~ our joyful moments - week 20/21 ~

Two shots from my bedroom for weeks 20 and 21 of #ourjoyfulmoments2015 - the first is a little table in the window that is currently housing my vintage typewriter - I was sitting writing some little random postcards here the other day - my Mother's Day hyacinth was still looking good.

The second (pink) shot is my bedside table - I found a few more Cecile Brunner roses in the tangle that is our winter garden and brought them inside - they are my very favourites.

The last collage is of Karin's shots for the whole month of our on the table theme - can you guess she's loving spring?!!!

June's theme is books - another favourite thing - can't wait to show you what I'm reading and loving.

~ our joyful moments - week 9 ~

I made my first ever cheesecake (recipe here) as Lily had been asking to try one for ages.  It was a lemon one (with lemons from our tree) and I was super impressed that it came out of the tin in one piece - and tasted amazing.

Karin found the prettiest irises - an early spring this year for her.

#ourjoyfulmoments is a collaborative project stretching across the world (Tasmania and Sweden) in which we are sharing the little moments that delight us each week.
  
 ♥

~ grateful for ... living here ~

 

We've been talking about refugees in our house this week.
About equality.
And compassion.

I don't like the "boat people" policies that Tony and Kevin are promoting. 
I'm much more likely to nod along to this man's wise words and I've shared Judy Horacek's freebie card (above) with lots of people this week.

The freedom to disagree, to debate, to declare opinions without fear of retribution or persecution, to bring up my children in a safe country... I'm so grateful for that.

I'm linking up with Kylie and others here.

 ♥

~ grateful for ... breastfeeding ~

This week was world breastfeeding week... and I've been inspired by some lovely celebratory stories of breastfeeding (especially Marian and Tahnee's) to share my own story.  

***************************

I finished 6 years at medical school without a single lecture or tutorial about breast feeding.  I then completed 6 years in the hospital system and, from recall, did not see a single breast-feeding mother as a patient.  Towards the end of this time I had decided on a career in general practice.  Nervous and very aware of my limitations I enrolled in some extra courses (obs&gynae and child health) to try and broaden my knowledge beyond the hospital style of medicine.
   
So, finally... some sessions on breastfeeding.  The practicalities of attachment, the potential barriers to feeding, a practical demonstration of feeding, tips and hints for dealing with breast feeding issues, personal stories of breast feeding successes and failures.  Already strongly pro-breast feeding,  I left those sessions far more confident about my role to support, educate and encourage women and families about breast feeding.  I was also very clear that for some mother/child teams breastfeeding was not going to work and my role in supporting them was also clear.

Then, first week into my new GP career  the huge divide between learning and real life hit me right in the face.  Questions about bleeding nipples, the right dummies to use to promote breast feeding, how to improve supply.... my lack of practical knowledge fully exposed.  Luckily, in the next consulting room was a very experienced GP who had just had her 6th child.  This baby accompanied her mum to work each day and was fed in the consulting room, often whilst she was consulting.  This lovely lady would sail in and answer their questions, reassure them and leave me wondering if I would ever be really equipped to deal with all of these issues. 

I became an avid questioner of new mums.  I asked them all about their experiences, their problems.  I acquired knowledge by proxy and became a far more useful resource to my patients.

Then my own baby.  
I was determined to breast feed.  
It felt like my only option.

Luckily I was blessed with a baby that really wanted to, and loved to, breastfeed right from her very first moments.  In the next few weeks we practised and refined this new skill together.  It wasn't smooth sailing .. there were tears and blocked ducts and its only looking back that I realise just how hard we struggled.  The Doc was super supportive but there were many other voices far less so - who suggested bottles and formula...to me they were simply saying I'd failed.  We persisted - and then at the 8 week mark it all fell into place...became automatic, like something we were born to do. 

I loved it... from very early on it was clear to me that while I was nourishing her little body I was also nourishing us - with skin contact, with cuddles, with time just to be together.  I always had plenty of milk, she thrived, I revelled in the fact of being so needed. 
Lily fed for about 20 months until one day she just didn't want to any more.  Maybe the milk tasted different (as I was pregnant again), maybe it was just her time.   I didn't really think about it too much - I was busy with a toddler who slept poorly, getting ready for our next baby and planning our move back to Tassie.

