Mama Nurture: Fill Your Bowl

I've always had a bit of a thing for bowl food. They're my favourite for when we're relaxing and eating and spending time together. There's something about filling a bowl with nutritious, yummy food and taking a moment. I think it might go back to those eating-one-handed baby days, where a bowl filled with nourishment was essential and probably all I could manage... If someone would hold the baby for a moment while I grabbed it... A bowl of breakfast, a bowl of leftovers, a bowl of soup, a dessert bowl… Always so hearty and not too fancy. We've even been known to resort to the Sunday Roast Bowl here (look away Mum & Dad). Bowls are pretty much the greatest. 

My Mama Nurture Project has seen me fill a bowl regularly. Little Owlet gave me a beautiful handmade Japanese bowl a while ago, which has half-jokingly been dubbed "Mama's Soul Bowl". It's the total truth though. One beautiful bowl to fill up each day with food to feed just me. It's off limits to anyone else - a rarity in an owlet filled house. I take my time to fill it, making sure I pack in as many nutrients and flavours as I can. It's the actual best. Everyone needs a soul bowl. 

I've been perusing beautiful Buddha bowls on Pinterest for a while, and got my hands on this lovely book recently, so I'm looking forward to more beautifully filled soul bowls in my future. But this recipe is my breakky/lunch/whatever go-to. It takes about 3 minutes to gather from the garden and another 3 to cook, and it's totally worth doing, even if it means cooking a meal separate from everyone else's. It's super nutrient dense, keeps my tremor at bay and my belly happy most of the day. With plenty of greens and eggs in the garden, it's what got me though the winter. 

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Green Eggs Soul Bowl

2-3 cups of kale/silverbeet/broccoli/cauliflower, trimmed and stalks removed. 
Weeds/greens and herbs from the garden (whatever's at my feet as I wander round).
3 eggs, beaten.
2-3 tablespoons butter - I know it seems like lots, but it's totally nourishing and super yum. 
1 garlic clove, crushed or sliced.

Chop up greens while you heat the pan. 
Melt butter in the pan, then add the garlic and greens. 
Toss the greens in the buttery pan until softened, then push to the side of the pan. 
Pour eggs in the pan and scramble, mixing with the greens if you like. 
Pop greens and eggs in your soul bowl. 
Add any spice or topping you like. I like to add some or all of these...

1-2 tablespoons seeds - sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, linseeds, buckwheat - whatever's in the pantry, and toasted if you like. 
Dried seaweed - we foraged some wakame and this is perfect sprinkled on top.
Chopped up avocado.
Kimchi/sauerkraut or any other fermented veggies you have on hand. 

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Are you a lover of bowl foods? What's your favourite recipe?
What nourishes you through the day?

Much love,

~ Lauren. xx



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The Mama Nurture Project

Over these past (almost) 13 years of mothering, I've discovered something about myself. This will come as no surprise to anyone around me, or possibly anyone who has read this blog for a while… I completely SUCK at self care.  I leave medical and dental appointments for some time in the future when I'm less consumed with everyone else's needs. I've been known to give away the food on my plate, even if I've not eaten. And everyone else always gets the biggest and best piece of cake before me. I leave creative projects (the ones that make my heart sing) for another day. Making time for friendship is too hard most of the time. And I plan and worry and work around the clock for the ones I love best. 

I'm not sure why I put everyone else's wellbeing and happiness first. It's not for lack of great examples in my life, or moral support from people around me. I'm genuinely that busy that many things can fall by the wayside. It's as if I'm attempting to live at least four lives simultaneously. There's the home educating mum, the business owner, the homesteader, and the creative life I've always imagined for myself. Things just fit in when they do... or they don't. But in all this busy and being and doing, I've often forgotten to look after myself. 

There's an overwhelming feeling that I've forgotten to put the air mask on myself first. 

I'm fairly sure I'm not alone in this. I've spoken to friends who've definitely indicated they act similarly (you know who you are). In our patriarchal society, we are trained to. Biologically, I completely understand why mothers might do this. But oh… that instinct really doesn't take into account all the other things that living in modern, western society requires. Or the lack of a village to provide opportunities to recuperate and feel supported. Especially while our children are very young.

