More sharing

Today I want 2 give a shout out 2 The Parental Intelligence Newsletter. The latest issue just arrived into my inbox & I thought I should share in case you haven't stumbled across it yet.  Always full of good reading :)

Dear Santa...

You know there's a problem when your 4 year old writes a letter to Santa (in July!) asking if he could "please have some new undies." Lol & whoops! Guess what I'm doing tomorrow ;)

{ image: Du Pareil au Meme }

Dealing with Conflict

Hug & Lovely are great brothers. They honestly adore each other. But there are certainly lots of moments in our day to day lives where you just wouldn't know it. Fights erupt out of nowhere & people feelings are hurt. I know that it's the story of a million - a billion! - brothers around the world but it can be hard to watch when it's your own children.

So I appreciated reading this new blog post on mariamontessori.com today entitled 'Break it Up & Break it Down'.

Sometimes we all need a reminder that we need to be the voice of calm amid a tumultuous storm and look at each of these moments as a true learning opportunity. Learning to deal with people is hard. It's hard as an adult! - & it's especially hard if you are only 4 - but it is within the safe cocoon of our own families that our children will learn the skills that they will carry for a lifetime.

Single-tasking

A monk from The Gyoto Monks of Tibet displays calm focus on the task of creating a sand mandala in celebration of The Dalai Lama's 75th birthday at The Crystal Castle, Mullumbimby. July 2010.

Isn't it funny - we spent our bn (before-now) lives impressing ourselves with our ability to multi-task & suddenly the simple idea of being able 2 *single task* is completely lust-worthy.

I was just reading this article from the Zen Habits blog & really feel an affinity with it. While I am loving & embracing our new social media reality I also acknowledge how flighty & unfocused it makes me feel at times.

It used 2 be a case of hanging out waiting 4 the postman 2 come or maybe the old-skool landline phone to ring* to add some sparkle into our day - particularly if we full-time parent or work from home - but now there is entertainment, intellectual stimulation & fleeting or heart-felt connection available 24/7.

What are we losing in the gaps...? & how are we going 2 ensure that we don't completely sacrifice the delicate art of focussed concentration in a world that only promises 2 get big, bigger & big-gig-ier by the minute?

I would love 2 hear your thoughts :) x


* = does anyone actually still use theirs??

Artistic Inspiration

Last week after we got home from our trip we had a few days to enjoy the city-life before school went back & I decided I was brave enough to face a day at the Art Gallery  ;)

It was the BEST decision ever. LOVED. 

The boys were AMAZiNG... We were there for almost 5 hours. Probably in the Paths to Abstraction exhibition for at 3 of those! The gallery provided a Kids Trail activity booklet & the boys threw themselves into these with all their heart & soul.

Earnestly observing & interpreting this iNSPiRED collection of art. I adore these images of them sprawled across the gallery floor completely unaware of the people around them. Immersion 101.

It was one of my favourite days ever. Granted, I was definitely a little frazzled at the end of it from containing their vibrant boy-ancy ;) but it was so worth it. 

Interestingly it was Lovely - who i don't usually see involving himself in artistic pursuits as much as Hug  - who was the most enamored with his own creations. More LOVE!

I had to promise Hug that we would go back as soon as possible & hire the kids audio guides 4 the general collection but between a planned return to Cockatoo Island for the Sydney Biennale (Amazing! We took the boys when it first opened & I'll try & post about it next wek) & a meet-up with friends to see this exhibition (below) I don't think it will be this weekend. Soon.

The Cell commissioned by Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation and presented in association with Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, is a hypnotic, immersive, large-scale installation.  A 12.5-metre by six-metre inflatable decorated both inside and out with Wiradjuri-op designs, The Cell requires viewers to don a patterned costum before crawling via a tunnel into its patterned, cushioned interior.

Dressing up 2 crawl through a tunnel 2 an internal jumping castle?? Now, THAT'S what we call ART! 

p.s. If I was in NYC (oh, sweet dreams!) I would be going 2 see Big Bambú at the Met. Amaze. Unfortunately that's not going 2 happen but luckily we can watch this youtube video instead :)

Goodnight lovely people. I hope life is treating you kindly. x

Seriously cute!

I'm a bit in-luv with these felt social media badges by sunflowerexpress on etsy :) 2 cute.

taking my breath away...

Home sweet home. It was the BEST trip. Love...

& here i find myself back & taking photos of flowers at 1.30 in the morning. So breathtaking. It's a funny, silly, happy, complicated life. x

Time flies...

Ahhh, this has been a funny year. Heading home tomorrow 4 the first time since we moved.... will be interesting. in lotsa ways. & how has it been weeks & weeks since i last posted?? sorry.

I have a busy day with lots 2 get organised & am feeling a bit overwhelmed & procrastinational ;) lol. 

but i just wanted 2 say hi! & post a few photos.

hope everyone has lots of LOVE in your hearts. xxx

the boardwalk

Today was a beautiful day spent by the water with Lovely & a special new friend I've made since we moved. I'm appreciating her friendship greatly :)

Ahhhh, & the weather is so perfect at the moment...

I'm off on a course tomorrow but maybe tomorrow night I'll find some time 2 start 2 post some photo's from the past few months. By the way, this photo is off my iphone - i haven't been able 2 find my camera battery charger in months!  :(

I hope the sun is shining in your part of the world too. x

Well, well, well. Fancy seeing me here!

Why, hellooooo everyone! Sorry i've been such a bad blogging mama ;) for the past 6 or so months ~ but I'm officially back with a new thirst 4 adventure & ... a new city 2 discover 2. We moved to Sydney in January & it's taken a while 2 get settled but I think we're finally there.

The boys are doing so well. There have been big changes for both of them but most notably for Hug who finished Kindergarten at his Waldorf Steiner school at the end of last year & started at a traditional state school for Class 1. We have been blessed to find a Steiner Family Day Care that Lovely can attend (1 day a week) & since Easter he has been attending a wonderful new preschool also. The preesk is 2 days a week & although it isn't officially a Montessori or Steiner program I feel it has lots of earthy elements that echo a lot of the things I love about both.

All in all things are progressing nicely... though I'm certainly still getting used 2 a lot of the finer details of life in a traditional school. I'm sure I'll have lots to say about that in the future. Lol.

We haven't actively focused on Montessori or Steiner learning since we landed...  but I feel the tides turning over the past few weeks & I am implementing home-school again on Mondays & Tuesdays for Lovely & hoping that these lessons spill out into our wider lives.

Finally, a big *thank u* 2 the lovely people who have dropped me little messages over the past few months 2 say hello & make sure everything was okay & to the blogs that have continued to link to my pages (especially The Crafty Crow + The Montessori Goldmine + this list of the top 50 must-read Montessori blogs ).

Please say hello & throw me some iNSPiRATION! I want 2 hear what everyone is up to :) xoxo

Good morning!

well, hello! what a sweet surprise to wake up this morning & see that the Crafty Crow had featured my blog yesterday ~ thanx!

Amazingly i have been MiA from this blog 4 nearly 6 months now ... life has a way of taking your breath away sometimes ... But we are all happy & healthy & i will endeavour to start posting again soon.

Much love 2 the community out there. I would love 2 hear what u are up 2 :)