It scares me how quickly the time goes.
June 30, 2012
June 24, 2012
June 23, 2012
Saturday
This is what happens when you leave it so long between posts. A lot of random things to say.
Firstly and importantly, Nicholas scored his first goal in soccer today. And as any mum would say, I wouldn't have missed it for anything - his smile made my heart feel like it would burst.
One day last week while eating his breakfast Nicholas said to me: "Do you know what we have more of than anything in this house?” “Books. There are books here (the family room) books in the lounge room, books in my room and books in Audrey’s room.” I love that he noticed and I am thrilled that he is growing up surrounded by books.
At a meeting with his teacher last week she said that he was not reading at grade level. It actually shocked me because although I had been working diligently with him to improve his reading skills I didn't think he was behind. It also inspired me to look more closely at ways I can help reinforce what he is learning at school. A few weeks ago I started taking groups in his class for guided reading activities and it has now become a regular Tuesday activity. I came home and made up our own version of one of the games available at school. I cut a piece of cardboard into the shape of a fish bowl and then printed a number of Nicholas' sight/high frequency/magic words onto card. I cut them into the shape of fish and the idea is that they are all laid out face down. Nicholas turns one over and says it. If he has read it correctly it goes in the fish bowl and if he can't read it, it goes back face down.
I printed groups of the words using this program so that they can be printed with dotted lines for him to trace and so get used to writing them and spelling them. We don't do these each day, but I'll rotate them with with his homework for emphasis. He loves stories and being read to, so I don't want reading and stories to become too much of a chore. When we go away for the holidays I am going to take a pile of home readers so he can continue to do one each night. I will also get him to write one sentence each day about something we have done. So as not to be left out I also printed Audrey's name using the dots and she had a great time tracing it. I'll also get her to draw pictures of what we do on our holidays so she doesn't feel left out and Nicholas doesn't feel singled out!
Since Sew It Together I have been inspired to get stuck into some of those WIPs! First on the list are some Heather Bailey book bags I had told a cousin I'd make her girls... last winter! We are about to visit the farm again so there is an incentive to not show up empty handed...
I first saw these bags in a couple of years ago in a Mary Englebright magazine. I emailed Heather Bailey to ask if there was a pattern, but she hadn't done one. A while later they appeared, so I was thrilled. I made Audrey one and cut out fabric for three more... and there the fabric stayed. My old industrial strength Bernina has been set up on our table the past week. Hopefully I'll have something to show for it tomorrow night!
Speaking of magazines, I came across this one on the iPad. TreeFall's princess and the pea is on the front cover. Something else on my list of things to make! Subscriptions are a small fortune from the UK so I I've asked my local newsagent if he can order them in... I think he is going to, I can't wait. :)
Firstly and importantly, Nicholas scored his first goal in soccer today. And as any mum would say, I wouldn't have missed it for anything - his smile made my heart feel like it would burst.
One day last week while eating his breakfast Nicholas said to me: "Do you know what we have more of than anything in this house?” “Books. There are books here (the family room) books in the lounge room, books in my room and books in Audrey’s room.” I love that he noticed and I am thrilled that he is growing up surrounded by books.
At a meeting with his teacher last week she said that he was not reading at grade level. It actually shocked me because although I had been working diligently with him to improve his reading skills I didn't think he was behind. It also inspired me to look more closely at ways I can help reinforce what he is learning at school. A few weeks ago I started taking groups in his class for guided reading activities and it has now become a regular Tuesday activity. I came home and made up our own version of one of the games available at school. I cut a piece of cardboard into the shape of a fish bowl and then printed a number of Nicholas' sight/high frequency/magic words onto card. I cut them into the shape of fish and the idea is that they are all laid out face down. Nicholas turns one over and says it. If he has read it correctly it goes in the fish bowl and if he can't read it, it goes back face down.
I printed groups of the words using this program so that they can be printed with dotted lines for him to trace and so get used to writing them and spelling them. We don't do these each day, but I'll rotate them with with his homework for emphasis. He loves stories and being read to, so I don't want reading and stories to become too much of a chore. When we go away for the holidays I am going to take a pile of home readers so he can continue to do one each night. I will also get him to write one sentence each day about something we have done. So as not to be left out I also printed Audrey's name using the dots and she had a great time tracing it. I'll also get her to draw pictures of what we do on our holidays so she doesn't feel left out and Nicholas doesn't feel singled out!
Since Sew It Together I have been inspired to get stuck into some of those WIPs! First on the list are some Heather Bailey book bags I had told a cousin I'd make her girls... last winter! We are about to visit the farm again so there is an incentive to not show up empty handed...
Speaking of magazines, I came across this one on the iPad. TreeFall's princess and the pea is on the front cover. Something else on my list of things to make! Subscriptions are a small fortune from the UK so I I've asked my local newsagent if he can order them in... I think he is going to, I can't wait. :)
June 11, 2012
Sunday/Monday
Post-SIT
Well, the day after my first Sew It Together. I really did have so much fun!! Meeting lots of talented, like minded women was the highlight, but to sit and sew and talk and drink tea and not much else was bliss. I saw so many lovely things at the markets and kept thinking to myself, I have a pattern for that in my Lotta/Oliver +S/French General/Posie Gets Cozy book.... now I'm inspired to actually put the patterns into use!! Hence, Melanie is coming over tomorrow to have our own SIT!
A visit to the Handmade Markets in the morning yielded a skirt for me and tights (pictured below) for Audrey. Although she loves pink and purple and fairy wings, I see her more as a Pipi Longstocking kind of girl.