Lately, for me, things have shifted. Lovely Huz gave me a massage voucher for Christmas -  a giant nudge to just go and fill my cup already. When I finally got around to going, it was pretty much life-changing. So nurturing and beautiful, the therapist sighed as she felt the exhaustion ooze from my forgotten body. At one point, she knelt down beside me and whispered "It's your turn now", and a tear rolled down my cheek. Yes, it's most definitely my turn. 

Slowly, I've been making appointments and formulating a plan to get a little maintenance and nurturing done. A month ago, I hurt my back quite badly. For a few days there, I was crawling around the house and could barely move. I hit rock bottom. I couldn't walk or dress myself. I'd begun seeing an osteopath and we both realised there's a fair bit of unravelling for me to do and it's not always going to be straight ahead. This is going to be a process. Already, it's involved addressing my limitations, setting some boundaries and finding more support in the unlikeliest of places. I'm excited for the process and hoping to share a little of it here as a way to keep myself accountable. I'm hoping the owlets will witness it and learn too. 

Most of all, I hope to find a way to fill my cup so I can have enough left over to support those around me who need it too. Including this beautiful part of the world we live in and our mama earth. The most giving, nurturing and often-forgotten mama of all… 

Could you do with some self-nurture in your days?

Do you need a little nudge? Care to join me?

Keep us posted if you do.

Wishing you love and big, nurturing hugs as you go about your day.

~Lauren. xx 

2015 Gratitude

How do you farewell a year that has challenged you more than most? I've noticed this year has been a tough one, teaching many life lessons, for those around me and further afield. And while I'm not sure whether it's because of the stars or the number of people on our tiny planet, I'd say some learning, although challenging, can be good. I won't miss 2015. But I'm sort of glad for what it has taught.

Tonight I'll be standing around the campfire in my garden with those dearest to me and raising a glass of rhubarb champagne to toast the old year and welcome new energy for the new. Oh how we need it! Things to be grateful for in 2015:

1. A comfy nest, cranking garden and health permaculture system that keeps growing before our eyes.
2. The experience of living a zero waste life and the lessons that has brought us all. Awakening the activists in our owlets and a simpler lifestyle we feel happier with.
3. The experience of sharing our Seedlings e-course with loads of families and watching them get it, love it and inspire others around them  - including us!
4. The challenge of being doubted, losing friends and letting go of a community we loved. Oh it's been a ride! We're grateful that we were tested to step outside our bubble, seek other solutions and try new things. Our community has widened and our owlets feel more supported to chase their passions.
5. Music. Being pushed to find a creative way for the owlets to learn and enjoy making music. The confidence and enjoyment it has brought them and a shared passion for all of us.
6. Friendships that have been strengthened through time shared, heartfelt chats, tears and hugs.
7. Our little business that keeps ticking away and growing in a direction we're passionate about. That fits into our lives somehow, rather miraculously, and puts a little bit of food on our table.
8. Our little family. The honesty, love and enjoyable time we've shared this year. Healthy, happy and resilient owlets and the love and life we all share together.
9. My best pal. The love and support he's shown me this year and the fun we have making and working on things together.

In 2016… well my energy has been travelling outward for a while in a massive exhale, and I hit extreme burnout this year. I'm looking forward to a year of observing, catching my breath and inhaling all that is good and creative in the world. It's going to be soooo good.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful new year with all things good in your future.

How's your year been? 
Do you have much to be grateful for?
Any plans for your new year?

Love and hugs,

~ Lauren. xx

Finding Balance

Something I've often given thought to, over the years of home educating and running a small business, is balance. Over the years, others have asked me about it too. How do we do it? How do we find balance? Or rather, will we ever find balance? Is it even a thing? How do we manage to cram our lives so full of all the things we want so much to do?

The conclusion I've arrived at is no. Balance, in this particular life we're living, is and will most likely never be a thing. Not in the way we imagine.

In a household of five creative and passionate individuals, following our passions means we completely immerse ourselves in them from time to time. And while we're following those passions, things get left by the wayside. Perhaps it isn't balance we really need to look for, so much as how to be ok with the chaos, or how to work with it.

