor feet protected from the array of objects that keeps getting dropped on them. C'mon BB – try dropping that sippy cup now huh?

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2011-03-07T23:43:00.000+11:00

Over the weekend BB turned one and Babcia went back to Melbourne.

I'm taking a little blogging break. I'll admit it's been a half-arsed effort here lately, so I'm now making it official. Who knows, I might even blog more now that I've claimed this. Like when you say you won't eat chocolate and it's all you can think about.

Thanks for visiting. See you soon. xx

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2011-03-04T17:42:00.000+11:00

Babcia again proves that noisy plastic reigns superior in the toy department. Although I kind of like this little guy.

I was so tempted to put this dance sequence into an animated gif.

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2011-02-25T10:58:00.001+11:00

BB and her mate. Age One (approximately).

He likes: eating pencils, drinking from the dogs bowl, investigating his siblings school bags and standing on tables. Dislikes: hats, socks, being left out of big kid adventures, bedtime and sleeping without boob on mouth.

She likes: eating broccoli, climbing up and down stairs, wearing shoes and dancing. Dislikes: not immediately being handed object she is pointing at, having snot wiped from face, bedtime and sleeping without boob on mouth.

Jill and I are aiming for a portrait of them on these green chairs, around the time of their birthdays each year. We'll see how many we get in before they contest. The above shots were snapped in a couple of seconds. The rest of our five minute photoshoot looked more like this:

Maybe we'll have more luck next year.

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2011-02-22T23:43:00.005+11:00

What a response to the sleeping post. I loved reading through the individual stories. For those interested I feed little BB to sleep every night, at around 7pm, in our bed which now consists of a mattress on the floor. Sometimes it's seamless, other times she pinches, sticks her fingers up my nose, kicks and throws her body around the bed like a break-dancer. We're currently transitioning to one day sleep so often her bedtime is confused with another nap, and she wakes up after an hour or two to party for a while. Sleep at the moment is... challenging.

But more excitingly Babcia is back! I've yet to capture a photo of her, she's tricky. I was initially embarrassed to have my mum walk into my messy house, which I unsuccessfully tried to clean all week. With PB involved in the restaurant, I'm not doing so well with the cleaning. It's a funny thing, to have only one baby and struggle. It's a little pathetic, but try not to judge until you meet my little sprite. In the last week I've heard (in a non-negative observant way) Oh Gosh, She's Very Busy! Is She Always Like That? You'll Have Your Hands Full With That One! What Is She Doing? She's Quick! Oh A High Energy One?

BB. Baby Bear. Busy Bee. Not one for a tidy house.

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2011-02-19T00:24:00.004+11:00

Co-sleeping with a newborn left me a little smug about not having to get out of bed at night to breast feed. But with an almost toddler that resembles nothing less than a sleeping star fish I've been feeling the occasional pang of jealousy when I hear about babes that slumber through the night in their cots.

A few weeks ago I got myself in a tizzy about this, furiously researched sleep on Google – while PB bore silent witness – then gently reminded myself that I actually love cuddling up with BB at night and it's All Good.

This morning I got one of those Your Baby Is 50 Weeks Old, This Is What She Should Be Doing emails and down the bottom was a section on sleep. It basically said if you feed, pat or rock your baby to sleep, it is not only a problem but also a burden. Be freed from this burden and break these bad habits! Don't be fooled by her tactics!

Tactics? At the ripe old age of 1 they're pretty tricky. Who is this cunning babe that dares contest her bedtime?

What about an email saying sleep is always going to be an issue during childhood, so try and remind yourself that feeling frustrated about it won't last forever. It's ok to rock or feed to sleep if it works for you, and for some babies now matter how softly you play bedtime music it will still only mean one thing. Disco.

Photos: Documenting the state of our bed when I attempt to get in it.

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2011-02-16T21:55:00.000+11:00

Runway.

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2011-02-15T11:56:00.000+11:00

Last nights romantic dinner for two. This is not indicative of the food we'll be serving at the restaurant, but of the energy we have for preparing meals for ourselves at the moment.

PS. For any family members reading this – don't worry – we're not starving. Mere hours earlier we inhaled a couple of industrial sized sushi rolls. This was just a vegetable top up.

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2011-02-12T23:56:00.007+11:00

Thanks for all the kind words about our pictures. It was pretty rad to be published. We're definitely going to pursue that dream but for now it's on hold... PB has a restaurant to open. He's putting in the blood and sweat, I've got the tears covered.

(Hence the extremely sporadic posting lately).

