Chaos and the Artist

When everything gets chaotic, I often turn to creative pursuits to calm the giddy ride.
There is nothing terribly worrying in the house at the moment, just dreadfully bored children at the end of a very long summer break.
I spent this Australia day weekend doing arty portraits of the kids to have for the walls in the house.
I really love them, they are just the right blend of photography and art, that is really my style, it is similar to the pics I did a year ago for my jewellery.
Here they are

Antonia, my 3rd child, exotic beauty, she is really growing up at lightening speed, strong and independent, she is my wise one.

Scarlett my baby, youngest and very cheeky !

Sydney, the comic, a natural mimic with amazing facial expressions, helped by her huge blue eyes, she is terribly entertaining.

Audrey, my eldest daughter, I often get the feeling with her, that the names you give a child can be prophetic, she is Audrey, elegant, sophisticated, demure and very much a lady.



























My only son, Bold,brassy, confident and exhuberant, he will do anything he chooses.

OH the joy of really "getting it "

I have been thinking a lot about My son's WALNA test results, which were very bad. I have also spoken to quite a few teachers (friends) over the holidays, and I think I have worked it out.
I come froma family of writers, my grandmother used to write, she loved poetry, and always said if she hadn't been stuck on a farm in SW WA, she would have been a famous writer, I won awards for my poetry in primary school, and also wrote a children's story which was to be published in yr 6.
My cousin is an award winning playwright.
When I write, I write very fast, with little structure or logic, but the ideas just come out like a great waterfall. I always struggled in high school with essays that had to be so so.
Lachlan is like me, he has the same strengths and weaknesses in his learning abilities that I had.
What I have learned, is that writing is now taught with an emphasis on structure and composition.
I felt this was probably not playing to his strength, but never the less, I challenged im to write a short story a night.
When I asked him to get started tonight, he tried to put it off, and said I don't have time, I have to plan the characters and settings, and it takes too long.
I could never have written like that, totally stifling the creative process.
It was like a total light bulb moment.
I sat down with him and told him about the family gift for writing, I explained to him the joy it brings when you can write and write and write without having to "think" about it.
I told him to just write from his heart, and let all the words fall out, don't worry about spelling, or characters, just write.
The look on his face of absolute releif was palpable, he was so happy, he is sitting by me still writing, and he has already used up 3 pages in the time it has taken me to write this.
I feel so proud, and I have tears streaming down my face.
I got it !.

Week Busy

wow, has it really been a week, things have changed a lot in a week.
My baby girl is now no longer a baby of months, we refer to her as one year old these days, we had a party that was a tad dissapointing, the clean house I presided over last week has been replaced by an unrecognisable version, and the fiance situation is on the up (but I know better than to get excited).
The Party was lovely, a little bit hot, but bearable as January days go, loads of no-shows, and far too much food.
we had a lovely day though, I really enjoyed catching up with My cousin and his wife.
Lachlan had fun in the cricket nets, actually everyone did.
Thats all for now, part two later..

Hmmm No title post day...

They don't call this the windy city for nothing, 80km an hour hot desert winds kept me awake all night, coming like a freight train through the big Lemon Scented gums outside my bedroom window.
I guess it wasn't the wind really, but my unsolvable finance problem.
I know there must be a way, I just need to find it, and all the people telling me to "be careful" "it is not the right time", "you are crazy" etc etc, just make me more determined, but it takes an enormous amount of willpower to keep going when you keep getting knocked back.
Still I didn't get this far by listening to the naysayers(there were plenty) and by giving in, so on and on I go...

Oh the WOes of finance !

Yes, we want to buy an investment property. We can afford it, and we can't afford not to.
One bank says yay..we love you..how many kids do you have..oh that's too many..can you lose a few and then we will lend you the money, other bank says..yay, we love you, will do a valuation on your property..oh oops, it is $100,000 less than the real estate say it is, oh and $85 000 less than all the other houses in your suburb..what a croc of shit.
I am convinced having been through this a number of times now, that the valuation process is corrupt, they get the figure they ask for.
God I am annoyed.

Oh she's on a Roll....

Just because I can ha ha ha......
Another late night for no other reason than I like having the place to myself, I am exhausted however, and SHOULD be going to sleep...
One muses though, how many people are really happy in the whirlwind they live in.
Time is very precious, we should enjoy the ride..
I am enjoying my blog finally..
Goodnight.

Oh she's on a Roll....

Slack Blogger returns to her half-cocked effort.

You know I think I will get used to the idea of talking to myself, just for the sake of removing the endless stream of conversation from my head.
Even though my kids are old enough to talk back, they really don't want to listen to my musings, and probably no one else would either.
I am a communicator, someone who has to talk in order to function, it makes staying home with kids all day somewhat of a challenge in that department.I keep thinking about my baby, and how she insists on calling me dada. I know she knows I am mummy, and she calls her dad dadd-y-, but she grins at me like she knows it annoys me, but she is going to do it regardless.
I grin back knowing full well darling , that all girls grow up to be their mother.
I also wanted to tell someone, anyone how much I am enjoying sitting in my garden as I type.
Thank the Lord for my new Garden, and wireless broadband, now if he could just invent quiet traffic, and trains, I would be in utopia.

Ok here goes

I have always been a sucker for a new "thing" and seeing as everyone is blogging these days, I realised I had to do it.
Surely the minutiae of everyday life in a household of 7 would be interesting to someone ??

Today has been interesting, another quite cathartic day in parenting terms, dealt with a very difficult issue for the first time and J and I saw it through to the end, this is the challenge isn't it ?
I also realised why so many people are unhappy.
I played happy housewife today and cleaned all day without a break like most people do. I felt like shit after I did it..I thought it would make me happy to have a clean house, it didn't..it made me feel tired, and unable to function properly, so I think I am off that idea(conveniently).

Thing is I really am still that rebellious little girl I was back in school, I have always HAD to do things differently to everyone else..including having a large brood !
Anyway I am blogging when i should be in bed.....
Tomorrow, I may have learnt how to write an interesting post..Bet you can't wait.