Trout Weekend

 We've just returned from a weekend at Liawenee in Tasmania's Central Plateau. Apparently it is the coldest place in Tasmania. Clearly somewhere you really want to go heading into winter . . .

We went for the Inland Fisheries' annual Trout Weekend, which is held at IFS' Field Station, near Great Lake. We decided that rather than drive up and back in a day, we'd stay up there overnight, so it was a nice weekend getaway.

Among the things to see and do was the angling pool, where kids could catch trout; watching trout being stripped of eggs (a very strange thing to see); and helicopter rides, which we decided at the last minute to do, because it's not an opportunity that you get every day.

It was a fun weekend and, although it was cold and there was some snow on the ground, it wasn't as freezing as we'd expected. Today was a beautiful, clear sunny day, perfect for our helicopter ride.

Juniordwarf was very excited to catch a fish from the trout pool, and was even more excited when he got a certificate (he's highly motivated by certificates at the moment). He thought it was great to catch a fish that he could eat for dinner - only once it was on his plate, he said he didn't like it and filled up on carrots instead.

For the record, the trout was 35 cm long and weighed 600 grams. Not a huge trophy fish, but perfect for the three of us.

On the way home, we stopped to have a look at the Steppes Stones, which are some wonderful sculptures by Stephen Walker in the middle of the bush.

Great Lake at Miena - trying out the AutoStitch Panorama app on my phone

Great Lake at Miena

Great Lake Hotel, where we stayed

Juniordwarf was fascinated by the egg stripping

IFS officer talking about egg stripping

Juniordwarf and his fish

Near Liawenee

Helicopter ride

Helicopter ride

View of Great Lake from the helicopter

Helicopter ride

We stopped to look at the fantastic Steppes Stones on the way home

The Steppes Stones by Stephen Walker

The Steppes Stones

Country road, take me home . . .  (outside Bothwell)

Sultanas Layout - a sketch challenge

I haven't been doing much scrapbooking lately. It seems every time I go into my craft space I spend more time organising my stuff than actually doing anything.

Apparently this means I have too much stuff. Who'd have thought?!

Every second Friday is scrapbooking night at our local scrapbooking shop, and this is where I pull out a half-finished layout from my "work in progress" album, try a few things out, shuffle a few things around on the page, realise the thing I need to add is at home, sigh, and put the page back into the album . . . where it stays for the next six months. Then I pull out the next unfinished project and repeat the process. 

It's a process very much like the one where I shuffle stuff around in my craft space. 

Last fortnight one of my scrapping buddies published a layout on her blog for the A2Z Scraplets May challenge. I had a look at the sketch and realised I had the perfect photos for it, if only I could find them.

When I finally located them (which was very easy to do because my craft space is so well organised . . .), I was amused to find that they were already in the "in progress" album along with the same sketch.  I'd seen it a couple of years ago, and had decided to use those photos for that layout. I hadn't picked out any paper or card, so they were just sitting there, neglected.

During the week I selected some card, papers and other bits and pieces, and last night I finished the layout. It's very rare that I get a project completed the same night I start it, so this is cause for celebration :)

A note on the products: part of the challenge was to use chipboard, so the letters are Basic Grey micro-chip (milk chocolate). Card is Bazzill (lemonade and one of the Swiss dot range) and Coredinations (cappucino). The paper is from a pirate range, left over from Juniordwarf's birthday card. The dies are by mpress via my Cuttlebug and the pen is a Zig Writer (chocolate). Eyelet and ribbon from my stash (aka the stockpile of "too much stuff").

Lake Dobson

I'm linking up to Kim's Sunday Selections at Frogpondsrock today.

Last time we went to Mt Field National Park we drove the 16 km road to Lake Dobson but we didn't have a good look around.

Monday was a public holiday, so we decided it might be nice to go back up there and do the circuit around the lake. The official title of the walk is the Pandani Grove Nature Walk, and it skirts around one side of the lake, passing through the Pandani Grove, and ending up on the 4WD track that goes higher up the mountain (or back to the car park in our case).

This is the area that gets snow in winter, and it has several long day walks that we aren't quite ready to tackle just yet. The drive up to the lake takes you from the beautiful lush rainforest at the bottom of the park through changing vegetation to the completely different sub-alpine landscape higher up the mountain. The change over such a short space is remarkable.

I took my old SLR camera with me - I don't remember the last time I used it. When Juniordwarf was about a year old, I think. I haven't had those photos developed yet, so here are some that I took with my phone and uploaded to Instagram.

Happiness is not a destination

When walking past a shop recently, I glanced into the window and saw a poster with this quote on it:

Happiness is not a destination.
It is a way of life.

