I have just been (wasting time?) browsing around the wonderful online world of creative blogs and online websites....
There seem to be a zillion and one others out there making great crafty products - great inspiration... but it also leads me to frustration (and jealousy?) as well!!
There are so many! It's inspiring, fascinating and interesting - I wish I had more developed blog skills to put links and images and refer to the things that i like here on my site.... I wish my site was as good as many of the ones I have been looking at! I wish I had more time to do it all, and learn what I need to, and create what I need to!
In reality I am just me... I have to be content that I am doing a minimal amount of shell collages, and paper mache... I keep imagining finding the time and space to do some more of my fabric-print designs... but in reality i haven't even had time to sketch any of my ideas down on paper..
The fact is, I am going to have another baby in a few weeks and any time I thought I had will totally disappear! How the hell will I manage with two?? One child is time consuming enough - two - aaahh! I am looking forward to falling in love again and being able to relish and enjoy the newborn baby stages, probably more than I ever did with T because I was too freaked out by it all! But oh-my-goodness, it is SCARY too!
I had better go take a nap I think! :)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
I am so slow in the mornings!
Ohhh yes, it's morning... 8:45 am to be exact... Sesame Street is on telly and T has become bored with that, so is now sitting on my lap whilst I am typing - I wonder how long this will work for!?
I get frustrated that I just tend to be SOOO SLOW to get moving in the mornings!!
Usually I have somewhere to get to by about 9am or 10 - and that means I finally get things together for that... But when I have a day where nothing much is pending then I just drag my feet and get nowhere in a hurry!
Of course there are a zillion active things I 'could' or probably should do early in the morning... Getting up and ready for a brisk walk would no doubt be a great start.... I think I did that once...
There are many tidying up chores and a mountain of ironing always waiting patiently to be done (and they keep waiting all day... usually somewhere throughout the day I convinve myself that I will do them inthe evening... then don't!)
And I could also do something creative I guess.... Hmm not today obviously.
It is heading to the time when I HAVE to get a move on. Lots to do: T and I to get dressed, lunch and snacks to prepare for going out, toys and books to take where we are going... the house to minimally tidy so that I don't have an instand breakdown when I walk back in the house...
Go, go, go! Do your mad-dash race and get it all done before heading out (escaping)... and think about the possibility of changing my daily routine in the future so that I have something to get me up and moving earlier!
Yeah, early morning exercise or art and NO TV would be the best option... can I do it!?????
I get frustrated that I just tend to be SOOO SLOW to get moving in the mornings!!
Usually I have somewhere to get to by about 9am or 10 - and that means I finally get things together for that... But when I have a day where nothing much is pending then I just drag my feet and get nowhere in a hurry!
Of course there are a zillion active things I 'could' or probably should do early in the morning... Getting up and ready for a brisk walk would no doubt be a great start.... I think I did that once...
There are many tidying up chores and a mountain of ironing always waiting patiently to be done (and they keep waiting all day... usually somewhere throughout the day I convinve myself that I will do them inthe evening... then don't!)
And I could also do something creative I guess.... Hmm not today obviously.
It is heading to the time when I HAVE to get a move on. Lots to do: T and I to get dressed, lunch and snacks to prepare for going out, toys and books to take where we are going... the house to minimally tidy so that I don't have an instand breakdown when I walk back in the house...
Go, go, go! Do your mad-dash race and get it all done before heading out (escaping)... and think about the possibility of changing my daily routine in the future so that I have something to get me up and moving earlier!
Yeah, early morning exercise or art and NO TV would be the best option... can I do it!?????
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Parenting Classes...
I have just attended my second of a series of four 'Parenting Workshops' being held at Caloundra Community Centre, and conducted by Dr Bob Jacobs of the Parenting Centre.
I must admit, I was a bit sceptical when deciding to go... my initial thoughts were: do I really need someone to tell me how to be a good parent?? I think I'm doing a good enough job, and that there aren't necessarily any 'right' or 'wrong' ways to parent...But, I decided to give them a go and am very glad that I did!! - Thankyou Dr Bob Jacobs, I am thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to think about parenting in an intellectual way and am enjoying thinking about parenting in a (sometimes) new and challenging way - so much so that I am compelled to write about it afterwards..
