a classic

Sometimes you just capture a moment that is totally awesome. This is one of them.

keely flew into her orientation

There comes a moment, actually there has been several moments, where they just grow up so fast. It is like you gave them wings and they are using them. Keely is in full flight. Yesterday she went to her orientation at her "big" school, and she looked so big. Even in plain clothes, no uniform, and in between her two buddies, she was still so big. It was like she grew up in that moment.

I have no doubt this will not be the last time that I look at her and wonder where the time has gone. She does not stop surprising me. She makes me proud everyday. My little girl is awesome. Totally, and completely awesome.

She sat and did not say a word for almost the whole hour and a half. She did not even do the drawing like the other children. She only opened her mouth 10 minutes before the orientation was over. My little girl is shy. Well she was shy yesterday. I know I was when I was a little girl, and even today I can be rather shy. It is protection. And let's be honest, that would have been really full on for a little person.

Keely still drew her beautiful picture, and told me I was not allowed to look until she was finished.

Beautiful. A reflection of her day.

craft monday: the start of our wreath

This week is all about the lead up to christmas in our little pinwheel home. The website is in full christmas cheer and we are all feeling it too. The christmas tree will be put up and decorated. I do hope we have enough decorations, but if not there is always the joys of going back to Pulp.

Over the weekend we put our hands in paint and started our wreath for the front door. This year we have done the wreath in our colour theme and Taj has joined in the fun. I cannot wait to cut the little hands out and put the wreath together.

Welcome to the month of celebration! Oh and I bought the little ones their advent calendar. This year I have gone the chocolate. I wanted to add some Blease tradition into their christmas and bring in some of the things my mum did for me. This is one of them. I do remember cheating as a child and opening up too many doors. So cheeky!

my world in sentences

It is story time at Taj's house. He has gone from a couple of words in a row to full sentences. He loves to talk, and tell you all about what he is noticing in his world. This is such a beautiful time.

"Mummy, look car go fast.....brrrrrrrmmmm!"

"Mummy, fire truck. Me drive, you ladder, Keely horn!"

it is back

Taj has one ear infected. I truly believed we would never be here again. Two months after the operation and he is in pain again. The poor little guy has been sucking it up and not really complaining at all. Modern medicine to kill it fast and then I am back to my doctor for some natural remedies to keep him well. I am truly lucky to have such an awesome little boy. I am also lucky to have been referred to such a fantastic specialist who saw Taj within 20 minutes of phoning the surgery. It was 6pm last night and I had hope that someone was still there.

Taj was telling me all about his sore ear. "Mummy this one good. Ear oweeeee. Sore."

keely in her "big" school uniform

Keely was ready to put her new school uniform on. She had eaten her porriage and was waiting for me to help her. Off we went into my room. Keely took her dress off the hanger. She laid her dress out on the bed. (This is what she does to make it easier to put dresses on and tops). I looked at Keely, tears welling up in my eyes. I told her that mummy was just about to cry. I explained to her that I was not upset. I was very proud of her and the tears will be happy tears, or were happy tears.

Oh yes I bawled my eyes out. While wearing the biggest grin on my face. Seriously how could one not be proud? Check out those perfect plaits, with matching school colour ribbons, and that big floppy hat on her head. But most of all look how proud and chuffed Keely was. That is what matters.

I stood there in the morning staring at her new lunch box. I gulped at the thought of packing her lunch for the day. We are talking about packing a lunch for a child that does not eat fruit. I did manage to pack her a healthy lunch. It was nice to open the lunch box at the end of the day to find the smeared yoghurt that had escaped out of the empty packet and not a crumb to be found. Yesterday I officially became the school mum. I am going to become an expert lunch packer-er!

mummy says, and keely says

Keely says to Taj while we were getting out of the car this afternoon, "Taj, how many times do I have to tell you!" {Hear the real bossy tone in your own voice as you read that sentence again. That is how Keely told Taj}.

Oh my. Now my little girl is sounding like her mummy. I could not help but laugh. Do I really sound like that?!

Even Keely's set up bossy photo is making me giggle.

our pulp christmas

The big red man is coming! He is watching all those elves make the toys to deliver on christmas eve. There is joy spreading around this little pinwheel home. I am loving all the projects happening with Keely and her pre school, carols, graduation day, and this week a week of wearing her new school uniform. {Oh I cannot wait to see her in her uniform. There will be tears}.

I am slowly getting organised, actually I feel like I am on top of everything when it comes to christmas. I have some creative ideas happening in my head, and I have started to act on them. I went to Pulp a week or so ago and started to buy the christmas decorations around the colour theme we have chosen. Keely and I chose to have gold, orange and yellow.

We went back there yesterday and bought a few more things to go with our theme, and some more decorations to fill our new, modern tree. Keely introduced a new colour to the theme.

Last year we used sticks for our tree, which was a lot of fun. This year we chose a tree that will always be up and be part of our home once christmas is over.

On the first of december we will put the tree up and decorate our home; unless of course my little people twist my arm, and they would not have to twist if far.

This is such a beautiful time of the year, my favourite time of the year.

