boxes

did i mention we are moving? of course, its a pregnancy tradition! we moved internationally the first time (at 28wks), interstate the second time (including renting temporally for 4 mths before finally moving into our new but falling down house 1 week after Baxter was born), and now the builder is finally ready to renovate so we are moving into rented accommodation for the duration of the build. it has been over 2 years in the planning and will be a hugely exciting development in our lives. i can't ever imagine living somewhere functional and gorgeous, however if all goes to plan sometime next year we will. wowzers! the 4.5 year journey from crazy childfree london life to settling down with (nearly) 3 kids in a proper house has been pure madness. its taken lots of little but stressful steps. we've barely drawn breath.

not a lot of packing has been happening so far. a combo of mum being too sick and the boys being too helpful.

wish us luck!!!

clickerty click

friday i get a luxurious few hours of kid free time. at the moment i am trying to get well following weeks of delightful flu & virus encounters. i seem to have become a welcome matt for local bugs. since i last blogged i have had post-flu sinusitis and a 24hr tummy bug (just when i was starting to feel better). i realise i am like a broken record and i'm so so so OVER it! so to take action i have been having acupuncture, a special pregnancy massage, resting whenever possible (as opposed to housework - the place is a tip!). you can see my greasy post massage hair above about to sit down to a nutritious lunch. it was a quick treat but i still managed to squeeze in some knitting whilst waiting for my food. i am really digging knitting. time is so precious that i hate for it to go to waste. i find it lovely and soothing to knit whilst waiting for things or relaxing in front of the TV (feels like less of a time squander).

am very proud of my first achievement. our fab knitting guru has chosen to guide us through these fingerless gloves as our first project. it has been a brilliant introduction to following a pattern and mastering a covertable end result.

here is the little pair i am currently doing for winter. the wool is lovely its quite textured & bobbly with interesting flecks through it. covers up all sorts of mistakes. only problem with the knitting is it means i have been spending less time blogging. tonight i have allocated an hour to the blog and commenting followed by a meditative hour of knitting & movie before bed. bliss!

sleepy

we are all still recovering from the flu. its unusual for winter to fall asleep during the day. we have all been napping & taking things slowly.

handy

got these great aprons with brush compartments from Dean's Art

anything with a tool compartment gets the thumbs up with these guys

mum likes to encourage art activities where ever possible

star wars

winter has been hassling us to take him to the 'star wars concert at scienceworks' as he called it. we finally booked some tickets and took 2 very excited boys on a star wars mission this morning. its amazing how their interest in things they know nothing about can mount up via word of mouth. they have never seen the movies or had any SW toys but they are intrigued by anything to do with the phenomenon. the one thing that winter has and loves is the orchestral soundtrack (this is probably why he thought the show would be a concert). outside scienceworks we were greeted by a storm trooper. both boys found this a little overwhelming with baxi wedging himself firmly behind me.

waiting the the queue mum proudly showing off her freshly knitted fingerless gloves (will do a separate knitting report so i can showcase them properly)

the show was disappointing. mostly costumes and models behind glass and nothing directed at young kids (apart from the toys shop that has to be walked through when exiting). there seemed to be a robotics theme with demonstrations that were more suitable to teenagers and adults. the audience however seemed to be mostly geeky star wars fans who were dads accompanied by bewildered young kids. we were a perfect example.

the boys were drawn to this 'snow monster' which was accompanied by film footage of the monster attacking an man on a space horse as the boys put it (anything violent and gory is fascinating esp as mum and dad normally switch such stuff off). the sets and costumes were very evocative for us but didn't hold such meaning for the boys beyond being monsters and spaceships.am hoping the magic show I have them booked into next week will be more appropriate

family flu

we all have the flu. not a cold but the real deal flu. shivery, shuddery freezing then hot dripping fevers, aching all over, can't look at the light, headaches, weakness, depression the list goes on. stay away people you don't want this one. we don't know if its swine flu but the doctors aren't even testing for it anymore.