Today's session was about: 'Understanding Children's Behaviour', and essentially I learned from it that:
I get all of these points above, and they sat well with my own philosophies... But I realised that often I struggle in my own mind with the thought that if I 'give my child what she wants' (what she needs) that I am perhaps being too soft... that I might be setting up more problems for myself in the future... Or that other adults/parents will think critically of me! It can seem strange to treat a child's 'negative' behaviour with a 'postive' one - as if you are 'rewarding' their misbehaviour... Currently, I am using the 'Distraction' technique quite a lot with my two year old - as I know she doesn't understand too much reasoning, I know she isn't trying to be bad - she is just bored/curious/etc - and anything that I think she should not be doing can be easily replaced with a postive behaviour if I 'distract' her with it...
Fortunately, I verbalised these thoughts - and Dr Bob clarified my thinking in a very good way: essentially, my thoughts are stemming from my own 'insecurities' as a parent, and generally can stem from being brought up in the 'traditional' way that most of us have been.
Indeed, I am a person who likes to do things 'right' (or even 'better' than anyone else!). I tend to be someone who likes to 'follow the rules'... with the realisation that there are no 'rules' life can be a bit confusing!
I still wonder about the quantiity of 'security'/'attention' needs that a child has... Obviously different children will demonstrate different levels of 'neediness' depending on their natural personality (some are more independant, others shyer and 'clingier' perhaps) - I wonder how a parent determines if a child is being too needy - and when they should step back to allow a child to develop more self-confidence and independence?? Or does this naturally become apparent when such a 'problem' arises?
Towards the end Dr Bob was mentioning that there are often 'natural consequences' to things - something which was only briefly mentioned, but I can definately accept and begin to understand... I think problems often exist today with parenting, discipline, etc. because children don't get to the point of having to deal with 'natural consequences'...
More of what Dr Bob said, initially was confronting to me: the approach of simply focussing on children's needs - can seem extreme: to 'give them all that they want' i.e. if a child's chore is to do the washing up and he/she refuses, the parents could accept that and offer to do them themselves - to set an example... Initially alarm bells went of in my head! As I'm sure we all know someone (possibly a parent) who appears to be quite 'taken advantage of' by others - if they let them... But I realised that you can parent by focussing on 'needs' if you also focus on your own needs! Parenting is all about doing so much for our children: meeting their needs, but as parents and adults we too have our own needs and if we focus on acknowledging and fulfilling these - and modelling to our children that ours (and others) needs must also be met and respected - then I do agree with the whole philosophy!
That is what I have struggled with most throughout my own journey so far as a mother... realising and accepting my own needs - and being willing to give myself the time and attention that I need, rather than sacrificing everything for my child and others...
Another important point I took note of today was:
This was another good point; something I was definately taught through my training as a teacher, but worth being reminded of! Our children, no matter what the age, are separate thinking and acting individuals - we need to let them express themselves and explore their limits and boundaries. Being a parent is NOT about always being 'right' or setting unchangeable rules and standards... really we are learning just as much about life as our children are... Taking a parenting approach that is much more fluid seems like a reasonable solution. Our role is to provide love and support and understanding for our children - to guide them and teach them, and help ensure their needs are met... And along the way model that we are adults enjoying life, learning, making mistakes, and seeking to fulfil our own needs also.
That's all for now... until the next session!
I must admit, I was a bit sceptical when deciding to go... my initial thoughts were: do I really need someone to tell me how to be a good parent?? I think I'm doing a good enough job, and that there aren't necessarily any 'right' or 'wrong' ways to parent...But, I decided to give them a go and am very glad that I did!! - Thankyou Dr Bob Jacobs, I am thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to think about parenting in an intellectual way and am enjoying thinking about parenting in a (sometimes) new and challenging way - so much so that I am compelled to write about it afterwards..
Today's session was about: 'Understanding Children's Behaviour', and essentially I learned from it that:
- Humans are naturally insecure creatures due to needing such a high level of care right from birth - thus most childrens' (and adults?) behaviour stems from the need for security; often shown in the need to be the centre of attention...
