Wordless Wednesday- Puffball.

Playing Wordless Wednesday with Faith, Hope and a Whole Lotta Love and My Little Drummer Boys.

What We Wore.

It's another glorious buttery sunshine day today, so the Little Lion and I thought we'd take advantage of it and escape the confines of the house. A visit to the library, his Nan and Aunty, and then a trip to see our favourite model Margaret was all on the agenda. And, because I could, I thought I'd show you our outfit of choice today!

Mine:

Nobody Jeans

Dotti Tank

Sportsgirl Crochet Top

Sportsgirl Pendant and Bangle

Cotton On Hat

Witchery Sunglasses

Boston Babe Shoes

Little Lion:

Sprout Top

Target Long Sleeve Top

Target Jeans

Target Runners

Have a fabulous Tuesday, hope it's as sunny where you are as it is here!

 

My Birthday Present. Finally.

To say that I had been hanging out for this weekend would be the understatement of the year. Bugger the cold that was still hanging around me after three weeks, nothing was going to spoil it! 

Mr Hummingbird's Song had organised to whisk me away to Melbourne to celebrate my thirtieth birthday. Now, this particular event happened back in March, so I've been eying off the date circled in my calender for around five months. And finally, it was here... 

This was the first weekend we'd spent with just the two of us for almost a year, and the thought of being able to sleep in without an interruption from the Little Lion was almost more exciting than the trip itself!

As soon as our bags were checked into the amazing King grand room at the Grand Hyatt, I dragged Deon down to Degraves st where I indulged in something that I had been craving for three years. Yes, seriously, three years. 

Oh Grill'd Crispy Bacon and Cheese burger with the most awesome fries in the world, how I love thee.

Since it was my belated birthday weekend, I insisted on making poor Deon suffer by forcing him to accompany me to multiple stores while I tried on a myriad of clothing items and accessories. And you know what? He was an absolute star. He even took an interest and offered an opinion. Normally I just get a grunt or shrug of the shoulders from the front of the store. 


To reward him, I cut my shopping trip a little early and we lounged around the hotel room for a couple of hours. To get the full effect of lounging around, you must wear a hotel robe. Otherwise, it just doesn't cut it. Seriously. 

And, you must order room service. Fries are a good choice. Anything that involves chocolate or alcohol is also up there on the must-have list.

This is how close I was to the stage for Love Never Dies. Four rows back. I have never been this close before, and this particular musical was a visual overload. The set design was incredible, and half the time I didn't know where to look as there was so much going on.

Of course, when you spend so long looking forward to something, it ends in the blink of an eye. I tried to extend it as much as possible, even going for dessert after the show and enjoying Bailey's cheesecake in Collin's Kitchen at 11pm, but before I knew it I was back on that damn skybus and my feet were on Sunraysia soil way too quickly. Ah well. At least I'll be back in Melbourne in October for Problogger's Event, and catching up with all my blogging buddies again!

Today's a Good Day for Yellow...

Today's a day for wearing yellow...

My little SRC cherubs wrecked havoc in our home economics kitchen this morning, cooking cupcakes that contained more choc chips than cake batter and decorating them with yellow lopsided flowers all in the name of raising money for Daffodil Day. 

I'm sure that we ended up with more icing sugar on the floor that in the bowls, but at the day we ended up with around one hundred cupcakes to sell (minus the ones that were sneakily being eaten when I wasn't looking.)

There’s every chance your life will be touched by cancer at some point, either directly or through the experience of family and friends. Supporting Cancer Council can help continue vital research, prevention programs and support services for patients and their families. (http://www.daffodilday.com.au)

 I'm so proud of my SRC kids, who have taken this cause to heart and put so much of their energy into raising money for this wonderful cause. I, like many others have lost loved ones to cancer and by supporting Daffodil Day it brings us one step closer to, and gives us hope for a brighter, cancer free future.

Thanks once again to Margaret for being a fabulous model (and she'd like me to point out that she's chosen to be commercial today, not high fashion) and showcasing our lovely cupcakes. When you're out and about today, and you have the opportunity to, make sure you support Daffodil Day. Otherwise, feel free to make the long trip out to our school and buy a cupcake :P


For more information, check out the official Daffodil Day Website.

A Dose of Vitamin D.

Once again, I'm battling this dreaded lurgy that I've caught three times in four weeks. Seriously, how is that possible? I swear, it shouldn't be possible to be this sick so many times!

On the upside, I've finally been able to get a dose of that gorgeous vitamin D that I've been hanging out for for weeks now. Beautiful buttery days with cornflour blue skies. Adore.