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2011-02-07T21:44:00.000+11:00

Remember that engagement shoot we did last year? It was published recently in Modern Wedding magazine. I'm now at liberty to share some more images of the beautiful Jodi from Che and Fidel and her partner Daniel.

Thanks guys. Thanks for your amazing energy and willingness to co-operate. Best wishes for that beautiful growing belly. Can't wait to give it a rub. xx

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2011-02-05T22:51:00.000+11:00

And I thought getting one baby to sit still for a portrait was hard.

11 months today, with a VIP guest.

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2011-02-02T21:21:00.000+11:00

Breakfast, bath. Lunch, bath. Dinner, bath.

And then I hose down the kitchen.

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2011-01-30T22:52:00.000+11:00

Poor PB was so offended that not only did I dedicate a whole post to an outfit, but that people in return queried the origins of my dirty old cut-offs.

He squished up his face, looked me up and down and finally said: What's so good about those shorts?

Nothing really. But for those that asked they're just men's Levis 501s jeans that I've hacked myself.

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2011-01-28T23:14:00.000+11:00

Conversations with PB:

Me: I'm thinking of doing more outfit posts on the blog.
PB: Uuuuueeerrrrgggghhhh. Girls are soooo weird.

Inadvertently, I dress us in matching or complimentary colours almost every day.

PS. Happy belated Australia day. I'm not unpatriotic, just a little slow.

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2011-01-23T21:14:00.002+11:00

Our first Australian summer with BB out-of-belly is quite different to last year's pregnant romp. To both our astonishment – and her father's dismay – we ended up with a very fair child. An old friend of ours met BB for the first time recently and said Shit Anna, You've Got Strong Genes! Sorry BB, no olive complexion like Daddy's for you.

Lucky I've got Jill's top tips for a burn-free baby summer:

1. Only go to the beach very early or very late.
2. At other times, set up a bucket of water with colourful balls in backyard.

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2011-01-21T20:47:00.003+11:00

Conversations with a 4 year-old in the park:

Elouise: Why doesn't she have any clothes on?!
PB: Because Daddy isn't very good at dressing her.

I found these pics on my iPhone of a recent adventure they had together. I wondered when I left the house what he would dress her in when she woke from a nap.

We're still all here, just a little inundated at the moment. I've been writing posts in my head often but haven't successfully transcribed them to the computer. Hopefully I'll be back soon. x

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2011-01-14T21:58:00.006+11:00

I'm a bit late with my New Year resolutions post, but here it is in an arse-up kinda way.

Besides books of the more inspirational variety – mainly on natural birth – we haven't really taken to baby literature. But the other day PB brought home Parenting for Character from the library, a book about creating good habits for your children to empower them for adulthood. One of the things the author, Andrew Mullins says, is that raising a child is a heaven-sent chance to rebuild negative habits and face temperamental deficits.

I'm not reviewing it here – although it is a great book – but it did bring to light certain aspects of my own character I want to fix before I pass them down to BB. So in 2011 I'm aiming to correct or create one habit a month, starting with wiping out superfluous negative comments (also known as whining).

I'm not too bad, but I do make the occasional ridiculous remark. For example, walking past the croquet club recently I said to PB I love croquet! It's so crap that our yard is on such an angle we could never play at home. What?! Firstly, I should be grateful to even have a yard considering we live in a flat and secondly the purchase of a croquet set is not even in our foreseeable future therefor the state of said yard is irrelevant. What I could of said was I love croquet! Won't it be unreal when one day we can play it with our kids in the park? Or, I love croquet! Have you seen the movie Heathers? Or, I love croquet! Let's go find some pink flamingos for mallets!

(Or I could have just silently remembered the time I whooped his butt in a game in England and smirked to myself.)

So this month I'll be taking a little longer to reply to things – while my brain ticks over and finds the words to best address a situation.

PS. Credit where credit's due. Jill bought that notebook and I copied – even though over the phone when she was describing its radness I adamantly said I could never be swayed from being a moleskine snob. Apparently all it takes is flying people, triangles and mustard yellow.

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2011-01-11T22:24:00.001+11:00

Today – while we play cubbies indoors because the yard is wet from rain – we think about all those affected so severely by this weather up north. It's been called A Tragedy of Epic Proportions and A Human Disaster, that is to get worse before it gets better.

We're thinking of you up in Queensland, and praying you're safe.

If you can spare a bit to help out, donate to the Flood Relief Appeal or Red Cross.

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2011-01-11T17:06:00.000+11:00

On the weekend I went to the pictures for the first time in over 10 months. Just me, a bottle of water and Kit-Kat, speech ready for anyone that dare breathe a whisper during the film.

