worldly wednesday :: Uganda

Our world tour this week took us to Uganda. Lots to talk about. Some good and some not so good. Certainly lots of hope. It's the first time we've ever really discussed hunger, in depth, with the owlets and they were shocked, outraged that children anywhere should have less than them. Or fear violence in their daily lives. They understood that the Ugandan feast we had may not be a typical weekend dinner for an average Ugandan family... And when it was all laid out on the table, we felt very blessed.



We ate Chickennat, Spinach and Simsim, Rice and Mandazi. All absolutely delicious! We noted that cornmeal has been a staple in every country we've visited so far and talked about why that might be... And we were amazed that we could come up with a feast of Ugandan food at all. I'm loving that this world tour of ours is challenging my cooking, our taste buds and our understanding of the world.



Earlier in the week, we looked at Ugandan handcrafts and particularly textiles, looked at batik and weaving and had a go at designing some textile borders of our own. Happy times for this textile loving mama. After our feast, we practiced some newly acquired Ugandan phrases while dancing to some Ugandan music on youtube. Happy times for our music loving owlets.

mini fashionista

Little owlet refuses to wear pyjamas that match. She also refuses to wear warm pyjamas. And she usually refuses to get dressed out of her pyjamas unless there's a very good reason.

Here she's wearing her favourite striped leggings, with a frill, size 0. The lycra has bagged out so they seem to have grown with her.

She's also wearing her favourite moroccan pyjama top, purchased for big owlet by my sister in Morocco a few years ago.

Little owlet loves to wear shoes, rather than slippers and these are her favourite. Red leather flats bought for her sister at Country Road. Big owlet grew out of these before wearing them more than twice and little owlet has coveted ever since. It seems this is her season. She likes to tap dance in them.

And of course, she now sports the ultimate accessory. Tiny dog, wearing a cute stripy jacket that just happens to match the shoes. But she's still a little suspicious of her. Just a little.

unschool monday :: Betty

Once upon a time there was a little girl who wanted a dog more than anything else in the whole world. The family had a dog in the past and things turned out very badly. The dog wasn't right for the family at that time and the family was all wrong for that dog, so they found the right home for her and swore never to own a dog again. But oh, how the little girl longed for a companion. Someone to tell all her secrets to and someone sit near her feet. Someone to go for walks with and someone to love her always...



Enter Betty. I saw her photo on a website* one day, with a little description about a quiet, gentle little dog who loves people. Her disposition sounded quite different to what her breed would suggest. She seemed all wrong for us and the timing seemed all wrong, with a baby not even crawling yet. But big owlet really wanted a dog. An animal loving owlet like her needs a dog. Betty needed a home and a family to love her. She was certainly small enough so as not to overwhelm the owlets. Much discussion ensued and before long we were off to the farm to see about the dog. Big owlet loved her immediately. Little owlet screamed with fear. About the dog and all the other dogs. And the pigs, the chooks, the ducks, the sheep, the cows, the guinea pigs... anything that moved. We got back in the car, sad, disappointed, worried about little owlet and her phobias. Then we visited a friend and their dog didn't even register on little owlet's radar. We slept on it.



And when we woke in the morning and little owlet begged for a dog, we decided to bring Betty home. Immediately when we arrived home, she hopped in her new bed in the lounge room and slept. As if she'd always lived here... While little owlet hid behind a cushion...



Two hours later, little owlet felt brave enough to pat Betty and by bedtime, they were firm friends. The owlets stayed up late, watching dog movies while snuggling the newest furry owlet. They even read her a bedtime story.



On Sunday we took her for a wander around the neighborhood. Big owlet beaming with pride and trying to get the hang of walking a dog for the first time. Betty knows all about leads and walks, so it shouldn't be long before they both have the hang of it and trust in each other. We're pretty sure Betty should continue to fit right in.



It's quite amazing the journey unschooling takes you on. Following your child's lead, you tend to open your heart to new adventures... The "no" becomes a "yes", somehow. You find yourselves learning about all sorts of things... And of course, animals are such great teachers. Then, before you know it, the right dog chooses you.



*Special thankyou to Emma and Julie at Brightisde Farm Sanctuary. Not only for talking with us on the phone, at length, and setting aside time for us to meet her. Twice. But also for the amazing work they do providing such a beautiful, happy home for all the animals they rescue. A happier menagerie you will never see.

fossil cove

Last weekend we went on one of our adventures.



A fungi and fossil hunt and a wander through the bush.



Down to a little cove full of rocks and cliffs and swirling water.



Fossils and textures and colours everywhere. Inspiration for this textile lover and the owlets too.







We still pinch ourselves at our luck. Living in such a place. Where so many different experiences are just a short walk or drive from home. So much to explore and see and so much to share with our owlets.



We talk about the impacts of a city so close to all this beauty and see evidence of our existence in the weeds, the occasional rubbish and destruction, but mostly we love it and enjoy it and know that the owlets love and respect it too. Which is why we try to go adventuring each week if we can.



Will you go on an adventure this World Environment Day? Or just spend some time in nature? Maybe pull up a weed or pick up some rubbish while you're there and demonstrate making a difference for your owlets. But most of all, enjoy it.. xx

{this moment}

{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.

Inspired by Soulemama

Ok, just one thing.... I highly recommend having children BEFORE you decide to have a baby. The moments of cute, like this, are just too much!

my creative space...

Green felt crown for a little one soon to celebrate his first birthday! Lots of jewels in shades of green and orange, some brown and green ribbon, a gold star and orange stitching around the outside... Quite Autumnal and not like anything I've done before, so I'm a bit nervous about whether his mama will like it. I always find customs so much harder... but it is lovely to make things with people in mind. Hey, around here it's lovely to be making things full stop!



I'm itching to get to this delicious pile of fabric too...

More creative spaces over here.

worldly wednesday :: Canada

I was fearing this one ever so slightly. After a friend talked about the wonders of Poutine a while back... Chips with fried cheese curds and gravy. Traditional French Canadian fare. A signature dish. Gulp. When our random number generator selected Canada as our country of the week, we weren't quite sure what we'd get up to. It seemed that the lifestyle there isn't too dissimilar from our own. Aside from Poutine. And bears.



Actually Huz's Poutine was quite yummy. And once we'd overcome that hurdle, we relaxed into an evening of listening to our favourite music... The vast majority of our music collection is Canadian, so it felt just like a regular Saturday night. Then we watched some Anne of Green Gables and Degrassi... And thanks to the internet, took a little journey into Inuit territory and the lives of indigenous Canadians. And we discovered there was plenty to talk about.



Then a plate of waffles with maple syrup, a look at the flag and the landscape and we were ready for a bedtime story. A pleasant trip in a busy week and we may just come back again some day. After a piece of fruit.