hello! Are you well? We are! We are at our beach house enjoying long lovely walks along the beach and through the bush. We are enjoying the peacefulness of our quiet little enclave by the ocean where all we do each day is walk, play, eat simple food, read and sew a little.
We have built sandcastles, watched giant ships come in, found treasure and eaten ice cream.

I just wanted to stop in quickly and write about a few of the things I want for the coming year.

2009 has been an amazing year for our family with many more highs than lows - AND I think it deserves a post of it's own when I get back to a real computer.

For the coming year:

- to continue learning to be more present and live more simply.
- to live an even more handmade lifestyle
- to eat high quality locally produced and purchased foods.
- to learn how to make my own bread and to do so each week.
- to fall into a daily rhythm of life that encourages learning for Harris.
- to continue to evolve my blog
- to learn a new skill each month.
- to continue living the natural parenting lifestyle.

I think that should keep us busy !

What Are your plans for thecoming year? I'd love to hear about them...

I think those

Off to the Beach we go!

We are off to the beach for a few days of R & R before I start back at work....see you when we get back!

Our Christmas day..

and we're not done yet.....

My LIttle Reindeer

Have a happy and Safe Christmas Everyone!!!

I have sewed and sewed and sewed this week and I still have more to do. The christmas present making I undertook was more complex than I anticipated - but they are done and I can't wait to share my creations with you all. It will have to wait until tomorrow however as the intended recipient pokes her nose in here occasionally!

I am so looking forward to our first christmas as a family of 3! 

The little Action man doesn't really know whats going on and why on earth there is a tree inside our house!

I am going to go and charge up the camera batteries so I can capture all of the fun for him!

Hope Santa is nice to you all xo! 

Trust

If I was to ever get a tattoo - which is unlikely because I am not really a fan of self inflicted pain. This is exactly what I would get.

A constant daily reminder to simply trust myself, trust in my ability to achieve, to parent, to cope, and to live the aw I hope to.

Simply to trust in my knowledge and especiall in my intuition.

Everything I need to achieve what I want in life - be it being a great wife, friend, mother, daughter, employee, weight loss etc - it is all within myself.

I just need to trust myself.  I may get a bracelet with those letters on it. Just as  a reminder.

My Child is the best - No Really.

I am VERY conscious of the comparisons that go on between children and I strive (oh how I strive) to remind myself daily that my child is my child and different from every other child in his strengths and weaknesses.

This is one of the things that I feel most strongly about and I believe that it is SO important for him to grow up knowing that he does not need to compare himself to anyone else in any way.

Something I have said from the beginning is that I want Action man to have the greatest amount of self confidence and belief in himself andhis abilities. I want him to feel supported to go out and get whatever it is in life he may want and to dream big in the process. I wan "No Limits" to be our family motto.

This great article was published in the Opinion Pages of the Sydney Morning Herald Yesterday. It really hits the mark about how we should think of our kids.

Parent trap: disappointment comes with the territory

December 19, 2009 Adele Horin

'Tis the season to … rank the kids. The Higher School Certificate marks are out and the high achievers' lists are published. The university entrance scores are known, determining with decimal-point precision a child's future direction, at least in the short term. Whether 'tis the season to be jolly depends in some households on how the kids have rated: better or worse than expected, better or worse than their peers, their cousins, their father's boss's daughter?

In a country that elevates teenage sporting stars to hero status, it is good to see the brainiacs on the front page, and whole pages of fine print devoted to academic high flyers.

But when the evanescent moment has passed, let's get some perspective on how we rank our kids. A lot of parents will be feeling disappointed with their child's results. Disappointment comes with the parenting territory. Parents may be crazy about their kids. But often they are their child's worst critics.

They notice the weaknesses in their children and overlook the strengths. They worry about poor grades and overlook kind hearts. When it comes to ranking the kids, our set of criteria is too narrow.

It's the guilty secret of parents that they cannot help but compare and contrast their children with the others, and all too often find their own wanting.

