Such a lovely weekend

There was so much loveliness these past three days that this Mama was too busy to remember to take photos! These snaps are all I have to show for a wonderful visit to Mount Beauty for my birthday by Mum and Dad.
There was talking (I like what you've done with that garden bed....so this is the new chicken coop....I must have a look at that book later...), much playing of cards, dancing and performing (by Rosie) and special gifts of course.
While Mum took the girls and I out for a special coffee, Dad got to work unloading a trailer-full of his best fire wood to keep us warm for the rest of Winter.
I can't tell you how grateful I am for the love they brought with them this weekend (and that which they always send from afar). There is something special about having loved ones close, to have a hug rather than email and a kiss rather than a phone call. It made this Mama's birthday a special one indeed.
And of course the girls had a lovely time too. From the moment Rosie sped out of school on Friday afternoon straight into Noni's waiting arms until she waved goodbye to them on Sunday afternoon, there was much rejoicing in each other's company. Bethany took turns in being in the arms of either Noni or Pa for much of their time here and enjoyed having Oscar-dog in our house (she has that toddler fascination with animals at the moment).
The snow was falling up on high, Ian skied and skied and our wood fire roared as it burned our new special wood - keeping us all warm and happy. *sigh*

Such a lovely weekend.

Rosie and Noni read many stories together

...and danced together

...and ate my birthday cheesecake together

Some lovely cards from some lovely people

Some of my birthday treats - Daphne and Poppies to plant in our garden

The new, well-seasoned wood stack - lovingly brought and stacked by Dad

This moment

A photo from the week. No words. Just a moment in time.

Winter Beauty

"O, wind, if Winter comes can Spring be far behind?"

- Percy Bysshe Shelley

 

 

There are many lovely, lovely things about Winter in Mount Beauty (many of which I've been delighted to write about before). Notwithstanding the close proximity of Falls Creek Ski Resort, there's the high, domed mound of Mount Bogong, Victoria's highest peak, below which Mount Beauty nestles. This peak, when covered in a blanket of Winter snow, feels like a loving protector to us as we go about our business on the cold days of this season.

Of course there are other little beauties also - the crispness of frost on the grass as we walk to school, the austere brightness of a Winter full moon at night and the daily lighting of the fire to keep us warm.

Lately we have celebrated Winter with a family night ski, a full-moon ski for Ian and plenty of snow play with friends, for soon the snow will leave us and Spring will be with us again. So for now we enjoy the shorter, colder days for what they are - a time for preparation in the garden, a time for fun in the snow and a time for those indoor crafts like knitting, baking and stitching.

 

This is the Winter beauty we love.

Friday book review: Simplicity Parenting

"If a child has been able in his play to give up his whole living being to the world around him, he will be able, in the serious tasks of later life, to devote himself with confidence to the service of the world"

- Rudolf Steiner

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kidsby Kim John Payne is one of my favourite go-to books as a Mama.
So many times I've found myself musing over the complexity that can creep into our lives when I reach for this book and find an answer in its pages.
Yes, I love books, I'll be up front here. And I do have a lot of them dear readers (see my little treasures post to read about the $1000 I spent on them just last year!). But that doesn't mean I have just any books, in fact the books that I have are thoughtfully chosen and very special to this Mama.
This is another one of those extra special ones because it says things that guide me as a mother:

"Too many scheduled activities may limit a child's ability to motivate and direct themselves" (p.138)

"Rhythm and ritual are what we aim for; predictability may be what we achieve" (p.98)

"Children need experience, not entertainment, in play" (p. 80)

Ahhh...there is such common sense and beauty in this book. Sometimes I snuggle up with it for some late night peace of mind and sometimes I keep it on my bookstand as I type and take a dip into its wisdom each time I sit down. Either way its staying on my shelves and in the life of our family.

Family shopping day

Its been a month since we shopped for food in any sort of earnest. We've up the odd bag of fruit, some milk and I've brought bread home from the bakery after my shifts, but no serious purchases whatsoever. And now its the lovely month of August and its time for our next monthly shop.
My inspiration this month (since last month's budget posts) is Rhonda Hetzel's Down to Earth book which I excitedly received in the mail this week. I already wrote about her blog here, and so far I'm liking her book even more (there's something lovely and tangible about a real book don't you think?).
I'm proud to say that we spent so much less on food in the last month - $400 compared to an average of $1200 a month last year.
So, armed with our shopping list, some inspiration and a sense of accomplishment, we marched with our next $400 into this month's shopping.

My new favourite book

The shopping list - borrowed with thanks from simplemom.net

The well-stocked pantry

This moment

A photo from the week. No words. Just a moment in time.

Friday blog review: Ben Hewitt

I discovered this little blog through another - Soulemama (my favourite for a long time for instant inspiration). Its written by father of two Ben, who unschools his boys on their farm and I find myself laughing and nodding my head a lot when I have time to read one or two of his posts. He is funny in a way that I understand, likes to 'tell it how it is', which I appreciate, and is yet another blog that I follow where children are not formally schooled.
Now I'm not sure where this is heading for me, but I definitely seem to read a lot about others not schooling their children in the traditional way. More to come on this I think...
Anyway, what I do really love about Ben's blog is his passion for an authentic education for his boys. Unschooling is definitely not just a default option for him and his wife, this is what they believe to be the best education they can give their children and I find myself mesmerised by his description of their life together. They play on their farm, in nature, help with baling hay or feeding animals and play with handmade toys. It sounds like a eutopia of some sort and, like Soulemama, I am turning to this blog with joy and genuine interest almost daily now for some inspiration and new thoughts.

Enjoy

Nature girls

In the hub-bub of a busy school and work week its nice to take a break and spend some time playing in nature. Yesterday the girls and I took ourselves off to Mountain Creek for some painting, wandering and playing in nature in the sunshine. A lovely day for us all...

An Eastern Yellow Robin fluttered gracefully around for a while

In the 'cubby' we built

the girls in the cubby

On our nature walk - the river we followed flows off Mt Bogong and was bubbling along with snow melt

A cute hand-me-down skirt we got from a friend today - do you, like me, love little girls in skirts and dresses in the bush?