- All children's behaviour is purposeful and goal driven.. They are not 'misbehaving' or disobeying becuase they are naturally 'bad' - but generally they are wanting attention to fulfil their need of security...
- Often it is better to look at what happens as a result of a children's behaviour to fully understand it, rather than the behaviour itself (eg. what attention does the child get when he/she does that?)
- Often our biggest challenge as parents is being able to meet the security needs of our children..
I get all of these points above, and they sat well with my own philosophies... But I realised that often I struggle in my own mind with the thought that if I 'give my child what she wants' (what she needs) that I am perhaps being too soft... that I might be setting up more problems for myself in the future... Or that other adults/parents will think critically of me! It can seem strange to treat a child's 'negative' behaviour with a 'postive' one - as if you are 'rewarding' their misbehaviour... Currently, I am using the 'Distraction' technique quite a lot with my two year old - as I know she doesn't understand too much reasoning, I know she isn't trying to be bad - she is just bored/curious/etc - and anything that I think she should not be doing can be easily replaced with a postive behaviour if I 'distract' her with it...
Fortunately, I verbalised these thoughts - and Dr Bob clarified my thinking in a very good way: essentially, my thoughts are stemming from my own 'insecurities' as a parent, and generally can stem from being brought up in the 'traditional' way that most of us have been.
Indeed, I am a person who likes to do things 'right' (or even 'better' than anyone else!). I tend to be someone who likes to 'follow the rules'... with the realisation that there are no 'rules' life can be a bit confusing!
I still wonder about the quantiity of 'security'/'attention' needs that a child has... Obviously different children will demonstrate different levels of 'neediness' depending on their natural personality (some are more independant, others shyer and 'clingier' perhaps) - I wonder how a parent determines if a child is being too needy - and when they should step back to allow a child to develop more self-confidence and independence?? Or does this naturally become apparent when such a 'problem' arises?
Towards the end Dr Bob was mentioning that there are often 'natural consequences' to things - something which was only briefly mentioned, but I can definately accept and begin to understand... I think problems often exist today with parenting, discipline, etc. because children don't get to the point of having to deal with 'natural consequences'...
More of what Dr Bob said, initially was confronting to me: the approach of simply focussing on children's needs - can seem extreme: to 'give them all that they want' i.e. if a child's chore is to do the washing up and he/she refuses, the parents could accept that and offer to do them themselves - to set an example... Initially alarm bells went of in my head! As I'm sure we all know someone (possibly a parent) who appears to be quite 'taken advantage of' by others - if they let them... But I realised that you can parent by focussing on 'needs' if you also focus on your own needs! Parenting is all about doing so much for our children: meeting their needs, but as parents and adults we too have our own needs and if we focus on acknowledging and fulfilling these - and modelling to our children that ours (and others) needs must also be met and respected - then I do agree with the whole philosophy!
That is what I have struggled with most throughout my own journey so far as a mother... realising and accepting my own needs - and being willing to give myself the time and attention that I need, rather than sacrificing everything for my child and others...
Another important point I took note of today was:
- We have a myth of being able to control things... (trying to control our children's behaviour, lives, circumstances etc.)
- Parents need to get comfortable with losing power struggles (or not engaging in a 'power struggle' in the first place!)
This was another good point; something I was definately taught through my training as a teacher, but worth being reminded of! Our children, no matter what the age, are separate thinking and acting individuals - we need to let them express themselves and explore their limits and boundaries. Being a parent is NOT about always being 'right' or setting unchangeable rules and standards... really we are learning just as much about life as our children are... Taking a parenting approach that is much more fluid seems like a reasonable solution. Our role is to provide love and support and understanding for our children - to guide them and teach them, and help ensure their needs are met... And along the way model that we are adults enjoying life, learning, making mistakes, and seeking to fulfil our own needs also.
That's all for now... until the next session!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Hazard Prevention - USE SOME COMMON SENSE PLEASE!
