room for baby : sunny safari

"I'm so excited to share this 'In the Desert' nursery with you as it's one of my latest creations," explained Nicole from Little Liberty. "And funnily enough it's also one of my favourites to date."

"The shades of camel, burnt orange and mustard are so earthy and natural and give the room a calm and soothing feel. The colour palette is such a welcome departure from the obvious nursery colours like pinks or blues and I really enjoyed creating something different."

"I've used Oeuf furniture that is so beautiful -- it gives the room a simple, contemporary feel."

"The safari-inspired animal decals on the wall and on the shelves are really cute and add some personality to the space."

"The hand carved 'L' on the wall is custom-made out of gibbon wood which has a lovely grainy texture to it --  it's such a simple piece but fills the space above the chair beautifully." 

"My other favourite piece would have to be the beautifully elegant paper mobile hanging over the cot. Lastly, my lovely photographer suggested that I put a photo of me in the room mid-installation ... so here it is!"

Nice to  see you Nicole! Thank you for sharing this delightful space. You can find more of Nicole's work at Little Liberty. 

8/52

A portrait of one/some/all of my children once a week, every week in 2013.

Him: A monkey, a lion, a cloud. 

Joining in with Jodi's 52 week portrait project. 

wee style : for the boys

Are you on the hunt for super cute threads for boys?

Then you might like this feature in the latest issue of Shop 4 Kids by editor-in-chief and mama of three sons, Justine Cullen.

What are your go-to stores for boys clothing? I'd love to hear!

Some of my favourites: The Raisin Did It, Industrie Kids and Cotton On Kids.

If you want to see behind-the-scenes at a Shop 4 Kids shoot. 

Top image as seen on The Dapper Gentleman. Please contact me if you know the original source. 

room for kids : poet corner

Oh my sweetness! There are a handful of blogs whose aesthetic I think of as influencing (or reflecting? maybe both) the current and growing enthusiasm for simplicity, authenticity and nostalgia in Australian family style and Che and Fidel might be the leader of the bunch.

Jodi has posted her daughter Poet's lovely little space on Che and Fidel and Elsie has also featured it on A Beautiful Mess. Have you taken a peek? Are you a fan of this handmade, nature-inspired aesthetic too?

Another amazing Australian nursery. 

7/52

A portrait of one/some/all of my children once a week, every week in 2013.

Her: She had been eyeing my collectible Blythe dolls for ages. On this day I let her play with one, its name is Constance. She liked brushing Constance's hair, which meant whacking her on the head with the plastic hairbrush.

I think when she gets a little bigger this Blythe doll can be hers to keep.

Joining in with Jodi's 52 week portrait project. 

fun stuff : little red squirrel

Vintage Rubber Squirrel, approx $15 AUD from a treasure trove of vintage goodies at Two Red Suitcases, an Etsy store currently based in Belgium.

sakura bloom sling diaries : tradition

One thing I love about Leigh's documented passions (Leigh formerly of Marvelous Kiddo), is her commitment to traditions of parenting, especially motherhood, especially attachment parenting choices like breastfeeding and babywearing.

I don't practise attachment parenting as I understand it, but rather, like a spiritual enthusiast who picks and chooses values from different religions to form their world view, I pick and choose from different parenting philosophies to inform my own. You can judge now if you'd like.

I am also a by-the-book parenter. Is that a contradiction? There is a part of me that approaches parenting as a skill that I can learn by reading books and applying techniques. Going with my gut is not usually for me. My gut could be telling me anything. My gut could just be hungry.

If I left my gut to make my decisions I would most likely breastfeed my littles till they were 10, co-sleep with them every night, not send them to school (but not unschool them either as I don't know how, perhaps I need a book?) and let them eat dessert for breakfast (which is pretty much what I do myself). All of which would not equip them for the world we live in here in our hometown of urban Sydney, nor would I be able to get anything done myself and I would never have relations with the mister ever again due to lack of privacy and exhaustion. I know other people seem to manage all this in a healthy manner, but I am not one of them.

But I do love holding my babies close.

If I could bottle some fleeting things to take them out when I needed, there would be bottles of sleep, equanimity, motivation, and the absolutely divine feeling of my tiny baby's body resting trustfully on mine. Their soft pudgy hands on my face, their little hearts beating clear and strong.

When I babywear I am afforded such a beautiful intimacy even while doing mundane day-to-day tasks. When I babywear my natural instincts and the reality of my city life overlap.