Selection was vital – considering the withheld debut back into the land of cinema – and thankfully did not disappoint. Somewhere by Sofia Coppola: slow, frustrating, humorous, minimal and beautiful. It's the kind of film I could sit and watch all over again as soon is it finishes.

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2011-01-08T22:21:00.002+11:00

Although BB was completely and surprisingly well behaved on the flight to Melbourne, for some reason we decided to join PB for a roadtrip on the way back. Many a time have a driven that route, but never has it taken me 16 hours. At least the time we spent out of the car was fun.

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2011-01-06T22:14:00.003+11:00

We didn't take a lot of pictures while we were in Melbourne, just enjoyed the moment.

One thing we did do – for the FIRST time since BB's birth – was hang out together without the little mite while my folks watched her. A swim in the bay and a walk on the beach. I made PB choose his favourite beach house from every cluster we came accross. His rationale for selection was based on practicality. The one with the good roof that needed the least repair, for example. Why he didn't pick the rad orange one with the pink door is beyond me.

On the occasion off little BB joining us at the beach we returned home with a soaking wet baby – one that is apparently not worried about icy Melbourne water.

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2011-01-05T18:46:00.000+11:00

Happy 10 months little BB. To mark this momentous occasion today she took enough steps to constitute a wobbly walk. But it's not all smiles. See?

All she got for Christmas was her two front teeth.* And two more on the way. Poor little soul.

Happy New Year everyone, hope it's been a rad 5 days so far. I'll be back with more photos soon. x

* If only that were true. Cheers Mum, with all our efforts to get nice wooden handmadey toys your singing plastic letterbox has triumphed.

♥

2010-12-21T19:20:00.001+11:00

To say life is overwhelming is not only an understatement, but also a given at this time of year.

Thank you for reading this little blog, and all your comments and support throughout the last 12 months. Have a happy and safe Christmas, relaxing break and rad celebration to bring in the new year.

See you on the other side,
Rummey Bears. xxx

PS. Bah Humbug

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2010-12-16T20:59:00.001+11:00

Thanks for all the comments about my cards, the feeling is not one hundred percent Christmassy yet, but a solid step closer to fifty, at least. I loved what Umi wrote, that in her family they remember that at this time a little boy was born with the intention of spreading peace and goodwill throughout the world – something they try to mirror in their own family. Whilst I'm not suggesting ours will be a present free celebration – I love presents – for me the act of giving at this time of year is diluted by the number of recipients. It made PB and I talk about doing rather than just buying for people. Coincidentally this suits us quite well at the moment as our pennies are meticulously counted. (Hello budget – hi fives PB!)

Last week I received an email from a lovely chap from the Australian Red Cross, about a campaign they are running for The Perfect Gift – a blood donation on someone's behalf. Would I spread the word on my blog? Yes I would. For all the emails asking me to promote products I have no interest in – every now and again something worthwile comes along. Like this:

Every donation can save three lives.

Every donation is valuable because 1 in 3 Australians will need blood, yet only 1 in 30 donates.

The need for blood is constant and all blood components have a limited shelf life, which is why donations are needed every day. Blood and blood treatments are delivered to hospitals around Australia 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – even on Christmas Day.

Australia needs over 26,000 blood donations every week to save lives and to meet the need of patients.

Donations made in December could help patients recover to be home for Christmas or the New Year.

Visit here to find out more information and if you are eligible.

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2010-12-10T18:58:00.001+11:00

Despite my Bah Humbug Christmas attitude I spent a long time last night making cards – until my 50-pack of googly eyes was empty. Perhaps card making could be the first tradition in our household. It'll be fun when BB is big enough to contribute.

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2010-12-09T20:46:00.004+11:00

This evening I embark on making cards: an attempt to instill some Christmas cheer. I must have missed out on the festive gene, hatred is perhaps too strong a word but one that springs to mind when the so called Silly Season rolls around.

Christmas as a parent is different. Whilst BB is still to little to understand it has me thinking about the future, and how to turn this plastic-fantastic month of spending into one containing humble values and traditions.

I asked PB if we should get a tree but he said no, let's wait until she's older. We'll spend Christmas with my parents and bask in the glory of their tree for now – a superb coruscating mess, as it has always been. One year my dad adorned the tree with bulbs of grapes that were programmed to flash to different tinny carols. Perhaps this has cemented my belief that when decorating a Christmas tree the crapper the better. Clearly the same approach I am taking with my cards.

PS. I must admit have a strong appreciation for people that go all out. (Hi Alenka!) I actually think it's pretty rad, just not for me.

