Do You Know A Child With Special Needs?

Kristen Morrison, author of Naturally Better and co-founder of the Grow Foundation, is a woman who never seems to stop. Ever. She's tireless in her quest for making life better. 
 
She's played a pivotal role in bringing a unique not-for-profit organisation to Australia this June for the first time, to present a life-changing course for parents of children with special needs.

Children with Developmental Delay, Autism, Cerebral Palsy and Down syndrome are just some of those who will benefit.

Methods discussed in this course will empower parents to help their own children to achieve improvements in mobility, development, speech and wellbeing. 


June 17th to June 21st, 2013
The Bayview On The Park Hotel
52 Queens Road
Melbourne

For more information please email to growfoundation@gmail.com

Flower Bombing The School

Yesterday I had the great fortune of being invited to the debut of Megan Morton's piece de resistance: The School.


Let me start off with the admin side of things. Firstly, I sat across from the beautiful Jody - who I met about 10 years ago, through an ex-boyfriend. I am one of those people that HAS to tell someone I have met them before - and make myself incredibly embarrassed in the meantime. So I told her, and then I got nervous rash all over my face and could feel my cheeks burning for what felt like the longest time. 


Then we sat down to watch a short video - and my jaw dropped when I saw another of my ex boyfriends guest-starring.


Really?


I should have probably done a circuit of the tables to check if any other links to exes were lurking. Any hidden cameras? Was I being Punk'd and they were going to drop an ex through the skylight next? Crumbs. 


Totes awkes.
I really wanted to crawl away at this point.


But once that was out of the way? We went to town making flower bombs - with great aplomb. Under the direction of the effervescent Holly Hipwell, with a glass of rose in one hand, and a pair of scissors, some carnations and some oasis in the other. My goodness it was a hoot!


And so it was that I found myself, amidst 32 other people, making flower bombs, under the watchful eye of Megan Morton and Holly Hipwell. (gosh I love the alliteration of those names). 


The School website is open for business from today. Sign up and check out the school holiday classes. Rad to the max. 


Read more about Holly Hipwell's hottness for hydrangeas (and other flowers) here.

Tying Laces. And Other Stuff

We are currently drowning under a pile of Year 1 homework.


When I was in Year 1 we didn't have homework. Well certainly not to this extent. (And when I was a girl Paddle Pops were 60 cents, and I walked home by myself.) This week we have a daily reader, homework books, Mathletics, and a talk on rhinos to do. Fo' realz. 


Amidst all this, we're teaching the Doctor how to tie his shoelaces. You can pooh pooh me all you like - and say we are late bloomers to this, but I am not one to push, and we do things at our own speed, when we are good and ready. 


On the weekend I found this video that I thought was a cute way to teach your kid how to tie their shoelaces. 

Ordinary people must be saying: "But PMM, why do you need a video?" Well a couple of years ago I discovered that I don't tie my shoelaces correctly, I have some funky way of tying them, and it's not completely successful. It still serves me well, but I thought I'll relearn with the Doctor so we can learn together.


So I am now learning to tie my laces too. 

Books. Books. Books. Books. Books. Everywhere We Look.

The Doctor has marched ahead in reading, and after what feels like just a few weeks, he's well on his way to reading. And totes loving it. He's practising his writing. He sews words together with his letters, he reads things, he loves doing his nightly readers, it is a joy to witness. My little man, reading. It's amazing! During this term, I've given much thought to how difficult it is to learn to read, write and to speak. A language that has the letter 'c', the word 'sea' and another word 'see', just to name one problem. It's crazy! Who came up with this stuff? So to see my little man learning, a real sponge, and loving it, it's joyful. I love the written word, and I hope he grows up with my love for writing and reading everything. Including cereal boxes. Nutritional boxes. Community noticeboards. Actually words anywhere. I freaking love words.

Have you read this William Bee book, 'Beware Of The Frog'? It's fabulous. It's fun. It's quirky and it's cool. Get a copy.

Hey - Hats Cool!

I did my millinery course over the weekend. Seriously, when it rains it pours. Right now it's bucketing down in Sydney, but I wasn't referring to that.