It sums up the attitude I’ve been trying to instil in myself.

Last year I blogged several times (here, here and here, for example) about my realisation that ‘life is now’. That means that I can’t wait until I’ve ‘fixed’ the things I think I need to fix and until everything is perfectly in place before I start living my life (my life is now) or before I can acknowledge that I’m happy.

And as I walked, I contemplated the quote (for which I have tried to track down a source, but I've been unable to do so) and it occurred to me that this was not just a quote about happiness. It could actually be applied to any number of things that I’m trying to address in my life.

Try replacing the word ‘happiness’ with ‘health’. 

Health is not a destination; it is a way of life. 

Of course it is. For a long time I’ve focused on an attempt to ‘get healthy’, which implies that there is some point at which the unhealthy me will suddenly be the healthy me, after which everything will be easy, I will never crave chocolate again and I will only drink two glasses of alcohol two nights a week.

I know that's not going to happen. There's not going to be a flick of the switch moment, when I suddenly become healthy.

So if I see health as, instead of an end point that I have to reach, a way of life, then the challenge is no longer to get to 'the end' (to get healthy), but to live a healthy lifestyle (to be healthy).

Instead of complaining that I’m overweight, unfit and unhealthy and telling myself I have to lose weight, get fit and get healthy, I choose to be healthy today. And every time I have a choice, if I choose the healthier option (herbal tea instead of beer; going for a walk instead of watching TV; fruit instead of cake) then I’m reinforcing being healthy. (OK, not every time. I think that’s unrealistic. But most of the time.)

Sure I might have some specific goals*, like I want to be able to run 5 km or I want to fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans**, but those goals are not the end point. They are milestones. Am I unhealthy because I can only run 4 km***? Do I suddenly become healthy once I can run 5km? Of course not. There is no end point. You don’t just achieve your health goals and then stop and go back to your old ways once you’ve done it. Health is not a destination; it is a way of life.

I feel much better for starting to live this way of life.

Something else that has been a big focus of my life and that I’ve blogged about several times could also slot right into this quote, and I’m sure there are many others too. But that’s a story for another night.

* Not my actual goals.

**That would be the immediately pre-pregnancy size 8-10s, not the 12 months pre-pregnancy size 14-16s, because fitting into those would require a certain level of relaxation of my lifestyle; and besides, I got rid of them and have no intention of ever buying a pair of jeans that size again.

*** I can’t.

Project Life - January - Part 1

My 2012 Project Life album is coming together quite well. This year I've stuck with my approach of working month by month, rather than using the "Photo a Day" approach, or doing a spread for each week. These are popular ways to use Project Life, but they don't really work for me.

What I do is make several pages of random things that I've taken photos of throughout the month - so usually some pages of Juniordwarf doing his stuff, one or two 'random' pages and then layouts that cover an event or a place that we went to - either a double spread or singe page, depending on how many photos I took.

At the end of last year I started adding in different sized page protectors so I could include things that are bigger than photos in the album as well. Mostly these are A4 and A5 sheet protectors.

For the first page each month I'm using the new Design F page protectors to include some small photos of random things, places and events that I might not otherwise have included. Most of these are from my Instagram photos that I have resized to 2" x 2".

January title page (R)

Instead of using the physical journal cards, I purchased the digital collection from Jessica Sprague. I simply add the photo to the card in Photoshop Elements, include any of the extra elements that I want (usually just the day sticker), and type in my journalling. I wanted to use the same fonts that are used in the Cobalt collection, but couldn't find out what they are. The closest I found for plain text was American Typewriter, which I really like.

Once I'm happy with the psd files I open up a new 6x4 blank file, paste in two of the 3x4 journal cards and then print them as a normal 6x4 photo.

For each month's title card, I'm using one of the digital 6x4 cards and typing in the title and again printing it as a 6x4 photo.

The reverse of the title is one of the digital bi-fold journal cards that I've resized to 6x4 (the bifold cards are slightly narrower than 6" so they can fit into the 3x4 slots). I've then typed in the "month in review", included the digital numbers to represent the dates of the most significant things we did during the month and then hand-written some journalling about those events directly onto the photo.

Reverse of January title page (L)

Then for the rest of the month, I continue the same approach I used last year.

January page 3 (R)

Pages 3 and 4 are a combination of digital and paper. Page 3 includes a lot more journalling than photos. I wanted to include the baked beans recipe and the story behind cooking them. This was another one where I used one of the resized bifold journal cards and added pictures and journalling.

