2012 The Year that was.....

January

2012 started as it should. With good quality bubbles.

Aunty Em and the Cousins came to visit! Here we are at the light rail stop at Glebe.

February

Off we went to holiday in Coolangatta with Nan and Grandpa. We went to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. The best bit was the train!

March
Off I went to a "People Photography" workshop with Sydney Photographic Workshops

We planted some plants which are still alive

Aiden turned.......

and had a party with friends

April
Nan and Grandpa came to visit and give cuddles....

Aiden got a special present

May
Charlie went for a swim with Daddy

Aiden got a new bedroom.....

June
Arran did some bike riding. No surprise there!

I owned up to my magazine addiction.

Got inspired with some funky fabric.....

 Went on an outing with some friends.....

Charlie and I appeared on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald!

August 

Got some new clothes......

 Went on a holiday to Fiji....

September
Put up some art....

 
Charlie tried out a bike!

 Made some cushions....

October

Went to a wedding in Palm Cove

 More bike riding.....

Ride to work day. Even I got into the act!

Charlie turned 1!

Halloween dress ups at Daycare!

November

Arran and I had a party....shame I was too sick to enjoy it!

 

Arran and I did a "Travel and Documentary" workshop with Sydney Photographic Workshops

 December
Wrapped some presents

 Went to hear some Carols and had a picnic!

Christmas day! Aiden got to see Santa after all....

PHEW!!

10 ways to be a Bad Mummy at Christmas

Off we went to Coolangatta for the Christmas period. Because we are idiots for thinking that driving for 2 days there and then back, with 2 small boys would resemble something like relaxing. It's not. But you knew that.

Once ensconced in a holiday apartment, my sister Emma, her husband Brett and her boys Marley and Jordi came to visit. I was telling her that I was a bad mummy. She asked for examples. I gave her some. She suggested I had enough material for a blog post. Nice. I also told my Mum that Emma thought I would have enough material for a bad mummy blog post. She agreed. Next year Christmas will be with friends. Just saying.

Here we go:
1. I decided not to put up the Christmas tree at home because:

• We weren’t going to be at home for Christmas
• I couldn’t be bothered schlepping the massive box containing the Christmas tree, as well as all the other random boxes of decorations down 3 flights of stairs
• I couldn’t face untangling the 3 sets of Christmas lights. I have done enough problem solving for the year
• Charlie is at that “into everything” stage and I couldn’t face him destroying the tree at every opportunity
• I couldn’t face then packing up the tree sometime in March to do it all over again 9 months later

All this by itself wasn’t too bad until Aiden told me one day, walking up to day-care that they had a tree and pointed out we didn’t have one at home. Bad mummy.

2. On the subject of day-care, they had a Christmas party. They always have a Christmas party. Last year I went, taking along Charlie who was maybe 6 weeks old. Hell on earth people. All the day-care kids plus a good portion of their parents plus sugary food does not a good afternoon make. Luckily this year (here comes the bad mummy bit) I was going to be in Melbourne for work! “Arran, could you go?” Arran forgot and got some grief from the Childcare Director when he went to pick up the boys that afternoon. Apparently Charlie had a good time. He got a tattoo that took 6 days to get off. Aiden was scared of the jumping castle.

3. I didn’t get any specific presents for Charlie from Santa. The second child is tricky, specially cause he is a boy. We have bought heaps of things for Aiden so Charlie doesn’t really need anything. He steals everything from Aiden! I did want to get him something anyway, but what? I forgot about it. Christmas eve rolled around before I remembered I had got him nothing. I re-labeled some of Aiden's train presents for Charlie. 

Beautiful Charlie

4. Since going on holidays I have forgotten to brush Aiden's teeth. We were 4 nights into our trip away before I remembered, even though I had bought him a new Diego toothbrush. And after that I didn't remember until we go home yesterday. Seriously. Bad Mummy. Though maybe the Daddy could have remembered?

5. There was no Santa photo because I couldn’t face standing in line with lots of screaming kids and because work was stupid busy and I was pooped. One of my friends asked if I had taken the boys to see Santa, and before I could even draw my guilty breath to answer, she said "Oh that's right, you aren't that kind of mummy".

