diy Disco heels...

1 pair of black heels - $25, Kmart
a packet of black glitter
pva glue
paintbrush

basically, paint the glue on the bits of the shoe that you want to sparkle-ify (I have done the heel and the front platformy bit) and add the glitter. I also sprayed them with clear varnish afterwards...et voila!

should have cleaned them before I took the picture...damn you fantastic new camera getting all the detail!

Just to clear something up, 'cos I do hear you there sniggering "those will look good while you hang out the washing/play trains/change nappies Katie..." - they're for my exceedingly glamorous little sister. What? They could be for me...they could totally be for me.... they couldn't could they? sigh.

Breastfeeding week...

1st to 7th of August is Worldwide Breastfeeding Week, so I figured a shot a day of the little one at boob wouldn't go amiss... accompanied by some breastfeeding fun facts and some stories from the milky pirates of this household.

BFF#1:  Breastfed baby poo stinks less than formula fed baby poo - that's gotta be a plus!

this is how feeding is for us most of the day at the moment...Elanor has to get amongst the action...

Maggie is a great feeder, Jason calls her the BoobHound! If she is in his arms and I come in close enough for her to smell or see she'll wriggle and wriggle in my direction until he relinquishes her. Kind of have to feel sorry for Dadas but hey. get some boobs and make some tasty milk...then we'll talk.

sayonara camera...

Camera has officially died. Boohoo boohoo... On the downside this means a small period of time with no kiddie pics (eep!) but on the upside we get to buy a new camera! Hooray to that!

I think I am going to stick with point and shoot, but a better one. I'd love to go DSLR but it seems an expensive hobby and maybe I'd suck at using it. Maybe not? I don't know...how hard is it?

Anyway, camera buy is ON this weekend!! Woohoo!

30 (day) drawing challenge - #11, turning point in your life...

So there are two turning points featured here... Having Elanor and giving birth to Maggie. Surprisingly, two different things and two different turns.

This is how I remember Ebaby's first few weeks/months. We called her little bean - butter bean in the yellow wrap, green bean in the green wrap and jelly bean in the blue. Nerds. At this point my life took a turn towards learning to go with the flow... In my mind I had always been pretty relaxed and adaptable but after the first couple of days of worrying about how much she was feeding, when she was sleeping etc etc I just thought "let go, go with it" and we did...and things were awesome. Things ARE awesome. I am finding it harder to employ this philosophy now that she is a 2, nearly 3 year old but I still remind myself daily to guide her gently...to go with it.

The second turning point came in giving birth to Maggie...
(or Magga-wagga as she has been christened by Elanor)

Yes, that is a drawing of me pushing a baby out of my vagina and HOLY COW it was good! Not only did my life turn with the double trouble (something I am still getting used to every day!) into a kind of bubble where I do anything and everything every day to keep the littles happy and everything else comes after... I realize that this is not sustainable but am more than happy to be doing it for now. Anyways, it was the physical act of giving birth to Maggie that turned me this time. After the 14 hour labour that resulted in an emergency c-section with Elanor I was left feeling kind of deflated. Nothing had gone to "plan" of a natural waterbirth and with that I felt like I had failed. I hear you screaming "noooooooooo" but one can never account for ones feelings and that was how I felt. Not overwhelmingly but it was just there like a soft hum in the background so when I found out we were having #2 I was dead set on pushing this baby out. Hypnobirthing CDs, yoga, squatting, acupuncture to turn the bugger...but most of all it was the support of my husband, my midwife and my family that I believe enabled me to do it. Scratch that - it was the intense belief that Baby and I could and would do it! And do it we did - 4 hours from the first niggle to that beautiful babe being in my arms and I was healed (not literally...the stitches did that!).

Baby Joy!

shoeless punks (and a sleeping babe) hit the park...

Yesterday we took a drive to a new park we'd seen in the Northern burbs on the way back from Nana's house. We then proceeded to have a shoeless frolic...bearing in mind that it it winter!! No black toes here though, it was 16 degrees; much sandy-toed fun was had. You really can't go past a nice bright winter's day.

                                              

set those piggies free people!

note: we did actually have gumboots on when we got there.

30 day drawing challenge - Days 8 & 9...