So while it may seem like a contradiction to parent by the the book (routines that fit in with the grownup's day) yet also love attachment parenting ways (being sensitive to the child's needs first), it makes sense to me because what I'm doing is employing practices that many other parents and childcare experts have tried before. I don't need to reinvent the wheel. I am benefiting from the wisdom of their learnt experiences.

In this way I am able to learn how to teach a baby to sleep (eventually), what to feed my children (not dessert for breakfast, shockingly) and why I should babyproof my home (!?). These might seem like no-brainers to some, but while loving my children comes naturally to me, knowing how to parent them does not.

Parenting traditions: love learning about them, what works, what doesn't.

Right now I am working on the best way (for me) to parent my teenager. Advice, links to great sites, etc welcome :)

This post is part of the The Sling Diaries, Vol. II for Sakura Bloom. You can follow along on Pinterest and Facebook.

{Photographs by the lovely Belinda at Billy and August and Passport of Poets.}

6/52

A portrait of my children once a week, every week in 2013.

Her: A little fireball of enthusiasm. She has started carrying around a play handbag with my coin purse inside and chortling to herself.

Him: The excitement of the first days of school has worn off. For the first time ever he understands what a weekend is, and he likes it.

Happy Valentines Day everyone! And a big Happy Birthday to two of our favourite people who celebrate their special day today. Much love, us. x

Joining in with Jodi's 52 week portrait project. 

mini house tour : part two

When I was putting together our little tour I realised how many collections we have in our home -- books, CDs, surfboards, snow globes, magazines, children (just kidding).

I've already posted this photo but it made sense to include it here to give perspective. You can see how the dining area leads into the lounge area, which leads into the study, which leads into the kitchen. Classic narrow terrace living.

On our fridge:  photos and postcards. The top middle picture is the mister as a kid. The little blondie in the middle is the eldest at age one and a half.

Some of my magazine collection. Lots of Australian Vogue, some dating back to the '90s (high school days) as well as British, American, Teen and French Vogue, Frankie, Russh, Country Style, Living Etc. The list goes on. I don't throw out glossies and go back to them quite often.

In the kitchen: can you see the surfboards by the fridge? There are more on the other side of the fridge too. Next to them is a tiny laundry cupboard. The French doors lead out to a little raised courtyard where we keep potted plants and two guinea pigs called Mookie and Peso. The boys named them.

Looking into the kitchen from the study area. We keep the computer paraphernalia like the printer, scanner and paper in the red Ikea PS locker.

A little kitsch gallery in the living area. I love thrifting for funny old pieces. These ones come from garage sales, markets and Mitchell Road Antique Centre in Alexandria. The top left is a self portrait the eldest drew in grade six. Max has named the girl in the bottom left 'Angelina'.

In the study area again, the popular and contemporary fiction bookshelf which is a mishmash of randomness. Top shelves: board games and biographies, plus the kids and my snow globe collection that I started 14 years ago. Middle shelf: we still have a large CD collection, mostly the mister's as I am sadly musically challenged.

More magazines. These ones were stacked on an industrial spool repurposed as a side table by the lounge.

Some of Rose's little shoes in the nursery: two hand-me-down pairs (the checkered ones used to be Max's) and a sparkly gift pair.

So that was a few of the little corners around our home, I hope you enjoyed visiting! Do let me know if I can tour your home too, I'd love to see :)

Part one of our mini house tour.

{all photographs except for the magazines by the gorgeous seth and tenielle at feather and stone photography.}

mini house tour : part one

When Feather and Stone visited us last year they captured a few of the nooks and crannies around our house. Would you like to see?

We live in an old three bedroom terrace in Sydney that is kind of falling apart here and there. There is basically no storage and most of the rooms are small and dark, but  it has loads of character and we love it all the same. When we were waiting to see if our rental application would be approved I actually cried because I wanted to live here so much.

In the nursery: there is a funny little alcove above Rose's cot where I've put two framed alphabet prints, the smaller one was a free printout and the larger one is by Draw! Pilgrim and was a pull-out from Frankie Magazine.

In the dining area: the timber dining table was a side-of-the-road Bondi find. I pulled over and hauled it onto my roof racks with the help of a passerby. The dining chairs were $15 AUD each from Vinnies.

Max's bed with a vintage pillow case from the Finder's Keepers Frankie stall.  He's still keen on his floral bedding but now that he's started school I think it's just a matter of time before he asks for something that's more stereotypically 'boy'. We'll see.

The dining table benches were originally outdoor seats from Ikea. The bookshelf by the table holds the classics. I am a book nerd and arrange all our books by genre and then alphabetise by author.

