It's Beautiful, & So Are You.

I am feeling a little under the weather with an icky flu, so I'm taking a break until I feel better. I am leaving you with some AMAZING images from the new Papier Mache magazine. They're simply stunning.

Top images by: Alice Elliot-Pimm
Bottom images by: Hannah Scott Stevenson

Happily Ever After.

I hope you have the loveliest of lovely weekends. My bestie is getting hitched tomorrow. Tomorrow! The day is finally here. I am so excited and so happy for her, and her lovely man.

See you all back here on Monday. Keep well, and happy, until then. xx

Print: Everything Lovely.

Community Service Announcement.

Every day that we go out someone will call Lacey a boy. EVERY day. No exaggeration. Even if she's wearing something incredibly girly like her love heart sequin top {above}. Ok. I know she's lacking in the hair department. But she's still girly.

So I am taking it upon myself to put the message out there. Please feel free to tell you the ones you love, or even don't love the following message...

When you see a little person {babies & toddlers} take a moment.
Breathe. Assess. Is the child wearing head-to-toe pink? Is there I'm A
Boy scribbled across the front of the t-shirt? Yes? Then it's safe to
mention the child's gender. I give you permission to remark: What a beautiful
girl! to the child wearing the head-to-toe pink. And to the little one with I'm A Boy across his top? You can say: What a handsome little man
you are!

And if you can't tell. Say nothing. Not nothing about all. But don't
mention the gender. Play it safe. Can't think of anything to say? Let me give
you a few ideas:

♥ Oh, you're such a bundle of cuteness!
♥ Look at you, so big and walking already!
♥ You have such a beautiful smile. Look at those
toothy-pegs!
♥ You're little one is so so beautiful. Congratulations.
♥ Oh my! You've got a heart breaker on your hands there.

Get the idea? It's super easy. Print out the list if you need. Keep it in your purse or wallet. Recite

them over and over again.

Thank you for your time.

Chantelle

Head of the Anti-Confusion of Little People's Genders Committee.

You're A Pisa Work.

I'm over at Primped today, talking about all things nails. Pop over and read my tips and tricks. xx

One Thing.

What is one thing that made you smile today?

Me? Well, tonight I'm heading out with this lovely lady, as well as this clever chook for a bite to eat and a movie. I'm looking forward to a nice night. Thinking about it is making me smile. xx

Print: The Box Of Birds Shop

Everyday Everybody: Erin.

Hello you. Meet Erin.

What musical instrument do you wish you could play?
I wish I could play the piano. I love the idea of having my family gathered around the piano on Christmas Eve, me playing and all of us singing Christmas carols. It will never, ever happen, but I love the idea of it!

What are you looking forward to today?
I'm looking forward to having a fire in the woodstove, for the first time this fall. The nights are getting cold now, and I am going to love sitting by the warm fire, watching it glow orange and red, and listening to it crackle.

Have you been in a hot air balloon?
No! And I never will go in a hot air balloon, either! It would be amazing, I'm sure, to see the lovely views as you float slowly along. But I've seen The Wizard of Oz, and that's not a risk I'm willing to take!

What are you particularly good at?
I am a fabulous correspondent. I love to write letters, to send parcels and postcards and little notes in the mail. I am really good at keeping in touch and keeping the people I love close, even when they're far away (and sadly, a lot of them are really very far away...)

Who owes you money?
A co-worker ordered some spring bulbs from my son's preschool fundraiser, but she forgot to bring the cash to school by the deadline. I've paid for the bulbs and she'll pay me back. Just $20, so no big deal.

How do you indulge yourself?
I love the little indulgences, like a chai tea latte on the way to work or a cheap & cheerful bouquet of flowers on a grey, rainy day. Lately though, I have been indulging myself with lots of lovely new clothes. I've lost almost 30 pounds since January and getting new things to wear makes me feel oh-so-happy! Oh, and I also loooove a good pedicure. It's been a long time since I had one of those, though. I'm definitely going to put it on my Christmas wish list.

