Now it's getting Difficult

Last nights rehearsal was late.

Kookaburra went to bed extremely late.

Nearly 11pm.

Ridiculous!

It will be the same again tomorrow night and Friday night. There is rehearsal for the musical scheduled for Sunday and then the three nights again next week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Then we jump into the two weeks of solid rehearsal of every evening. Right now, looking down the barrel of crazy late nights with my nine year old son I'm asking myself why we decided to commit to such an intense activity. Well, and I say this with a very tired sigh, I believe in exposure and opportunity through and through. It's my policy I suppose. Get us out there experiencing real life and real people and I guess real difficulties and the huge joys of real life. When we're done I'll rein us back in for a bit. Cushion us for a while and hide out at home once more finding a good rhythm again. We are going to need it desperately.

Life is so laughable and I'm really here forever as it's student. I spent three long evenings last week poring over materials and planning meticulously what I and my boys would like achieved this week and mapping it out and preparing right down to the the materials organised neatly in their baskets. I shouldn't have. I should have known. In my heart I did, but my dumb old head was in denial. The truth of our situation is that we need to take a break from our lessons. More than anything my boys and I and Dada over this busy time, we are going to need to connect richly and as much as we can.

We need siesta's!

And our great books.

And lots of crafting.

The Native's want to keep going with their lapbooks and I'll try to continue with their book studies , but everything else can happen naturally. And it really does, if I'm willing to let it - which is so very difficult for this brain washed old school girl.


So what has happened today was a fine lesson in doing too much - and it's fall out. The too much wasn't from planned lessons either, it came simply from failing to relax and replacing our lessons with busyness. Late this arvo I was spectacularly Bad! It still amazes me how I can still be rabbiting on at my little boys while a little part of me has stepped aside to watch the car wreck I'm inflicting upon us. But, I'll leave it there because my lesson has been learnt, my apologies made, tears wiped! And instead I'll move on to dwell on the great because the rest truly was.

This morning was brilliant! Relaxed and fun. So very natural and wonderfully happy. I should have kept on as I had begun and we would have been fine. Apart from their jobs and breakfast I let our boys do as they please while I figured out what to do with us - which obviously means clicking on the latest blog posts of crafty peeps. The Magic Onions latest post was about making an Easter Basket from felt. I sigh. I've been wanting to felt forever but it just isn't in my budget. But Marvelous Donni suggests using an old pure wool or cashmere sweater for felting and gave great simple instructions which sounded completely doable. Lacking such an item immediately on hand my boys and I, Kookaburra was particularly inspired by this project, headed to the op shops in search of such items. We wandered for a while in the thrift shop to no avail until Joy! as we headed upstairs our eyes alighted on a high shelf full of PURE WOOL BLANKETS - $1!!!!!! We're yet to begin the felting as we still need golf balls for the process, but it makes complete sense that felting old wool blankets is a frugal alternative and will open up this wonderful craft to us (me!).


The thing is though, I just need to reclaim those wool blankets :)




I'm a big fan of A Magical Childhood. So during my inspiration clicking this morning I popped over there for some fresh ideas on how to make today magical. Well number 2 was a great option:

'2. Let each child pick out something brand new to try at the grocery store. Look in the international foods and produce section for particularly fun and unique items.'


Too easy!


Hello Marble Marmor Dan Cake from Norway!

My boys incredulously stood there in the prepackaged baking ailse with lopsided grins across their faces asking if they really could choose this and eat it - numbers, preservatives and sugar laden horror :D! And Mumma said 'Yes' :D! It's nice to relax a little.

Today we had a stand still memorable moment.

Standing in the dairy aisle playing a clapping game I played as a school girl, with my little sons.

Did you play this too?

A sailor went to sea, sea, sea
(clap your own hands, clap right hands together, clap your own hands, clap left hands together, clap your own hands, clap your hands and your partners together straight on three times)
To see what he could see, see, see,
But all that he could see, see, see,
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.



I found this chant and clap game in my great library find Let's Play - Traditional Games of Childhood. A beautiful book with easy and quick ideas for simple play.

Okay, so I'm learning, as always, that less is more. Quality versus quantity. For now I need to let a few things go so we can enjoy this special time while we get to be a part of something awesome.

We have a little saying we call to each other as we leave our home for work or play:

Nice Words, Gentle Hands, and Shining Face (be happy!)

I think this may be a wise mantra for me to bring into our home with a good focus on me as well as for my children :)