mum has been hit the worst closely followed by baxi. yesterday i thought i was dying and couldn't believe the doc didn't send me off to emergency in the stretcher. have all been prescribed bed rest. yesterday i literally couldn't lift my head so luckily rich felt able to hold the fort with the help of the modern parental godsend DVDs. today we are tag teaming it all limping around. am very boarded about posting about being sick as i am sure you all are about reading about it. hopefully once we are over this it will be happy stories to follow.

phew

to me it was like seeing a little person lying on the side of the road when i spied winter's bear on the way home from kindy. winter was devastated to find his bear missing on arrival and i had a sinking feeling that this time the bear had escaped for good. its such a comfort to him that i feel very emotionally attached to him too.

this is actually bear mark II. originally winter has a polar bear with a hard little shiny nose that he would rub on his lips as a going to sleep ritual. this bear was made by pa following winter's grief at losing the original (there is a very sweet video here of winter receiving his new bear here). the shinny button nose sealed the deal back then when he was two and he feel in love again quickly. somehow now i don't think a replacement will cut it so i try to keep very close tabs on this little guy.

thrifting

took these photos a while back during katiecrakernut's op shop week. i was on a mission to hit an op shop where we would all come out winners. the boys find something special to take home and so does mum, a win win situation.

the boys love a 'treasure shop' outing

baxi came out with a rather lame spiderman and winter score a pool noodle and a dinosaur transformer (also a little lame). note winter's bear poking out of his jumper, bear is coming everywhere at the moment.

sometimes mum gets a window to riffle through some racks and find herself a treasure but sadly today the boys were being too high maintenance. here is winter whacking b with the noodle, note b has one shoe - should give u an idea of how things rolled inside the shop whenever my back was turned.

donations

i had a few spare mins yesterday so i quickly went about documenting a couple of gems that have come my way recently. this floral jacket came through the post courtesy of emily who lived in Northcote but recently moved home to the UK. she is a much missed mum from round the hood who i met through the natural parenting playgroup that she ran. her sweet note that came with the jacket described how she spied it in a local op shop, noted the padded shoulders, the 90's floral and matching high waisted trousers and knew instantly that they belonged with me. she left the tag attached so i could see what a bargain they were (about 4 ponds - wish i could remember exactly how much but it got tossed aside in my excitement when trying it on).

it is jacket heaven that is spot on trend, i love how the strength of the power shoulders juxtapose with the feminine floral print. a super primo retro score! nice work emily i will get so much use and enjoyment from this number thank you!

will be fab in spring over dresses, but layers up nicely now too (this is how i wore it today). looking forward to rocking the trousers too when the bump disappears.

next on my list of international floral deliveries is this spectacular silk jumpsuit. a birthday pressie from favorite cousin (or sister as we like to say) emma who knows me very well despite living on the other side of the world. the kids got home just as i snapped this so i didn't get to experiment with other combinations. am looking forward to wearing it in warm weather as I think it will be gorgeous to shimmy around in all on its own. it feels very luxurious and elegant to wear and i love the vibrant purple, floaty frills and classic rose print. too cute! thank you darling what a treat xxx

19.5 weeks

here is a very overdue pregnancy report. mum is still suffering from a very drawn out and boring fluey virus which has been hanging around going and coming back for over 3 weeks now. i guess my body is too busy making the baby to bother clearing out the bugs and return me to full strength. so have been having lots of early nights and nanna naps rather than blogging. its a shame because these middle weeks should be my best ones now that the morning sickness has mostly gone and i'm not too big yet. another complaint (for those who are still bothering to read through this list!) is that my pelvic instability is getting worse making daily life a little challenging. i can't lift anything (the boys hate me sitting down to cuddle them and refusing to carry them), can't stand for long (have to sit instead), i can't walk very far before aggravating the condition and kicking off pain, definitely can't walk up hills, push the pusher very far, etc etc the list goes on.

this pelvis problem puts me into a situation that i imagine must be a little like having an aging body but an active mind. i want to walk up the hill and normally if i set my mind to a physical act i can pull it off, push myself mentally to achieve physically. it doesn't work like that anymore. its like my body stops listening and loses power, i can't force myself to get up that hill despite the pain, everything just gets slow and wobbly and i need to sit down. very strange. luckily if i manage myself well and drive everywhere, be very bossy from a seated position etc i can keep it all under control. by giving birth eventually things should slowly return to normal with a big instant improvement.

