We've just returned from a CHILD FREE (not counting the one in my tummy) weekend in Melbourne, where we saw both finals of the Australian Open. We're not huge sports fanatics in our house but tennis is one sport we both enjoy watching AND playing, and we've always talked about going to the open. This year we decided to make a "babymoon" of it, and leave H with my parents for the weekend. It was amazing and we are already dreaming about doing it again next year.
But anyway, grandparents. While I'm still a young Mum myself I've always thought being a grandparent must be amazing, even pre-parenthood when reflecting on my relationship with my own Grandma and Grandpa. You get all the benefits of parenthood - seeing your genes passed on, the overwhelming, unconditional love, the joy of young children - without any of the stress of actual parenting. You're allowed to give them chocolate and put them in front of the TV because hey, they're not your child. And you want to be the favourite.
Obviously the greater responsibility and effort involved in parenting means the rewards are magnified, but once you've gone through all that you get to, one day, be a grandparent. That's surely the ultimate reward.
H is head over heels in love with her grandparents, and obviously the feeling is pretty mutual. While they do shower her with affection and sugar, they don't spoil her and she knows there are certain rules when she's at their house - and unlike with me, she doesn't try to test them. She is the best version of herself when she stays there and always makes me very proud.
The feeling I'm always left with as we drive away, though, is that I wish we lived closer to them. I'm pretty lucky compared to some as my parents only live two hours away, but they also both work full time and often on weekends as they're both nurses, so it's not always convenient for us to visit. J's parents live in Germany and had 13 grandchildren before H came along, so they're not really in our lives as much as we'd like.
I do (very) often feel envious of people who can drop over to their Mum's place for a cup of tea a few afternoons a week, but luckily living in the heart of Sydney there are lots of other women in my situation, many with parents who are a long-haul flight away. So we always have each other! I also think the times when we do see each other are extra special because of the gaps in between.
So, here's to grandparents and the amazing relationships you have with our children! Where would we be without you?!
Z x
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
10 Things To Know About Montessori via Sixtine et Victoire
One of the fabulous blogs I try to keep up with is Sixtine et Victoire, the project of Deb who is a creative and stylish Montessori Mum to her two girls - Sixtine and Victoire. I am still a completely hopeless "Montessori Mum" but aim to keep learning. My husband is still advocating the Steiner point of view, which he was strictly brought up in, so who knows where we will end up. (The two philosophies are actually really different, but in my typical fence sitting fashion I can see the appeal of both).
Still, I find reading about Montessori's methods and findings incredibly interesting, and often helpful when it comes to questions of behaviour or activities. Montessori is a great starting point when looking for toddler activities that are both fun AND educational. And I get a lot out of the PTP program we attend.
Anyway, today I came across this post on Sixtine et Victoire, written by guest blogger Anne from Itty Bitty Love. I found it really put the whole Montessori approach into words better than I ever could. Definitely give it a read if you are interested in learning more about Montessori education!
Obviously it would be really challenging to be the perfect Montessori parent all the time. In fact, I don't think it would be good for anyone - too much of anything tends to make you less relaxed and less able to deal with the curve balls that small children will inevitably throw at you. But in terms of organising your home, reasoning and interacting with your toddler and setting up age appropriate learning activities, there is lots to learn from this approach.
Whether it is "right" for your child is another story - I'm actually really thinking through whether it is right for mine at the moment. But more on that another time.
Happy reading!
Z x
Still, I find reading about Montessori's methods and findings incredibly interesting, and often helpful when it comes to questions of behaviour or activities. Montessori is a great starting point when looking for toddler activities that are both fun AND educational. And I get a lot out of the PTP program we attend.
Anyway, today I came across this post on Sixtine et Victoire, written by guest blogger Anne from Itty Bitty Love. I found it really put the whole Montessori approach into words better than I ever could. Definitely give it a read if you are interested in learning more about Montessori education!
Obviously it would be really challenging to be the perfect Montessori parent all the time. In fact, I don't think it would be good for anyone - too much of anything tends to make you less relaxed and less able to deal with the curve balls that small children will inevitably throw at you. But in terms of organising your home, reasoning and interacting with your toddler and setting up age appropriate learning activities, there is lots to learn from this approach.
Whether it is "right" for your child is another story - I'm actually really thinking through whether it is right for mine at the moment. But more on that another time.
Happy reading!
Z x
Friday, January 17, 2014
We're Melting...
Australia is suffering through record breaking heatwaves at the moment, with the south east areas around Melbourne and Adelaide fighting extreme bushfires on top of 40C+ temperatures. Here in Sydney we've had it a little easier with five or so days of around 30 by the coast, but given I'm seven months pregnant I feel that equates to about 40 for me.
I find the afternoons the hardest, chiefly because our house is West facing so our backyard and main living areas cop intense afternoon sun. This includes our bedroom, which is also upstairs so just generally hotter, but thankfully has airconditioning. H and I have been spending most afternoons either at the beach or in her bedroom, which is at the front of the house and is lovely and dark and airy.
This morning we had to meet my aunt in the city, so I took the opportunity to visit the new Prince Alfred Park Pool in Surry Hills. I'd been once before with a friend and enjoyed it, so I was keen to try it out again.
What can I say, I love this pool! There's just something about it, an energy, plus it's all clean and new. There are healthy options at the cafe, Campos coffee and ice blocks made from real fruit. The shaded kiddie area looks very basic - just a number of fountains - but keeps kids entertained for ages without parents having to get wet. And the lap pool has disabled access, which is not only great from an accessibility point of view but means there is a large "shallow" ramp with a rail for kids to play on and around. We went to Leichhardt Park Aquatic centre earlier in the week and I have to say, we both had a better time at Prince Alfred Park.