What the nursery usually looks like: the kiddos pile of toys below wall decals from Love Mae and We N Ty fabric wallstickers. I have lots of fun with the Love Mae doll sticker and her cute clothes.

Helping Rose with the crayons. We use this table for everything; art, homework, dinner, breakfast, board games, all sorts.

In the tiny space between Max and Rose's beds there is just enough room for one small chair (that used to be mine). My dad painted Max's name and Rose's is a decal from We N Ty. We picked up the seal plushie from The Raisin Did It at their Mathilda's Market stall a few years ago.

Have you posted a tour of your home? Any fave home tours you'd recommend? I'd love to hear!

Part two coming up...

{photographs by the gorgeous seth and tenielle at feather and stone photography.}

make it mine : black forest

Have you noticed the growing enthusiasm for sharp, monochrome Scandinavian patterns in the nursery?

baby space contributor Belinda says, "It seems I have a new obsession:  black. I love the wallpaper in this room. If it’s a bit too overwhelming for you, you might like the pillows in the same print."

1. Replica Rocking Chair from Click On Furniture. 2. Gran Wallpaper from Fine Little Day. Leander bed from Danish by Design. 4. Larry Felt Ball Rug from Happy as Larry Designs. 

Thanks for the inspiration Belinda! You can find more of Belinda's work at Nest Design Studio. 

Main image as seen on So Leb 'Ich. 

5/52

A portrait of my children once a week, every week in 2013.

Him: Holding his big brother's hand on the very first day of school. 

Her:  Dimples and brand new teeth on the way to swimming lessons at the beach. 

Him: (top) Holding his little brother's hand on his very first day of school. (bottom) Preparing to play what he lives and breathes for. He's the one in the green shoes ;)

Sometimes it feels a little strange to be doing this project without including every child, every week. This week I managed to snap a little of each of them. My three babies.

Joining in with Jodi's 52 week portrait project. 

fun stuff : in the homies

Yay! baby space is in The Homies over on the grand site of home gorgeousness: Apartment Therapy.

If you'd like, you can sign in (or up, it will only take a couple of minutes) and vote with a click here for baby space in the Best Family and Kids Blog category.

What are The Homies? 

"Since 2004, when Apartment Therapy started, the blogosphere has changed, but one thing has remained the same, the remarkable number of people with their richness, talent and passion for home life that's out there. They are just often harder to find. The Homies isn't a competition as much as its about celebration and discovery.

Join us now as we survey the blogosphere together in the fifth annual Homies. We're looking for the most notable home design and home cooking blogs that we can find. It's all about sharing your favorites, checking out the ones you don't know and being inspired."

from Apartment Therapy.

Voting closes on February 8th. Thank you for your support :)

wee style : moonrise kingdom

How adorable is this mini take on Moonrise Kingdom?

The mister and I have a pretty small overlap of film-approval but we both loved Moonrise Kingdom. Have you seen it? Wonder if I can convince the boy child that this would make an awesome Halloween getup ;)

Head over to Skirt As Top to see the original post by amazing sewing/stylist mama Kristin. 

this parenting caper : the first day

Has your kiddo just started school too?

On this day of firsts I was having some seconds moments. This is the second time I have helped my son tie his new school shoelaces. The second time I have walked my child on the big first day. The second time I have filled out kindy forms, labelled the new school bag and met the new school teachers.

On this boy's first day of school what I was remembering was his big brother's first day, exactly one decade ago.

Back on that summer's day in 2003 I was a uni student in my final year of a BA. I was a single parent. I was young. Really young.

When I turned up at the hall for the first parents meeting I felt like a complete fraud. It felt like just yesterday that I was one of the kids. Could I really be one of the parents?

But I was excited for him, my first and only child back then.

And I was super excited for this guy too.

We counted down the sleeps together.

We set out his new uniform and his giant broad-brimmed hat.

At the last minute the big brother, now 15, decided to walk with us too. "My whole family walked me to school!" Max told me proudly (if somewhat unnecessarily).

I've noticed that many mamas have been sad to see their little one's start. Maybe I'll feel this way when it's Rose's turn, my last baby. 

The world opens up a bit more when school starts; there is so much adventure out there, so many new things to learn and do, so many really cool experiences to be had. So right now I don't feel too sad.

Plus, child caring under 5's is a lot of work. It's nice to be finished that part and be able to share the educational load.

So he's off. Goodbye preschooler. Hello big kid.

I know you're going to shine.