wind

 The first week of school is over. It's been a time of nervous energy and high excitement. In the afternoons the girls seem tired and we've been trying to keep it low-key, in order to avoid the classic pre-bed meltdown scenario. The weather's been good for stay-at-home activities; gusty winds and low brooding skies; occasional showers of rain accompany the small but welcome drop in temperature.

For me, though, the lure of fresh air and a chance to walk by the ocean is too strong to resist. No matter the weather. Using the new kites as bribes, we managed to entice the girls out and accompany us to the beach. The winds were strong, probably too strong for these delicate playthings. But I'd tied them on tight, and they flew high and true, occasionally spiralling towards the ground at high speed... luckily avoiding the few stoic fellow beachgoers. We played for a while until the rain arrived, sweeping in from the east. 

No major plans, really, for the weekend. A sleep in. A game of tennis and dinner with family. And hopefully I'll finish painting Stella's room. I promised her it would be done by the weekend, and so it will be.

Happy weekend!

popping out

We had family pop by late on Sunday afternoon; they stayed for a cuppa and a play. All too soon it was 6pm and when they left I realised I hadn't thought about dinner. At all.

PK was at work, so the girls and I decided to pop down the road for some sushi.

I love doing the sushi thing with the girls. In fact, since they were little, we've found this to be the best introduction to eating out with them. It's quick, it's visually appealing and it's healthy. The kids pick and choose from the train; with minimal  fuss. We always order some dumplings and occasionally a Japanese lemonade as well (and this time, a nice cold glass of white for me).

The dinner-out scenario with kids has always been a bit of a conundrum for me. I dislike seeing children buried in techno gadgets whilst eating out; I actively ban it for ours. I think kids should be encouraged to join in the social interaction of the table; it's not that hard to engage them for a short time. At the same time I understand their attention span is shorter and they're bored more easily with adult conversation. It's for this reason we always try and pick somewhere that will work for everybody. If I'm after a long leisurely dinner with friends in a more formal restaurant setting, then it seems better for everyone if the kids stay home.

So, back to the sushi. We were in by 6.15pm, seated with our first plate about 2 minutes later. We had a lovely night; we laughed and ate and shared and had fun. And we were all done by 7pm.

How do you do the dinner thing with kids?

Are you pro-, or anti- gadgets at the table?

Love to hear your thoughts!

back to school

Last minute school preparations..

Covering the last of the books.

She went with brown paper and her own drawings; we'll save the pretty paper for cards.

(and I must remember to remove the Christmas nail polish...)

Tomorrow: school sneakers. 

Sigh.

holidays

It's been beachy weather. Hot, hot and hotter. We look for any way to keep cool.

We've stayed close to home. It's a busy time work-wise for PK and we have family coming and going all summer, so we do day trips and pretend to be tourists.

There's still time for coffee. Take-away while I'm on my own...

...and a proper sit-down when my friend returns from down south.

Peregian markets... gypsy caravan, above, and soon-to-be-opened dumpling bar in the Square, below...

The girls have moved in together so I can clean and paint Stella's room. In order for this to happen I had to take about five giant steps backwards. First, Ruby's room needed to be fully de-cluttered and cleaned...this took about, oh, three days. She's my little hoarder, collector of all things large and small.

So far, so good. One neat bedroom, above; and one half of another converted into a playroom.

And then finally, to paint...

I've been absent this past month. Absent from this little space, I mean. I've been very much present on the home front, discarding all crafty projects in order to be there with my family. I needed a rest. My sewing machine waits to be serviced and my knitting needles sit idle. It's too hot to knit, anyway.

Although my blog has remained silent, I've been visiting blog-land most nights. Reading, exploring, delving into other people's spaces and lives...It's been fun and relaxing after busy full holiday-days. I'm looking for new inspiration; I've signed up for one; which looks like fun. And will prompt me to get that sewing machine up and running again once the kids are back at school.

I've been re-reading blogs I like. Looking at styles...writing styles, photography; trying to analyse why I like what I like, what rings true, what inspires me, what makes me smile. How much people put in, and looking at what gets left out. This is my life diary, but some things are private. I don't want my blog to be shallow, but I don't want to use it as a space for ranting and negativity.

I like blogs that open little windows into private lives. You can see a bit, read a little, but you're not left overwhelmed. It's a snapshot of time.

What do you like?

Lots, or a little?