Friday, February 08, 2013
If I lift my gaze from the floor I am met with simple vignettes in summery hues. My eyes rest here for a while before they return to Poet, and the trail of knicks knacks she leaves in her wake.
The accomplishment that comes from tidying and rearranging is short-lived when you're a mum. You clean only to look around and find that it's all been turned upside down again; a slapstick comedy routine of sorts.
When Che was younger I used to take him to a Steiner playgroup where we would bake bread, sing songs and sit under a towering liquid amber sipping chai. It's one of my favourite memories from his toddler years and the experience really inspired my parenting. I remember the teacher, a wise woman in her sixties, encouraging us to sing as we went about the housework. "You want to encourage your children to mimic you, help you, and they will if they perceive it as a happy task," she said.
I can so easily fall into the habit of "tsking" as I clean - it's not exactly the sweetest song. Over the last few days I have been more mindful though and my little shadow has started helping, as if on cue. Poet's favourite job is emptying the dishwasher but she's rather partial to mopping up spilt water too. Yesterday as I wiped down the windowsills she was beside me, doing the same.
Cleaning with children is not efficient work; it usually takes twice as long and often requires enormous amounts of patience. Encouraging a five-year-old to pick up all the lego can easily be the most frustrating task of the week. However, I'm mindful of the roles we all play in the home. Responsibility is important - we all contribute to the mess, we should all contribute to the tidy-up.
This week, as I tentatively stepped into the role of "school mum" I was met by three new words. The first was "ipod," followed closely by "pocket money."
So tell me, do you encourage your toddler to clean up after themselves - to pack away toys and put their shoes/coat/bag in the right place? Do your older children have set chores and are they rewarded with pocket money? If so, what's the going rate?
update: I've just been informed that Che & Fidel has been nominated for the Best Family & Kids Blog over at Apartment Therapy. If you have a spare minute I'd love your vote....please.
update: I've just been informed that Che & Fidel has been nominated for the Best Family & Kids Blog over at Apartment Therapy. If you have a spare minute I'd love your vote....please.
Labels: corners of my home
Monday, June 18, 2012
Daniel slammed down the brakes of the car a few weeks ago when I squealed at the sight of a dolls house sitting out the front of a garage sale. It was $20 and a dream come true.
Labels: corners of my home , decorating , handmade , thrifting
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
I've collected bits and pieces for their simplicity and beauty and together they have imbued the space with a sense of whimsy and calm. Hand-stitched vintage blue shoes, a bird painting by em, a bear of few words and the cute (and cheap!) rabbit night light make a sweet bedside vignette. The pillowcases are made from vintage linen, as is the bunting, both by hazyjane. Fliss sent Luna as a gift and those vintage books (Little Women, PollyAnna, Anne of Green Gables) look right at home on a thrifted bookshelf that I found years ago for a rather nice $6.
There is a little space next to the window, just above the bed head, that needed an artwork of some sort. I decided to frame my favourite photo from our first session with Tim. It represents such a beautiful time in our lives - full of expectation and love as we awaited Poet's arrival. No doubt there will be many nights that I talk to her about my belly, her birth, and the way she changed our lives, forever. And then she'll fall asleep under a ceiling decorated with heart garlands and a stars and moon mobile.
Photos by Tim.
Labels: corners of my home , poet's room
Monday, April 09, 2012
Musical rooms.
We recently moved the dining table into a corner of the lounge-room to make space for a new home-made trestle table and two computers. It makes sense to have our 'work space' in the middle of the play/cook/eat/ space - I can write, Daniel can edit and we can still be amongst it all. When quiet and calm is necessary Daniel takes the kids downstairs to read or nap and I try to not get distracted by the view (there's a small forest in our backyard).
I've also decluttered. I love a good declutter. As a result we have less stuff and more clean space. I decorated Che's room with colour and quirk - a string of pom poms, vintage striped bed linen, raindrops and illustrated art prints. He has a desk built-in to the wardrobe so he can draw and paint there uninterrupted (I still have to photograph it - soon, I promise).
Poet's room is still a work-in-progress but slowly and surely it's all coming together (more on that tomorrow).
For now, as glorious autumn days creep in, we're loving being at home and playing in the garden. It's nice to see the (almost) completion of a project. Until of course I get re-inspired and it all changes again. Beautiful ephemera.
Photos by Tim, film by Daniel
Labels: corners of my home
Saturday, March 03, 2012
I'm aiming to create a calm, whimsical room that encourages beautiful play and restful sleep. For a cancer baby born in the water Poet has a significant amount of fire within, hence the need for a soft slumber space.
