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
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?’
This is going to be good
I keep seeing drawings and crafty creations around the house that suddenly seem like they were done by a little kid. And stepping off the bus this afternoon will be a big kid. Will she be the same? Will she still love to make fun from nothing and curl up on my knee when she’s … Continue reading This is going to be good
Act because you need to act
Sometimes I grab a notepad or turn on my AlphaSmart and then turn to Anthony and ask, “What should I write about?” You know when your child sits poised with a red texta and the back of an A4 sheet of paper that’s printed with the last few terms and conditions of a flight you … Continue reading Act because you need to act
Advent calendar or not, the countdown is on
Is anyone else ticking things off their calendar like it’s a relief? ‘Oh thank goodness, we can tick that one off.’ Is that how I want to teach our girls to live their lives? Everyone’s talking about it. December is crazy when it comes to functions, break ups, Christmas parties, Christmas drinks, as well as … Continue reading Advent calendar or not, the countdown is on
The things our kids teach us
Earlier this year, Elsie said she didn’t need to go to school next year because she already knew everything. I hoped she wasn’t paraphrasing something she’d heard me say. At the time and since, I did my best to explain what school is and what she’ll learn and the fun she’ll have. Thinking back to … Continue reading The things our kids teach us
Let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see
I read that quote today. And that’s what I did. Actually I didn’t lay in the sun (who does nowadays?), but I thought about that quote as I drove into town and all of a sudden I saw how many shades of green make up the trees, how they differ in shapes and cast cool … Continue reading Let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see
Attention to detail
I moved my butter knife gently and smoothly across the surface of the margarine. Once it was evenly coated with just the right amount to cover one slice, I spread it on the toast, not too thin, not too thick, ensuring all surfaces were completely and evenly covered and no margarine remained on my knife. … Continue reading Attention to detail
Writing by Larissa Patton 