I am inspired to write this to appeal to anyone who ever looks at something that could be dangerous, or causes a near injury or close-miss etc. to use their common sense and DO SOMETHING to remove the hazard so nobody else gets hurt!!!!
It sounds so simple and reasonable, but I'm sure many, many people are guilty of not taking that extra time to DO something after they have noticed something that looks potentially dangerous.. Perhaps they assume that someone else will or ought to fix the problem, or that maybe no-one will get hurt... I don't know.. but really, prevention is much better than cure!
So why am I writing this?? Well, here's my recent story:
Yesterday my family went on an outing to Southbank, Brisbane. It was a lovely day, with lots of family activities on which of course drew the crowds on this long weekend. We had just arrived, and were walking along some grass towards the main walkway that is covered with a great sculptural metal structure and has bougainvillea growing up it...
Where we decided to walk through, one of the guide wires (for the plant to grow along) was situated right at an adult head height, yet there was no vine growing on the wire so it was difficult to see... Just ahead of us a dad was walking holding a young child in each hand - his attention was focussed on them as one child was talking to him, and so with his eyes looking downward he missed seeing the wire and walked straight into it! Fortunately he was okay, just a bit taken aback at having a wire whack him across the face.
My husband and I commented on how dangerous that was, but did nothing about it, except make sure that we ducked!
Later that day as we walked back to our car and through the same spot... We unfortunately were witness to another young dad who was being treated in the park by paramedics.. His face had been ripped open - there was a lot of blood, and he was obviously in a lot of pain. He too, had not seen the same metal guide-wire, but had been chasing an escaped kid and travelling at a much faster pace when he made contact!
The paramedics patched him up. The poor man went home with his family with a face totally bandaged and padded up - no doubt requiring a follow-up visit at a doctor's or hospital the next day, and a lot of pain killers that night.
And the dangerous guide-wire was still in place and waiting for it's next victim!!
My husband and I were surprised that the paramedics hadn't taken any action to deal with this obvious hazard... so decided that we had better do something and not just walk away! Nearby was some construction equipment and a lot of fluro-flags marking off an area that needed to be kept out... We took some of the fluro flags that were just hanging on the ground and wound them around the guide-wire making it obvious that it was there!
I hope nobody else has the misfortune of walking into that again - or at least someone has enough sense to have it clearly marked until the plant has grown on the wire and it can be clearly seen!
And I hope that anyone who reads this will definately remember to TAKE SOME ACTION next time they see something that is potentially dangerous!
It sounds so simple and reasonable, but I'm sure many, many people are guilty of not taking that extra time to DO something after they have noticed something that looks potentially dangerous.. Perhaps they assume that someone else will or ought to fix the problem, or that maybe no-one will get hurt... I don't know.. but really, prevention is much better than cure!
So why am I writing this?? Well, here's my recent story:
Yesterday my family went on an outing to Southbank, Brisbane. It was a lovely day, with lots of family activities on which of course drew the crowds on this long weekend. We had just arrived, and were walking along some grass towards the main walkway that is covered with a great sculptural metal structure and has bougainvillea growing up it...
Where we decided to walk through, one of the guide wires (for the plant to grow along) was situated right at an adult head height, yet there was no vine growing on the wire so it was difficult to see... Just ahead of us a dad was walking holding a young child in each hand - his attention was focussed on them as one child was talking to him, and so with his eyes looking downward he missed seeing the wire and walked straight into it! Fortunately he was okay, just a bit taken aback at having a wire whack him across the face.My husband and I commented on how dangerous that was, but did nothing about it, except make sure that we ducked!
Later that day as we walked back to our car and through the same spot... We unfortunately were witness to another young dad who was being treated in the park by paramedics.. His face had been ripped open - there was a lot of blood, and he was obviously in a lot of pain. He too, had not seen the same metal guide-wire, but had been chasing an escaped kid and travelling at a much faster pace when he made contact!
The paramedics patched him up. The poor man went home with his family with a face totally bandaged and padded up - no doubt requiring a follow-up visit at a doctor's or hospital the next day, and a lot of pain killers that night.
And the dangerous guide-wire was still in place and waiting for it's next victim!!
