... aaaaah, but how long will it last?
Aside from the mess (but isn't life with kids all mess anyway??), I just love glue and paper and scissors and "stuff".  It can keep kids occupied for ages!  Oops.  unfortunately I have just looked across and seen the cup of sprinkles is all "sprinkled" on the floor.  I'm so glad  we don't have carpet!  Things like that are so much easier to clean up when you can just sweep.
I have just read a fantastic blog at: 
http://specialsmallstuff.blogspot.com
I thoroughly recommend you check it out.  She is a fellow mum in Brisbane who also sells her works on etsy.  Fantastic read and she makes really cool stuff.  You can see her handiwork at:  http://wheresbeckybean.etsy.com
Well, it looks like I better get that duspan out.  The craft table (and floor sprinkles!!) have been abandoned and the mess monsters have moved on to conquer other parts of the house.

Okay world, here it is.  I have been invited to a GROWNUPS do!  Anyone without kids won't get it, but all you at home mums will understand my excitement and TREPIDATION!  It is a networking "do" being run by a marketing company.  I got the invite from one of the guys at TAFE because apparently they want some "fashion" people there.  (Ha ha, and that's where I "supposedly" come in!!) The dress code is "funky casual, preferably green".  Not owning anything "funky" or green, I figured I needed a new dress...what a shame!!  Anyway, I found this material and made up this dress this morning.  Does it look ok?  Not too cutesy or kiddy?  My judgement on these issues is a bit clouded these days - too many 4 year old's birthday parties and not enough adult interaction!!!
Seriously though, do you think it is okay?  It is a light green gingham with strawberries and cherries overprinted.  Not my usual style fabric or colour which is why I'm not sure.
Thanks heaps.
Please be kind in your criticisms though!!!!

Well, what can I say?  Here I was being all self-indulgent and feeling sorry for myself about having to go for a referral, doing the whole "woe is me" thing.  So there I am FINALLY in the doctor's office (they were only running one and a half HOURS late - no they didn't tell me they were running behind when I got there, yes I had to occupy a 2 year old the entire time whose lunch & sleep time it was...yep, just my idea of a fun day), when at the top of her lungs, My darling 2 year old turns her toy pony upside down, points to its nethers and says in a lovely clear voice "Look doctor, that's my pony's BUM!", then she said it again louder, and yet again even louder before collapsing in a fit of giggles.  What more can I say?  I love being a mum, just when you think you are about to strangle someone...anyone, they come out with something completely embarassing, but something you can laugh about for the rest of the day.  Thanks Gracie.  mummy loves you lots.

"I'll whisper a secret, but don't tell a soul"  is a line from one of my favourite bedtime books we read to our girls.  It is called "It's time for bed" and is written by renown Australian Children's author - Mem Fox.
Here is my secret
I'm off to the doctor's today and I feel sick to the stomach.  But, you can't tell anyone okay!  Unfortunately it's not for a  run of the mill check out (not that I enjoy them either mind you!!), but it is to get the ball rolling for this year's "episode" of my karmic payback.  I've yet to figure out what exactly it was that I did in my previous life, but some days I really feel as though I am paying for it.  I have to go to the gp today to get a referral for my specialist.  Last year when my orthopedic surgeon ordered an MRI on my stuffed shoulder (another "episode" all of its own - believe me!!), he found a lovely large tumour in my arm bone.  When pointing it out to me, he said "see, over here..."  I was looking and looking and couldn't see it.  "Where?"  I asked looking for some pea sized dark spot on the scan film.  "here" he says as he outlines a MASSIVE grey area.  "oh" says I somewhat quietly.  "I thought that was just the inside part of the bone"  It fills the entire diameter of the bone and extends one third of its length from the shoulder joint down.  "Do they usually grow that big?"  I ask somewhat hesitantly.  "No.  I've never seen one that big before."  The next day I had to hold by 16 month old baby down while the doctors put her under anaesthetic to get her tonsils and adenoids out.  Was kind of a crazy, hazy week that one. 
Anyway, as you can imagine, I was referred to another specialist and spent weeks going from one hospital to another getting test after test, scan after scan with no-one telling me anything other than they were injecting me with radioactive "stuff" and I wasn't allowed to eat all day.
I finally went back to the specialist who said "Well, it's as good as we can hope for.  I'll see you in September/October for a checkup" and that was it.  Oh yeah, with a reassuring "don't worry it hasn't spread though your body so we are pretty sure it isn't cancer"  followed by a "these things don't usually turn nasty."  "So aren't you going to do a biopsy?" was my next (and I thought pretty obvious) question.  "No, we don't want to disturb it - they don't usually like that."  "Great" me thinks to myself.  I have this huge mass growing inside of my arm that they "don't think" is cancerous, but they reckon they'll just leave it there for a wait and see.  A wait and see for what?  If it becomes malignant?  It's already a confirmed tumour.  Even the test results said they couldn't conclusively rule out a sarcoma.  Wait and see if it is going to spread through my body?  Wait and see if it keeps growing until it completely engulfs my arm?  Does that mean I could lose my arm one day? 
So that is where we left off.  Today I get my referral for another round of scans and to go back and see this "lovely" specialist who won't tell me anything.  I have decided that if we wants to leave it again, I am going to get a second opinion.  My cousin who is an oncology nurse was shocked that they are leaving it there, and from all the research I have done, it seems as though they are usually removed.
Wish me luck!!