Gracie was next.  This time it really was a breeze.  I knew what to do, she learned quickly and we never looked back.  Almost 3 years later she was still feeding (cue much consternation from family members) until one day I realised we'd missed 2 night feeds and it was over.  I was bereft.  I missed the closeness, the sense of being needed.  I wasn't sure if we would be able to have another child and I felt like I'd missed marking the end of something momentous.

And then Jack.  Another easy, super-keen feeder.  Having thought I'd never be in that position again I relished it all.  Even the night feeds.  Especially the night feeds. Day feeds were often squeezed in, fitted around the rest of the family - I'd be listening to readers, answering questions, multi-tasking.  At night it was just the two of us - quiet moments of drinking each other in.

 ***************************

It was a really precious and beautiful time in my life.  A true everyday miracle.  
I know how lucky I was and am incredibly grateful for it.

I'm linking up with Kylie over here for weekly gratefuls (its been a while).

♥

~ on gaining perspective in a cloud of marshmallow pink ~

First day back at school today and I was feeling out of sorts;

• impatient with the the youngest who was still at home and being all kinds of demanding.
• resentful of the mess that lay all around - what looked like fun holiday games yesterday, today just mocked at me and my inadequate domestic goddess skills.
• scratchy, irritated eyes from a niggling viral conjunctivitis.
• swirling, chaotic plans in my head when what I seek is clarity of thought.

Then the afternoon sunlight hit the blossom tree over the road.
I think I may have gasped out loud.

Five minutes of time alone, snapping away, marvelling at the pinkness of the coming spring was all it took to turn my day around.

If only it was always that easy.


♥

~ autumn's rainbow ~

The light beckoned me.
Warm, golden sunlight on a beautiful autumn day.
Sparkling, glowing, gorgeous light.
 
I followed it.
I'm so grateful I did.

♥

{I'm back joining up with Maxabella here  this week to talk about being grateful.  Life is just better when you're grateful for it.  It really is}

~ grateful for ... so much ~

I'm overflowing with gratefuls this week - the sun's been shining, I've had my hair done and life is good.
 
I'm grateful for summer afternoons where we can head to the beach after school and swim (even though we forgot bathers).

Grateful for the lovely school we're involved with, how welcoming they have been and how well my children are settling in (even my little klingon Jack who is so proud of himself in his school clothes and of the "work" he's doing at school).

Grateful for Lindt dark chocolate (with sea salt) that is my evening treat.

And super grateful that I won a little giveaway over on FB and this amazingly beautiful piece of stitching made its way safely from Belgium to Hobart this week.  Please check out Rhi's adorable work and think about treating yourself and your family.

{the original - Grace's self portrait from Kinder}

{a Tailorbird Designs version on linen, stitched with love, that I just adore}

Writing about being grateful never fails to leave me feeling more grateful.
Thanks Bron.  There are more gratefuls here too.

♥

~ grateful for ... a great start ~

{holding hands with his sister as he walks into school}

Almost since he learned to speak he's been wanting to be bigger.
"Me not a baby, me a big boy" has been his refrain from toddlerhood.
We've all resisted.  
We still call him "bubba", we indulge him, we let him be "the baby king" of the family.

This morning he put on a school uniform
And suddenly he was.
A big boy.  My big boy.
Who's still my baby.

{the new breakfast routine}

We've been building up to today all week. 
The girls went back to school on Tuesday.  
Lily into grade 5 - no hassles there, she's used to the school, happy with her teacher and her class and loves the routine.  She's been up, fed, dressed and ready to go by 7 every day.  She adores school.
  
Gracie's starting grade 3 - a new school but with lots of her old classmates (they transition them beautifully from their infant school to this bigger primary school), lots of new friends and a beautiful teacher.  She's made the change seamlessly (so far)  and has largely had good things to report (apart from "the naughty boy" whose latest exploits we hear about every day... I wonder what his parents hear).

