Painting

Morgans Jungle Room

This weekend we have been preparing Morgans room for painting…. And then painting it. He has been so patient, Adrian put the challenge that his room needed to be spotless for a continuous month and this was completed the first month the goal was set. ( typical!)

Morgan has wanted a jungle in his room for along time , so we borrowed books with coloured pictures, looked at designer texts and visited Bunning numerous times. I must admit the colour Morgan and Adrian chose would not have been the one I that I would have chosen, but now that the third coat is up , I think it looks great. Bright and Loud, but great.

I cannot imagine how painful it must be to paint a room with a paintbrush or a roller. We discovered the pad system about 15 years ago at a home maker expo and although the original ones have disintegrated through wear and tear, the market has met the challenge and there are a few reputable companies who sell them. What is means is that the kids can help with the painting and contribute without being in the way.

This photos is when we first started. – Lilly had to be kept with tight rains as she was very enthusiastic with her brush work – but once in the swing of it – we were able to steam through the room at a great pace. Small hands and bodies close to the skirting boards make painting those areas a bit easier. They were both very mature about it – and didn’t touch the wet paint at all.

The furnature is now back in place and looks great. We are going for a wlak tomorrow to find a brach for the stuffed snake to hang on and somewhere for the possum to sleep in. Morgan has also spotted a large stuffed crocodile from Ikea he would like in his room – so we have looked at his pocket money and usingit as a activity for him to work out when we can go and buy it. Little piece by little piece, learning comes. His rooms looks great! With the light on it – its so fresh and light. We have the bug now and looking at the next room to be done.

Lilly had a challenge of keeping her room tidy now too. She needs to put her dirty clothes in her clothes basket and keep her shoes and toys in their spots – so not much. We have her paint already- a delightful purply pink. I am really keen to get started and decorate it the way I wished I had a room – full of fairies and butterflies. I am so thankful that Lilly loves them too. Lots of lace and frills…

Morgans First Photographs

I thought I’d include some of Morgans first photographs.

On a whim, I handed him my digital camera and told him to go and look at things around the house and take photos. With no more instruction than point and shoot, with the setting on automatic everything, Morgan delightedly ran around the house for about half an hour clicking away, chasing Lilly and sneaking up on Adrian to take nostril shots.



I was surprised and amazed at his composition and eye for detail. I am sure once I tell him about the zoom and other functions that there will be some very interesting shots come out of his handiwork.

It begs the question though – children’s views of things – what they find interesting and noteworthy – compared to what we as adults do. I love that Morgan has found interesting textures, corners and angles to photograph.

Its certainly a love of mine and I had not considered that Morgan would be old enough to understand how to handle a camera.. so I stand corrected. It seems I may need to seek out a camera for him.. or perhaps its an excuse for me to upgrade?

School Holidays come to a close.

It’s the last day of school holidays and I can’t believe that they have flown past so quickly. I had planned a few activities and day trips to do with friends and with the kids, but had thought I’d get more done at home.. or something like that.

Admittedly we did go up to the farm for five glorious cold days, but even they flew past, consumed with cleaning, cooking and getting ready for the rally. Morgan and Lillys greatest delight is it go on the back of the ute and feed the cattle. Seeing them clinging to the rails, sitting one big bale of hay, rosy cheeks and laughing out loud to the wind; brought many smiles to my face. It didn’t seem so long ago that I had been sitting up there with my sisters, the chilling wind biting into our faces, freezing our breath.

We have been to Lollypops three times over the holidays. The larger one at Cannon Hill has been wonderful as I have secured a room to the side of the masses and set up my laptop in order to write. The kids run wild for hours, checking in every so often for snacks and food. The coffee is reasonable and service friendly. It’s a fully gated space, where the kids have arm bands to identify who they are and who brought them along. This is policed vigilantly, so I have no concerns as I am writing , if I don’t see Morgna and Lilly for up to half an hour at a time. I know that they are on a bouncy castle or climbing a rope bridge somewhere. The peace of mind alone, I believe, is worth the $12 per child entry.

We ventured out to the Ipswich Rail Museum once. It used to be a favorite haunt and we have had season passes for years. The price of petrol has stopped me traveling so far now. It was pretty cold and miserable and although much of what we played with was indoors, the huge sheds they are housed in did not offer much warmth. Most times we go, the kids will beg me to stop at a huge park we pass; but each time, something else pressing has occupied our time. I can now see we will make special trips out to go to the park. Queens Park in Ipswich has had a huge facelift and offers many exciting challenges for the adventurous child. Long Flying Foxes, a huge hill to roll down, twin slides, an A frame climbing structure, bridges and paths.

A very special day for me was my Date Day with Morgan. Lilly went off to daycare, and Morgan and I had a delightful day together. We had brunch at the Coffee Club,where he learnt that sharing a cooked breakfast can be much more fun than having one on your own. He was so polite and had such beautiful manners, my heart nearly burst whilst sitting across from him. He chose a movie and whilst the theory was that we were going to share the popcorn, he inhaled it before the title credits rolled. Meeting Dave ( the new Eddie Murphy movie) was perfect for his age group. Full of bodily noises, fart jokes and slapstick humour, it had the entire audience laughing most of the time.

A beautiful day was spent at home with a dear friend Michelle and her two kids as well as Jodi and Dylan. When the kids were younger, we used to get together at least weekly. However they moved down the coast and are now a good 2 hour drive from us, and visits have become sporadic. It saddens me to lose touch with beautiful friends – not out of any other reason – but lack of contact – you get busy with your life and just.. don’t call.. just … don’t visit.

I have been beating myself up for not posting to this blog every day, but have decided to be gentle on myself. Its been 6 weeks of ebook frantic writing and assimilations as well as the surprising arrival of Captain Juan. He alone has taken my waking moments up, researching lonely coastlines, boning up on the mechanics of early cannons and understanding the difference between a frigate and a sloop. Not to mention the time consuming tasks of answering Yahoo answers.

I will commit to updating this at least once a week. I don’t think many of my family or friends read my posts in any case – so it’s an diary exercise – and a valuable letting off steam thing.