my baby is busy wriggling around in comfort oblivious to the trouble his ride is suffering. winter is very interested in my bump and loves kissing it and talking to the baby. baxter is showing interest too but seems to think he also has a baby in his tummy which is far more fascinating than mine.

i had another scan on saturday and am pleased to report the baby is looking perfectly healthy and happy. the boys came in with us to see the ultrasound. they were very well behaved and it was lovely to give them a grown-up opportunity to join in and to further understand what the family is up to. winter took it all in and now says funny random things in a very earnest way like 'mummy its good the baby has a head' (we explained that the doctor has to check the baby is healthy by measuring everything and he heard comments like here is a hand, here is another hand etc).

i took these photos last night after getting dressed up for a dinner out with friends (turns out i got the night wrong but that's another story...). note the flat shoes as demanded by the dodgy pelvis. my shirt is a shimmery bronze silky 90's number with massive padded shoulders. it's was an op shop score made around christmas time that has been patiently waiting in my wardrobe for me to work out how i am going to wear it. i often buy things that i am drawn to but don't yet quite know how to incorporate into my look. now it seems just the right thing to pop on with my sequins leggings and create a jazzy evening-appropriate vibe.

the fabulous oscar winning op shopper katiecrackernuts is hosting a week long dedication to the art of op shopping (thrifting) which i plan to participate in further despite the week drawing to a close (surely a week is too short for such an important topic?). if you have any op shopping stories or trophies to brag about, get involved and link to her blog. share the love and stay tuned for my contribution.

dedicated

i have been offline for the last two nights busy on a sewing mission. my deadline was a superhero party today that winter was really excited about. i think the theme was partly inspired by winter when he wore the batman dress-up prototype i made recently to kinder, he friend jules was impressed and wanted batman to come to his party so he could come as spiderman etc. note the cape has elastic wrist straps for flappy bat behaviour.

here are two super cute incredibles homemade dressups i couldn't resist snapping at the party today.

birthday boy Jules and winter showing me their muscles.

the mask here is from the prototype done in a light fabric that got too crushed and didn't hold its shape. i wanted to try the pattern (created by me) again in a heavier velvet which worked really well for the cape 2nd time round. now i need to re-make the mask so all the fabric's match. i am really really proud of my sewing achievements as i am a big time beginner who can't follow a normal pattern to save myself so have to strike out on my own.



i went to big lengths to work out how to create a hooded mask. here is a shot my newbie genius in action. i thought if i could figure out the shape in paper i would then have the pattern ready to go. i have no idea if this is a common approach to pattern making?

winter if u are reading this in 10 yrs time please note how much your mother loves you and was willing to apply herself selflessly to achieving a happy superhero 4 yr old (his joy was was well worth every min)

pressie

i'm feeling much better today. just in time to hit the city after dropping off the boys at various childminding depots for a couple of blissful hours of 'me time'. somehow i found myself in the claude maus shop trying on this fab fake fur (edit its actually a merino wool skin i have since discovered, explains why its soooo lush) wrap vest. its beautifully draped and very roomy (bump friendly). the fake fur (wool) has been distressed giving it an authentic cave girl look that contrasts with the elegant but ragged shape.

the padded shoulders on my jumper were a bit bulky underneath

here is is sitting better over a fitted jumper

having some birthday $ burning a hole in my purse (thanks dad), this little number came home with me and will be photographed properly shortly. very lucky happy girl! (note i am normally a 100% thrift girl but I fear the tide is turning in a very financially dangerous but more grown up direction, i think its best to see this as a nod in the direction of 'slow fashion' movement see discussion about this topic in The Age online here and on katiecrackernuts's blog here)

crush

i'm having a fling with knitting. we are in the initial lusty can get enough stage at the moment. here is a shot of my knitting sitting on my lap on the train today (during a rare child free moment). my sewing group has decided to branch out for a month and do a knitting intensive with one of Bec's talented friends who is an artist and an expert knitter. she is starting us off with fingerless gloves. i'm excited as i rekkon this project is far more exciting than the traditional scarf starter. another bonus that comes with my new passion is that the quilted 70's knitting bag I have had stashed away gets to come out with me waiting for a moment to be whipped out and brighten up the day.