My husband and I were surprised that the paramedics hadn't taken any action to deal with this obvious hazard... so decided that we had better do something and not just walk away! Nearby was some construction equipment and a lot of fluro-flags marking off an area that needed to be kept out... We took some of the fluro flags that were just hanging on the ground and wound them around the guide-wire making it obvious that it was there!
I hope nobody else has the misfortune of walking into that again - or at least someone has enough sense to have it clearly marked until the plant has grown on the wire and it can be clearly seen!
And I hope that anyone who reads this will definately remember to TAKE SOME ACTION next time they see something that is potentially dangerous!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Bit by bit...
The main purpose of this blog (and my life!?) is to try and achieve some sort of creative outlet for myself and document it so that I know that I actually am slowly achieving something...
My progress is VERY slow! But finally I have a small space to do things in:
It is only a small table in one of our sheds, and unfortunately that shed will soon be pulled down when we finally start building our new house... But it is some space none-the-less!
The table is currently covered with my miniature shell fragments, and I have some shell collages underway: yay! I enjoy doing these... at the moment they are just as 'gifts' for people I know, but hopefully eventually I will get to make more and sell some. The one for my daughter was obviously the first one I ever made and it is pleasing to see that she really enjoys gently touching the shells that make up each letter... I am pretty sure she is inheriting my aesthetic eye for miniature natural objects... And hopefully before too long she will be able to help me collect just the right shells from the beach to do these collages!
I have also started doing some paper-mache too! I love using recycled materials, and paper and cardboard is definately a passion of mine. The whole paper-mache process can be rather tedious and slow, not to mention sticky! But I have discovered that I can do minuscule amounts of it sitting on a table outside whilst T plays in the garden... She enjoys trying to do some too, she likes playing with the ripped up paper - though when she gets her hands on the glue it is much more hazardous! She managed to tip a reasonable amount of my watered down PVA glue all over herself the other day... not sure if those overalls will ever be the same again!
It sounds a bit boring, but I am making paper-mached boxes to store T's toys and items in, using her nappy boxes cut in half. The plan is that when finished they can be labelled and decorated for their specific storage purpose... and hopefully we will be able to keep things neater and more organised in the house, as well as 'craftier'! Also making some little people and house things to play with, and the 'cafe kit' will be papermached a lot, but progress on that has become stagnant of late...
My progress is VERY slow! But finally I have a small space to do things in:
It is only a small table in one of our sheds, and unfortunately that shed will soon be pulled down when we finally start building our new house... But it is some space none-the-less!
The table is currently covered with my miniature shell fragments, and I have some shell collages underway: yay! I enjoy doing these... at the moment they are just as 'gifts' for people I know, but hopefully eventually I will get to make more and sell some. The one for my daughter was obviously the first one I ever made and it is pleasing to see that she really enjoys gently touching the shells that make up each letter... I am pretty sure she is inheriting my aesthetic eye for miniature natural objects... And hopefully before too long she will be able to help me collect just the right shells from the beach to do these collages!
I have also started doing some paper-mache too! I love using recycled materials, and paper and cardboard is definately a passion of mine. The whole paper-mache process can be rather tedious and slow, not to mention sticky! But I have discovered that I can do minuscule amounts of it sitting on a table outside whilst T plays in the garden... She enjoys trying to do some too, she likes playing with the ripped up paper - though when she gets her hands on the glue it is much more hazardous! She managed to tip a reasonable amount of my watered down PVA glue all over herself the other day... not sure if those overalls will ever be the same again!
It sounds a bit boring, but I am making paper-mached boxes to store T's toys and items in, using her nappy boxes cut in half. The plan is that when finished they can be labelled and decorated for their specific storage purpose... and hopefully we will be able to keep things neater and more organised in the house, as well as 'craftier'! Also making some little people and house things to play with, and the 'cafe kit' will be papermached a lot, but progress on that has become stagnant of late...
Kite painting and flying
It was a beautiful day at Currimundi Lake last Saturday - and to celebrate Environment Day there was an activity planned to come and paint your own kite and then fly it!Sounded great - so I eagerly booked a kite to paint...
