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Friday, January 30, 2015

A berry lovely day

A lovely Victorian overcast summer day spent with tiny fruit pickers and chins dripping of fresh berry juice. The little ones were left to roam free to find the reddest and blackest and juiciest of them all, most of them ending up in their bitty mouths, but a few gems made it to their baskets and were later turned into fresh warm berry crumble served with vanilla ice cream. 
Yummy Summer days shared with the ones we love. 
xo

Sunday, January 25, 2015

4/52

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2015"

Lottie Cakes: The cheekster.


Saturday, January 17, 2015

3/52

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2015"

Lottie Cakes: This week you officially became a little girl in Kinder (preschool to most of the world, but Kindergarten in Victoria). We packed your backpack, jumped on a tram and I held your tiny hand as I dropped you off to a new chapter in life. You looked so big that morning, so grown, you spoke so clearly and sat on the tram bench like a girl ready to take on the world, without a care in it. You are still the youngest and smallest, being only 2 (for another week) starting 3 year old Kinder but you held your own as you always do and I knew you were ready. You yelled "I love you mom!" as I walked away and turned to your new friends and said"It's okay, she'll come get me later", which turned the tears in my throat to a giggle and I walked away after blowing you a smooch with a huge smile on my face. It doesn't seem Ill have to worry about you my fiery little lady, you're ready for anything! 

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Book Club: January


Hand me down world (Lloyd Jones) - Lloyd Jones tells the story of the immense lengths a woman will go to in order to be with their child. The seas she'll cross, the acts she'll do all in the name of motherly love and a longing to be reunited with her baby boy. This story is told in such a beautiful way and unfolds so well through the words of everyone involved, I found myself reading this and feeling overwhelming emotions as I heard my own daughter playing and laughing in the background, reminding myself how lucky these moments are, how to never take these times for granted, asking myself what I would do given this woman's circumstances. Jones writing made it possible for me to feel what this woman was experiencing when she breathed in her little one, where her head must have been when she did the things that were necessary to get her to where she needed to be. This is a tale of love and loss and courage and you'll have a very hard time putting this one down. 

Barracuda (Christos Tsiolkas) - You may have heard of Tsiolkas from his best selling novel The Slap (If not pick it up read it - then watch the series - amazing). After you finish that and have successfully fallen in love with his style, grab a copy of Barracuda. This is a great interpretation of the class divides in modern Australia. This book takes you into the head of an adolescent boy in Melbourne from a working class household who is given a scholarship into an elite private school and the life that comes along with that. The emotions are so well depicted I was shaken after finishing this novel, the way he is able to make me, a 31 year old woman, feel so deeply the frustration and angst of a teenage boy is unbelievable. Christos has been quoted as being the most important writer working in Australia today and after reading this I'm sure you will agree.

The book with no pictures (B.J. Novak) - When Lottie received this book for Christmas from a dear friend of hers I was secretly delighted. As a fan of the American version of The Office I knew the authors name right away and couldn't wait to open it up. As the title goes, there are no pictures in this kiddies book, just text and silliness. In our household you can often hear Peppa Pig books being read to the voice of Gollum and other such absurdities, so this book suited us just fine. In this tale you'll have to pull out your silliest of voices, read all the ridiculousness printed on the pages and you will all ended up laughing hysterically by the end.

What are you reading? 

Monday, January 12, 2015

Rainy Days and Mondays

"A list of Distractions for your Monday Morn"

Listening ... to This and grooving with Tiny. 
Sewing up ... A couple of these flannel tops for getting cozy.
Cooking ... These Yummy Fish Tacos.
Saving ... This list for my next US road trip.
Printing ... out this fashionable little bunny for silly dress ups.
Loving ... This woman's kind reminding words of encouragement to all those new mamas out there.
Admiring ... This tiny converted space.
Saving the day ... and just in time, with this guide to keep the critters away naturally.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

2/52

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2015"

Lottie Cakes: Hiding from Monsters!
This week has found us home bound - due to me being unwell - and stuck on the couch, so we've had to make up ways to entertain between these four walls and our tiny courtyard back garden. You've chased away monsters, grooved to music with your tiny interpretive dance, made me pretend pancakes and cupcakes and cups of tea. Besides a few boredom meltdowns I believe all in all we've done pretty well. Our meals have simply been bowls of fruits and peanut butter on crackers but in my lowest moments you have opened your little arms and said "Aww, Come to Lottie" rubbing my back and kissing my forehead like I do when you're hurt or unwell. You are an untamed wild child but in the moments it counts most you have the biggest gentlest heart of anyone I've encountered and that makes your mama proudest of all. 