So, after a lunch of chicken and salad the Little lion and I headed into the backyard to soak up some of that delicious sunshine.

While he was quite fixated with the multiple flowers that had started blooming...

...all I wanted to do was lay on the grass, close my eyes for a second and let the Vitamin D kiss this sickness goodbye. 

Unfortunately the whole relaxed, blissed out laying-on-the-grass thang was short lived, as Carter decided it would be awesome fun to get into all the sort of stuff that he shouldn't, such as the dogs water bowl, soggy potting mix.. everything that a toddler dreams of getting into. So, I decided to jump up and get into a better vantage point to keep an eye on him.

Yep, I'm still into The Dark Tower series, and I'm currently on book number 4. I was reading this on my flight to Blogopolis when the flight attendant stopped, gasped, and told me that she adored the series and was super excited to tell me that a TV series of it was in the works. Then I loved her even more because she gave me an extra cookie. 

Seriously, the kid just can't help himself. Of all the spots in the backyard, he plonks himself in the geranium patch. Well, at least it's not Summer yet, as there's strawberry plants woven all the way through it, and he'd probably have a strawberry covered butt by now. 


The husband and I are off to Melbourne for a getaway this weekend (the first one in over a year!) so I'm doing everything in my power to get better. I think I'll head back outside for another dose of Vitamin D.. that's gotta help, right?

Wordless Wednesday- Shades of Raspberry.

Playing Wordless Wednesday with Faith, Hope and a Whole Lotta Love and My Little Drummer Boys.

Carter and Food Allergies. My Experience.

I've been getting quite a few questions from people who have asked me how I came to realise that Carter could be suffering from food allergies, and wasn't simply becoming sick due to a low immune system or some other reason. This was back when we were dealing with a vicious cycle of sickness and antibiotics, and the only option that was presented to us was for him to undergo an operation for grommets. 

Last year, my Little Lion was consistently sick with ear infections. No matter what we tried, the minute he finished his course of antibiotics, in the following days he would begin it all again with that telltale runny nose. It was frustrating, heartbreaking and his development was delayed due to not being able to hear us properly from blocked ears. For me, it was panic stations.

Eventually, it came to the point where our doctor referred us to a ENT specialist, and the decision was made to book him in for grommets. However, something wasn't sitting well with me, and the fact that there was no guarantee the illness would stop after the operation worried me even more. Blessedly, on the day he was due to go in we discovered that (once again) he was too sick for anesthetic, so it was postponed. I used this time to research, and really look at the symptoms he was displaying. They were all synonymous with food allergies and intolerance. He had:

•  Eczema all over his body, and in some spots he would scratch until he bled

•  An extremely pale complexion

• Sleeping poorly at night

• Dark circles around the eyes

• An aversion to food, crying and distress at meal time

• Constant runny nose

• Multiple ear infections

• Red rash on face (when in contact with foods he was highly allergic to)

Looking back now, it's easy to see that food was the cause of most of our problems, but it's so difficult to come to the conclusion when medical experts are offering antibiotics instead of alternate options. I thank my lucky stars that Carter was too sick for his operation, as once I start eliminating certain foods from his diet the difference in him was incredible. Healthy, happy, energetic and vivacious. My little boy was back, and although it's been difficult and there's still a long road ahead of us when it comes to determining exactly what foods trigger him, we're getting there slowly.


I'm also educating myself on the difference between an intolerance and an allergy. From Better Health Channel:

 Allergy is an immune response
Allergies are an overreaction of the body’s immune system to a specific part of a food, usually a protein. These proteins may be from foods, pollens, house dust, animal hair or moulds. They are called allergens. The word ‘allergy’ means that the immune system has responded to a harmless substance as if it were toxic.

Food intolerance is a chemical reaction
Food intolerance is a ‘chemical’ reaction that some people have after eating or drinking some foods; it is not an immune response. Food intolerance has been associated with asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Food intolerance is much more common than food allergy.

I've also discovered that food allergies can be inherited, and if more than two family members have allergies, then the risk increases from 50-80%. Although my husband and I don't suffer allergies, our family members do. Ah... it's all falling into place now, isn't it? The poor kid had no chance!

Like I said, I'm still learning. We're all still learning. I just want to say though, if your child is distressed at mealtimes and doesn't want to eat, it doesn't automatically mean they're fussy. There could be underlying problems, and it may just be worth checking out if they have allergies. 

For more information, check out the following link:

Food allergy and intolerance - Better Health Channel

Competitive.

It's hard not to feel competitive. 