Well here I am at the start of my new blog.  I have decided to dedicate this to Kid's Fashion.  It is an area that I am quite intrigued by.  I am hoping that people will stop by and leave lots of questions and comments.  Did you know that Global Industry Analysis Inc has just released a report that claims (Global Childrens Wear Market to be Worth $147 Billion by 2010"!!!!  Even the big brands like Dior and Burberry are getting in on the kids segment now.
As a Designer, I much prefer creating kids wear as there are so many less contraints than with adults.  They have a much bigger colour palette to play with and can carry off much for exciting styles that us conservative grown ups can't.  I'm going to leave a question at the end of each blog to try and invite your feedback, so here goes with todays question:
What do you love to see kids dressed in, and what do you loathe seeing kids dressed in?

Here is another "lady" (and I use the term loosely!!) who sees it as her job (and what's worse - someone actually paid her for this AND published it in their newspaper) to pass judgement on other women and the decisions they make about their lives. Note I said "their lives". These are not things that are going to impact on others, let alone hurt anyone. They are not out there doing drugs, inflicting violence, waging war, promoting discrimination...hang on a minute, isn't that exactly what Ms Catherine Deveney herself is doing? Promoting discrimination against women who CHOOSE to change THEIR name? Is she not in a sense "waging war" by publicly denouncing them in such obscene verse? I certainly have my opinion on her, but I am not going to lower myself to her standards and send them in to the paper where thousands of people WILL read them. Instead I will just write about it here on my humble blog where perhaps no one will even notice it at all.
I looked her up on "The Age" website and searched high and low for her bio. Interesting that she was not listed under the "Journalists". Good to see that although they may publish her work, they won't even call her a journo. I then looked under the editorial staff as her column is listed as an "opinion". Nope, not even there. Hee, hee, sounds like they can't even claim her as an "opinion". Curious as to who this angry and quite obviously jilted woman was, I ended up having to email the paper directly to find out more about her. They directed me to Wikipedia. I'm guessing she wrote the entry herself. It doesn't really say much except that she is a comedian who sometimes writes an opinion column for The Age.
Oh well, my guess is they just put rubbish like this in to try and get others to talk about it. That way more people will go and buy the paper to read it. Shame she doesn't have an opinion on something that actually matters and may well be worth reading. Hmmm, but then would I be writing about it here on my blog? Kudos to Catherine Deveney, I'm guessing it was a tongue in cheek article and she was out for a bit of attention. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt because I can't imagine that an educated, well balanced, intelligent woman could be so misandronistic. Yep, I can write with my tongue in my cheek too!!!
If you would like to read all of it, here is the link:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/why-do-some-wives-still-change-their-names/2007/09/04/1188783231779.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

Here is the start of the article.

Why do some wives still change their names?

Catherine Deveny

Insecure or conservative or stupid women are bowing to the wishes of their husbands.

WHO the hell is Jana Rawlinson? Jana Wendt I know, Jana Pittman I know, but Jana Rawlinson? So I check out the snap. It looks exactly like Jana Pittman. But her name is Jana Rawlinson. How bizarre. That has to be some crazy coincidence. A woman called Jana with a different surname who looks exactly like Jana Pittman. And, get this, she's a hurdler too. Freaky.

Oh, I get it. She has put a few noses out of joint in the past so she's keen on a bit of incognito action. You'd think she'd change her first name too. Then it dawned on me. She has got married, bizarre enough in itself these days, and changed her last name to her husband's. What an anachronism. Maybe she changed her name to go with the chastity belt, the crinolines and the stick "no thicker than his thumb" that her husband is allowed to beat her with.

Anyone have a spare 1000pounds they'd like to throw my way???

A Beautiful Bio - Valentino's Life & Art (GALLERY)

(TrendHunter.com) Una Grande Storia Italiana - Valentino Garavani is a new limited edition book from Taschen. The book comes in Valentino-tinted red silk box, and includes a huge collection of Valentino's works, from sketches to editorial spreads, advertisements, portraits of Valentino and documentary photographs.

… [More]

Here we go again. Be warned everyone, I'm just dusting off the soapbox...again.
I found this somewhat amusing quote in the Vogue forums today. It really relates back to my last article on the whole "Superwoman" MYTH. Why do so many people pass judgement on how others choose to live their lives? If no one went to work, the economy would collapse. If no one had babies, the economy would also collapse. Why can't we just let people follow their own path and stop with all of these ridiculous comments. It is no one elses business whether you decide to have children or not have children, work or not work.

[QUOTE=smarch98]I don't know why people are talking as if the only two options are being nothing but a mum or being a highly ambitious selfish careerperson.