If their children are sporty, parents worry they don't study enough; if their children are academic, parents worry they don't play sport. If the children are gregarious, parents wish they'd read more; if they always have their head in a book, parents want them to be more sociable. Just about every parent worries their child spends too much time in front of a computer screen enjoying themselves when they should be studying/sleeping/exercising.

There is always a new opportunity to worry that a child is lagging in some department and in need of improvement. Even children with talent are compared to the protege, and can end up feeling a failure.

It's a perilous journey parents take between neglect and encouragement. Be lackadaisical about study, be of the school that maintains the system puts children under too much pressure and the HSC is over-rated, and children will be hampered, possibly for life, by a poor work ethic and an embarrassing HSC mark. Be a nag and parents can forget to enjoy their children for who they are.

Most new parents with tiny babies will tell you they just want their children to be happy. But before long, a worm of desire wiggles into parents' hearts - for the child to be the greatest, the best, the first, to shine for others as he or she shines for them. Sensible parents know it is pathetic to bask in the reflected glories of the child but they accept the congratulations, anyway.

Competitive parenting starts in the mothers' group when it is impossible not to notice which infant sits up first, walks first, talks first. Later parents notice who reads and writes first. How well I remember my nights at a particular house when I was part of a babysitting co-op. Surrounded by mind-expanding puzzles, clever board games, and tomes on the Ancient Greeks, the children expounded in the sweetest way on everything from the wonders of the milky way to the evolution of a post-communist society. I exaggerate a little, but I'm sure the eight-year-old was reading Anna Karenina when mine was working his way through the Goosebumps series. I always left feeling in awe and inadequate.

The tendency to compare is the killjoy of parenting. Try as parents might to disguise pride in a toddler who is first off the mark, or disguise worry about a late-starter, it seeps out. Fortunately parents rarely go as far as Mitsuko Yamada, a Japanese mother who killed a two-year-old girl in a fit of envy after the toddler beat her own daughter to a place in an elite nursery school.

After hearing my complaints about a son who preferred soccer to study, an acquaintance who was a teacher at a tough high school asked me: "Is he sneaking out the window at night to go drinking?" No, he wasn't. "Is he turning up at school every day?" Yes, he was. "Well what are you worrying about?" the teacher said.

Perspective is all. The antics of boys from tough schools may seem of little relevance to a privileged family, such as my own. But as children grow up, stories of middle-class teenagers who sell drugs, drop out of school, are paralysed by depression, are psychotic with anorexia, or travel with a bad crowd are constant reminders that academic ranking is not everything, not nearly the most important thing.

Parents with new babies and syrupy wishes for a happy child are right. Having a clever child is less important than having a happy one. Having a child who tops the ranks means little if he has a mean streak, a big ego or an inability to get on with people.

It takes a long time to see how your children turn out, an older, wiser parent once told me. How we end up rating the kids when we are old, sick and needing them may have little to do with how clever they are and everything to do with the kindness of their heart.

Health Food Guide

I came across this magazine a while back and didn't realy pay it all that much attention, However, I picked it up again today (helped along by the fact that it came with a goodie bag jam packed with stuff) and I am really pleasantly surprised.

This mag has some really quality information about making healty food choices and helps to steer people away from 'fad' diets. Basically it is  about good healthy eating and getting plenty of nutrients to help your body to run properly.

It also has a great dedication to allergy sufferers with many recipies that are gluten free or dairy free included.

The website has heaps of really healthy recipies along with interesting articles and tools to assist with whatever food realted mission you might be on!

I am going to make this awesome sounding porridge for breakfast in the morning! YUM

Sourced from Healthy Foods Guide

This porridge is delicious and diabetic-friendly when made with traditional whole grain oats and yellow box honey.

