Some mornings I squint at the clock radio on the other side of the bed, trying to tell whether the first digit in the little mass of blurry green lights is a 5, 6 or 8, wishing it was none of those, but knowing it has to be one of them. I'd like it to … Continue reading Sleep? Overrated.
When you want something done properly, do it yourself
I was just thinking how I get a little annoyed when Maeve undoes something I've done for her and redoes it herself. I walk away and wonder what the point of it was. Mostly it's when we're trying to get out the door in a hurry and I move things along a bit by putting … Continue reading When you want something done properly, do it yourself
You asked for tops for boys?
That was the autumn break. Sixty-one millimetres of rain in 12 hours. It fills empty water tanks and the cracks in the ground, puts moisture in crop beds and waters those already sown, it lifts the spirits of the older generations and creates puddles for the younger ones. Oh dear, all of a sudden I … Continue reading You asked for tops for boys?
Watching our flower girl bloom
There’s plenty written about raising confident kids. And it’s no surprise. Our attitude towards life, our happiness and our wellbeing are dependent on our confidence and self-esteem. So helping our children to develop confidence is one of the biggest responsibilities we have as a parent. On the weekend Elsie was a flower girl in our … Continue reading Watching our flower girl bloom
We welcome with love Jackson
I don’t want the ewes to die. Or to kick away and neglect their little lambs in the interests of their own health and survival. But I seriously love raising a bottle lamb. Always have. And I love that now Elsie and Maeve get to do the same, giggle while a lamb head butts their … Continue reading We welcome with love Jackson
The best job I’ve ever had
You know it's going to be full-time; 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the rest of your life. You know beforehand that no formal qualifications are required, and afterwards you’ll know that many are needed and on-the-job training is certainly provided. But there’s no position description for being a mother. Nowhere to … Continue reading The best job I’ve ever had
The birthday cake that kept on giving
The problem was Maeve’s birthday cake. She'd made a choice from the Women’s Weekly Kids’ Cakes book; a castle. This wasn't a square cake with four upturned ice-cream cones as turrets either. No. The one she wanted had ornate gates made from icing piped onto baking paper and left to set before standing at the grand … Continue reading The birthday cake that kept on giving
School holiday highs and lows
Now I get it when parents say how excited they are about school holidays arriving and then how excited they are about school going back. This two-week break since Easter has been the first of the school holidays that we’ve had (since Elsie only started school this year). And I loved the first week. It flew … Continue reading School holiday highs and lows
‘Can I help you?’
It might be just me. Or does anyone else think they’d be really good at whatever job it is that someone else is doing? Take today’s sales assistant, for instance. If I worked in the bedding department of a large department store and a customer came in and asked which was best out of the … Continue reading ‘Can I help you?’
Writing by Larissa Patton 