For someone like me, I need to remind myself to chill out, that everything will fall into it's place. That it's not a freaking race, and you don't have to prove anything. To stop, close my eyes and simple breathe for a second. Breathe.

Just. Breathe.  

While being competitive can be a good thing, it can also be quite ugly. Bitter, black, tinged with jealously and whispering at you to cut the object of your envy down with a sharp, knife edged remark. Go on it says. Get it out. It'll make you feel so much better. It clouds judgment, and warps perspective.

It can create Ugly Parent Syndrome. Competitiveness at it's worst. 

We all (or most of us) want our child to be gifted, to be little superstars. To boast proudly about achievements and bask in the sunshine of accomplishment. Is it because it's a reflection on ourselves, and a way to measure how well we've done as parents? Maybe it is. I know it is for me, and honestly, I know it shouldn't be. I watch my Little Lion, and I feel the panic quell up and spill over into my mind when he still can't string more than two words out of his very limited vocab. What am I doing wrong?

It repeats over and over, taunting me.

What am I doing wrong?

The panic feeds upon my doubt and chews away at me. We sing together. We read every night. I count his little fingers and answer him every time he points at something and asks What's This?  

Why isn't it enough? It should be enough, and I should be satisfied. However, I'm not. I question his carers and ask if he's behind. I'm a teacher, and I can't even help my own son. I listen to the babble of little voices around me.. so many little voices but none are the Little Lion's.

I Google, which honestly is the worst thing you can do. So much conflicting advice. I latch onto a story that indicates I should be taking my child to a speech pathologist if I don't want him to suffer learning difficulties in the future.

What am I doing wrong?

I start to look up local speech pathologists. Then my husband comes home. We talk, and I feel the relief flow over me and the panic dissipate as he becomes the voice of calm to my chaos. He's perfectly fine. Let him develop at his own rate. Just enjoy the moment. 

I should. And I will. 

I watch my Little Lion, and take the time to really open my eyes. To drink in the sound of his laughter and watch his constant need for answers to the questions in his little world. To really listen, and understand that he's fine.

He's fine. 


He's definitely fine. And I breathe, relax and turn my back on that ugly competitive voice.

Sunshine. I Need It.

[Image]

I've hit that point. 

That point where you're just itching and craving for the bleakness of Winter to dissipate and to feel that buttery warmth spread across your bare shoulders as you turn your face up to the sun. I need the steel grey sky to retreat and make way for cornflour blue. Winter, be banished. And, while you're banishing off, take all the sickness with you!  

It's a physical thing. It's a psychological thing. I feel my energy sapping as the cold sinks it's teeth into me, and I feel caged and unmotivated. Being cold hurts.

I need sunshine. 

I'm hanging out to feel that rush of adrenaline, and that want. The want to head outdoors. The want to lace up my runners and start pounding the pavement. I haven't run for over a month, and I'm scared I've lost my love and motivation for it. 

In fairness, there are parts of Winter that's I'm quite partial to. For one, I can wear my ultimate favourite item of clothing, boots, every single day. I can hide scruffy bed hair under a beanie. There's something extra special about snuggling under a fluffy blanket at night while watching a movie, and don't even get me started on the love I have for my electric blanket. However, it's just not enough for me to love you Winter. On a good day, I can tolerate you, but that tolerance has pretty much disappeared right now.


At the end of the day, I'm a Summertime girl. Plus for me, Margaritas and Sangria seem to taste even better on a warm, balmy evening than in the depths of Winter. Don't they for everyone?

Beautiful Typography.

Lately I've had a bit of a thing for typography art. Not only is it beautiful, but incredibly clever. I've been collecting images for my future house, and here's some of my favourites...

Source: designflavr.com via Rhian on Pinterest

Source: coulsonmacleod.com via Rhian on Pinterest

Source: coulsonmacleod.com via Rhian on Pinterest

Source: designflavr.com via Rhian on Pinterest

Source: sixrevisions.com via Rhian on Pinterest

All images can be found on my Pinterest board here.

Paper Cut Outs.

This is an article I wrote for We Heart Life back in February. So many people emailed to tell me they enjoyed it that I thought I'd post it over here too!

I find that art is a wonderful way of expressing yourself, and letting people take a tiny glimpse into your soul. I love to see works created by people hung in their own homes as it just gives it a bit more of a personal touch. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to posses the skills of Picasso or Rothko to create beautiful works of art!

Over the next few months I will talk about a few simple projects, which even the most creatively challenged person will be able to accomplish! You’ll have gorgeous personalised artworks in your home in no time!