January page 4 (L)

I love the new page protector designs, as they provide a lot more flexibility in terms of the photo sizes and orientations that I can include. Design D, with four portrait 6x4 photos and four horizontal 3x4 journal spots is one I think I'll use a lot.

January page 5 (R)

January page 6 (L)

For the journalling in pages 5 and 6 I used the 3x4 cards and turned them sideways. There are a few designs that have the grid pattern rather than ruled lines, so can be used either way.

A4 and A5 page protectors between pages 6 and 7

January page 7 (R)

I'm also mixing up whether the photos have white borders or no borders because I think it breaks the pages up nicely.

Where I include more than one photo on a 6x4 picture, as in page 7 (above) sometimes I will break the photos up (bottom left) and sometimes I'll keep them all together (top right).

January page 8 (L)

January page 9 (R)

Page 9 is an example of Design B, which I like because I can use one 6x4 portrait and one 3x4 landscape photo plus a journalling card to tell the story. I used it quite a bit last year and I'm glad it's included again this year.

So that's it for Part 1 of January, and my new approach to Project Life. Part 2 will show some layouts that cover specific events, rather than random photos over the course of the month.

Do you use Project Life? What approach are you using? 

another end - and a new beginning

Today was Juniordwarf’s last day of daycare.

He’s been very excited about it, and had counting down the days to his last day since before school finished last year.

On the other hand, I’m feeling a little bit sad and nostalgic about it all. I shed a few tears when we dropped him off this morning – and a few more on the way home after we picked him up. I think his educators at the child care centre were also a little sad that Juniordwarf – and some of the other older children too – would be leaving this week. Apparently one of his friends was in tears last Monday because she thought that was going to be his last day and she wouldn’t see him any more. I think she was pretty upset today too.

Juniordwarf has been going to daycare ever since he was about nine months old. When he was a baby, I stayed at home with him full time for six months, and Slabs was a stay at home dad for the next six months. After Juniordwarf turned one, we both started working part time, three days a week, so we needed to put him into daycare for one day a week.

In preparation for Slabs going back to work, we started taking him in to daycare for an hour at a time, to get him used to being there and not being with one of us. Over the next three months, we gradually built up the time he was there until he was happy to spend a full day there. When Slabs changed his hours, Juniordwarf started doing two days a week in daycare, and last year, once he started 3 day kinder, he dropped back to one day. 

I say happy because, despite the fact that for at least the first two years he used to cry almost every single time we dropped him off, he has seemed to enjoy himself there, he’s done some things he never would have got the chance to do at home and has made some friends. His educators have all been fantastic with him, and he’s been attached to all of them, especially the people who have been his main carers during the time he’s been in their particular rooms.

Now Juniordwarf is ready to start full-time school, and his time at daycare has come to an end. He agreed to give one of his favourite toys to the little kids’ room as a farewell gift – he’s finally outgrown it and it’s time to pass it on to some kids who we hope will get as much enjoyment out of it as he has.

Daycare has been such a big part of his life for the past four and half years, it’s strange to think of him not going there any more. He’s leaving part of his childhood behind and moving on to the next stage of his life as a fully fledged schoolboy.

So while this time last year I was feeling sad that he was taking his first steps into formal education, and into the bigger ‘system’ that is our lives, there was still a lot of his life as a little kid in our lives – daycare, my Tuesdays off as a tryhard mum-at-home, kids under 5 get in free to most places, participating in the various preschool kids activities around the place and that sort of thing.

In just over a week that will all be over and he will be a full-time school kid. Kinder is over and real school begins. It’s an exciting time for Juniordwarf. I know he’s looking forward to it. I asked if he was feeling sad because he wouldn’t have his Tuesdays at home with me any more, and he said, ‘No.’ I asked him why, and he said, ‘because I like school.’ I’m hoping that attitude will stick around for as long as possible!

Several parents have told me it’s a big jump from Kinder to Prep, because of both the increase in the time he’ll spend at school and the more formal atmosphere of the prep classroom compared to the kinder one. It will be interesting to see how he copes.

And it will be interesting to see how I cope too, because with the end of Juniordwarf’s ‘little kid’ days, I feel like part of my identity – that of mum-at-home, which has been part of my make-up since 2006 – will go with it. So in a way I am losing two things at once. It is an emotional time for me, and I want to acknowledge this as a significant milestone in my life. Not as significant as the transformation to ‘mum-at-home’ in the first place (and wasn’t that a shock to the system!), but still an event to be marked and reflected on.

I feel OK about being sad about it, and recognising it as an end, because too often I don’t take the time to properly process things and to recognise and acknowledge my feelings. The result is that those things have a habit of coming back and upsetting me all over again. And again. And, um, again.