For us, finding balance has been more about finding support. It's also been about finding space to wander more and work a little less. It's meant waking up and taking a day off to go exploring, rather than work. It's meant cancelling plans to spend the day in the garden. It's meant knuckling down to get the job done sometimes. It's meant making plans and throwing them out the window in an effort to do what feels best and right and fun. Finding balance has been about looking out for each other and making sure we each have time to indulge our passions.




Practically, Huz's shift from his full-time day job, to working four days per week, has meant an extra day for me to work. It's shifted the balance of things in our home in a much more equitable way. It also gives him time with the owlets, usually in nature, allowing him to get out and do what he loves best. On Fridays he always wakes with a grin. It's meant an extra day to play and spend time getting work done in the garden too - one of my favourite things to do. It's a much happier balance, but one that takes some tweaking as we learn to cover the financial gap that one day leaves us. Growing food and working more on our own business helps with that.

Owlets getting older helps a little too. I'm finding stolen snippets of time are getting longer and longer, so now, with a little focus, I can get to more of the stuff that needs doing. So with that, I'm attempting to return to blogging more regularly. In line with this fluid, messy life, where lines are blurred and one thing feeds and flows into the next, this blog will be where we document and perhaps attempt to bring some sort of order from it all. It has always been a space to reflect, document and define our dreams, these past eight years (yes, eight! Can you believe it?), but now it's time for a new Owlet chapter.

So Huz, Owletpapa, will be joining me to document the journey from here, as it becomes our blog. I'm looking forward to the words he'll share and the world of Owlets and the Spiral Garden and all it is and will be, with his insight. And in time, from the owlets' perspective too. We hope you'll join us for the adventure - it's bound to be messy and beautiful and all kinds of fun!

~ Owletmama. xo


PS. These photos were taken at the end of last year, on a day where we decided to take a day off from wrapping orders and ramble around the bush for a bit. We visited Waterworks reserve and Mt Wellington. Two gorgeous spots, just 20 minutes from our home, in Hobart. Much to my astonishment, the world didn't end and all the parcels arrived on time, despite skipping a day. 

Humans

Unsurprisingly, things have been very busy at ours these past few months. As much as I try not to be busy always, I'm most definitely one of those people who finds it difficult to just stop. Even when I stop, I'm doing something. It's something I'm working on and it always surprises me how much the act of stopping can help change direction and set everything right again.

A few weeks ago, the Owlets and I were in town, running a few errands, on a mission to find bathers and a few other things. It was warm and busy - post Christmas sales and still school holidays… There were people about. The Owlets were excited to be out amongst it. They'd brought their pocket money and they were after some stuff. Not sure what yet. Just something. Days like this seldom go well.

I brought along snacks and water, hoping desperately to stave off multiple cafe visits. It seems just stepping outside our front door accrues a $50 minimum fee in food and transport, so I was keen to keep cafe stops to a minimum. This didn't go down well with the cosmopolitan owlet cafe set. There was mutiny afoot. Things got ugly.

Big Owlet's at an age now where she can see a little humanity in situations like this. She's starting to see cracks and that I make mistakes and feel overwhelm and all sorts of things too. She's a wise owlet, that one. An old soul… But even Big Owlet was seeing where this day was heading. She was in the middle of delivering one of her own rants on consumerism, while simultaneously eyeing off some sort of plastic toy in a gaming shop, while Tiny was crying that we didn't stay a full half hour with Peppa Pig in the ABC shop and Little Owlet wanted a sweetie… Ugh.

I felt exhausted and angry and overwhelmed and like having a shouty-cry about it all too. I make sure the Owlets see that I'm not superwoman - well not all the time. So I told them. I let them see how I felt and that I understood how they felt too. I threw my hands up in the air and exclaimed "I need a hug! Lets go and sit down over there and have a hug".

And so three owlets and I melted into a hug puddle in the middle of Hobart on a hot Tuesday afternoon. There was giggling and owlets saying "Oh Mum!" and cuddling and we all breathed for a bit. Time slowed down and we all felt much better. Then the crowds parted and Huz came along to find four smiling faces, rescued from what might have been one of those days, had we not chosen to stop.