Pop in to Pulp, and say hi to Sabina, the new and very talented owner. She has her own blog, Bengal Rose which showcases her amazing illustrations, and you can find them in Pulp.

the time

Yesterday was one of these days.....

A day where it did not matter how much organisation I put in or how good my time management was. I did not stop. It was all go. Go. GO! I kind of love it that way. Only of course if there is time to recoup and have tools down time. I was lucky enough to get a walk in. Even if it was to walk to the shops to post a last minute order. Music on. Felt those feet in my saltwater sandals, felt the wind in my hair and the groove in my step.

Life is busy. I just made mine busier. Not sure where I will find the hours. I have had emails, lots of emails, with that question. The answer I have is, "I have no idea, but don't you believe that you just find the time?"

Enjoy your weekend!

{Keely is home early. Nice to have her home. She is modeling the new Stella Cove swimwear, in store now}!

meet the NEW faces behind maeve....

Here is the new owners of Maeve magazine. We cannot show you their faces. No they are not dentists. They believe that Maeve already has a face. They are the nurturers that will help her grow. Maeve is about showing the true woman and a lot of self portraits. This is a self portrait of the three women that will be behind her all the way.

The women that write the stories that go into her each issue, along with the women and people that read her are her face. It is about growth, not change. Nurturing her.

Yes they are my pins. I am one owner. {freakin' awesome}!

Yes that is Nat's beautiful smile in the photo I hold. She is one owner.

Yes that is a super cool graphic by Jodi from ITCH. She is one owner.

{I am doing a happy dance. I even did the full Toyota advert jump in the air. Big shoes to fill. But awesome shoes to fill. Life just got a whole lot more chaotic and creative}!

Thank you Lou and Kate for creating such an awesome magazine for women, and allowing us to be part of the next phase in her life.

I am woman hear me roar

Oh the rain. One plan for the week has not happened, and it is sadly not going to happen again. Taj and I were meant to go for a horsey ride walk up the beach with the ergo carrier. We might get a gap in the rain, in which time we will have to do some crazy mummy walking, like I did in the mall yesterday.

I accomplished and survived the christmas shopping at the mall. That was my massive plan of the week. The one that I knew would cause me the most pain. I wanted to get the shopping done in one go. Anything that did not come home with me will be bought online or locally. I am not a fan of the mall, and I take that deep breath, and then run around like some crazy lady. Taj was on his scooter and we were racing around together. It was all completed in an hour and a half. All I can think of right now is Helen Reddy, I am woman hear me roar!

We came home with lots of well known and popular toys. They love them, and christmas is all about the little people! The advent calendar even made it into the trolley, toy story for Taj and barbie for Keely. Taj chose them, and to my surprise he has forgotten about the whole shopping adventure, {phew}. Must have been the lightning fast santa mummy. I am happy to say this fast mummy got the hard part done, the rest is all the pretty and creative gifts. Although, I do need one more commercial gift for Keely, but I could not bring myself to walk out with a Baby Alive doll.

Have you started your christmas shopping, or finished?

home alone

This week it is just me and my little Taj Joan. I had grand plans for us. In my head it was going to be so cruisey. Two little people down to one. Easy. I can hear Taj giggling right now, "yeah right mummy!" {And please do not let that cute face fool you.... }.

Yesterday was a hard one. Taj was in a mood. I am not sure how those stars are aligned, or what that moon is doing, but they sure didn't help my day yesterday. It could also be that he was just having a bad day. That is very normal. He is also missing 4 teeth, and he could be pushing them through. I am not game to put my hands in there to check it out.

I bought trains for Taj. He is obsessed with Keely's Ikea train set and he told me he wanted to have 2 more trains. Two soon turned into three. So off we potted to the shops in the rain and I bought him three thomas trains..... bad decision. He gets frustrated with them. He wants them to stay in a big line and not fall off. They were not playing nice with him and in turn there were tears, tantrums and more tantrums, and then laughing and smiles. (Picture Taj's moods going around and around that train track).

There are times when the gift of giving is not the best thing to do. Or as some might call it, bribing our children can sometimes backfire. I am not sure what I was bribing him for. But I truly believe this close to christmas a gift was not necessary. Looks like I will be buying the whole train track for christmas. Have you seen the price of the Thomas train tracks? Oh my; now I am having the tears, tantrums and more tantrums all the way around the Thomas train track.

There is still 4 days of grand plans left!

jem is my name

As a little girl I never owned a dolls house. I did have barbies. Maybe too many barbies. I had a Jem doll. Do you remember her, Jem and the Misfits? My Jem had the coolest pink hair. I used to play full rock concerts with her and my barbies. Even writing about it is bringing me back the memories of my pretend play.

Watching Keely on the weekend pull out all of her furniture from her doll's house, and set it all up around her was beautiful. When I got down and started to take photos I could see the game she was playing. I could see the imagination ticking over in her head. Hearing her voice and hearing the things they were doing was magic.

These are the times when I wish I could shrink back to being her size and enjoying the innocence and the tiny life of pretend play.

{This week Keely is away with her daddy and her grand dad, creating memories with her cousins. I am missing her already, and she is still here}!