lingering...

I'm still here... just taking some time. No sign of our little one yet... well sort of. We had a practice run the other night with what started out as labour and ended with a kidney stone... So this week has been about recovering from that. And waiting...



While we wait, we've been looking at these beautiful little person things made and hand delivered by my lovely mum. Such beautiful fabrics. I love handmade...



And these beautiful things my sister sent. A luscious heat pack she made with gorgeous fabrics and beautiful smelly stuff, a tiny bear called frosty and made by Jess, and a perfect little onesie that made Huz so clucky he put it on his shoulder and patted its bottom :) *sigh* Not long now. But while we wait to baby gaze, its lovely to gaze at these little thoughtful bits and pieces and linger a while...

unschool monday :: watching

Standing nearby... trying not to worry or wince as those little fingers hold the knife and slip over the fruit. Trying to let go of the fact that half the fruit is not making it to the plate... Its the process that matters. She cuts the fruit just the same way she has seen me do almost every day for her... And it tastes so good because she did it herself. Well the first two pieces do anyway. The rest go straight into the chook bucket.

Its so hard to let go and watch them follow that process sometimes, when all we want to do is jump in and help them. Show them how to do it properly. It doesn't matter though. Its their journey and they will get there so much faster and with joy if we just step back and watch them do it for themselves.

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‎"Every time you teach a child something, you keep him from inventing it himself. On the other hand, that which he discovers for himself will remain with him, visible, for the rest of his life." - Jean Piaget

sunny saturday

Its just so beautiful in my part of the world today! The sun is shining, just a light breeze... I can hear parrots chattering nearby and the odd lawnmower. Spring is fast becoming my favourite season. The roses that Mum pruned a little while ago were ready for Cup Day and are now putting on a rude display of colour. They are beautiful, like jewels lining the front of our 1950's front porch, but they do look a little odd among all the natives... I think there might be some time spent in the garden for the rest of the weekend. Hope your day is lovely too. x

{this moment}

Playing along with Soulemama

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

I'll call you...

Well its true. I've been very reclusive throughout this pregnancy. I'm reclusive at the best of times, but like with most things, pregnancy seems to amplify it. I started off not wanting to share the news of our precious little owlet to be for a looong time. Then when the cat was out of the bag, I started to draw within... Staying in the moment. Its been necessary this time.

But as my own mother said to me the other day "You never call... ever." Well I do sometimes, but its largely true. I'm so busy living in this particular moment that when I get to the end of the day and I have some moments to myself, I remember the outside world and its too late to call... I'm also one of those people who finds it hard to say much unless I have something to say. Not easy when your days involve waddling around the backyard. This little blog has been a saviour of sorts, communicating that there is something going on. Both for me and for friends and family... But therein lies another problem. Lately I suck at replying to comments. So many of you have said such lovely things and I haven't responded much. Sometimes its because an email address isn't linked and late night laziness gets the better of me. But I do read them all, love to receive them and reply when I can... I also suck at returning text messages and emails too. Its not always this way... Please don't be offended if I'm a little on the quiet side. Its nothing personal. I'm so looking forward to emerging from this little time of self-imposed exile, my little holiday, introducing our third owlet to the world slowly. But for now, this is where I need to be. xxxx

lullaby...

Rather chuffed that I've mede it beyond blogtober and haven't missed a post. I even managed an extra one the other day! Perhaps its a reflection of my reclusive ways of late, not running out of things to talk about... Anyway, here's a little lullaby to help you (and me) sleep. We discovered Essie Jain a couple of years ago and were delighted to see that her latest project is a collection of soothing sounds designed for tired parents and their little ones. Big owlet always fell asleep to a certain CD each night and still does on occasion. I'm hoping we can get our hands on a copy of this and give it a whirl when owlet-to-be is here. But for now, its late and I'm off to bed. Night! x

unschool monday :: living

I've slowed right down, for obvious reasons, and I seem to be working on a different time scale to the owlets right now... Their learning is very self directed these days. Their days often move at a very fast pace as they make their way around our home and garden. They help themselves to the craft cupboard and come up with brilliant things. They explore the garden, read, spend time on the computer, play for hours... We talk about things that interest them and I read to them each day, but for the most part they are driving their days at the moment. Just living and learning. Its not always this way. There are times where I'm more involved and suggest things we can do together, but it ebbs and flows as family life does. I'm fortunate too that Huz is always involved in their learning as it happens round the clock...



Here's Huz and the owlets cooking up a storm in the kitchen yesterday while we loosely celebrated Beltane. He's started a vlog just for a little bit of fun. You may see him guest blogging here occasionally over the coming weeks. We'll see how we go with the ebbs and flows...

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unschool monday homework:

The Six Lesson Schoolteacher - John Taylor Gatto
Natural Learning Australia