 Divine Apple and Spice porridge 

Recipe Information

Portions: 4
Time to make: 15 minutes
Total cost of all ingredients: $3.18 / $0.79 per serve

• Low sodium  
• Recipe by: Jackie Charles
• Photography: Louise Lister

First published August 2007

Ingredients

• 1 large (215g) apple, peeled, cored and finely sliced
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Instructions

Place the apple, oats, cinnamon, mixed spice, milk and 2 cups of water in a large microwave-proof dish. Cook on high (100%) for 8 minutes, stirring every minute, until thick. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Serve drizzled with the honey and slivered almonds.

 

Nutrition Information

	per serve
Energy	860 kJ (207 Cals)
Protein	7.9g
Fat - saturated	6.9g 1.6g
Carbohydrates - sugars	28.4g 15.1g
Dietary Fibre	3.7g
Sodium	45mg
Calcium	150mg
Iron	2.2mg
* NS: Not specified

Mamamia

I read a gread book a few weeks back by Mia Freedman - entitled Mamamia (also the title of her eponynmous website).

Since then - in those rare moments that I get a chance to do something entirely unscheduled and unecessary - I pop on over to her blog and have a bit of a look.

I stumbled across this article today What Do Stay at Home Mums do All Day?

It is a great article and so spot on.

I too was one of those people who thought I would have all the time in the world and would be bored silly staying at home all day long. i was so wrong.

There is so much going on that I have poles of sthings on my "To Do" pile that just never get done.

That is mainly because the only realy chance I get to do anything at all is during Action Man's nap times - if I happen to be at home during that time and am not out walking because he refused to go to sleep in the first place and the only chance I will get to have 5 minutes of peace to myself is to go for a walk and then he MIGHT go to sleep and I Might get to have a coffee in peace without him waking up...Phew!

The rest of the time is spent running errands, obtaining some sanity through Mothers group, going to storytime at the library, going to paint and play, visitiing relatives, or simply playing Oh and eating - that takes up a disproportionate amount of time.

I have had to learn to be VERY patient and learnt to tell myself that my things can wait and Action man doesn't know what waith means yet and it is far more important that I spend time with hime than worry about whether or not the Laundry is done .

Bottome line is - finding the balance is hard and giving yourself permission to do the things that give you balance is even harder. As he gets older it get harder and harder because he just wants to be with me, part of what I'm doing, climing on me etc - and I don't want to deprive him of that.

On the topic of books another I have read and thoroughly recommend for it's brutal honesty for anyone who is a mother - but especially for someone who might be about to become a mother is called - The Mask of Motherhood by Susan Maushart. It is the most honest account of all the aspects of pregnancy, birthing, breastfeeding and early motherhood that I have ever come across and I wish that i had the opportunity to read it before I had my boy - I would have felt so much better prepared!

What If?

what if...

What if I just slowed down and watched the world go by?

Let all of the lovely moments into our lives

and not blink as they pass by.

What if we just sat back and enjoyed the simple things?

Exploring nature, good food, family, friends - and all that they bring.

What if I just didn't need more stuff?
Would I feel less cluttered and not yearn to have...enough?

What if I learnt to just stand still - and be in the moment - live for right now?

I would be OK - I might even be great.


Quietly, quietly - my new found consciousness awaits.








I've never really been one for writing poetry but this came to me this morning and I felt the urge to put pen to paper.

Motherhood has brough me many things but the one thing that stands out is how much my thinking and  thought processes have change and continue to change.
It is a little overwhelming at times and I am still working through it.

The one thing I have found to be the most profound is that it is so importnat to have confidence as a parent. To be confident in your choices and to try and not listen to too many experts - especially to not compare yourself and your choices to others.


To let your baby guide you - to let go of control.


This is one of the parts I am trying to work on.

Namaste Yoga

I have wanted to participate in a yoga class for a while now but it seems as though the ones at the gym are always on at really inconvenient times for us (ie- Dinner Time or Baby bed time).

I was thinking about buying a DVD but unless you can try before you buy, you just never know the quality that you are getting.

So the other day I stumbled across a program on Fox called Namaste Yoga - and it is awesome!

