Introducing Buster B!

A few days ago I told you about my new collaborative project with da' boys: creating facebook pages (which I will run in association with my Rainbow Mama page) for their own creative / fun / exploration / work / play.

Hug's page is called BUSTER B CREATIVITY STUDIO :)

You can follow, share and like it here.

He enjoys sketching characters; pouring over the Pixar catalogue he bought in Paris and old Disney books. Phantom comics and retro star wars. He also loves Lego and will most likely want to feature some of his wacky vehicles and inventions. Please show him your support! xo

p.s. L's page is Kingsley Tiger and you can link to it here.

106/365 Wait - This Isn't Summer!!

So the rain was definitely short-lived and by Wednesday we were back to this gloriousness. 

Hello! Wow, as much as I love exploring the world I have to admit that living somewhere that celebrates Autumn like this makes me feel very spoilt indeed.

Thanks to Hug and beautiful India for enjoying it so authentically for my camera ;)

105/365 Energy To Burn!

Are you ready for the splashdown?!

We were the only ones at the local pool yesterday. A whole pool all for ourselves! It could have had something to do with a morning of rain - which diverted us to the library - but suddenly the rain clouds departed and the sun came out and there we were... Boys need to be physical (I know that girls do too but I am constantly amazed by how much energy boys have to burn) and even one day of house-y puzzle fun must be countered with a good play. No matter how chilly the water may be!

I stayed out, trying to read my book - or at least keep it dry - and admiring the surroundings. There is something so retro and cool about public pools don't you think? That turquoise blue always makes me smile :)

90/365 New Adventures

Today.

Today was the first day of our new adventure. Today my beautiful boys started school. Our family's adventures in homeschooling have been some of the most wonderful years of my life. And the most  exhausting, lol, but I am eternally grateful for these extra years spent in each other's gaze. I am taking comfort in the knowledge that we have so much "home-and-world-learning" (as I'm calling it ;) ahead of us together as a family... there are still many adventures to come! They'll just fit around a more traditional schedule of holidays and school hours. 

The best part? Both boys are excited and happy. I am so proud of them :) We picked them up this afternoon, rushed them out for icecream, and - I never thought I'd be saying this but - I think they look super-cute in their uniforms! #love.

86/365 It's All About The Hair

Wow.

Hug decided to get his hair cut short. His first back and sides. And, even though I lurve his hair wild and curly (he really has awesome thick hair which he clearly gets from his dad) I am shocked by how much I like it! Oh my, I think we are going to have a hearbreaker on our hands! xx

80/365 Cheeky Devils

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart.

In my rush to get the boys and myself packed, ready and out the door early on Friday morning I - gasp - forgot to grab my charging-overnight camera battery... Eeeek. So, a day with no camera means (seeing that I'm the only one setting the rules to this #photoaday2014 challenge :) that I get to post a cute photo from last week in Tasmania. Look at these two cheeky devils!! This hall of the museum will stay in my mind for a long time because it was while we were in there that Hug voiced his personal decision to return to being vegetarian. Unlike his friend here, the Tasmanian Devil. They actually have a sample of Tassie Devil poo on display - the thing that looks just like a stick to the left of this image - but close up? Close up it is full of bones and echidna spikes and... teeth! #ouch :)

73/365 The Kangaroo Kid

First things first. I did not take this photo. But it IS my choice for today's #photoaday2014 :D

This is 10 year old Hug's work. I don't think I realised what an up-and-coming photographer I had on my hands until I saw this shot! Oh, to be 10 and so talented :)

Having travelled north from Hobart we are now staying in the Tamar Valley just outside of Launceston in a quirky little faux-Swiss-village called Grindelwald. We have out own little Swiss chalet (you can see a few more images on my instagram) and a run of animals at our doorstep; masses of wild rabbits, ducks and just on the other side of a little fence - kangaroos! 

Hug has been asking to use my camera, and he's obviously got a natural eye for composition as well as the patience needed to capture great animal images. Now to find some kids photography competitions for him. Does anyone have any recommendations? x

72/365 All Quiet In The Court

Hug channeling his inner-judge at the Penitentiary Chapel Courtrooms, Hobart.