In one week we:

- moved house

- caught up with a good friend from London

- celebrated Matt's birthday

- celebrated the Doctor's birthday

- I went to my millinery course

Sheesh. And then there are other weeks I am so bored with myself it kills me!

Anyway, if anyone in Sydney is looking for an excellent millinery course for beginners, Jane Stoddart is amazing. She is one of those naturally talented people who is more than happy to share her wealth of knowledge. I loved this course, and left on Sunday afternoon on a high. We learnt so much about couture techniques in millinery, and I am itching to head back to learn more. I'll share some shots of my hats in progress in the next few days. I am pretty darn excited by them!

image is of course from Jane's website

I Don't Get Out Much Pt 2

It's been months since I last scavenged some rubbish from the side of the road. Some readers may think I've gone into rehab, but I'm just starting to get the cold sweats. Hallucinations (is that a Parker sideboard in the park?!). I'm wearing tracksuits twenty-four-seven. I haven't washed my hair in weeks. Make-up..? What's that?

The cold hard facts are people, that even the rubbish has been hit by the recession.

No one is throwing anything out these days. Not even the rich people. Not even the people who inherit stuff. They're just shoving all the excess up their un-used chimney flues. They're sewing their old teddy bears into clothing. Pretty soon previously fashion-savvy business men are going to start wearing teddy bear couture as opposed to Zegna. And what about the crockery? I used to find mountain loads tossed out. Now what are they doing with it? I hate to think they're... using it. I'm blocking my ears at the very thought.

Times are tough, and you know who's feeling it the most. Me.

People. I need your rubbish. It gives me unexpected excitement. Cast your mind back to the days when I'd wait for rubbish night to go rummaging through the bin. Baying at the moon. Those were the days my friends, I thought they'd never end.

I'm like a wild hyena sniffing around in the bushes with no fresh furniture carcasses to haul back home. What's going down? What's a gal to do for fun?

I've been continuing my decluttering phase and taking some of the bin paraphernalia to the op shop. Maybe this will set things right again in the world and I will stumble across the next big haul.

PS - Image totally unrelated. Since so many of you* have been asking about the Doctor's scarf I started six years ago, here it is. Getting more scarf like by the minute. Oh and a small vintage belt buckle that I found (in a shop - doesn't count) a few weeks ago. You can't see here but a tiny, tiny, dainty diamante is in the middle. Love that inky blue.

* Read... no one. Ok ok, no one has asked about the scarf. I shake my fist!

Autumnal Afternoon Walks

The smalls and I have been enjoying afternoon walks. We make our way, late afternoon, down to the park, in time for the smalls to play for a while, the Doctor scoots around the path on his scooter, Tiny goes crawling off into the crisp leaves. It's clear from her expression that she's having a hoot.

Tiny loves the swing, and it's usually at this time that Matt rolls in fresh off the train.

We've been enjoying the fresh Autumn air on our faces, watching the trees shift from greens into golds, reds, leaves crunchy underfoot. Sometimes the smell of someone's fire, the Doctor asks me why they have a fire. Conversations transpire, conversations evolve. The Doctor shows us his break dancing, begs to go and play leaf races. Alas, there's been no rain lately, so leaf racing is off the walking menu. But we make our way through the second park and watch the dogs prance around on their evenings walks. We greet strangers. And those who divert their eyes - as though we're imaginary - I make sure I say an extra jovial hello. What am I, cellophane??

I don't think I've ever enjoyed Autumn as much as I do now that I have children. It's like rediscovering each of the seasons all over again.

Danger Mouse

Remember that show from when you were small? Amazing! Astounding! Danger Mouse! What kind of mouse couldn't be cool wearing an eye patch?

Well today my cheeky little mouse decided to be Danger Mouse. Tiny has taken to, with great aplomb, going into rooms and closing doors. She thinks it's a super great joke. This morning she was in the bathroom, and was calling out, 'til her Mama dutifully rescued her.

Shortly after she went into her room. Disappeared for a while, didn't she? Uh-huh.

