ten...

Big Owlet turned ten this month... TEN! She woke up with a cold, so some of the plans she made couldn't happen as hoped. But we sure did make the most of it!

There was lego and her favourite breakfast...

A visit to her blossom tree...

A rite of passage... Pierced ears. After a whole lot of research and a visit to the tattoo parlour, she convinced them, in her own words, why the needle was her preferred method. And they agreed and treated her like the awesome human she is.

A ceremony... This time it was Big Owlet's turn. Her felt placenta, gifted to her a year ago. We found a three-way pear and found a spot in our orchard for Big Owlet's very own placenta tree, between her sisters' trees and beside her brother... After all these years, she has her own. Let's face it, it wouldn't be an Owlet birthday without placenta featuring in some way...

Rainbows, cake and wishes came next. And for the first time, Big Owlet played Mum while I got to watch and enjoy. And reflect on ten years of parenting one of the best kids I know... TEN YEARS!!

Now I think I'm ready for a lie down and a cuppa. Or two. How about you? xx

seven...

Right now... 

Little Owlet loves green.
Little Owlet has learnt to read (just a little bit), giggling all the way.
Little Owlet wakes up thinking about maths and science.
Little Owlet has a great sense of humour and silliness.
Little Owlet isn't afraid to laugh at herself.
Little Owlet is afraid of the dark, the toilet and a bunch of movie characters. And big dogs.
Little Owlet isn't afraid of ants anymore.
Little Owlet doesn't like socks.
Little Owlet is easily overwhelmed by sounds and textures.
Little Owlet sometimes needs some quiet space to hide.
Little Owlet love playing with Big Owlet best of all.
Little Owlet likes knitting.
Little Owlet communicates clearly and from the heart.
Little Owlet feels bucket loads of empathy. And lots of big feelings.
Little Owlet likes a good funk bass line.
Little Owlet loves custard and cakes and all things carb.
Little Owlet likes broccoli. Raw.
Little Owlet loves cooking.
Little Owlet doesn't want anyone to ever grow up.
Little Owlet has two wobbly teeth.
Little Owlet loves with a pure, gentle and open heart.
Little Owlet is a daydreamer.
Little Owlet can't wait until her next birthday...

lately...

Well this winter has gone by faster than I could blog it, so I've been meaning to have a catch up. Pip and Kate and a bunch of other lovely peeps thought this list was a great idea and I do too. Here's what's been happening:

Making : The most amazing chook fortress from found bits. We sewed it together and used bricks. Crafty.
Cooking : Kimchi. Best.
Drinking : My old fave - dandelion root coffee with raw milk and a drop of maple syrup.
Reading: Quiet. Learning so much about me and Little Owlet and how we move through this world. Amazing.
Wanting: More mulch than I can get my hands on.
Looking: Out the window at the big green patch where the mulch should be.
Playing: At darkmofo - Hobart got awesome for a while there.
Wasting: Not much. It's surprising what you can reuse if you think craftily about it.
Sewing: Nothing. There's been no time. Plus when I sit down I become food. Not happening anytime soon. Sad.
Wishing: There were more hours in the day and I didn't need sleep. Or that Tiny would sleep more. Not fussy.
Enjoying: Sunny days at our homeschool co-op and weekends with Huz.
Waiting: For Tiny's rotten teeth to fall out in their own time. So far so good. Just.
Liking: That the chooks are laying and Tiny's excitement over it.
Wondering: When Big Owlet will be my height. And if Little Owlet will ever sleep in her room (she says no).
Loving: How our owlets look out for each other and love each other. They really are besties. And decent sorts.
Hoping: I can get more fruit trees in the ground before it's too late.
Marvelling: At Huz and his new found love for running. Awesome and inspiring.
Needing: Just a little bit more time out in my week. Still chasing that perfect balance.
Smelling: Something in the fridge. It smells fermented. I think it might be kimchi.
Wearing: Keshet. Our unschooling mums uniform at co-op. Hilarious! We're thinking of asking for sponsorship.
Following: Tiny's little paths of destruction. She's quick. And cheeky. And stronger than me.
Noticing: The days are getting longer. Yay!
Knowing: I'll always have more that I'd like to do than I'm able to achieve. I'm like that.
Thinking: I really need to plan my time better so I can get to at least half of it. And I need to go to bed earlier.
Feeling: Tired. And a little overwhelmed. And like I've been saying that for a long while.
Bookmarking: Everything. My computer died. I'm starting again.
Opening: Parcels full of gorgeous stuff for Spiral Garden. The novelty still hasn't worn off.
Giggling: At cheesy jokes with Huz. We've been together for so long now we pretty much communicate that way.
Feeling: Excited by new ideas... but first sleep. 

Photos by Huz @berondi and me @owletmama on instagram.

Colouring...

It's one of our favourite things to do and something Tiny's taken to rather fondly... and it gives me some  quiet while I observe that gorgeous concentration going on.

I've been blogging about colouring, knitting and other things we love over at the Spiral Garden blog recently. Do visit, won't you? xx

Frozen...

So I've been a bit absent lately... We've been hunkering into the depths of winter here. It's been a hard slog. It always is for some reason. One of the benefits of keeping a blog is taking a peek back through the years and noticing the patterns.

Every year we promise ourselves a holiday in Winter. It seems to be the key to sanity for most who live on this island. Beautiful as it is, the days are short but yet seem soooo long...
But here we are, another Winter...

And it feels so beautiful and quiet and snuggly and hard.

I'm so tired. It seems that a decade of sleepless nights have caught up.
I miss my family on the big island up north and the ease and promise of imagined sunny days with cousins growing up together...

Some days being responsible for three small people all day... Who love you and take you for granted in equal measures (and you wouldn't have it any other way)... It's exhausting and lovely and hard. Like Winter.

I've been bursting with creative ambitions for so long now and there's just not enough energy or time to get everything out there into the universe that needs to be made, expressed, created, grown.
Or even just one thing. Before I fall asleep...
There isn't time. It's frustrating. It's hard work. And sometimes lonely. And everything's a little out of focus.




I'm trying my best to nurture myself with beautiful food, days with friends, exercise and snippets of time to work and create and spend time on our garden. That garden. The one that looks like a trench and weeds right now, but a lush, abundant forest in our minds... It's what brings it all back into focus. And the small and slow steps we are taking to its creation, on the days where there's sunshine, are what we are marking our days by. Pushing us forward to longer days, warmth and abundance.

How are you coping this Winter?
Are you looking forward to Spring?

Happy Saturday... xo

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