And today my baby started school.  
5 day fortnight kinder, in school, (as we do in Tassie) in uniform.
I hadn't been sure what to expect ... but he did brilliantly.  
We sat down and drew pictures together, he requested a "huge cuddle" and then went off to play with one of his little friends and didn't look back.  Me? - I was wiping the tears as I walked away.

And after school?... he wanted to know if he could go again tomorrow.

I'm so grateful that he's had a great beginning on this long school journey.
I'm grateful they've all had a great start this year. 
(and I'm grateful for my new {baby} school kid).

I'm back on my grateful journey.
Linking up with Maxabella and other lovelies here.

♥

~ grateful for ... us ~

Its chilly outside, rain is falling, I'm thinking about lighting the fire for later (already).
6 years ago today where we were was warm and sunny, bright and breezy.
It was our wedding day.
We'd been together for 10 years and had 2 beautiful children.  
Life was great (sleep deprived but great).

We eloped, took our little family to a beach far away and got married.  
Didn't tell anyone.  (ANYONE.  That did not go down well)
I'd never been one for fantasies of white weddings, meringue gowns, having the "big day"
I felt I already had it all.

From the very beginning all I'd felt was certainty.  
The rightness of us.
What we ran to was a marriage not a wedding*. 

Life's changed.
We're a family of 5 now, we've renovated our house, we have different jobs, new friends, a new set of priorities.
That promise to share a life, to hope for the best, to be there for each other just keeps expanding.

We're still so right.
And I'm so very grateful for that. 


 ♥


*{Bron wrote a beautiful piece about this topic that spoke to me from the first time I read it - like she'd examined my half formed thoughts and made sense of them}

~ grateful for ... the end of the winter term ~

Its been a long, long winter term.
All 3 children have had whooping cough - the cough, cough, cough, splutter has been an almost constant companion through the chilly days and nights. (Yes - all fully vaccinated!!)
(Oh, the nights.  I think there was a coughing, wriggling, hot and bothered child in our bed every night for the last month).

We need this 2 week break.
To rest and recuperate.
To soak up some sunshine (hopefully).
To get back on track.

We're not doing anything much - some playdates with friends, a trip to see Nemo in 3D (although I'm a little bit scared of seeing Bruce like that), a visit with the cousins and their baby lambs.

These holidays have come at just the right time.
And I'm very grateful for them.

Linking up to share grateful thoughts here 
  
♥

Will you be too scared to see Bruce in 3D?
When are your next holidays?

~ grateful for ... a break in routine ~

We played hooky last weekend
Skipped the soccer games, ran away from our usual weekend stuff.
We headed north and east. 
To the coast.
 

We breathed ocean air and it ruffled our hair (and our stale thoughts).
We watched some proud new GPs receive their fellowships (and the children laughed at us in our  "Hogwarts" academic gowns).
We ate delicious local seafood and went hunting for fairy penguins (in the dark).
We looked for baby lambs, blossom trees and new vineyards (and then put the DVD on when the road got too long).

It wasn't long but it was long enough (to jolt us out of routine and bring us together again).

I'm very grateful for our little break (and to live in this beautiful state).

Linking up (most) weeks with Bron and the grateful gang here


♥

~ a mixed bag of gratefuls ~

I find it so much easier to be grateful when the sun shines and there are garlands of blossoms hanging across blue skies.

And I have so much to be grateful for this week:

*bathers ordered on ebay that actually fit and (almost) flatter 
{thank you Seafolly and your tactful ruching}

*I discovered a hidden pack of mini eggs 
{my favourites} 

*a fabulous day time trip to the cinema with my lovely (potential) sister-in-law to see a wonderful film (The Sapphires)
{we laughed and cried}

*the delight in my children's eyes at dressing up for book-week

{and their ongoing love of reading

* that my phone was revived by the lovely Apple man 
{and that my complete devastation at being sans instagram, email, contacts, camera etc was only very temporary}

 * a totally yummy haloumi salad for lunch from the cafe around the corner 
{my new regular}

Spring is coming.

Life is good.

What's your grateful list this week?