I've only done it a couple of times now but I always feel great afterwards and have found it to be very grounding.

Just like that early morning walk - I find it to be very cleansing and calming.

The program has beautiful settings and music and the narrator has a very calming presence. Each episonde lasts for about 20 mins - which is just the right amount of time.

The other great thing about it is the presenters/instructors all have the most amazing bodies - very lithe and supple - not to mention motivational!

My Creative Space

I have been tardy in my dedication to My Creative Space this year - hopefullly I can rectfy that next year! I am hastily trying to complete christmas present - I still have much sewing to do!!!

Play along with Kristy HERE!

Why Down in the Shed?

Hi All,

I've been thinking that some of you might be wondering that Down in the Shed is a strange name for a blog.

Well it is a little - but there are plenty of strangely named blogs out there.

I thought for a long time about a new name and I wanted something that reflected our family and the direction it was headed.

"The Shed" is an important part of our life because that is Mark's little haven, that and I can also see my little one wanting to spend time Down in the Shed with his daddy.

But really a shed is like a metaphor for any place that we go to escape, the home gym, the sewing room, the play room.

So I thought it was apt!

I also have a few ideas floating around in my head for a little project that will involve my blog - but I am still working on prototypes! You will have to stay tuned!!

I was sure I had something else to post about tonight but I can't for the life of me remember what it was.

I hate to admit it...

but I think that I may just be a morning exerciser. I took the dog out for a walk this morning and ended up running nearly 3km.

When I get out there and into it I just love the crispness of the morning air and the fact that there isn't too many people about just yet.

It really sets me up for the day ahead and gives me focus and energy.


As you can see from my picture above - I have been a busy little santa's elf and wrapping up presents.

We don't actually have a tree because we don't have anywhere to put it that is baby proof and I just know that it would be too tantalising for little baby fingers.

We will probably get one and put it up closer to christmas day - that way there are less days of temptation. I still won't be able to put the presents out though.

I still have a few things to make and I'm really hoping that I can get it all done. Next week is shaping up to be a very busy week so fingers crossed!

Silly me hasn't been taking any pictures of the things I have made - but there are a few double ups so there will be somein the coming week I am sure.

What have I been doing?

I feel as though I have been really busy this past week BUT I have been doing lots of things that feed the soul and help to organise our lives.

I am trying to learn to be more present in this life, to not wish away the days and to live for now.

the hardest part I find is simply to remind myself to do it!

I have also given up all Caffiene this past week and so far so good. Once again the hardest part is reminding myself why and remembering that I'm not drinking coffee or coke anymore.

I realised that I drink coffee for the experience of drinking a coffee - there is just something different about it to drinking a cup of Tea. Tea is good in it's own right however. So I have had to cast aside my thinking about coffee and if I REALLY want it - I drink a decaf - which isn't all that bad. The biggest challenge will be when next I am feeling stressed out - to not turn to a Can of Coke ( which is what I do).
Mostly I wanted to give it up so that I wasn't modelling that behaviour to Harris - How can I drink it and then tell him that he isn't allowed to.

I have also been doing a fair bit of Sewing this past week, shorts for Harris and today I cut out a dress for me.

I've been doing lots of reading and thinking and contemplating - which I have to say is probably my most favourite thing to do.

All in all it's been a good week -

How about you?

Barefoot Magazine

I thought I would share this magazine that I have recently found and love.

It is a beautiful collection of Australian articles about parenting and living more 'green' and poetry printed on recycled paper.

At only 5.95 - it's also a bargain!

You can buy it at Borders - or you can subscribe Here!

they also have a Blog

25 Days of Crafting

I have plenty of christmas sewing to do so I thought I would challenge myself to 25 days of Christmas crafting.

There are garlands and ornaments to be made, and presents to be crafted with love.

So here is the first of many more to come. Interestingly NOT a christmas themed item, but a birthday crown.

With me heading back to work after Christmas I thought I would get a head start on the birthday crafting also.