Then she started calling out sounding a little distressed. Fear not, I wasn't far away. She was testing out her independence. I knew she'd closed her bedroom door and snuck in there to get into mischief. Hand on the door knob, turn, and the door does not open. What does one do in this situation? Just what does one do? Try the door knob again. No cigar. Clearly the door knob has fallen off (as it has become prone to do) and now I can't open it. Ergh.

Start breathing a little heavier. What to do, what to do. Window is closed. Not skinny enough to slide down a small space between staircase and room. Thankfully at this time my father-in-law walked in.

I had by this called Matt (on the phone) and subsequently hung up on him when my FIL walked in. I cried out for help.

He came to the rescue with a hammer and smashed a window to release Tiny. Phew. We smashed the window MacGyver stylie. (Did you watch Lawrence Leung 'Choose Your Own Adventure' on the ABC? GOLD!)

Tiny's foray into locking herself into rooms. Hmm. That's certainly not the injection of excitement I've been looking for.

PS - I quit my sewing classes today. Ole!

Merci Beaucoup - From Me To You

Hey Gang!

Thanks for the confidence boost yesterday. It made me realise that sewing shouldn't be about symmetry, but sewing for the fun, for the creation, and for the experience.

So while I didn't resume sewing yesterday, I was still a little tainted by the whole evening, I did think more about my objective. Today, I just thought - heck, both smalls are a-sleeping, I'm going to throw caution to the wind and get into it.

I finally decided on a sort of (very, very) vague 'log cabin'. Now don't get your knickers in a knot, I know it's not traditional stylie. Nor do I even suggest you can see this interpretation. It's just going to be a little hotch-potch pulled together cushion. I'm not terribly good at the construction part (or any part to be honest), but it's my first one and I'm flying solo. However, my favourite cheer squad leader has been telling me 'you're doing great sewing Mummy', and 'you're sewing really fast, aren't you Mama?'. I mean, who wouldn't want to make something for someone who encourages you with such positive affirmations? I could be convinced to make him anything if he keeps that up. Even a Percy cushion.

Spider Hunter

Lately we've been enjoying getting out and about and feeling the crisp Autumn air on our fresh little faces. The smalls and I have been going walking and park-ing (not to be confused with parkour). When those to-do lists are getting to hideous to conquer, it's so good to be out and.. spider hunting!

Have you noticed the spiders wrapping up their food parcels? The big fat spiders are all about the place around our 'hood. We look for the biggest to point out on our walks. Sounds a little boring. Perhaps a little weird? Trust me, those webs are magical. When caught in the sunlight, incredible.

We've also been enjoying crunching the Autumn leaves underfoot. Tiny's been learning to listen for the birds. The Doctor's been mastering the fine art of scootering. I've been enjoying some greenery and some thinking time (don't worry, it's not been hurting too much).

Please note: The Doctor doesn't usually wear a helmet on the swing. Only for extreme stunt purposes.

PottyMouthMama of The Symmetrical Sewing

I had grand plans for sewing class last night. Grand plans. I thought I'd be coming back here today and showing you at least the front of my cushion for the Doctor.

Instead I came home early and ate cake.

It all started when I turned up with my fabric, and my idea in my head. It's a no-brainer for me. I have the idea, I just don't have the expertise to execute it. But given my sewing teacher's wealth of knowledge, I thought we'd whizz up the cush in under no time.

She pulled out her special folder of pattern ideas. Here's where I should have seen trouble. Trouble with a capital T. Maybe even underlined. There was nothing in this folder that replicated even closely what I had in my head.

I got a piece of paper, drew what she was proposing and realised it definitely wasn't compatible with what I wanted. So when she went away, I started cutting, and as I cut I fiddled around with the layout. I spent quite a hefty amount of time moving things around. Everyone else was a little concerned that I hadn't done anything except move fabric around - but you know peeps, it ain't a competition, and I'm just here to do my own thing.

So I finally got to a layout I started to like. My sewing teacher was on the approach. Her deft hands swiftly rearranged the entire layout, while telling me that "unless it was symmetrical it wasn't going to work". Dots in the corners. Animal prints in the middle. Block colours to break it up. Here's me having a nervous breakdown of sorts.