Linking up with other lovely grateful people over here

 ♥

~grateful for...this day~

Our mornings have been startlingly cold this week.

Ice-cream headache kind of cold (as soon as you inhale).

Still can't fell your toes at 10am (after the school run and a quick coffee) kind of cold.

Needing a sign to put on the children who refuse to put on anything other than a t-shirt saying "I did offer them a jacket, I am not a negligent parent" kind of cold.

Today I felt brave.

I wrapped up well and headed to the beach.

The breeze was cruel.

The sun shone but there was precious little warmth in it.

Slowly, but surely, the magical effects of being near the sea were with me.

My legs were tingling (and loving the chance to stretch and move)

My brain unravelled, untangled, unwound and my thoughts slowed.

I felt my shoulders ease down from beside my ears ... back  to where they belong

The sea rippled and sparkled. 

Garlands of blossom were slung across the sky.. 

The brilliant blues of sky and sea washed over and through me.

I felt nothing but grateful.

 ♥

{I'm linking up with Bron and others over  at Village Voices}.

~ grateful...every day ~

Last week I found a beautiful, simple grateful post over here and felt somewhat embarrassed about my grudgingly grateful (and somewhat whiny) effort.

I decided to "borrow" the idea and watch for grateful opportunities all week.

Saturday : There are daffodils blooming in our garden already.  So pretty.  No wonder Wordsworth was inspired. 

Sunday : The Doc tried a new recipe (from this month's Real Living magazine) for dinner - Chicken Normandy.  Totally delicious.  Always grateful when I don't have to cook.

Monday : Lily has a new teacher (her first teacher went on long-service leave for 4 weeks and then retired at the end of it so this is the third for the year already).  Apparently she is young, funny, great, cool and really smart.  I'm so very grateful for a renewed buzz in my little girl.

Tuesday : Grateful for the extra snuggles and cuddles a sick little boy loves to give his mummy

Wednesday : A friend dropped a coffee in when she knew I was stuck at home with a sick little one.  And she brought gossip. 

Thursday : Very grateful that the Doc was able to move his day around so he could share the care and I could still do my work for the week.

Friday : Another fabulous new recipe (the lentil soup from the same magazine...this month's Real Life is already covered with cooking spatters) shared with my sister visiting from interstate who we don't get to see nearly often enough. Precious time with family and good food...so much to be grateful for.

I'm linking up with Bron and others over  at Village Voices.

Are you grateful this week?

♥

~ grateful for ... a good night's sleep ~

The sleep gods have never smiled on us.

We've patted and rocked, tiptoed around, replaced dummies, wrapped and re-wrapped, sung and cuddled, taken back to bed (over and over), read every book, consulted every "specialist, tried every trick.

And still....night after night...the night terrors, the padding of little feet, the warm breath in your (sleeping) face, the flinging of limbs, the restlessness of co-sleeping, the desperateness that is born of lack of proper sleep.

This week it crept up on us.  One night alone in our bed.  Then two.  Before we knew it....5

That's ... more than I can ever remember.  (in too many years to count without feeling faint).

It deserved high praise (we delivered).

And big treats (a new doodle book fitted the bill.  And that treat that is prized far more highly than its true worth..the freddo)

And a lot of gratitude.

I'm joining in with the grateful gang over here

What are you grateful for this week?

♥

~ grateful for... a love of reading ~

The lovely Bron runs a linky each week that I try to join as often as I can.

It's all about being grateful, celebrating gratefulness and increasing your own capacity and awareness of all that is wonderful (big and small) in your own life that is worth acknowledging.

This week I'm grateful for books, for reading.

Even (especially) in the last two weeks of being stuck at home because of sick-kids/too-much-washing-because-of-bed-wetting-kids/freeze-your-fingers-off-weather I've squeezed in my reading.  I've been devouring the Night Circus in that crazy way where it was so good I just couldn't get enough, but didn't want it to end either.

Reading is my escape.  My wind-down.  My safe and happy place.

I have to read every day - even just a few pages before I go to sleep.

It centres me, relaxes me, takes me outside my own world.