Sunday, January 4, 2015

1/52

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week in 2015"

Lottie Cakes: A picture of you my darling in the first light of day. I often get mistaken for your babysitter, little ginger fair skinned lady, one lady even went as far as to ask if you were my biological child at a playgroup we attended. That being said, personality wise, you are 100% mine. We love the same things, dancing uninhibited, good snacks, bubble baths, cuddles, stories, being in our birthday suits and most importantly .. sleeping in. This morn however I woke early - super early, pre-sunshine early - and about 20 minutes later I heard your little sweet hobbit feet walking down the hall after me. we hugged and giggled as the sun came up, scavenged in the cupboards, told each other about our dreams the night before and had a mini photo shoot where you showed me all kids of faces from "grouchy" to "sweetness". This photo you are just you, sleepy smiling eyes, looking at your mama as we share a fun hour by ourselves in the light of dawn before we passed out snuggled up on the couch until a far more appropriate waking hour. 

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Your firsts, My first.



I started this little space almost a year ago, you were turning two and we finally had things somewhat under control. You were walking, talking, communicating and things were all sliding into place and I was able to take a little time and document our days together. Reading other blogs I love the fact that they were able to document all those milestones and first, those exciting moments when everything changes and you take your first step off into the world or speak that first word that would turn into a million strung into one and eventually drive me into insanity and leave me pondering "do you EVER shut up little mouth?!" Moving into our new home and unpacking your gorgeous (still empty) baby book I had a pang of sadness that those memories would leave me and be lost forever in the abyss. I would start to account for them as other older parents I know who claim their little baby love was potty trained at 6 months and reading Tolstoy at 3. I can't lose these fleeting moments so here they are, documented - not in your lovely baby book - but on the world wide web, a far less romantic version, but at least not lost forever. 
Your firsts, My first..

Smile - We like to joke you came out smiling, you just always were. There's a fuzzy picture we hold dearly of you at 4 days old smiling widely and wiggling your little head back and forth squishy cheek to squishy cheek. 

Laugh - This one goes hand in hand with the first so Ill place them side by side. When you were about 4 months old I got a call from your daddy at the South American restaurant I was working at while we tried to save for our return to Australia. He told me to wait to hear the most beautiful noise that would ever touch my ears. Tears fell down my face in that concrete basement surrounded by cornflour and tortillas as I heard your little laugh, the one I still hold so dear, coming through the phone line. It was so tiny, like your little cries and gentle ways, I never knew a sound could bring so many overwhelming emotions, that daddy of yours, he wasn't joking. 

Roll Over - This one was a bit freaky. My grandmother was staying with us the first week you were born and we had you in a bassinet in the living room. She has a way of doing grandmother things I don't quite understand (like curling your baby hair on the top of your head with her spit and finger and so on...) plus I was completely baby-ignorant about the going ons of such tiny people. when I walked over to check on you and you were laying on your side I asked her what was the purpose of her placing you like that, directly on your side, arms out like frankenstein. She informed me you had done that all by yourself ... Now I am not a baby expert by any means but Im pretty sure 7 day old babes are not supposed to be doing things like that, freaky, also proof you were always on the move. 

Tooth - Your first chomper, luckily for me it came with your first birthday, around the same time you weaned your self from feeding. 

Word - Happy. Seriously, then followed with Happy Baby, on repeat. How sweet the sound. 

Walking - On Sundays with your papa working double shifts you and I would venture into the city, wander around Bourke Street listening to the buskers. When you were around 11 months old we headed in for our weekly routine and when your pram passed a group of European Gypsy musicians you were so excited we stopped and sat down. At this point you could already shakily stand and I propped you up as you danced to their lovely music in the sunshine. When their rendition of the Jungle Books, 'I wanna be like you' came on you were so excited you turned to me and walked three big steps into my arms. I almost died with excitement, my little lady, you were dancing before you could ever walk. 

My favorite firsts on this day, the first of a new bright year. 
Happy New Year!!