65/365 Sydney Street Style

My boy is becoming a young man before my eyes! Amazing. 

Friendship

As promised.  Aren't these two lovely. 

49/365 Surprise Tooth Fairy Visit

Hug had an unexpected soirée with the tooth fairy!

Sudden onset toothache = Emergency dental appointment = Tooth extracted. Really?! We weren't expecting that! But apparently it was a tooth due to fall out at 10 anyway. And, having had to watch his brother loose a few recently he was rather pleased to cash in this baby :)

Interestingly the tooth fairy seems to pay more when teeth fall out at Nan's house...

43/365 Smile

There's not much about a hot-chocolate-inspired milk mustache that doesn't make me smile almost as brightly as this :)

(And I got Hug to agree to a photo. Hooray!)

28/365 Gamelan

Hug readily accepting an invitation to play one of the traditional Balinese Gamelan instruments on our last day in Bali. 

26/365 Happiness Yoga

Our last morning at Green Camp. 'Laughter Therapy'  and Happiness Yoga. Could there be a better way to start the day? 

2/365 Growing up

My darling Hug,

In many ways these months on the road have been both the hardest and the sweetest of days. We are a family of four strong personalities; living and learning and playing and travelling together with a unique intensity. Life can be messy.

But I wouldn't change it for anything... Spending these days with you is an immense privilege. Every day I catch a glimpse of you, like this one, your beautiful face under that trademark shock of hair and am reminded how big you are getting.

How your need for independance and autonomy is building. But that you still need care and compassion and understanding. And love. I hope I can find the grace to both hold you and release you. Already I know I won't be perfect in this task. Possibly not even great, no matter how much I might want to be. I notice myself starting to fixate so I adjust my bearings... It's not about me. 

It's about you my sweet boy. Your life is unfolding.

And I love you so much.

Gratitude | Our Children's Health

My boys are both sick.

Which is really unusual. They are a pretty robust lot, aside from a few gut health issues, so I'm finding this sickness business rather confronting.

Midnight and 4am hospital visits? Not on our usual schedule.

And not fun. Obviously. 

But, at the same time, there is nothing like mild sickness to bring great gratitude for the health that your children generally enjoy and that you realise you take for granted. 

Today I feel humbled. And grateful.

Grateful to have two strong boys who usually fly through the house full of energy & bounce off the walls and each other. Strong-wills and strong-emotions and strong-bodies. Who challenge my mind and my heart and my sanity (at times ;) but who have the world at their feet and their good health to take them on the journey. 

And I'm grateful for a public medical system where I can take my children to the emergency department in the middle of the night, see a doctor immediately and know that I won't be receiving a huge bill at the end of the visit. 

I'm grateful for my family and friends who have gone out of the way to be there for us at odd hours and with odd request and who have extended their love.

I feel grateful for my husband and the life we have created together. The family we have built. 

I am lucky. My boys will be okay. They both have a virus but it's playing out a bit differently for each of them so they have conflicting issues but hopefully we're through the worst of it.

Being a mama is amazing.heartbreaking.hilarious.hard.beautiful.exhausting and a million other adjectives that my sleep-deprived brain can't come up with right now. It is ever-changing. It is love in motion. 

To all of the mamas and papas and families who are struggling with their children's (or their own) health right now, in both big and small ways, I send you love, strength and compassion. May we all find a moment to stop and feel gratitude for the small blessings, honour ourselves, and then share our love with those who need it. A. x

Diary Days: The Younger Years

I came across some old diaries while I was packing last week.

This one was my favourite.

It was my day-by-day game-planner. Circa 2009.

Actually I am pleasantly surprised by my own level of organization back then. Lol. Is that telling? But they are so sweet. Such sweet memories caught in those pages. 

So, I thought I would share them here. 

With some photos of the boys from the same year. 

Be still my swelling heart. 

Ahhhhh... I love these photos.

They make me both happy and sad. I do miss having little bubbas... These boys are SO big now! - except they're not. I think these photos make me feel grateful of days past and equally grateful for what we are now - and remind me that one day I'll look back on now and feel the same.

Do you ever plan out your days? A. x