SCOOTERING

For the last few months, Josephine has tried stealing any scooter she could get her hands on. She was a girl obsessed! After a shout out on FB for a secondhand one, our lovely friend Amy said that she had a pre-loved one going unused that we could have if we wanted. I think you have a best-friend for life now in Phiney, Amy - she absolutely adores it. Thank you so much!

Last week, after her new helmet arrived in the post and as the sun was setting, we took her outside to practice her scootering technique. She's a thrill seeker this one, for sure, and there's no stopping her now...

PEEKABOO

That face. So happy, so full of life, love and beauty. Bringing so much light to our lives, always. 

Nearly one year after this photograph was taken, and still so much joy in hiding in the garden room :) 

DREAMY ARTWORK

A few weeks ago, Josephine and Ben got messy in the bathroom (our painting room of choice...it's huge and has easy to wipe clean laminate floors!) and created some amazing pieces of artwork. One is hanging in her bedroom and the other is still taped to our living room wall while we find a frame big enough to house it forever.

Phiney got so many amazing crafty bits and bobs for Christmas and her birthday, she created this piece using some foam stamps and to begin with we just loved the colours. Then, after we taped it to the wall, we realised it looked like a tree on the left. A few days later, it occurred to us that the bit on the right hand side looked remarkably like a man and woman, flying away from the tree; her wearing a bonnet with a trailing skirt, and him in a suit, both wearing sunglasses. Fairies, in the forest; Titania and Oberon.

Can you see it? I hope so! It's such an amazing piece. We will cherish it forever.

LESSONS IN MOTHERHOOD: stealing magical moments

Working full time over the last few months really made me focus on the most important aspects of motherhood to me, and truly helped me learn more about the type of Mama I strive to be for our children. With time with Josephine seemingly taken from me, I made mental notes of how we'd spend our days filled with nothing but crafting and reading and playing as soon as the work finished. 

And in many ways we have. Christmas crafts have become common place round here (i'll share some of our favourites soon) and we've made dens a-plenty, but I've come to realise that, as Mamas, time to get on and do housework, cook the dinner and sort the bills remains a constant; let alone finding those equally important moments to ourselves, when we can sit and breathe and relax for just a moment. Even without the work, spending 24/7 engaging Josephine in fun-filled, educational and self-affirming activities is just unrealistic. More importantly, I've come to realise that that's ok. That it's just as important for Josephine to play on her own, occupy herself and discover the world through her own eyes as it is for me to get her food sorted, whip the hoover round once in a while and have a glance at some of my favourite blogs. 

And yesterday, Josephine taught me the most important factor of this particular lesson. 

I'm not ashamed to admit that since mid-August, the task that rapidly fell to the bottom of my to-do list, that rarely got completed, was the housework. Sure the washing up was done and the clothes washed, but the dusting and polishing? Absolutely not. So yesterday I decided it was time to tackle the mess; to get sorted and get tidy before Christmas. While Josephine pottered about doing this and that, and watching a bit of Mr Tumble on iPlayer, I spent the day putting things away, hoovering and packing bags to take to the charity shop, before giving Josephine her dinner and heading out to meet Ben at the supermarket to do our weekly shop. 

As we wheeled the trolley up and down the aisles, Ben asked Josephine about her day:

"What have you and Mama done today, Phiney?"

"Ummmm. We did dancing!!"

As she said it, a huge smile broke out across my face and a lesson was well and truly learnt. If Ben had asked me what fun things I'd done with Josephine that day, I'd have been filled with Mama-guilt as I wouldn't have seen past the cleaning and sorting, the fact we didn't leave the house until 5.30pm and that Josephine was wearing her pajamas until 20 minutes before that. 

But Josephine? Her day had been filled with that little Christmas music dance-off she had with Mama before lunch; our trips to sit and watch the lights twinkle on the Christmas tree and see how many birds she could find nestled in its branches; winding up the musical snow globe and listening to Mama sing along while we watched the snow fall on Father Christmas. Those fleeting but magical moments had been what made her day, what she remembered; what she'd fall asleep thinking of while I lay in bed wishing I'd made more effort to do this or that with her. 

Our little ones are so often the best teachers. And we need to listen to them more, to watch how happy they are; to realise that they drift off to sleep with smiles on their faces because of the little things we did with them, and that they don't feel they've missed out because we haven't been on some amazing adventure that day. 

So now, as I fall asleep I'll be thinking of the little things too, learning from my amazing guide through this journey of Mama-hood; our tiny dancer. 

Perhaps it's time to take a step away from Pinterest and the extravagant activities it suggests, and take pleasure instead in those 5 minute strolls round the garden (like ours this morning, pictured), the kitchen discos or tickle-time on the sofa? What are the little things that fill those magical spare minutes on busy days in your home?

LITTLE MAMA

It's become part of Phiney's morning to take her pram, her doll Jenny, her favourite bag, aka Mama's bag, her phone (our old home phone) a little purse I gave her, my car keys and a few other random trinkets (over the last few days these have included a pompom, piece of junk mail she claimed as her own, wooden fork - you know, what every Mama needs on a trip out) and declare 'shops!' 

She marches off, pulling her pram and never pushing it, shouting 'bye, bye' as she parks herself in this little spot; at the top of the stairs, between our bedroom and the living room. Every morning I ask her if she can buy some cheese and bananas. Every morning she repeats, over and over, 'cheese...bananas'.