Have you had one of those days lately? 
How did you get through it? 
Do your let your owlets see you being human sometimes? 
Do you find time to stop? Or are you a bit like me, always doing more than one thing? 

Happy Tuesday, lovely ones. I hope you find time to stop and have a cuddle this week. xo

Nourish

These past few months, I've been living in some sort of busy little hive world of my own creation. Spiral Garden clocked its busiest Christmas period ever, not pausing for breath until Christmas Eve. Full time work whilst home with three unschooled children is less than ideal. Each morning would begin with a leap out of bed and a sprint to the finish line. Of course, we also decided to write and present an e-course this summer. So I added another part-time job to my days. It's been hectic.

There have not been nearly enough moments to pause. Too many days waving my owlets and Huz goodbye as they wandered off on adventures without me. Mind you there was the odd adventure I couldn't resist… And no time to record it.

I've been looking through old photos and blog posts for the e-course material and feeling jealous of those free people through the screen. The ones with the three small owlets and the nice nest and all the fun times in the Tasmanian countryside. I want to live like those people! Haha!

It's been brilliant to have efforts pay off. The Seedlings permaculture e-course seems to be going along swimmingly. Spiral Garden continues to hum along at a far more relaxed pace, helping to fund Christmas and birthdays and the odd pile of mulch for the garden. But in amongst it all there were too many take away meals, too many catch-ups with friends missed, too many weeds left to grow and veggies left un-harvested… Too many moments to connect with my owlets and Huz, missed. There was overwhelm.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel just now, and it looks wonderful. A reawakening of sorts. Phew! It's going to be ok.




Each year, I'm in the habit of choosing a word that encompasses what I'm hoping to bring to my year. A couple of years ago, I chose abundance and wound up doing a Permaculture Design Certificate which helped deliver abundance in spades. Last year I chose balance, and well… That didn't work out so well. Ha! Balance seemed out of my hands as things steamrolled along.

This year, I've chosen nourish. It's a lovely word that reminds me to pause, to eat what feels good, to move my body in ways that feel good. To spend time doing things that nourish me. Like gardening and creating things and being useful with my hands.




This morning we spent time at Exxopolis at MOFO. As I suspected, the colour worked it's magic on me beautifully. A little colour therapy and time locating a nourishing colour. Blue felt calming. Green was a rainforest and yellow was hot and uncomfortable.  Huz felt anxious, no matter the colour. Tiny wanted to keep moving. I sat in a red, womb-like pod for almost ten minutes before we left, and floated out. A great reminder that what nourishes each of us is so different. A reminder to seek what nourishes me.

It was also a great reminder to come back here and post about our adventures. To have them and record them so I can remember that feeling a little longer. Remember the fun we've had. That family with the owlets, through the screen. I'd like to be them again.

Hello blog. Happy new year. Let's begin, shall we? xx

Working at Creativity

The other night I dreamt that Pip was working in a corner of my bedroom putting an excellent new workshop together and there was a surprise permaculture seminar in my lounge room. I couldn't work out where all the people were coming from. Pip thought it was happening because I'd started blogging again. Huz and I mused on that with her for a while… and the people flowed in through the front door. I was SO UPSET about how dirty and dusty my house was. But it was happening anyway and it was exciting. 

The message wasn't lost on me… Just put pen to paper, needle to fabric, hook to yarn, ink to squeegee and begin. It's been so long since I allowed myself to make anything for me, other than words for this blog or Spiral Garden. In a nest with three busy owlets and a list of jobs and chores longer than my arm… Plus my lovely Huz who I can never have enough time with… I'm always putting everything else first. I really have to battle (mostly with myself) for creative time. It seems frivolous. But to make time for creativity is key to my happiness and health. It's one of my favourite and most important forms of self-nurture. It's what gets me dreaming about what's next, pushing me forward. There's an excited little creative ball of energy stuck inside me and I really need to do something about it. Just for me (and possibly those I live with - ha!). Regardless of the state of my nest. And it's time to commit to working on my bigger permaculture plans because there really is no better time. I'm hopeful the two will combine. 