Aside from the pool, there is also a modern, expansive park and playground right outside, which is great if you have a morning to fill. A lot of the play equipment is quite exposed which isn't so great for these hot days, but that's the case with many parks in Sydney I've found. For us the other bonus is the pool's location - just ten minutes from home and right outside J's work, I think it would be a great meeting place for a mid week dinner and swim.
Being submerged in cold water is really when I'm at my happiest lately! Heavily pregnant + summer is definitely interesting - and I still have eight weeks to go! How are you coping with the heat?
Z x
I find the afternoons the hardest, chiefly because our house is West facing so our backyard and main living areas cop intense afternoon sun. This includes our bedroom, which is also upstairs so just generally hotter, but thankfully has airconditioning. H and I have been spending most afternoons either at the beach or in her bedroom, which is at the front of the house and is lovely and dark and airy.
This morning we had to meet my aunt in the city, so I took the opportunity to visit the new Prince Alfred Park Pool in Surry Hills. I'd been once before with a friend and enjoyed it, so I was keen to try it out again.
What can I say, I love this pool! There's just something about it, an energy, plus it's all clean and new. There are healthy options at the cafe, Campos coffee and ice blocks made from real fruit. The shaded kiddie area looks very basic - just a number of fountains - but keeps kids entertained for ages without parents having to get wet. And the lap pool has disabled access, which is not only great from an accessibility point of view but means there is a large "shallow" ramp with a rail for kids to play on and around. We went to Leichhardt Park Aquatic centre earlier in the week and I have to say, we both had a better time at Prince Alfred Park.
Aside from the pool, there is also a modern, expansive park and playground right outside, which is great if you have a morning to fill. A lot of the play equipment is quite exposed which isn't so great for these hot days, but that's the case with many parks in Sydney I've found. For us the other bonus is the pool's location - just ten minutes from home and right outside J's work, I think it would be a great meeting place for a mid week dinner and swim.
Being submerged in cold water is really when I'm at my happiest lately! Heavily pregnant + summer is definitely interesting - and I still have eight weeks to go! How are you coping with the heat?
Z x
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Summer Daze
Happy New Year to all! One thing I would like to achieve this year is to get a little more consistent with my blog, particularly improving imagery and sharing more of my life and my style visually. That said, I'm really not putting too much pressure on myself! My main goal this year is to be present - to savour my children, enjoy my relationship, observe more. I hope to spend at least one hour a day just BREATHING IN my new arrival come March.
Meanwhile, we're all in a bit of a summer daze chez W. My last post happened to coincide with J's last day at work, and since then we've done nothing but eat, drink, swim and be naked. Particularly H - to say she is obsessed with mermaids would actually be an understatement, and part of this obsession means having no top on at all times (for some reason no pants is also preferable). We've indulged this over the past few weeks because we could, but getting dressed is turning into an even bigger nightmare with this fashion-fussy child of ours.
One of the best things about a summer break is the lapse in routine. Late nights, sleep ins, fish and chips at 4pm. Doing whatever the hell you want. But after a few weeks without routine I tend to miss it. Crave it, even.
This week I've made a big poster outlining mine and H's daily routine to place in the kitchen or her room - I've yet to decide where. It's fairly flexible - play time, quiet time, meals - but gives both of us a real guide for the day and it sort of calms me down just to know there is a routine to follow. Otherwise things can start to feel out of control and I can start to question myself a bit. I've also tried to base it around the daycare routine for consistency.
I followed Tizzie Hall's routines when H was a baby and it REALLY worked for me. I love having someone else tell me what to do. I plan to use them again with this next babe and was even thinking I could slot his/her routine into H's so I can make sure she is occupied at feeding times and so forth. I'll let you know how that goes - even though I loved her routines I was always very lax with them and did things 'roughly' at the right time 'most of the time' so it could just have been that H was an easy baby!
Anyway, hopefully my first blog post of 2014 will continue to awaken me from my summer slumber.
Z x
Meanwhile, we're all in a bit of a summer daze chez W. My last post happened to coincide with J's last day at work, and since then we've done nothing but eat, drink, swim and be naked. Particularly H - to say she is obsessed with mermaids would actually be an understatement, and part of this obsession means having no top on at all times (for some reason no pants is also preferable). We've indulged this over the past few weeks because we could, but getting dressed is turning into an even bigger nightmare with this fashion-fussy child of ours.
One of the best things about a summer break is the lapse in routine. Late nights, sleep ins, fish and chips at 4pm. Doing whatever the hell you want. But after a few weeks without routine I tend to miss it. Crave it, even.
This week I've made a big poster outlining mine and H's daily routine to place in the kitchen or her room - I've yet to decide where. It's fairly flexible - play time, quiet time, meals - but gives both of us a real guide for the day and it sort of calms me down just to know there is a routine to follow. Otherwise things can start to feel out of control and I can start to question myself a bit. I've also tried to base it around the daycare routine for consistency.
I followed Tizzie Hall's routines when H was a baby and it REALLY worked for me. I love having someone else tell me what to do. I plan to use them again with this next babe and was even thinking I could slot his/her routine into H's so I can make sure she is occupied at feeding times and so forth. I'll let you know how that goes - even though I loved her routines I was always very lax with them and did things 'roughly' at the right time 'most of the time' so it could just have been that H was an easy baby!
Anyway, hopefully my first blog post of 2014 will continue to awaken me from my summer slumber.
Z x
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