It is the week of the wedding

I am not sure how, but the time has absolutely flown since Ashley proposed to my daughter Kaitlyn 12 months ago and they set the date for The Big Day, which is now known as This Sunday!

This week is a whirlwind of pre-wedding preparations and finalising all the plans that have been steadily made over the months. Who knew how busy Mother of the Bride (MOB) would be? So much for turning up on the day and smiling at everyone.

This week's To Do list is along these lines:

• Final dress fitting and collection of bride and bridesmaid dresses
• Wedding rehearsal
• Primping and pampering, of the willing (girls) and the bribed (Kieran)
• Checking and double-checking that everyone will be correctly dressed from head to toe.
• Planning for the "other" princess - aka Molly the dog!
• Packing for two nights away
• Confirming booking for bride, bridesmaids and MOB at a B&B the night before
• Confirming everyone who is booked will be there!
• Preparing to do reading in ceremony without too many tears

and then all the aspects of "normal" life, which insist on making their presence felt:

• Awaiting the arrival of my new glasses, as now officially short-sighted!
• Making sure that general provisions - like pet food - are in supply: this weekend is shopping day!
• Making myself go to yoga class, because I know I really need it and the time is well-spent
• This thing called paid work, three days a week
• Taking my Photo of the Day, because the finish line is in sight.

Seeing her in her wedding dress and then hours later watching them all practice for Sunday's ceremony made is all very real. All those years of dress-ups and this is the real thing!

Following up - commitements of an Aussie eco-shopper

Hard as it is to believe, but it is almost two months since my review as an Aussie Eco Shopper and I thought it was time to review the commitments I made at the end of that process.

The list:

* planning to check out the local Farmer's Markets - there are plenty to choose from in our area, so I intend this to become part of my regular weekend activites.


Well, I think I am now officially addicted to Farmers Markets! What a wonderful treat they are! I aim to go to one each weekend and so far the only weeks I have not have been due to other commitments or weather! This is something I hope will continue to be part of my life.
* try and reduce the takeaway meals by planning ahead more. 


I am pretty sure I haven't ordered take away at all in this time - if I have, it has slipped my mind! I have been preparing alternate quick and easy options on the nights I don't have time/energy and home made pizza (store bought bases, I am not a saint!) have become what I hope to be regular options.
* revisit the recycled toilet paper section and see if the quality has improved!
Okay, I finally did this for the office, but habit kicked in when we did the monthly grocery shop and I only remembered once I had the 18 roll pack at home! next time. Extra motivation through the Wipe for Wildlife campaign.
* sticking with my new moisturiser, Moo Goo, which I love and discovered via this book!
I still love it and have a couple of tubs and a handy pump pack in my handbag, however I was disappointed to see it wasn't ideal for my skin over time. I have gone back to my organic lavendar-based product from the health shop, so not a complete fail and I use the Moo Goo on my feet and hands, which aren't so sensitive.
* sticking with my new crystal deodorant, which I am not sensitive to AND find quite effective :)
All good here :)

* buying fair-trade coffee for work and home.
Still my intention, just not had to do so yet.
* buying a stainless steel drink bottle
I ended up getting a Sigg bottle from lululemon, a yoga supply store. I love it and use it daily, however it is a little on the large size and becomes very heavy when full, so I am looking for a smaller one to lighten the load.
* awaiting a response to my email to Motto about how and where their fabrics come from.
I got a response!

You are right, we do make all Motto garments right here in Australia which is great. Because of a lack in makers in the country though, we will most likely eventually have to get manufacturing done in China as the facilities are getting very scarce here. This wont happen in the foreseeable future but eventually all businesses will have to outsource unless there is a big trend in garment manufacturing which would lead to experienced makers in our community.

 

We have recently started a new brand called "Motto Inc" which is currently made in China (although we've only done a few styles) and that goes through an agency we deal with in Australia. They take care of all the manufacturing side and find various factories to make each item so we aren't specifically tied with one factory over there. Im not 100% sure but I think this is because many factories wont take us on as we only make boutique quantities rather than 1000's which most other brands do. We want to keep our line very exclusive and to do that we cant make too many of the same thing so we aren't very attractive for China to take us on!

 

In regards to our fabric, the same applies as our clothing. We buy all our fabrics through a wholesaler in Australia (about 5 major ones and then buy stock of other people) and they get their supplies from various manufacturers. From what they have told us, most of it is from Taiwan (we think they have much better quality although this of course is not always the case) but Im sure some does come from China as it has to originate from somewhere!! We are way too small a company for any factory in China to really bother with so we don't have enough "power" to negotiate with them directly. We really cant make the "rules" which is why we make in Australia and will do so for as long as we can.

 

Most of our printed fabrics are also designed by an artist which we get printed in Korea and they are a very ethical country so we have no concern here. We have visited the factories and they are lovely and also very small like us so we have been very pleased with all our associations with them so far.

 

I hope this answers your question, feel free to pop in and see our factory or email me anytime for any extra info!