Writing it down is part of acknowledging how I feel and celebrating the fact that I’ve had five years as a full time and part time mum-at-home. And it’s been the hardest role I’ve ever had to fulfil. Over the years it’s been challenging, frustrating, difficult, stressful, irritating, boring, aggravating. It’s made me cry, question myself, doubt myself, dislike myself and want to run away and never come back.

It’s also been fun, relaxing (occasionally), and enjoyable, has made me smile and laugh, and has given me the most wonderful moments I never want to forget.

Of course, I know all of this will continue as I continue my journey as Juniordwarf’s mum – and I would have had all of those feelings no matter what type of motherhood role I’d played up until now. It’s all part of being a mum – well a parent really I guess.

But despite it feeling like a loss now, saying goodbye to mum-at-home is not so much a loss as it is another change in my role as Mum.  That role has already changed and evolved many times as Juniordwarf has grown and changed, and it will continue to do so as he continues to grow, reach milestones and face the many challenges that are before him. But perhaps this feels different to the more subtle changes that have already happened, because, unlike the gradual changes, it will be a sudden stopping – much like the end of breastfeeding was for us. I guess it’s like the feeling that some mothers have when their children start high school. It must be a similar sudden and clear-cut change.

I really don’t know, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to spend as much time at home with Juniordwarf as I have over the past five and a half years. Despite how hard it’s been juggling work and home, I don’t think I would have done things differently. It worked for us. Mostly. So as well as farewell to mum-at-home, this is a time to celebrate everything she has done over the past five and a half years.

________________________________________

Juniordwarf’s educator very kindly took some photos for us today of his last day at daycare. Thank you K. They are great, and are a wonderful memory of his last day.

Thank you to all of the wonderful people who have worked with Juniordwarf both at the centre and through Family Day Care. We will miss you.

Walking out the gate for the last time.

the xmas 2011 scrapbooking challenge

Before Xmas last year, I knew Slabs and Juniordwarf had bought me something from the local scrapbooking shop, because Juniordwarf told me they’d been in there. He was supposed to keep it a secret . . . but as there was a 12” square parcel for me under the tree, I think I might have worked it out for myself anyway.

What they got me was a pack of cardstock, some embellishments, a title and some alphabet stickers, together with a note that said:

“When deciding to give you scrapbooking supplies as an Xmas gift we decided we needed to separate ourselves from the rest of the herd/pack. Giving scrapbooking supplies alone, although we were certain they would be used, was not the most exciting or original of ideas. Hence, the challenge concept was born! Juniordwarf and I chose our favourite colours [the cardstock] and Juniordwarf chose yours as well and we went from there. But it wouldn’t be a challenge without rules now would it? 

1.    A page must be created using only the items supplied for the challenge (ink, paint, cutting and adhesive products excepted). 

2.    The page must depict all three members of your immediate family (including yourself). 

3.    There is a time limit of 37 days to complete the challenge i.e. by 1 February 2012.”

Two things about this freaked me out: first, that a picture of me had to be on the page and second, that I had a time limit.

Those people who know me and scrapbooking know that I can take hours fussing about with a layout and then put it away in the too hard basket work in progress file, sometimes for months (possibly years) at a time, occasionally pulling it out, moving things around, not being happy and putting it back in the file.

It took me several weeks to decide which photos I wanted to use, and then I had to convince Lil Sis to alter one of them to match the other one as her Photoshop skills are far superior to mine.

I printed the photos last week, then on Monday decided not to use them and went to the photo lab to print a different one. The photo lab machine had a hissy fit and refused to read my USB drive, so I had no photos and two days to complete the challenge.

I finally got the new photo printed yesterday. I said to Slabs that since there was no time specified in the rules, that meant I had until midnight on 1 February. He agreed, and so I set to work last night to start (and finish) the challenge.

In the end I decided to go with the photos I’d originally planned to use, because I didn't like the new ones after all, and the whole layout came together quite quickly and easily, which surprised me. I ended up having an hour and a half to spare.

I didn’t use all of the products, which Slabs said was the intention – the idea was to give me a choice – but I used all three pieces of cardstock, as well as one packet of pearls, one packet of rhinestones, one of the title words and some of the alphabet stickers. I think being restricted to those products helped in a way, because I wasn’t able to agonise over which letters to use, or where to find the perfect matching paper or stickers, and all I had to do was put the stuff on the page.

I’m really pleased with it, and I think Slabs and Junoriordwarf were too.

Thanks Slabs and Juniordwarf, it was fun. Maybe next time I want to do a layout quickly, you guys can pick out the stuff for me to use and make me stick to it!