So i realize I am not exactly doing this by the rules (ie. a drawing each day) but I am determind to do all 30...no matter how long it takes! So here are 8 and 9 - favourite animated character and favourite TV show.

I need to bring the colour....!!

hello stranger...

Lately I have really been hanging out for the weekends; mainly so I can see that guy that lives in my house...husband? During the week he goes out at 6.45am, which is (usually) before we get up. I stir for a goodbye smooch then roll over for those last precious minutes before one or both of the littles wake up. At the other end he comes in around 5.20pm and ya'll know what that time of night is like - it's one "job" after another...tea, bath, story, story, story (E is a story-guts!) then bed. At this point the Maggie feeding begins and she and I sit on the couch nursing until 9.30pm when she (and I!) is ready to go to bed. Sleep. Wake. Begin again.

Long story short, I feel like I don't see him during the week, thus the weekend joy. Even then there are jobs to do but at least we can do them together/hang out/have the energy to interact! Okay, it's not quite that bad but I guess that's how life goes when you have littles on the team (she says with a 13wk old babe and already contemplating the next...madness!). We have to take the small moments of quiet in the week to remember to snuggle and support and tell each other how awesome we are.

you are awesome...

30 day drawing challenge - Day 7, draw your favourite word...

Yes, I know, I skipped Day 6....so shoot me! All my favouritest books have been raped and pillaged by movie makers.

This is my favourite word. Cliche...maybe? But people that know me will tell you that I bandy this word around A LOT. A habit which I need to stop quick smart as a certain 2 year old is becoming very good at copying and this isn't particularly a word I want her to add to her vocabulary. Still my fav though!

(little miss) wardrobe Wednesday...

Here is what most of the cuter part of this household were wearing on this expletively cold Wednesday...

Maggie

Cardi, Salvation army - $2

Bodysuit, Cotton on Kids - $6

Pants, Croutons...a gift from the lovely Rhiannon

Elanor

Thermal, god knows...?

Cardi, Farmers - $5

Leggings, Rock a Bubba - $12

Apple, vege king

 

what is that???

30 day drawing challenge - Day 4, draw your favourite place...and Day 5, draw your best friend...

My favourite place, hands down, is BED!!

(craptastic photo of a craptastic drawing!)

And my best friend...no competition...of course it is the husband. He's not just my bestie cos we hang out all the time and laugh at the same stupid stuff - he is quite the cool dude! Plus...he's a babe, so that swings it for sure.

30 day drawing challenge - Day 3, draw your favourite food...

it was a toss up between this and chocolate (obviously!) but this was more interesting to draw...

30 day drawing challenge - Day 2, draw your favourite animal...

OTTER

 

Otters are awesome, otters are cute, otters are ingenious and crafty to boot! Plus they have big front teeth...I am kinda like and otter. Also once, husband (before he was husband) sent me a text saying something along the lines of I was cute like a little otter banging shellfish on a rock...damn that's cute!

wardrobe Wednesday...

Elanor has joined me this week...

 

Elanor

Cardi, Farmer - $5

Tshirt, op shop - 50c

Jeans, present from Nana

Shoes, Warehouse - $7

Moi

Top, Northbeach - $25

Top type dress thing, Cotton on - $15

Tights, Glassons - $15

Boots, Shoe Warehouse - $30

30 day drawing challenge - Day 1, draw yourself...

So I saw a friend on facebook doing this and thought it'd be fun. I am by no means an artist and have never claimed to be (!!) but I do like to do me some doodling. Please, no laughing. At least, not out loud!

Draw yourself

Punk Rock pants...

Made these pants for Maggie (or Magger, as Elanor has taken to calling her!) yesterday morning and I am totally in love with them. So much so that I am tempted to do some in my size.I can be the friendly neighbourhood zany Mama!

wow...really not that good a photo...sozbowdit!

I also printed that awesome bicycle on the onesie. Bicycle joy! Something else from last week is this little peasant dress from a fat man's t-shirt that had inappropriate stuff about beavers on it - I'll let you work that one out! But I did keep the part that says "the fun begins"...cute!

I am slowly beginning to get back into things and am finding snippets of time to play around - hurrah! But fr now I'm off to snuggle up on the couch with my girls...it's raining outside and I've been craving me some Lion King. Turrah...