We're a family of readers (and long may that continue as you can never really claim to be bored with a good book to read), we cherish books,  they're usually top of the present list (to give and receive).

Are you a reader?

What was the last book you just couldn't put down?

♥

(I love reading other people's grateful posts as well - they're over here at Village Voices)

~ grateful for... the end of the longest week ~

All was going swimmingly in the school holidays

Not a lot of swimming obviously because its cold in Tassie in winter but we were having a lovely little holiday.

Then the cough started...hack, hack, hack.  

Day and night (mostly night).  Hack, hack, hack.

She slept through, I didn't.

Well enough to fly to Melbourne where we had a fabulous time doing all the Tassie tourist in Melbourne stuff but then the diagnosis of whooping cough was made and the cough continued but we had to try and get medicine into her.

Never fun.

Still...not too bad...but then the little one got sick.

Really sick.

And although we're better placed than most to cope and deal and do what's necessary explosive, emergency poos at all hours of the day and night are not nice for anyone (and especially when you're travelling).

 

Its been going all week.  Day and night. 

(and the hack, hack, hack continues....)

We've been home every day.  Just the two of us.

Unable to move far from a toilet.

ABC kids on at all times.

Washing machine competing with it for noise factor.

(and the dryer cos obviously with all that cold, wet, wintery weather nothing dries EVER)

And we were both going quietly (and not so quietly - in fact screaming tantrumly not quietly) mad.

Today was better.

Blue skies, sunshine.

We left the house.

There were smiles and laughs.

Tomorrow is Saturday.

There will be soccer and coffee and sitting in front of the fire reading the papers.

Life moves on...gets better.

I'm grateful for that.

 ♥

I'm linking up with Maxabella at Village Voices for all things grateful this week

~ grateful for ... time out ~

{iconic Wine-glass Bay at Freycinet}

Last weekend saw me packing my bags on Friday afternoon and almost skipping out the door to a conference on Tassie's east coast. 

Two whole nights away. 

Two days of finishing meals, listening to whole conversations, a wilderness walk without carrying all the just-in-case clothes and keep-going snakes for 3 little ones. 

Dinner, drinks, late night, sleep-in...

{we were lucky enough to have drinks and a tour of Saffire}

Some fascinating and inspiring speakers. 

Time to sit and think.  To finish thoughts.  To just let them swirl in my head and resolve themselves...or not.

{Honeymoon Bay}

Of course I missed home.

I revelled in those first hugs and the tumble of words as they raced to tell me all that had happened.

But I loved being away.  Loved it.

And I'm so grateful for the time out of my ordinary life.

♥

I'm loving gratefuls with Maxabella here and here

~ grateful for....being a mum ~

{Me - complete with glasses, stripes, smile and a brooch!}

I'm grateful for being a mum this week.

We had Mothers Day over the weekend and I was thoroughly spoilt with lovely cuddles, kisses, beautiful words and precious handmade gifts.

 

{bit worried about the weekend business - otherwise...awwww!}

I actually feel grateful for this every day.

That my road to motherhood was easy.

That I am blessed with 3 beautiful, healthy children and the opportunity to raise them here in this lucky country the way I choose.

I'm learning more every single day about what it means to be a mum and I'm so grateful that I'm here, right now, doing it every day.
  

♥

I'm linking with Maxabella who blogs every week about being grateful.

What are you grateful for this week?

~ grateful for... autumn colour ~

We lived in WA for for 7 years and I never stopped missing the change of seasons.

The change is gentle there, time drifts along and the seasons morph from one to another without fanfare.

Tassie is never like that - yes, we can have all 4 seasons in a day but the seasons bring changes to our streets and gardens that simply stop you in your tracks.

All week I've been pointing out amazing red trees, gorgeous stacks of leaves, beautiful berries, amazing street-scapes to my kids.

They tolerate me... just.

But I'm so grateful to be here, living these change of seasons and marvelling at the beauty that comes with change, decay and growth.

I'm grateful for autumn in all its glory.

♥

I'm linking with Maxabella at grateful's new home.  Go and have a look.

What's your favourite season?