A few things that have already been collected:
- her knockknock name sign
- her bespoke quilt
- apple papple and paris are in line at the picture framers
- linen rabbit is waiting for pride of place on the bed
I've got a few heart garlands tucked away, some sweet alphabet cards, a few vintage books and, of course, a (small) bundle of toys. I'm in no rush to complete it...rather, I'm enjoying the 'coming together' of it all.
But there's just one thing I'm undecided on - is this cute or creepy?
Labels: corners of my home , poet's room
Friday, February 10, 2012
I've probably chosen the worst possible time to embark on such a move because Poet has just started commando crawling. Everywhere. She's doing a good job of cleaning the floor though - she's covered in crumbs, hair and fluff every time I pick her up. Disgusting, yes. Productive? Very.
One reason for said move is Che's obsession with Lego. It is, without doubt, one of the best toys that has ever been created. But Lego is small. Tiny, tiny, little, little and perfect for our inquisitive seven-month-old. So Che has moved into what was the office - there's a desk for him to create at and plenty of floor space for Lego construction. The one rule? Lego is not allowed, in any circumstance, to pass his bedroom door.
What was Che's room will soon be Poet's. Currently it's brimming with stuff and I-don't-know-where-to-put-it's. Today I sorted all the newborn clothes (sniff!) into storage containers and pulled out all of Che's old 6-12month clothes for Poet to wear this coming autumn/winter. There's lots of navy, grey and red. I'll add a bit of pink, lavender, mustard and cream and voila, a fabulous wardrobe for Poe.
As I've sorted and cleaned I've carried with me a natural cleaner that works a treat for rooms susceptible to dust and mould - a mixture of water, lemon juice, eucalyptus oil and clove in a spray bottle. It's been a life saver considering Daniel's allergies (we discovered this time last year that he is severely allergic to dust and mould) and it's good, as always, to know it's a natural and safe concoction (although often clove is not recommended during pregnancy).
If you're still awake and reading....
- I've joined Instagram (finally!) - I'm cheandfidel. Come say hi!
- I have to apologise to those of you that have asked me questions in past posts and haven't yet received a response. There's now a 'reply' option in the comments section so I'll be going through past posts (not all of them!) and answering your questions within the comment section.
- The kinfolk giveaway will be drawn on Sunday. If you want to extend your vocabulary take a trip through the comments - there's some fabulously strange and beautiful words in there (handy if you're playing scrabble anytime soon).
Chat soon...x
Labels: corners of my home , day-to-day
Monday, December 05, 2011
Che celebrated his school's annual Cultural Day on Saturday. Paying homage to Europe and all its rich offerings we had to dress as natives of our favourite European country. Considering the plethora of stripes in our wardrobes (washing basket) and my penchant for brie and baguettes, we opted for France, naturally. Bonjour!
I found the carpet in Che's room today and Poet looked on as I fumbled my way through paper/sticky tape creations, books and toys. I stopped for a few moments here and there to watch her discover her feet and realised that pom poms on booties make the best kind of toy (for a four-month-old). Regardless of her current sniffly nose she's still guzzling down the milk - and it's going straight to her cheeks. Seriously, those cheeks - you actually sink into them when you kiss them. I don't kiss, I smooch.
I love the rights that come with being the Muma. Smooches and eyeliner moustaches.
Labels: che , corners of my home , montessori , poet
Friday, October 07, 2011
I always envisioned a little dark-haired, bright-eyed girl that would be Poet. And now she's here. When a little gift arrived from Claire earlier this week I knew, in my heart, that Poet's name is perfect for her. Seeing it on that gorgeous knock knock sign up there (the floral! the blooms! the colours! the stitching!) was enough - she is most definitely Poet. We sometimes call her Poe, or Poe Poe or Poppet. Che calls her Baby or Sooky La-La. She may weave words, she may not. All I know is that she's weaved a lot of love into our family and our home.
Some things about Poet:
- She's a wriggler - a mover and a shaker
- e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e says: "Oh those lips!" when they meet her
- And then they say "Her eyes are so big!"
- She's very social, likes to be in on the conversation
- She drinks milk - a lot of milk, a lot of the time
- Her cheeks are getting mighty chubby
- She was born in the water, her birth sign is water and she is happiest in water
- Every night since she arrived she has slept next to me - oh so precious
- She reminds me that no matter what's going on in our life, we are so blessed
I'm all for filling our home with beautiful heirloom pieces that will be treasured by us and by our children. Poet will, no doubt, have her knock knock sign for ever. And there's something incredibly special about just that. Thank you Miriam for threading love into each and every (hand) stitch.