Huz will begin his PDC in a couple of weeks, which will be HUGE for him in terms of thinking outside the work/life box and finding out about all things permaculture. I'm very excited for him. I'm hoping it'll be the beginning of some exciting future thinking for us, in which we give back to our community. 

For me, my focus will be extracting some of those seeds of ideas I've had forever. Getting my creative juices really flowing and MAKING ALL THE THINGS! Not just the ones that I can put in our shop or make to order, but the ones that make me happy. Who knows where they will lead? Somewhere exciting, I hope. 

Do you have creative plans that you struggle to let out?

How do you make time for creativity? 

I've been looking at this e-course and I think it will be really fantastic. I can't quite afford it this month, but if you do, let me know how it went, ok? 

xx 

Taking Stock...

Making : I'm still knitting Tiny's two-suh. Can you believe it? It's my go-to late-night mindless craft thing.
Cooking : Tomatoes - green tomato relish and passata from the slowly ripening bunches in the kitchen…
Drinking : Hot drinks whenever I can - it's that time of year. I'm working on keeping my cup full most days.
Reading: Snippets. I'm stealing time and reading ebooks on my phone or a sneaky page of a book before I fall asleep at night.
Wanting: A little smidgen more time in my day to do the quiet things…



Looking: At the forest floor, finding beauty amongst the decay and colour in the darkness.
Playing: A little bit more each day with my owlets. I'm finding play leads to connection and it makes me feel happy too!
Deciding: It's time for a big declutter. Again. 
Wishing: I could fit so much more into a day. Or master time travel. Or overcome the need for sleep. Not fussed which. 



Enjoying:  Our weekend forays into the local bush. Most excellent family fun. 
Waiting: For Dark MOFO next month and the eminent arrival of excellent friends on our island and in our nest. 
Liking: My day job. Facilitating learning for the owlets is lots of challenging fun right now. 




Wondering: Just how much more stuff we can declutter. Why is it so hard to let go of stuff? It's just stuff!
Loving: Spending time each week with some people who are dear to my heart. Sharing tears and giggles and hugs.
Pondering: How difficult I'm finding writing this post. Time to slow down and get some inspiration flowing...
Considering: Stepping back from some of my commitments… My brain can really only hold so much. Seriously.




Watching: Them sleep. So peaceful and loving sometimes, fighting tooth and nail at others. Best of friends. 
Hoping: This depressing political climate changes for the better soon. People are unhappy and frightened*. It's not a good thing.




Marvelling: At Tasmania in the Autumn. So much colour and beautiful vignettes everywhere we look. 
Needing: A new chicken coop. The current nesting box just won't do for the winter. 
Smelling: Woodsmoke in the crisp Autumn air. And earthiness. That icy weather is coming.
Wearing: My pyjamas lots. And my favourite new green op-shopped cardigan. I blame fires and cups of tea. 
Following: Some magnificent blogs I've stumbled across during Blog With Pip. Now to find time to keep up! 
Noticing: Our first furry owlet, Nutmeg the cat, is getting much older. We think she's a bit senile and a bit deaf. She's a bit crotchetty about it all. 
Knowing: I've been a bit abrupt and inconsistent in my communication with my owlets lately. A bit shouty sometimes too. 
Thinking: It's time to step up the nurture and self-care and being kinder to myself so I can be kinder to them. 



Feeling: A bit overwhelmed at the pace of our weeks and especially our weekends. Time actually does fly when you're having fun. 
Admiring: Huz's beautiful photos of the awe-inspiring jewels we're finding in the forest. And his dedication to learning all he can about them. Unschooling in action. 



Sorting: All the owlets' drawings, artworks and paper scribbles. We have a home ed. monitoring visit looming...
Buying: New products for Spiral Garden and testing them out on our owlets. I can totally justify product research, right? 




Getting: Organised. Slowly. Evernote is helping with this. 
Bookmarking: Tiny House things...
Disliking: *See Hoping
Opening: My sketchbook less often than I'd like, but more often than I have in ages. Progress. 