Well, the day after my first Sew It Together. I really did have so much fun!! Meeting lots of talented, like minded women was the highlight, but to sit and sew and talk and drink tea and not much else was bliss. I saw so many lovely things at the markets and kept thinking to myself, I have a pattern for that in my Lotta/Oliver +S/French General/Posie Gets Cozy book.... now I'm inspired to actually put the patterns into use!! Hence, Melanie is coming over tomorrow to have our own SIT!
A visit to the Handmade Markets in the morning yielded a skirt for me and tights (pictured below) for Audrey. Although she loves pink and purple and fairy wings, I see her more as a Pipi Longstocking kind of girl.
The long weekend was finished off today with an afternoon at Tidbinbilla. Lachlan joined us for the fun and we had the mandatory sausage sandwich (with onion and tomato sauce) as well as some s'mores - a toasted marshmallow squished between two chocolate wheaten biscuits, followed by tea for us and hot chocolate for the kids.
June 8, 2012
Friday
A blog I have liked for a long time now is Forty-Sixth At Grace. The photographs and the craftsmanship are both gorgeous. Anyone who knows me knows that my style is more rustic than country.
I look forward to this little doco on their work.
Herriott Grace Trailer from John Cullen on Vimeo.
And yeah, I've decided this is coming with me to Sew It Together tomorrow...
I look forward to this little doco on their work.
Herriott Grace Trailer from John Cullen on Vimeo.
And yeah, I've decided this is coming with me to Sew It Together tomorrow...
June 5, 2012
uncanny...
I am laughing at myself. I came home from dropping the kids at school and thought that I'd put a dvd on while I fold all the clothes that have been draped around the house drying over the past couple of days. A friend lent me 'I Don't Know How She Does It'. I remember when the book came out and I thought yeah, yeah, someone making money talking about what all working mums do. Just deal with it I thought.
But the beginning of this movie is my life at the moment and at least it is making me laugh at life. I can SO much identify with this woman. (Except I don't have the wardrobe).
* Not that I travel all that much, I've only been away three times this year. I also need to go to Darwin for 1-2 weeks late August and then the other day I thought I was off to PNG again. Audrey's response was to say she doesn't want me to go and Nicholas reminded me that last time I said I wouldn't have to travel again this year... in the movie? tick.
* A couple of times last week I got Nicholas to school just in time to run to the end of his class line as they were walking into the class room, while I snuck in behind to put his lunch box and drink bottle in the tray. A smiling teacher greeting me. In the movie? tick.
* Asleep before your husband comes to bed? tick.
* Wake up at random hours going theough a mental list? tick.
* Young aspiring staff members at work just a little too keen to take on any task from you with the presumption they are "helping" you? In the movie? tick.
* Nothing to wear to work that fits propoerly? If it does it has food stains on it? In the movie? Tick
* Nicholas keeps asking me when we will make his birthday invitations... this afternoon, I promise. Only to discover we have no ink in the printer! Birthday drama in the movie? tick.
* Then the piece de resistance... last week I got a call from the school. Nicholas had lice... emergency call to his grandfather to pick him up, grab some treatment and take him home to wash his hair. Last Friday one of the Executive at work asked me to come to a meeting with him. As we sat in his car I thought oh my goodness. What if I got head lice and they are jumping and flying around his car??? In the movie? YES! Can you believe it? (Only she did have head lice, I didn't :)) But I still couldn't believe she had the same paranoid thoughts as me.
I don't have the school bake drama she does, but I did tell Nicholas' teacher I would help with reading to day. have you seen the weather outside? I'll be there, but hopefully my umbrella won't fly away in this wind. So yeah, mothers deal with the same stuff all the time.
But the beginning of this movie is my life at the moment and at least it is making me laugh at life. I can SO much identify with this woman. (Except I don't have the wardrobe).
* A couple of times last week I got Nicholas to school just in time to run to the end of his class line as they were walking into the class room, while I snuck in behind to put his lunch box and drink bottle in the tray. A smiling teacher greeting me. In the movie? tick.
* Asleep before your husband comes to bed? tick.
* Wake up at random hours going theough a mental list? tick.
* Young aspiring staff members at work just a little too keen to take on any task from you with the presumption they are "helping" you? In the movie? tick.
* Nothing to wear to work that fits propoerly? If it does it has food stains on it? In the movie? Tick
* Nicholas keeps asking me when we will make his birthday invitations... this afternoon, I promise. Only to discover we have no ink in the printer! Birthday drama in the movie? tick.
* Then the piece de resistance... last week I got a call from the school. Nicholas had lice... emergency call to his grandfather to pick him up, grab some treatment and take him home to wash his hair. Last Friday one of the Executive at work asked me to come to a meeting with him. As we sat in his car I thought oh my goodness. What if I got head lice and they are jumping and flying around his car??? In the movie? YES! Can you believe it? (Only she did have head lice, I didn't :)) But I still couldn't believe she had the same paranoid thoughts as me.
I don't have the school bake drama she does, but I did tell Nicholas' teacher I would help with reading to day. have you seen the weather outside? I'll be there, but hopefully my umbrella won't fly away in this wind. So yeah, mothers deal with the same stuff all the time.
June 4, 2012
June 3, 2012
tea
Over the past year David and I have begun to drink far more tea that what we used to. And far less coffee. I love a HOT cup of English breakfast tea. Last week I read an essay on tea by George Orwell, called A Nice Cup of Tea. I like his eleven rules, which he regards as golden. One in particular: always pour your tea first and then add milk. If you add the milk first, invariably you will add too much. I know my tea is rught by colour. Although he doesn't believe you should use bags or strainers. I can't agree with that one!
Anyway, all that to say at the moment we are enjoying the Madame Flavour range of tea. Not only are they gorgeously packaged, but she has a great philosophy and approach to tea. Her tea makes me happy. :)
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