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2010-12-07T22:17:00.002+11:00

A belated 9 month portrait of BB, with the newest addition to our household – Sad Joe. (Thanks Jill!)

I found this dress at an Op Shop for $2. It's from the 50's and appears unworn, or if so only for short photo sessions like this one. A laborious task was getting her into it and then keeping her still. In the end it was safer not to attempt the portrait in the rocker but beside it.

Standing, and thoroughly enjoying it.

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2010-11-30T23:35:00.007+11:00

The Universe has spoken to me. It said: Anna Rummey listen up! Stop behaving like a nitwit and be grateful for the things you have, otherwise I will begin to take them away from you. One. By. One.

(Sorry Universe.)

Last week when PB denied me of a little shopping spree I had conjured up in my head, it was met not without rage. I had many good reasons for my plans to purchase, I just wanted to see things I like and buy them, I know I don't need anything but I want it, the guy at the counter told me they lay-by for 6 weeks but they're like you know really lenient about it and the shop I was aiming for had some seriously rad wares.

PB had some good reasons to halt my agenda. Primarily his argument was based around us not having enough money for me to buy more clothes.

It's moments like these I feel grateful for having a tolerant husband that will let an occasional tanty slide.

But that evening I walked through the house and bumped the clock – the clock my mother bought over thirty years ago – which shot down to the floor and smashed. I'm not sure if it scared me or BB more, but our tears were of equal volume.

My gut feeling was always to move the clock to a safer spot. Next time I'll listen to my gut, and when I decide I need a superfluous shop I will kindly remind myself I have a houseful of cool stuff I should be very appreciative of. And if I need more I will go to an Op Shop with no more than a ten dollar note. (Or thereabouts).

Images: 1. A sensational pillowcase win on eBay, brought to me by the Universe because I kept missing out on floral sheets (which seem to be going very high these days). 2. The clock – which I think can be repaired. 3. A (small) selection of unreal cards I scored at an Oppie the other day.

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2010-11-27T21:29:00.000+11:00

Recent conversations with my husband:

Me: Does this look ok? A bit matchy matchy?
PB: No. It's looks good. You look great. I like it when you look relatively normal.

Me: I saw the lizard in our kitchen again yesterday.
PB: Cool! It's good to have a resident lizard.
Me: Oh yeah?
PB: He'll eat all the spiders. Just like on an organic farm. And you like organic stuff.

Me: I found the wee smell. It's on the bathroom floor.
PB: Are you sure?
Me: Yes. I knelt down and smelt it.
PB: I was going to do that too.
(Sometime later...)
PB: Tomorrow after work I'm going to clean the bathroom. Get in there and obliterate it for you.

PB: I can't wait to have a big family. Take the kids out of school and go on camping trips.
Me: Or we could go during school holidays.
PB: Naaaah. That doesn't suit me.

The three of us – baby out of belly this time – went to Wendy's Garden today and sat in the same spot we were married one year ago. Happy first wedding anniversary PB. Love you to smithereens. xx

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2010-11-24T22:02:00.000+11:00

Wake up. Look around. Find nearest object. DESTROY.

I saved this book just in time.

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2010-11-22T19:23:00.000+11:00

More weekend additions:

1. Vintage Fisher Price bath toy
2. Homemade kids shorts my bum squeezes into
3. Stelton Vacuum Jug & Donna Wilson tumblers
4. Vintage bead twirl toy thing

(1, 2 & 4 from markets. 3 from the lovely Nicole.)

♥

2010-11-21T22:56:00.001+11:00

Nicole came to visit this weekend. My dear, dear friend from Melbourne, who is able to make you feel like you're the only person in the world when she speaks to you. Some people have an unreal ability to focus themselves entirely into your conversation. I'm working my way towards that.

Weekends go quickly when they're good ones. PB went to the Manly surfing festival and came home hysterical-in-a-good-way. We met Jill for a coffee and mooched about the markets, leaving as the proud owners of this rug which we're both enamored with. Rugs are a funny thing. They're not something you can just go and purchase – unless you can go purchase this, we certainly can't – they're something you have to find. And then you both have to agree on your find. And then you have to find finances for your find. It's all very complicated.

But we love the rug. And we love Nic. Thanks for visiting us. We miss you already. xxx

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2010-11-19T20:01:00.000+11:00

I was walking around so forlorn
For the loss of her hat I did mourn
But then Hayley came by
and said Friend, do not cry!
For I have one more left in my store.

(Okay, no more limericks after this one.)

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2010-11-18T21:31:00.000+11:00

There once was a little grey hat,
Which upon her head perfectly sat.
It was lost and then found
A gazillion times 'round,
Until one day it never came back.

:(