Giggling: At Tiny's hilarious selfies and loving watching her character evolve. She's such a funny owlet. 
Feeling: Glad we finally put some art up on the walls in our bedroom. And amused at how long it takes for us to sort out things like that. Lightbulb moments…




Snacking: On an old fave…. Beetroot and chocolate muffins.. SO YUM. 
Coveting: Some new Phoebe Wahl prints… Time Spiral Garden put in a new order, right? 
Wishing: Daylight Savings was back. Or immediately after Dark MOFO. I'm rather fond of daylight.
Helping: Our owlets communicate lovingly with each other and friends. It's exhausting. But such a huge opportunity for us all. 
Hearing: Owlets chattering, singing, human beatboxing… kettles boiling, records playing, cats purring, fires crackling… Winter is almost here. 

**Taking Stock first appeared on Meet Me At Mikes as a list of prompts for people to join in with. You should totally have a go too! xx

Whole30 :: Half Way

Huz and I have been undertaking a little experiment. In need of a little clean-up and with a whole bunch of niggles and aches and suspicions, we did some reading… Then after a couple of friends tried Whole30 and reported fabulousness, we were fairly convinced.

Here's what I've noticed: We've been eating rainbows! So much more care is going into what we eat. It's clean and nourishing and full of love. Also, my essential tremor has reduced significantly. WOW. This is in line with what I've read about Mediterranean type diets, ketogenic diets and grain-free diets having good effect. But I didn't expect it to actually work so quickly, especially after it had worsened so much in recent months. I couldn't chop veggies and I kept dropping things lots. With sleep, now it's not so bad. I'll be interested to see what happens when I get back on to fat blacks with butter… about the only way I can drink coffee these days and brain healing too. Here's what else. I've noticed: Clearer skin and energy returning after a couple of weeks of ugh and muscle aches and headaches and withdrawal symptoms. My sinuses are clearing up in a huge way. And woah, there's stuff happening in my tummy. A good dose of gut healing, which is why we did this in the first place.

Here's what Huz has noticed: Intestinal weirdiness. The good sort. Much less of the worrying bad sort that he had before. And fatigue. And rather hilarious cravings and food associations. He's looking forward to those shifting.

So what happens next is we continue to nurture our bodies through a couple more grain, dairy, sugar and legume free weeks. Then beyond that, slowly and steadily, we reintroduce what we've been missing. I'm thinking butter and maybe yoghurt for me, to begin with. I'm excited to figure out what really doesn't work for me (although I've always had a hunch), and let it go. To just be mindful about  the foods that feed and nourish me without making me feel bad in any way. And move on to a much healthier, more wholesome, less shakey and great feeling future.

How are you feeling? 
Eat any rainbows lately? xx

Tiny's Bedtime Basket

Here's the thing about Tiny Owlet. Tiny is fierce and loving and so very funny. And she is busy! Always doing something and she loves to be in on whatever anyone else is doing. She's active and playful and she doesn't miss a trick. But she doesn't know how to switch off without a fight.  She'll tell you she's tired, but she'll resist any attempts to help that transition to bed happen. She wants to run to bed covered in paint or tomato sauce, in the nude, and breastfeed until she falls asleep, however long that may take. Which is perfectly fine, except it's MY bed she's sleeping in and it's ME that gets covered in tomato sauce. And I'm not too keen on that. She wants a book too, but not the one I've chosen. Or the one she's chosen. And she will not ever, never brush her teeth. And we neeeeed her to brush her teeth. Tiny is very three. 

In thinking a little about three year olds and remembering what they like, I've returned to rhythm and ritual to help smooth gentle transitions. I'm remembering the time we spent reading story after story each night with Big Owlet and how Little Owlet still won't go to sleep unless I say "sweet dreams". Like her sisters,  there is a time each day when bed suits Tiny best, she just needs a little help and a few cues to remember how to do it. I'm also watching her energy levels and how to keep her balanced so our evenings are calm and peaceful... 

On evenings where she's still not tired (perhaps we've had a quiet day at home), we go for a walk before bed. 

On evenings where she's a bit rough and ragged and shouty and overtired, we have a long, quiet bath together. Some one-on-one time to stop and slow right down and talk and sing and whisper and cuddle… With soothing oils and epsom salts and rose petals and all the fixings for a peaceful night.