Labels: corners of my home , poet
Saturday, September 24, 2011
In the hours after her birth, when I was flying oh so high on those hormones, I couldn't quite believe that I had been blessed with a daughter. And while most of the time I was thinking about her eyes (that gaze!) and her lips (oh they're so kissable) and her perfect little body (that's mighty strong) I must confess that I was also thinking about vintage floral. Yep, floral fabrics. And a certain romper featuring a big, red strawberry on front. And the little dress I found an at op-shop years ago and bought 'just in case' I ever had a girl. There's actually a whole drawer full of those 'just in case's'. And then I started thinking about how we can, as muma and daughter, read Little House on the Prairie together. "Oh I have to get her a bonnet," I thought.
When I finally found the time to trawl through etsy (patience, I tell you) I stumbled across little betty designs and there it was...Poet's bonnet. It's beautifully crafted and damn gorgeous to boot. With summer fast approaching I'm pretty happy that it serves as a good sun hat too. So thank you Christy for making it with such care...it will be cherished!
Little Poppet in her bonnet...
As for Che, bonnet's aren't really his thing but hanging out under the bed is. He takes his lego under there and sets up a little town complete with make believe characters and intriguing plot lines. Imagination is a wondrous thing.
Labels: che , corners of my home , poet
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Poet is nine weeks today. Yesterday I packed away the 0000s. Today she is cooing and ahhing and smiling and sighing. She's far cuter than the creature that decided to share our home this morning.
What would you do if you woke to your almost-four-year-old calling from the lounge room: "Mum, there's a snake on the windowsill."
You wouldn't believe him would you. Because it's just shy of 7am and you're all sleepy.
But then he says it again and you think to yourself that it's probably best you check it out.
So you wander up there expecting to find a worm or a skink (small lizard creature) and instead there is a 2 metre diamond python sunning himself on the outside windowsill while your child sits on the couch reading - completely unperturbed.
"See Mum, a snake," he says.
"Oh, a snake," you say.
And then for the next hour there's text messages to a friend who knows reptiles, a visit from neighbours in their pjs and the wondering of where it's been living and where it intends to go next.
Diamond Pythons are perfectly safe and even a little bit shy. They keep mice and rats at bay so if you're not completely freaked out, they're good to have around.
Our newest addition meandered back to the roof which is where he's probably been sleeping all winter. And perhaps it's where he'll stay. Oh!
Labels: ché , corners of my home , poet
Sunday, September 18, 2011
We are self-confessed homebodies. We love being at home, pottering about, moseying from one thing to the next. Daniel and I both work from home too and we count ourselves incredibly lucky that we can earn money and spend our days with our children. While our house is not nearly as design savvy as some, we love it for it's comfort, practicality and quaint-appeal. Our style is stamped on every wall.
Over time, with Che growing up and Poet arriving, we've had to change a few things. I've been really inspired by the Montessori philosophy that a child's independence should be encouraged and nurtured. You'll see in that first photo up there that Che's raincoat, hat, beanie, bag and umbrella are hanging on little timber hooks at his height. A simple addition to his room but absolute genius! Why? Because when we're about to leave the house (always a rather time-consuming procedure with a little one in tow) I ask him to go get his hat etc. and he knows exactly where it is and can reach it on his own. There's a vintage bookshelf near our front door and the bottom shelf is his designated "shoe shelf" - when we arrive home from an outing the first thing he does is take his shoes off and put them on the shelf, followed closely by the hat/bag/umbrella going back on the hooks.
The Montessori classroom has everything at a child's height and since being introduced to this idea I've made sure that all of the things that Che needs in his day are easily accessible to him. The bottom row of our expedit bookshelf features four baskets with luggage tags on each: "cars and trucks," "puzzles," "blocks" and "music and puppets." He just helps himself throughout the day. His lego is stored in clear containers behind the couch along with a basket of toys and his teepee. His art and craft supplies are on his vintage desk and his play oven is close to the kitchen. Our house is child-friendly, decorated with family photos (more to come), Che's artwork and quirky prints.
When Daniel and I first moved out together (four months after meeting each other) we didn't even own a toaster. Since then we have collected bits and pieces that we love. We haven't spent much money and we've kept it all quite simple. Delightfully so.
Everything has been chosen for its wonderful blend of practicality and aesthetic appeal, remebering always that beauty is found in simplicity - a collection of shells on a windowsill, a single flower in a glass bottle, a child's colourful painting.
Photos by you know who
Labels: corners of my home , family , montessori , simplicity , tim coulson