Watching her play really is a privilege. She chats to Jenny, puts her to sleep in the pram before getting her up and feeding her some food. She pull stuff out of her bag and shoves them back in again and wonders round with her pram with real purpose. I try to observe all this without her seeing me; I try not to giggle with delight as she plays. 

Josephine, you are such a good and kind little Mama. My sweet, sweet girl. 

PICKING POSIES: nature in the home

This morning, Josephine and I spent almost an hour sitting in the garden, soaking up the spring sunshine and picking little bunches of these beautiful tiny flowers. A burst of April showers forced us inside, but we bought our posies with us to fill vases round the house. I'm pretty sure these are weeds, but Josephine and I still think they're rather lovely. 

Linking up with Lou's Nature in the Home series. 

THE HOMEMAKER SERIES: CRAFT

I have loved the process of crafting since I was small. There's nothing more satisfying than starting a project, choosing which materials to use and creating a design, then learning new skills and processes and ultimately completing something unique. I've made cushions and clothes, laundry bags and toys, all for the fun of it. 

But right now, more than anything, I'm loving practical projects. Crafting for a reason. When time is short, it's good to know that what I'm making is fulfilling a purpose. And to be honest, with a deadline that often accompanies such projects (birthdays, mother's day, Easter, the need for new baby clothes after Josephine has had a growth spurt) I'm more likely to actually finish the piece. 

My current crafting obsession is making cards. If you're looking for a simple, yet oh so satisfying new hobby, making cards like these will have you hooked in no time. My beautiful friend Laura gave Josephine one of the best first birthday cards (a simple '1' in red stars on crisp white card) and then made the sweetest thank you cards to send friends and family for the presents they received after the birth of their second baby (brown paper baby-gros on a washing line of stitching). She's the card-making queen and I totally stole this idea from her. We've been known to have in-depth text conversations about this hobby. We're cool like that. 

There are many reasons why this hobby is so pleasing. Firstly, I love sending cards so it's very handy having a stash ready to give. I think it's a habit I've inherited from my Grandma, although my lovely Icelandic friend Bibi said that it's a very English thing to do too. As well as birthday cards and thank you notes, there are cards to welcome babies to the world and cards to keep up with penpals that make their way across oceans. And, as my sister (a fellow card-giver enthusiast) and I were discussing in a card shop a few weeks ago, cards are so reflective of your style that finding the ideal design in a shop can be a real mission. Making your own ensures a piece of stationary that suits your aesthetic tastes perfectly and is totally unique.

And secondly, cards are so blooming expensive (I could easily spend £4 on a card; finding anything cheaper yet pretty is near to impossible) that making my own fits very happily in our living on a budget. Plus, while some new crafty hobbies can take a bit of an investment financially, this one instead offers the perfect opportunity to use all those fabric scraps I've accumulated from other projects. 

HOW TO
1. Fold and cut your card into the size and shape desired. 
2. Get designing with all the scraps of fabric you've kept but have been wondering what to do with. Small, cute babies are very helpful with this part. Seriously, it's a great one to do with the kids. Phiney spends ages happily rummaging through my fabric box!
3. Use a small dab of fabric glue to attach your design to the card, to ensure it doesn't slip while you're sewing. 
4. Using a zigzag stitch (or something similar) stitch round the design, remembering to keep it as neat as possible; you'll see the stitching on the inside don't forget. 

I think my favourites so far are the bunting designs (they would make the sweetest invitations too) and the flower birthday card I made for my lovely friend Amy. You should definitely give this craft a go. So easy and simple, yet really effective and fun. 

ps. In my mind the only thing as good as handmade is vintage. So if you're looking for the perfect card but don't have the time to make your own head over here. Emily has just opened her store and it's so good. SO good. 

EASTER HOLIDAYS: fun on the farm

 

Today Ben went back to work after such a fun week off. We didn't really have any plans before his holiday started, but we've managed to strike the perfect balance between relaxing and heading out on little adventures. It was such an awesome week, and no-one wanted Papa to go back to work. 

On Friday we took Josephine to Bath City Farm, along with our two nephews. They all loved the animals, especially the chickens and enormous pig. Personally, I could have taken one of those tiny lambs home! We were blown away, quite literally, and it was pretty freezing, but the kiddos all had a ball. And the cold weather did nothing to deter the boys from a tub of ice cream each. 

Josephine adores spending time with her cousins. She loves them and they love her. 

EASTER HOLIDAYS: fun in the garden

After a busy weekend, we've spent our Easter Monday pottering around the house and garden, with Josephine and Ben planting a few seeds ready for spring. They have been inseparable since Friday when Ben's holiday from work began. Two peas in a pod.

RAINY DAYS: bird watching

It has rained here, consistently for about 24 hours. And it's cold. And windy. Spring, where are you? 

Right now Josephine is obsessed with birdsong and trees. In this horrid weather we spend so much of day stood at these windows. Phiney loves to watch the trees sway in the wind, listen to the birds sing and get very excited when one lands in the garden. When a wood pigeon swept down from the wall the other day, she almost jumped out of my arms. 

It's awesome to see the world through Josephine's eyes. To witness the joy she finds in new discoveries. Everyday with this girl is a reminder to see the wonder and beauty in the small things.