I'm not assertive. Gosh, I know I need to learn to be, but sometimes I don't want to offend. So in my gentle way, I tried to back out from this arrangement with an - 'I've left some of my fabrics at home so maybe I'll just wait 'til next week to go further'.

Would she have a bar of it? Uh uh.

She started pulling fabrics out of her stash to go with mine. These included a hideous egg yolk yellow that made my head hurt. Some other random bits. And a block of Percy the engine.

I knew someone small (ie the Doctor) would LOVE that block. But really, it wasn't working with the aesthetic I had in mind. I have saved all my bits of fabric. My Japanese buys. My naughty little purchases. I've saved them for something special. Percy - sorry - but it wasn't working. My sewing teacher was shocked.

It was at this point I realised what I needed.

Cake. (And more to the point Stephanie Alexander's Orange cake. Who knew 250g of butter and 1.5 cups of caster sugar could taste so darn good? Ok I did.)

I packed up, feigned tiredness and left. In a jiffy. Before any more of my fabrics could be tainted with Percy-ness. So this is what I have done. Or rather, haven't done. Cut up some fabric. Ta-dah!

Just like Cinderella, I wish a Fairy Godmother would come and tap her magic wand over my head and make me a stellar seamstress. A supreme stitcher. Or maybe I could just dive in and remember, it's just fabric, innit?

Knit-Picker

Last night I decided to cast on the Doctor's scarf. He wanted blue, and since I have a mean addiction to Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran (all thanks to Alexis at Knot Sew Crafty), so I sourced this pale blue. I like to think of it soft as a snowflake (and in fact, I think I will throw in some Winter white to mix things up a bit).

Lo and behold, I had completely forgotten how to cast on. Well I thought I remembered. Did it, cast on 40 stitches, started knitting - and uh oh - it all went wobbly. So I had to pull it all off the needles and start again. And again. And again. I googled a few casting on videos but man, do they think I am Inspector Gadget with go-go gadget fingers?! I can't cast on that quick - that's why I am watching a video via the interwebs peeps! Slooooow down.

And then I came across this pearler. Super simple, easy to follow, I didn't even need to watch the whole thing because I got it. So easy!

New knitters, come, watch this video and cast on without shame!

ANZAC Day

Today is ANZAC Day. Have you ever been to see the diggers march through the city? I love it. Though we didn't do it today, maybe next year when the kidlets are a little bigger. But seeing those service men and women march is incredible. It has really helped me understand that these are real, live people that went off at an incredibly, heart breakingly young age to fight for our country. And many of them never returned. It made me realise just how many people went off to war.

My favourite spot to perch is right across from the non-marching servicemen and women and nurses. My goodness it is a good spot. They see someone they know and call out and a short dialogue ensues, just as the marcher is marching off. Left - right - left - right.

So I'm watching from home today, with the stray tear in my eye, listening to stories, watching with pride. I love the bagpipes. I love the drummers. It's incredibly moving. If you get the chance to go and watch next year, do it.

Still on the Aussie front, last night I started making my first project from the Mike's book.

Ta da! It's not finished, oh so close! This is Angela's (Three Buttons) pattern (check out her blog, it's delicious. It's capricious). It's the very handy 'Shopping bag keep-safe' that my kitchen needs! Oh yes, it needs it. I try not to have many plastic bags, but they do somehow muzzle their way into our kitchen and cause quite a riot. What a mess! This is a cure, and it just so happens - shazaaaam! It's an Australiana teatowel. How apt.

And now folks, it's on with the show. I'm going to whip up a batch of ANZAC biscuits to keep the memory alive. Smell some rosemary for rememberance. It's a small tribute.

Here's to honouring the sacrifices made for us. Lest we forget.

Knitting: On A Roll

I have news to report people. In the time that I've been away I've watched the entire second season of 'Love My Way'. Man oh man, do I love that show or what?

And - my MIL taught me how to cast on. Did I tell you that I always required either my mum or my sister to do this for me? Well now folks, I am doing it! It probably doesn't look like much, but I've been knitting up a storm. In the photo is what I've managed so far. Slow far, slow good. The Doctor has selected that pale blue for a scarf for him. I'll aim to get it done before the end of Winter.