 

Lauren Browne

I think that is about as good as it is going to be for such a company. I will continue to support them, as small businesses are my preferred first option.

* investigating worm farming!
After finding the options available at Bunnings were suspiciously expensive, I surveyed my Facebook community and got lots of great information! I have decided to buy online from Kookaburra Worm Farms - just waiting for some time and money after the upcoming wedding!


So I think I pass the test I set myself! I have added other changes as well, but they can wait til another day!

Baring My Soul To The World!

I spent time this weekend creating an assignment for the Art, Heart, Healing course I am doing and feel really shy sharing the result, but I am pleased with it, so putting it out there! I am fascinated that I have no hesitation in sharing my scrapbooking creations, my photos or even my thoughts in writing, but for some reason, sharing art created from scratch causes me to feel vulnerable. However, I am beginning as I mean to go on and I don't want to be a secret artist!

So - here it is! The assignment was:

Art Journal Spread: basics on a front-facing portrait & several background techniques.

The figure is a (very) stylised version of myself - (who is apparently much younger and more willowy, LOL!) and the text is a message to her, resulting from the healing assignment, which I will keep private.


I did all of this from scratch! I think the last time I did a portrait of any kind was in high school art class, of my friend Jackie. That was a life-time ago, yet I can visualise it any time I try, even though I have no idea what happened to the original. I have always been drawn to works of this kind and felt a wish to try my hand.


I figure the second half of life is a great time to do all the things you spent the first half saying you would really like to do one day!

When life gets too hard ...

The ever-wise Goddess Leonie recently blogged her list of what to do when everything sucks, her list of things to comfort when things go bad.

I thought I would put together a similar list, to remind me of the ways I look after myself when everything I touch turns to mud.

• Escape. If not actually, then mentally. If possible, head for the beach. Or bed.
• Nurture my senses. Freshen the oil burner, light the incense or candles, dim the lights. Play gentle music. Get away from noise.
• Refresh my body. Have a relaxing shower, put on my jammies, snuggle under the doona.
• Get outside. Take a walk. Potter in the garden. Breath fresh air.
• Drink tea. Herbal or black. Make it a calming ritual - use my loose teas, my tea infusers, my favourite mug.
• Disconnect. Retreat. Switch off the world.  Get away from negative people.
• Surround myself with positive "people". Friends online or IRL. My children adults. My dog.
• Read a book that makes me smile. Watch a program that makes me laugh.
• Move on. Plan for change. Turn over a new leaf.

Art course - scary and exciting

If push came to shove, I would label myself as CREATIVE, but I have never considered myself ARTISTIC. To me, these words have vastly different meanings.

As a crafter (scrapbooking, photographer currently - pottery and other forms previously) I have always considered ART to be the creation of something from nothing, whereas CRAFT is creating something from something. I guess.

I have the gene-pool - my maternal grandmother took to photography as a young woman more than 100 years ago. Her daughter, my mother, was a frustrated artist who could sketch 1950's women and tried to fit oil painting classes around her role as a 1960s mother (unsuccessfully trying a night class while my father "babysat" my sister and I, resulting in domestic chaos). Although I am no longer in contact with her, my memory of my mother is of a disappointed creative woman without an outlet. My father was musically talented.

My sister is a skilled theatre make-up artist and face-painter for children, her eldest daughter is studying design and is skilled with line art. My own off-spring have done well in art subjects at school, with the oldest and youngest taking it to senior high school studies. My daughter designs and creates costumes and my son is also creative.

I adore artworks by women of women and children. I fantasize about creating such works myself. My love of photography and writing still leave that small voice saying "maybe I could do that?" But how? My own days of art class at high school are decades ago and I have no knowledge of techniques for drawing or painting.

So why on Earth did I connect with a link in a young friends blog post, and rashly join another online group, one entirely focused on art? What led me, at this intensely busy time, to sign up for a free course Art, Heart & Healing? Two weeks after it officially began, so I am behind even before I begin? http://willowing.ning.com/

Still, life was meant to be exciting, right?

Visit willowing & friends

Detachment Parenting

UPDATE: The other two products I mentioned are now shown. 27/10/10

Attachment parenting, a phrase coined by pediatrician William Sears, is a parenting philosophy based on the principles of the attachment theory in developmental psychology. According to attachment theory, the child forms a strong emotional bond with caregivers during childhood with lifelong consequences. Sensitive and emotionally available parenting helps the child to form a secure attachment style which fosters a child's socio-emotional development and well being. Less sensitive and emotionally available parenting or neglect of the child's needs may result in insecure forms of attachment style, which is a risk factor for many mental health problems. (Wikipedia)

This weekend, as I have since 1991, I attended the Pregnancy, Babies and Children's Expo in Melbourne and volunteered at a stand for the Australian Breastfeeding Association. We have all three come a long way since then - I had my last baby that year, the expo has grown to become an Australia-wide phenomenon and ABA continues to grow as the provider of Information and support to parents.