❤ Paper Cut Outs

Using the art elements of repetition and pattern make this paper cut out project extremely effective. You will need scrapbooking paper, cardboard, scissors, glue or spray adhesive, white mount board measuring 11 x 14 inches, a HB pencil, a ruler and an 11 x 14 inch frame.

• Select around five to six different patterned papers, similar in colour and tone.  Try using combinations of Autumn tones such as rust, gold and burnt orange, or neutrals such as taupe, cream and camel. Make sure you have a variation of light and dark shades for some contrast in your artwork.

• Choose a shape you would like to repeat. In this case, I’ve chosen a butterfly. Draw your shape on the cardboard and cut it out. This will be your template.

• Trace your shape as many times as you need on each piece of scrapbooking paper, and cut them out.

• Using a ruler and pencil, evenly space out and mark where you will be placing each shape. Use spray adhesive or glue to stick each shape down.

• After the glue has dried, place your artwork in the frame and find the perfect place to hang in your house!

If you decide to create one, post it up and link me back here in the comments section! Melissa from Suger Coat It made a beautiful one as a present a few months ago, and it looks fantastic!

Wordless Wednesday- Moss.

Play Wordless Wednesday with Faith, Hope and a Whole Lotta Love and My Little Drummer Boys

Golf and Posing. A Story.

I thought that today I'd take you all on a little journey. A journey which follows two fabulous, creatively charged teachers stuck in the middle of of a golf course. 

Yes, a golf course.

I must have been absent the day the were handing out jobs for sports day, because when I rocked up to work and discovered I'd been allocated golf of all things, I initially thought they were kidding. Wait, they were serious? What? The last time I was on a golf course it included a buggy, red Vodka Cruisers and extremely bad language. 

I don't think any sort of skills I may have picked up that day would be suitable to teach to the kids. I may as well put my hand up for the audition of Bad Teacher 2 now.

But anyway. It actually got better. My partner in crime was to be....my long-lost-twin-slash-colleague Margaret. Oh Boy. Maybe they would regret that decision. Or, maybe they were just happy to throw us on the golf course and forget about us until they had to pick us up at the end of the day. I'm thinking that the latter was most likely.

OK. Let's set the scene. Two clueless teachers, two students, and this for miles around...

Vineyards, sunshine streaming through the trees... at least the weather was perfect. It even gave me sparkly rainbow lens flare! 

The original idea was for the two boys to play 9 rounds of golf, starting at the 10th hole. Margaret and I were prepared. While they missed the ball swing after swing we discussed our (lack of) golfing attire. 

Today Margaret is rocking the 'spectator chic' look while Rhi is going for 'casual fitness by the beach chic'.

Margaret even wore her Vomiting Dog shoes. And no, I'm not making this up. Her dog did not vomit them up, or vomit on them, it was actual brand name. No lie.

She swears they're the most comfiest shoes ever. It didn't worry her that they were named after a regurgitating canine. At least they weren't Crocs.

We realised that we were going to be in for a hell of a long day when it took around 15 swings and hits to finish the first hole. After one and a half hours we had moved from Hole 10 to...

Yikes. 

We calculated that at this rate it would take us over 9 hours to finish our course. 

We didn't exactly have that much time. So, we bent the rules a little to hurry the boys up. So, while they continued hockey pucking around the course, we decided to put what we'd learned off Next top Model into action. If we couldn't teach the boys about their chosen sport, we could teach them about the fashion world. I thought I was doing quite well for a commercial catalogue pose...

...but Maragret said Tyra would be disappointed and that I needed to think about my angles and become more high fashion like this:

Hmm.


By this stage we'd made it to Hole number 13 (fabulous golfing terms I'm using here) and I was taking lovely artistic photograghs..

..while Margaret was busily trying to graffiti any blackboard she could get her hands on.

I have to agree with these sentiments.

We decided to stop near a waterhole wonderland to have a picnic, so we spread Margaret's jumper out as our blanket and I made her share her lunch with me as I forgotten mine.

Lucky she loves me.

We became all animated as we shared our love of Elle McPherson hosting Britain's Next Top Model, and when we spied a bench Margaret decided to recreate one of her most famous photos.

 Err... close.. sorta... maybe... 

At least she kept her top on. 




At 1:45pm we made the executive decision to finish the boys up, skip the last two holes and head back to the clubhouse for Diet Coke and Twisties. The boys were in full agreement, their appreciation and enthusiasm of the whole golfing games having waned around an hour ago. There's only so much fun you can have when it takes you around twenty shots on the putting green just to get the ball in the hole.

Finished!

And therefore ends another day of teaching at my fabulous little rural school. Athletics day is coming up. Wonder if they'll let us include catwalk runway and posing as a sport?