How boring would it be to be a stay-at-home mum?
I'm going to get bashed for saying this, but how difficult can it be to be a mum (of one child)? When they're young, they sleep a lot. Sure you have to wake up in the night, but you're at home all day! And then, when they're older, they're at school most of the time.

It's so frustrating that fathers are never put in this kind of position where they get judged no matter what they do.[/QUOTE]

LMAO
I am an at home mum of 2 - a 4yo and a 2yo, both girls. I used to think exactly the same thing. It's funny you know, I went to Uni and was always going to be the career woman, but I got really sick and bummed out. Next I joined the Navy and then went back to Uni by correspondence. Yep, I was up in East Timor in 2000 at sea for 4 months straight working 4 hours on, 4 hours off the ENTIRE time without a single day (or stretch greater than 4 hours) off until we were on our way home. I was studying Uni while I was up there, and guess what...that was EASIER and less stressful than being an at home mum!
I think whether you get bored at home or not is up to you. As I said I used to think the same. I had planned on going back to work when dd was 6 weeks old, but it is funny what they do to you. I went back when she was 3 months, but only for a year (medical probs). After baby 2 was born, we decided it would be best if I stayed at home. I'm not the sit on the couch and watch Oprah type - not that there is anything wrong if that is all you want out of your life. I have started up my own business and am at TAFE studying fashion. Both things I could never have done if I went back to work. My "workload" is HUGE. I laugh when hubby comes home saying he is exhausted (as he plops down on the couch...while I cook tea) My day starts at 5am and I am flat out until I go to bed around 10pm, and I still don't manage to get all of the housework done!! lol.
At the end of the day, I really think we need to stop passing judgement on other people's lives, and just live and enjoy our own. The social isolation that comes with being an at home mum and people's perceptions that you have no brain are really difficult. People are shocked to hear I was in the Navy and worked in Scientific Research before I had kids. Why? They were never surprised BEFORE I bred??????
PS If only they really did sleep all the time! LOL!! Baby number 2 was chronically sick and had to have surgery at 16 months. She never slept through the night until 2 months ago (she is now 2 and a half). Believe me, there is no time to get bored when you have to get up to a screaming (and I mean screaming, not crying) baby 6 to 7 times a night EVERY NIGHT for a year and a half straight...plus tend to your other toddler through the day - not that they baby ever stopped screaming, it went on for most of the day too.
Sorry if this seemed like a rant, I really didn't mean it to, I just think that women need to start pulling together and supporting each other instead of tearing each other down about the choices they make about their lives. Especially when it comes to this whole mum thing. I know it is a cliche, but being a mum really IS the hardest job in the world, and being an at home mum or a working mum both have their own rewards and difficulties. I have been both. Fortunately though, the benefits are amazing and I would not ever wish to have not had kids. In fact, I would love to have more. and, I consider it a priveledge to be able to stay at home and have this precious time of my life (and theirs) with them, because it is passing all too fast.

I stumbled across a really interesting trend article yesterday.

--> Via TRENDHUNTER.COM - Do not remove links or modify content-->

Superwoman Syndrome - Perfection Pursuit Causes Anorexia

(TrendHunter.com) Superwoman Syndrome is striking teenage girls and young women in our society at an alarming rate. Females are increasingly pressuring themselves to be perfect, taking on more roles than they can juggle, and trying to excel at each one.

Powerful women in the media used to be considered positive rol… [More]

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It seems odd to me that all the attention in this arena goes towards teenage girls. I think it would make for a really interesting study to look at mothers in the 28-45 age group. I think pressure is greatest here as you are supposed to be the "supermum" ie have kids but look like you haven't.

I have much more pressure on how I look as a 32yo mother of 2 than I ever did as a teenager. Plus I am expected to work and study and run a household and make it all look like a breeze. yeah right!! Also, I wonder how many mothers of young kids (especially at home mothers) are on anti-depressants, have alcohol or drug issues, eating disorders etc just to cope with society's expectations and deal with the isolation factor of not having regular adult contact and seeing your friends daily to chat and get support? Of course, if you did, you would be admitting to failure wouldn't you?
Am I the only person who thinks this?

I know, I know, I was supposed to put pictures on last week, but really they weren't that great, and then I had to organise my sewing room, and then hubby got sick, and then it was the weekend, and then and then and then........
ANYWAY,
here I am now. I may not have been writing, but I have been thinking. Lots.
I have to do an assignment for my textiles/inks and dyes class and make a garment utilising various techniques which we have covered throughout the year. We have until the end of semester to make it, so there is plenty of time. My only problem is trying to pick what to do. I have way too many ideas. I'm thinking butterflies, peacocks, seashells, bluebottle jellyfish, cascading waterfalls, and on and on go my thoughts. I will keep you posted though. I promise! No exciting pictures today I'm afraid, I have been busy finishing off 2 quilts for my etsy store, so feel free to take a look. Unfortunately, they pictures are really bad, but check them out any way.
www.catherinegrace.etsy.com