You win the lottery. What's your first purchase?
A new house. With a beautiful big kitchen that has a breakfast nook. And a living room with a bay window, and a window seat where I could sit with a cup of tea and read a really good book. And a bathroom with a huge claw-foot tub to soak in. And a playroom for my boys to keep all their toys in and to build their railroads all over the floor. And a lovely big front porch and a great big garden. Isn't it wonderful to dream? The sky's the limit (so not like real life...)!

What's your favourite CD at the moment? Fortune's Favour by Great Big Sea, a fabulous band from the East Coast of Canada. I love it. I listen to it over and over and over again. I know every word to every song. I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.

What's the biggest mistake you ever made?
Ugh, I don't even like to think about it. I once, very briefly, got involved with a much older man. Quickly realized it was a huge mistake. Let's just pretend it never happened, okay?

Has anything changed about your life this year?
My best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer in April, at 34 years old. It's changed everything. My whole perspective on life has been affected. It makes me want to tell her every day how important she is to me, how much I love her. It reminds me to make the most of every moment and hold the people I love close. To try to live more in the moment and not take anything for granted. When I find myself getting grouchy or complaining about something small, I quickly remember what she's going through, and count my blessings. My friend Em is going to be just fine, I believe it with my whole heart. I am learning to be an optimist.

I wish your friend all the best. I know she will be okay too.

Erin blogs over here.

*No matter what I do the links to Erin's blog won't work. Please copy and past this to head to Ein's Blog: www.pughs-news.blogspot.com

Can We Talk About...

Mother Guilt? Please.


It's there lingering from the moment you've pushed your wee one through the birth canal {or endured a c-section}. It's there taunting you. Do I have enough milk? Is my baby being fed enough? Am I jeopardising bubba's well being by not breastfeeding at all? Swaddle or no swaddle? Co-sleep or no co-sleep? And then eventually it becomes public school or private school? Perhaps it never ends.

Recently I was knocked by a huge wave of Mother Guilt. Huge. It was like a tsunami of guilt consumed me, and I was pointing the finger back at myself, whispering Bad Mama. Bad Mama.

Back in February I was at my wits end. I was so sleep deprived I didn't know whether I was here nor there, or even actually existing. I dragged myself around, bags under my eyes. I thought it just wouldn't end. Lacey just wasn't a good sleeper, and probably because I'd never how to sleep properly {yep, Mother Guilt rears it's pretty face again}.

I bought a little musical device that aids Bubba's sleep. I found it in the toy section at Myer. Not the most reliable place to find sleeping aids, but I was desperate. So I picked it up, paid for it and took it home.

It had lights and a little tune that supposedly lulls the baby into a deep sleep {or the parents into a false hope of ever feeling normal again}. I thought it was cute. I put it on the side of the cot whilst Lacey went to sleep protested for what seemed like hours on end. It didn't work. She ended up in bed with us. And still sleeps there now.

So fast forward to last weekend. We were playing in Lacey's room with all her toys. It was mid-afternoon. She'd had a nap. It was playtime. She found the old sleeping device musical piece of crap toy. She handed it to us, so we turned it on. We thought, months on, that she'd be amazed by the lights and the tune.

It wasn't so. The bottom lip dropped. We tried to turn the frown upside down, but it was staying that way. And then came the uncontrollable sobbing. You know the type. Whole body convulsive sobbing. The desperate gasping for air in between huge wails. Crying that even a hug won't cure.

It seems that beautiful little tune was so deeply ingrained in Lacey's memory, that I may have scarred her for life.

I was so busy trying to comfort Lacey that I forgot to tell Hubby to TURN THE DARN THING OFF. It can thank it's lucky illuminated stars that it didn't get smashed into a trillion pieces right there and then.

And if I didn't have to care for, and comfort Lacey I would have collapsed right there from the all consuming Mother Guilt. A feeling that is most certainly not foreign to me.


So now I'd love to hear from you. I know Mother Guilt exists. I suffer from it. And books are written about it.

What do you feel guilty about? Clear your conscious here.


Print: FlapperDoodle.