I now also have developed a mean yarn fetish, while Debbie Bliss is definitely a firm favourite, who could deny that ridiculously addictive soft touch (?!), when I graduate to something a little tricky, I have my sights set on the impossibly cloud-like softness of Alpaca. Sheesh, is that soft or what?!

In other news I've dumped Ashton and Demi on Twitter. We weren't seeing eye to eye. I just never knew what they were banging on about. You know when you hang out with people and they seem to have a plethora of in-jokes? Well it felt like that. Ashton and Demi, it's not me, it's you.

Knit-Wit

I'm about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. I'm going to learn to knit. While I do know how to knit, I don't know how to cast on (my Mum and sister have always got me started). I am a very talented knitter - I can go from starting with 30 stitches, and wind up with 61. Takes a talent, kind of like making something out of nothing, right?

So this weekend, I'm going to learn to knit. Well start to learn how to knit. Good and proper. So I can make more than a scarf (that gets thicker as the knitting continues).

And how good is this? I won a super good giveaway on Knot Sew Crafty (that Alexis sure knows how to put together a kicking fun-pack - will you marry me?) - and what should arrive as part of the goodies? Two balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. Delicious!

And speaking of winners, three winners have been drawn for the Georgie Love Bouncin' Birthday giveaway by the random number generator. I can't do screen grabs, but here are the lucky punters:

- JessicaNeale

- Hoppo Bumpo

- Pepper

Please email me with your addresses and I will post your prizes out ASAP! I will have the Doctor randomly draw the prizes out lucky dip stylie.

Spots and Stripes

Last night heralded week two of sewing classes. I arrived, set up my stuff only to realise that I had left the shorts and pattern at home - still left out from my photo shoot from last week. I don't need a brain - I need a personal assistant.

I think I spent more time last night madly unpicking my wonky stitching, than actually sewing. I went a little gung-ho and whoa nelly - wobble, wobble wonky. And for some reason the bobbin started spurting out multiple threads, so my sewing went wobbly triplefold.

But overlocking. Well it warms the cockles of my heart - you can really let off some steam on the overlocker, can't you? BzzzzzzzZZZZzzzz!

So the shorts are done and the top is in progress. I thought last night I was finishing everything off, but given the status of unpicking, it wasn't to be.

And though my first pair of shorties have a few extra threads spurting from them, The Doctor doesn't mind. He's pretty thrilled with them. Though I'm under strict instructions to start his digger PJs next week. Pronto!

Hopefully I won't have to perform surgery on the next pair for the Doctor.

Fabric Favourites: I'm Very Good At Starting Things

Or at least saying I'm going to start something. Or starting something, and then just letting it slip by the wayside and then returning to it intermittently. Flirting with it. Then dumping it when something more exciting comes my way. That's the kind of girl I am.

I'm like a goldfish swimming around my bowl (let's just forget the fact that all but one of ours is dearly departed). I soon forget what I am meant to be doing and move onto something else.

But I am committed to showing you some highlights from my stash. Because let's face it. This is the only thing they are currently being used for. Here's the part where you remember I can't sew. Yet.

Over at Mikes, Pip is hosting Share Your Stash Week. Here's some more highlights from my collection.

On the left is a French fleamarket find that I bought from my friend Sheena a couple of years ago. It's waiting to be used for something. Though I did use a small piece for a quilt that my sisters and I made for my Mum.

That purple and white stripe is a no-brainer. It's fabulously soft too. And I have a thing for that hue at the moment.

Underneath, the pink ticking. I love ticking. It's a good stock-standard - that funnily enough, you can't find very often (well I can't anyway).

And the Japanese bluebirds and balloons.. I had a small piece of this from a frolick in Melbourne when my sisters, Mum and I visited last year. I love bluebirds and I love balloons. This one is destined to be in my baby girl's quilt. One day my friends.

For more fabricky (nice expression I coined there, huh?) goodness head on over to Mikes. Like like, like to be like Mike (sorry, just couldn't help but sing that so it can be stuck in your head too).