In 1991, I was also fully converted to the style of baby-care referred to from around that time as "Attachment Parenting". Although I had been practicing the prinicples of the technique, it was reading William Sears books while raising my high-needs son (now a confident young man soon turning twenty!) that I became fully aware of its importance.

Which is why I am becoming increasingly concerned by some of the products thrust upon parents at this and similar expos, because it seems to me many are now moving toward the opposite end of the parenting spectrum, which I think of as Detachment Parenting.

Have a look at some of these and see what I mean:

These are Sleepy Wings

With their forearms up and with adequate flexibility to access their mouths, a baby wearing Sleepy Wings^TM can self settle and soothe without scratching or harming themselves.  When worn from birth, a infant will learn to associate its wear with bed time, relaxing when worn in preparation for milk feeds and sleep.

This is the Momby feeding "pillow"

Unlike breast feeding cushions, which are designed for the baby to lay
down flat while feeding, the Momby is designed to keep your baby at the right angle, therefore eliminating unnecessary coughing and vomiting.

There was a third product, which I can't find a link to right now (which is probably a good thing)! A teddy holds a feeding bottle, which has a tube leading down to a teat, so your baby can self-feed and cuddle something at the same time. I think this was the saddest of them all.

A product that was (thankfully) not on sale at the expo, but fits in well with the above, was recently shown on Facebook: it is a set of fake adult hands, which are used to trick a baby into thinking a caring human is still holding them as they lay sleeping! I will try and find an image, but if you can imagine how you place your hands after transferring a sleeping baby from your arms to a cot ... 

That these products are deemed useful and even appealing to some parents is not in doubt. That they are contributions toward a society which values nurturing and caring, I am not convinced. And great ideas to get vulnerable parents to part with their money - of course they are!

They would be much better off investing in this:

(My attached infants grew up to be attached adults - which is just how it should be!)

Misadventures of Mum, Melissa and Molly!

I have come to realise that time spent with my eldest daughter, 26yo Melissa, is never predictable! In fact, we seem to end up having the most amazing experiences together when we originally set out to do something mundane. I think we bring out the spontaneity that lingers just below the surface in both our souls and we live in the moment. Often, our dog Molly gets swept along for the ride!

On Monday, it began as a simple outing: to the local beach to take some final photos of Flat Stanley before stopping at the post office to mail him back to Arizona. Melissa tagged along with me so I could manage Stanley, Molly and the camera, without one of them ending up in the sea! Melissa was also looking for a particular stick to create a wand for an upcoming event, so combing for driftwood, we strolled away half an hour or so quite sensibly.

It was when we were back in the car and I suggested we could stop by a local creek, that mischief took over!

I grew up within walking distance of Sweetwater Creek, however back in the 70s, there wasn't a lot of sweetness about it! In fact, it was a weed-infested no-go zone that our mothers didn't even need to warn us to avoid! In the decades since, it has been nurtured with walking paths, bridges and such, but sadly the volunteer Friends have not been able to win the weed battle. However, not all weeds are ugly and it is spring, so our walk along the tracks was quite pretty and Molly enjoyed the abundant birdlife.

I had never seen the tiny waterfall there, nor the area of rock at the water's edge called the Granites. It was all quite magical, if you overlooked the mosquitoes. Flat Stanley had a wonderful time and Molly enjoyed most of it.

It was when we went up a path that wasn't that the adventure began! Melissa insisted we were following the designated track, but we had our doubts as it narrowed and then took a sharp descent. Up for the challennge (and still thinking we were on the proper path) we scrambled down, convincing Molly that she could jump over the exposed tree root and on we went. The path became less and less convincing as we went down further and we soon realised we were hiking down the gully to the waterfall! But clambering back up the hillside didn't seem very appealing either!

Our path came to a halt right alongside the top of the waterfall - and then continued upwards on the other side. We looked back up the way we had come and looked up toward the way we could go, and neither were very appealing. However, there we were with poor Flat Stanley (becoming Slightly Bent Stanley) a slightly bemused Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, my DSLR camera and us! And our phones left in the car!

(You can just see the "path" where it meets the upper creek)

I passed Stanley to Melissa, grabbed the dog under one arm, thanked the goddess I was wearing my Crocs and stepped cautiously onto the exposed rock in front of the downward flow. Thinking I would at least have an interesting reason for explaining the plaster cast at my other daughter's upcoming wedding (!), I made it across and faced the sandy track up the hillside.

Melissa was watching me (waiting to see if I survived?) so I released the dog, pointed her in the right direction and gave her a confident "UP!" command (normally reserved for stairs at the beach!). She looked back at me as if I was mad, but with a bit of a shove she scrambled up to to the path and I held onto the lead, hoping she would help pull me up too! We made it and Melissa followed across behind us, both of us laughing hysterically at the madness of it all.

We made our way back to the car and just made the post office in time. Still shaking in his paper boots, Flat Stanlety was hastily stuffed into an envelope with all his treasures and was soon on his way!

Never a dull moment with us!