6. Aiden wanted a fire truck from Santa, and I forgot. It was even written up on a board at daycare presumably for mummy's like me.  Luckily Aunty Laura and Aunty Luella got him a little one. It's probably not the kind he would have asked Santa for, if I had taken Aiden to see him.

7. I was going to buy a cheap Christmas tree from a $2 shop when we got to Coolangatta but couldn't be bothered. Emma helped me buy some decorations and we got fancy with the plastic plant in the holiday unit. It doesn't even remotely look like a Christmas tree. Have you seen anything sadder?

See! Charlie about to destroy the tree!

8. Aiden loves being with his cousins Marley and Jordi. It would be great if they could be together more often, but I like living in Sydney. Marley and Jordi are in Brisbane. Selfish mummy.

The Cousins - Aiden, Marley, Charlie and Jordi

9. I hate the piles of coloured plastic shit toys all over my house. There seems to be at least double the amount since Christmas. Even though we have a relatively large house there is nowhere near enough storage. There could never be enough storage. There is going to be a cull. Very. Soon.

10. Forgot to get Arran a wedding anniversary present. Or even a card. This is really in the bad wife category but I have presently run out of bad mummy stories. Hard to believe I know.

Does anyone else have any bad mummy/daddy/aunty/uncle/grandparent stories? Would make me feel better!

Arty Glebe Streets

A number of months ago I was sitting in an airport in Asia, playing on my iPad killing time before my flight back home. I think I had been in China so was desperate for a Facebook fix. The Chinese government is still denying this website to its residents. My friend Andrea and I began ‘chatting’ using Facebook’s chat functionality. I have been friends with "Drea" for around 15 years! When I first met we were both living in Brisbane and she was dating a guy who was friends with the guy I was dating. I just thought she was the coolest! Amazing creative energy, naughty sense of humour, white blonde hair and riding a "Pepsi" motorbike. In awe really.

Nothing much has changed. Well we both have moved on from various parts of our life and found new parts but she has maintained her coolness, naughtiness and creative energy!

We were having a general chat and I asked her if she would be in Sydney over the coming months. Andrea has become a great photographer and I thought it would be nice to have some family shots including my pregnant belly, before the new baby arrived. The snaps I have of my belly while pregnant with Aiden are not flattering!

Andrea and my sister Emma made the invitations for Arran and my wedding and Andrea took our wedding photos on what was one of Sydney’s hottest days after Christmas in 2005. We got married in the back yard of our Glebe St house despite my mother’s protests (it was a very un-pretty backyard which we eventually had landscaped). We invited around 40 people, brought in a fantastic caterer to serve continuous finger food and cocktails and spent lots on lovely wine. It was a great party. It’s still the favourite wedding I have attended!

Andrea specialises in wedding photography and has a distinct style I would describe as beautiful, quirky and fun. She also loves photographing families, babies and baby bumps! Check out her work here. 

We set a date for the family photo shoot and she asked me to think about what kind of style I would like.

One of the things I love about Glebe is the street art and murals. They somehow work with the old houses and the general Glebe vibe. I just had to feature these in our family shoot and I’m so happy with the results! Andrea’s style of photography mixed with the street art is a great combination. Arran and Aiden tagged along and indulged me in the choice of background for the photo-shoot and Drea’s lovely partner Mike was a great photographer’s assistant!

The artist who did the mural in the first six photos below is Davey Mac or "Teazer" His bright vibrant work features in a number of Glebe Streets and Lanes. You can view more of his work here. The artist who completed the murals in the last four photos is Stu Barber. Stu is involved in Dulwich Hill Street Art Club, which is part of Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design.

When you are next in Glebe I encourage you to take a walk into the streets and lanes beyond Glebe Point Road. There are many great street art murals to be found. I think some of the best can be found in the area within Glebe Point Rd, Franklin St/Cowper St, Wentworth Park Rd and Mitchell St.

Spice Teaz Lego Mural Campbell Lane Glebe

"The Letter Lab". Check out the bollards made into test tubes!

"Respect Mural" by Stu Barber

"Enjoy Glebe" Stu Barber