The artist in me came armed with some rough sketches of designs, and imagined being able to paint on a beautiful white silk kite...
I was somewhat disappointed to find that the painting area was a piece of tarp lying on the ground, and there were a few poster paints in plastic containers and chunky foam brushes... It was designed for kids, but still a table would have been good!
So, seeing though my 2 year old was still fast asleep (and not that developed with her painting skills yet) - I managed to get my heavily pregnant body down on the ground with the other kids and fight for some space to paint my little paper kite (no, not silk unfortunately!) I chose my simplest bold 'frog' design, as my colours and paint-brush range was rather limited - and produced a kite!
By the time it had dried and been assembled properly, T arrived with her dad to come and fly it... Unfortunately the wind had died down a lot, and little T didn't quite grasp the concept that a kite should fly up high in the air... She preferred it on the ground and with her hands holding the tail, and would get a bit upset when it actually got up in the air and further away from her!
But it was a fabulous afternoon - and I am well inspired to get my hands on some lovely silk and silk paints in the future and produce a whole lot more kite deisigns... One day!
In the meantime - our froggy kite is living in the boot of our car and getting pulled out whenever we are at the beach or the park and there is a bit of wind about!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Homemade Sausage Rolls
Due to the success of these at T's recent birthday party, and any other event they go to. Here's the recipe for those who've asked. Enjoy!
Homemade sausage rolls
Ingredients:
1 kg Sausage meat
2 eggs
1 clove garlic
1 large onion
Chopped fresh parsley & basil
1 grated carrot
salt / pepper
2 tbs soy sauce or worcestor sauce
2 tbs tomato sauce
¼ cup breadcumbs
3 sheets of puff-pastry
Sesame seeds
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Mix ingredients together thoroughly and let sit for 1/2 an hour to let all the flavours settle in together.
- Cut pastry sheets in half, lay mixture on and roll, so that overlapped edge sits on the bottom.
- Brush top with a little egg yolk or butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
- Slice into appropriate sizes and place on flat oven tray.
- Whack them in the oven for 15-20 mins and enjoy the smell wafting through your house... mmmmm.
*** Feel free to improvise with some of the ingredients – try mixing different herbs, or vegetables, even add a little grated cheese, etc.
*** Please note: this makes a very LARGE quantity! Quite suitable for a birthday party – don’t make the mistake of doubling the qty otherwise you’ll be making and eating them for days and days! Even halve the quantity for a regular amount!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Where did the last week go??
Somehow a whole week has disappeared!!! I think I had a good week... but somehow half the usual and main things that occur during the week didn't quite happen...
Most of the food in my fridge (what little is there!) seems to be out of date... The ironing pile is EMORMOUS! The house generally looks like a bomb has hit it... with a few odd clear places present where I have tried...
My desk is a mess, have to dig under a pile of papers and unopened mail to find my computer - but that is normal...
And I just can't think where the whole week went to!??
Getting scared... I am over 33 weeks pregnant now... if the next few weeks disappear in the same way, then I'll be left holding a new baby pretty darn soon! - At least the baby won't need the mouldy food in the fridge... shame about the rest of the family's nutrition!
Oh, one significant event of the past week is that my new freezer in the garage got turned off by mistake - so all the extra food that I had started to cook and store for baby's arrival had to get eaten quick! Now I have to start all over again...
Most of the food in my fridge (what little is there!) seems to be out of date... The ironing pile is EMORMOUS! The house generally looks like a bomb has hit it... with a few odd clear places present where I have tried...
My desk is a mess, have to dig under a pile of papers and unopened mail to find my computer - but that is normal...
And I just can't think where the whole week went to!??
Getting scared... I am over 33 weeks pregnant now... if the next few weeks disappear in the same way, then I'll be left holding a new baby pretty darn soon! - At least the baby won't need the mouldy food in the fridge... shame about the rest of the family's nutrition!
Oh, one significant event of the past week is that my new freezer in the garage got turned off by mistake - so all the extra food that I had started to cook and store for baby's arrival had to get eaten quick! Now I have to start all over again...
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