here are some sadly dimly lit shots from our first lesson at Bec's house. unfortunately you may not be able to clearly make out the hysterical intense concentration looks we all had on our faces (note also bec's burgeoning bump).

emma above was a little ahead of the rest of us total beginners so managed to compose her face elegantly.

cosy spread of homebaking laid out on a 70's tablecloth set the mood perfectly. it was such a lovely night. can't wait for our next date.

older

this was about as exciting as my birthday got on friday (although i did also manage to have a lovely lunch with some girlfriends in the unseasonal sunshine). we got a delish organic apple cake from loafer and shared it whilst watching the sunset and the boys race their bikes round the velodrome on the merri creek.

sadly we cancelled bbsitting, dinner plans and rich's surprise adventure he had planned the next day. hopefully we will re-schedule celebrations to next weekend when i am sure we will be feeling fit and fabulous again.

ps planning to post a pregnancy report soon

fishing

we are all still sick (week 2). can't seem to throw off the concrete style blocked noses, croaky throats and fatigue. rich and i took it in turns to sleep whilst the other child minded over the weekend. mum wasn't impressed to find last sat that dad had let the boys get into the pond at ceres whilst i was busy doing my vegi shop.

it was chilly and the boys probably didn't need to get quite so close to the fish

they were so happy however that i could see why rich found it hard to say no

derelique

last night we went to a recession themed dinner party. the idea was to get a free babysitting favour and bring a plate & dress as bums. we stood around a bonfire, sat on chinese laundry bags, drinks were served out of the bottle in brown paper bags and we all looked hysterical.

rather than dress in rags i decided to go gutter glam in my bin bags and chux tie-belt. my fav detail was the earrings which are bottle tops hanging on a loop of string round my ear.

it was a fantastic night out, the highlight being delicious food & great company, luckily the cooking & good humour didn't suffer as a result of the GFC

inventive

my job is often made rewarding by the funny wacky things the boys do on a daily basis. here winter had asked me out of the blue to sticky tape a playdough sausage to a hat he had pulled out of somewhere.

bromance

we have all had a virus this week, winter calls it the volcano bug because it debuts with a high fever (followed shortly by croaky throat and snot rivers). winter was feeling worried about baxter following his floppy fever day and asked to cuddle him just like daddy does. it was very cute to see them enjoying a cuddle.

these two are normally in fierce competition so mum rekkons signs of love are worthy of documentation

cosy

here i am in a peaceful little oasis of cosiness. heater cranked to hawaii, steaming cup of vanilla rooibos tea, no one climbing on me, lots of cushions and my new favorite things - my ugg boots. i picked up some thrifted uggies for the boys at a beachside op shop recently and have been wanting some for myself ever since. we have a draughty old falling-apart house with limited heating so my feet often feel cold (not to mention sore with all the running around that i do).

so i was more than a little excited when Whooga contacted me about sending some to honestly review on the blog (a first for home girl). yay no probs! they arrived in a beautifully presented box. the thing i instantly loved about them is that they are made in Australia out of real sheepskin. they are the real deal, natural fibres and quality construction making them super lux and a completely different breed to the kmart synthetic china sweat shop versions.

this is a more home girl typical scene, cosy cuddles inamongst some sort of shambolic scene

family ugg love! i can highly recommend real ugg boots like Whooga's. it feels like having a cloud of warm fuzzy softness around your feet.

in the hope of making a chilly long kinder committee meeting more bearable i neglected to take them off when i ventured out last night shhhh

shazam

i spent some time in the garden today after bringing home some plants from CERES. i was out of pots so i made the effort to convert some thrifted wooden bowls into pots.

i got out the drill and 5 mins later had some gorgeous new pots that will hopefully weather well.