Here's the thing about three year olds. They like to be involved in the job. In charge. And they like gear. Kits go a long way when you are three. So, to help smooth Tiny's transition to bed, we have her bedtime basket. She started it. One evening, she shouted at me that it was bedtime and headed down the hallway with a basket full of books. The next night, I grabbed the basket and suggested we fill it together. She chose some books and the water/oil hourglass thing that she's taken to staring at. The next night, I presented her the basket with pyjamas in it. Right now it looks like the basket you see above. In the basket are: 

• Pyjamas
• Tiny's hourglass toy
• A little friend to keep her company while she brushes her teeth
• Books - sometimes I choose them, sometimes she helps

So we go to the basket, put on pyjamas, take the little friend to the bathroom and brush her teeth, hop into bed, look at the hourglass thing, read a book and zonk out. And there's not a scream or a shout or anger or frustration. Just calm. And quiet. And a sense of getting the job done and an all-over sense of peaceful relief (from both of us), when she snuggles down finally, happily to snooze. 

Sweet dreams, Tiny. xx

Do you have any bedtime routines in your home?

Does no routine at all suit you better?

What does bedtime look like in your nest? 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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Late Night Yum :: Chocolate Mug Cake

We work and play hard most days and end up on the couch in a comfortable but tired little pile most nights, watching episodes of Community, doing Spiral Garden work, stitching and nibbling treats with a warm drink... Huz and I really super look forward to this end of the day - quiet time together while the owlets snore... Sometimes we'll be stuck without a treat to nibble and it'll all end in tears. Either that, or we get inventive. 

So with a little help from google and a little tweaking, thanks to ingredients on hand, we gave a primal version of the Chocolate Mug Cake a go. I wasn't a huge fan of the original, but this is actually pretty delish. And the bigger owlets rather fancy it too and can't believe that much awesome can happen in two minutes. Tiny isn't in on the secret right now as almond meal is pretty much the worst thing for severe tooth decay, so I wouldn't recommend it if you have that going on, although soaking the almonds first would help... And the microwave probably  kills the goodness in the awesome real food ingredients, but sometimes a little lazy indulgence is called for...

Chocolate Mug Cake

1 mug or cup sized ramekin

3 tbsp cacao powder 

2 tbsp almond meal

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 egg

Melt butter in the microwave, in your mug. 

Add all other ingredients and mix until well combined - little lumps are ok.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook it on high for 2 minutes. 

Eat with lashings of cream if so desired. Feel smug. And enjoy. xx

creative space

It's been too long. Mum and Dad have missed my blog, so I know it's been too long. Right now I can spy Huz checking the computer for a new post... The one I've been trying to write as my posts grow further and further apart. Not to worry... all is ok. I'm just a little burnt out.



This week I'm a year older. I'm feeling loved and understood by this little owlet family more than ever, and that's such a wonderful feeling.

But I'm tired. Ten years of interrupted sleep have caught up. And despite the decluttering, the planning and the hard work, I'm creatively, emotionally and physically spent. Fortunately, I can identify what's going on, take notice, live with, sit with and understand it. I'm learning more about myself and my limits and that when I'm stretched, there's a limit to what I can share with those outside my nest. Sometimes there's not enough of me to go around and I'm learning to be ok with that. And generally I know what I need to do next to dig that hole out of the little trench I'm in. But it takes time...



It takes  nourishment. And rest. And space to daydream. I've been missing that. And so I suppose in the times when I'm not blogging and doing the day-to-day stuff I do... I'm daydreaming. Processing and learning and moving through it. Finding some creative space, in every sense, so that I can let some of that creativity free and I can share a bit of myself again.



It takes grounding in nature. And talking and cuddling and loving... and a whole lot of learning and of growth. There's plenty of that to come and I suspect that breaking this small writing drought, ripping that bandaid off, will lead to a string of catch up posts as I fill you in on what we've done between daydreaming...

Have you had time for daydreaming lately?
Have you felt burnt out?
What did you do to get your creativity flowing again?

Have a gorgeous week. xx