birthday time

today we're preparing for a pool party for 10 six year olds, plus the birthday boy in our house who is nearly 6. he's having a pool party today as his actual birthday is too close to xmas for proper celebrations.

if you know me, you'll know my ongoing war against lollies! especially when birthday parties are sooooo close to the festive season, and lollies seem be handed out daily by someone somewhere.

so our party bag is a sweetly potted succulent with a thankyou flag.

do you think they want to go camping again?

there's a few camping trips happening in our back garden. those vegemite sandwiches look delicious don't they?

we're going camping for real after xmas, they're just having another practice.

we're eating mangos it must be summer

we still only buying them a few at a time, but it's nearly time for a tray of mangos under the sink, a permanent fixture in our kitchen until well into january.


the stone fruit has appeared and nectarines and blueberries are being consumed in embarrassingly large proportions.


our playroom (used to be the dining room until about 4 years ago) has been tidied up, cleared out and is ready for summer playing with the deck doors wide open. you'll see my space-saving idea here of a table over a cupboard. so fabulous as the cupboard is my grandmother's glory box, and now serves as our art cupboard as behind those doors are 3 wide drawers. perfect for storing all the art supplies, and easy for the kids to help themselves.

the blue ikea table (what did we do before we had this???!!!) is a moveable one, and can be moved well away from the carpet play time, the flurry of play-kitchen activity, and the stool is used to play comfortably with the dolls house. in fact i think it is standing on the stool to play with the dolls house that makes the dolls house sooooooo popular.

here they are, looking so much taller every day. twice-daily swims in the pool have started with both kids doing amazingly new things every day. today it was harvey swimming 2 laps of the pool underwater. amazing for such a lean little fella. his time in the pool is spent 90% underwater, 10% doing bombs into the pool. miss s has her new foam bubble firmly attached to her back and is breast-stroking her way around the pool, that face getting further and further into the water every day. we'll see her underwater with marine boy before the end of november for sure. her very words.

new graduate

he's graduated, the newest MBA in town.


it's been a fast and furious ride over the last 13 months, lots of coffee, lots of outings to the park to give him the space to study, and now a fair dollop of uncertainty until a new career is launched.

now it's my turn to take over the study space and finish my last few subjects. i'm loving my work experience in the school library. it's also giving me a tiny insight into what's it like to be a mother working outside the home. those days are run with military precision, and there's lots of getting in and out of the car; dropping the children at kindy and school, making 3 lunches, remembering hats and water bottles. the enjoyable part of these days for me is talking with adults (about books mostly which i love), a bit of solitude here and there, and listening to my choice of music in the car when i'm by myself! it helps me appreciate the slower paced days at home with picnic morning teas, reading books on the bed after lunch, and preparing meals with the children. Actually, i like both sorts of days, and i guess that's the key to a balanced life.

it's good to know what i'm aiming for :)

is for gorgeous.

i had to try this beautiful letter for myself.

Daily Drop Cap http://dailydropcap.com/ is a blog that posts a new decorative initial each day to drop cap into your blog. There are simple instructions on how to do it.

no piccies today. more soon.

back to the beach

the dust has settled and is being gradually cleaned away. so it was back to the beach late this afternoon. the beach was in the shade and the wind was a little cool, but it's always amazing to visit the beach, and we always vow to return more often, it's only a few minutes from home. daily life can just get too much in the way sometimes!

these foam swords are beach toys only now (ahem, not good inside the house at all) and they like to carry them ninja or pirate style and whack down abandoned sandcastles

we're off for a night's camping at a friend's farm - just 5mins from our home actually. i'm looking forward to an evening of torches, squeals, conversation and stars.

cooking, snakes and koalas

we love ginger in our house - ginger beer, gingersnaps, fresh ginger tea, and gingerbread men are a special treat. the kids can virtually do it all themselves now, and while the dough rested in the fridge for 30mins, i whipped up some banana bread. and then froze it before we ate too many baked goods in one day!

and then thawed it out 2 weeks later for a last minute afternoon tea with friends.

life is good here in the springtime. the weather is glorious. the snakes are about though, harvey's school has had 2 or 3 snakes a day in the last few weeks. the snake man comes and tries to catch and release elsewhere, however they usually slither away only to appear a day or so later. 2 metre eastern brown snakes are fatal, so we're all watching where we put our feet even in our own small garden. but there's also been plenty of koalas around at school, two were moving from tree to tree outside the school library where i was volunteering today. the preps had a teddy bears picnic in some bush near the school oval, and a koala scurried past. they're so lucky to have such a "bush" school.

we're going along ok whilst the man-of-the-house researches and seeks new employment. his MBA is complete as of last week, and graduation is in october. it's great to have him back with us after 13months spent working and studying solidly. we're enjoying some dad-cooked meals (i think we're all a little tired of my cooking - i certainly am!), a clean pool and yard, and lots of wrestling, giggling, tickling and walks around the neighbourhood. and i am particularly enjoying my time out of the house at yoga and the gym. i could get used to this. but an income for the family would be an excellent idea too.