Danimezza

Inside My Studio

2012-02-20T13:12:11Z

It’s been a long time since I last posted about my studio, so much has changed in that time so I thought I’d give you all a bit of an update. The studio is right next the the lounge room, across from the kitchen and far away enough from the bedrooms that I won’t disturb the boys when I’m doing my night owl thing. This is what the room looks like when you first walk in… “eclectic” is an understatement.

On my door I have a poster I made using Instagram photos (post coming soon), my trusty Target Enviro bag hangs from the knob and along the wall is my Business Certificate, a pom pom garland leftover from #gnid11 and a few framed pretty things to look at. Behind the door is more wrapping paper than any one person needs and my large grey backdrop gifted to me from Gisela. This is also where my Dyson usually ends up living too.

The beautiful lanterns are from Typo a few years ago, a gift from Rhi that always makes me smile and feel girlie. The lamp is from Ikea as are most of the 4×6 frames on the wall. The bird decal is from Typo, a bargain I picked up in Melbourne last year.

I’ve lusted after Kal Barteski’s work for years, she’s one of the reasons I started blogging. I find her so inspiring, ever changing, constantly emotive and a provoker of thoughts. I recently bought two of her script prints as a gift to myself for Christmas, it’s like having a piece of her in our home. When I look at them I appreciate their message but I also remember that what she does has an impact on me and my words, actions and passions will effect someone else the same way if I’m truthful, creative and allow myself to be vulnerable.

Would you believe the owners of the house left us this cabinet and for the first two years we lived here it remained in the shed outside? Eventually I saw sense and after a bit of a clean it moved inside and now stores all my photography gear, photo magazines, spare batteries, flashes etc. I thought about stripping it back and painting it but decided I liked the worn charm. My Kelly Moore Libby Bag happily hangs awaiting our next adventure.

This space always gets cluttered as it’s where I do my hair each morning. Our bathroom is too small to hold my hair straightener, hair dryer, my favourite Original Mineral products and other bulky bits so it just seemed smarter to move it all to another room and now they live in the draws. “Dream” is from Spotlight. The hand, “&” and “@” are from Typo. The blue ceramic container is filled with my 3M velcro/hook collection and the straw holder is filled with coloured pencils. The framed floral tapestry is beautifully detailed and a steal at $10 from an op shop in Nelsons Bay.

It’s my job to do the household filing and everything is easy to find in the two draw cabinet from Aldi. On top lives my Blythe doll Ellie and her makeshift wardrobe also from Aldi. My Canon printer lives on my little op shop coffee table under my desk and two of my Kenji clear draws from Officeworks are vital for my desktop to remain uncluttered. The desk was designed by me and made by whitewood warehouse and only cost $200. I wanted a longline desk which was shallow but wide enough to pile whatever I was working on beside me. The mirror is where I take my instagram outfit photos in case you were wondering.

The chair is my newest purchase, a chesterfield white faux leather dining chair with black legs. The seat is nice and wide and the extra padding is nice and soft but most of all I feel supported in it even after long hours editing. I’ve only ever had wheel-based chairs in the past and they were never quite right for me. After using one of our dining chairs when my old one broke I realised I didn’t need a typical office chair to do the job.

The pretty bunting is from our party supply box and was made by me for Aidan’s 1st Birthday, it always makes me smile when I enter the room. There are two different white curtains in the studio, both from Ikea. One panel on either side of the window is thick and sturdy, the others in the middle are soft and whimsical. The same curtains are also in the main bedroom.

I can walk into my studio, close the door and I’m in my zone. There are no distractions and I’m free to delve into the internet, make skype calls, listen to music and let the words just fall from my fingertips. My studio is freeing.

I hate wires and cords all about the place but with my job it involves a lot of cords, usually small ones that are hard to find when you need them. Whenever I see these jars in my op shop travels I have to take them home with me. Two live on my desk, a green one for pens and this yellow one keeps my “daily cords” handy.

When I was doing the big clear out over the holidays I tossed out a lot of magazines… like a lot. I’m still not sure what made me do it but I tore out a few pages I loved from each and stuck them on the wall with blutak, kind of made me feel like a teenager all over again. The signed poster is of Thirsty Merc, I got it at their concert (I was right at the stage) in Townsville when I was 19. I had to batt my lashes at the bouncer to let me have the only poster at the venue, eventually he pulled it down from the wall and I strutted proudly over to the band and they all signed it… one even offered to sign my chest! I can’t bare to part with it because it reminds me of crazy days of drinking, sex and loud music.

I’ve been filming some videos and editing away behind the scenes, this is just a few bulky things I need to get the job done well. I’ll be sharing a more in depth post about lighting and equipment in the coming weeks so hold tight if you’re interested. My basics include the Hanamax roll up backdrop that I got from the op shop for $10, a cheapie tripod, one of my umbrella studio lights and a mini white board to help mark points for the editing process.

This poster is my pride and joy, you might recognise it from all my videos and from the very first Mailbox Love issue. It’s actually a merchandising poster from a surf shop in my town. I walked past their window display, halted, turned around and walked in and asked to buy it. THey agreed to let me have it for free, stapled my business card to the back and promised to call me once they were done using it. I think it was about 6 months later that I got the call and I was so excited. There is no branding, marks or logos on it and it has a lovely matte finish. It’s attached to the wall using only 3M velcro strips. I get a quite a few questions about it so I thought I’d share the story.

The couch is yet another op shop find for only $40. It’s a magenta corduroy fabric and lovely to lay on and read magazines. It was in almost pristine condition and structurally sound, the only thing I had to do was shave off some of the piling and then it was like new. I really want to drag it outside and take our family portrait on it, I mean the green grass, the blue sky and a magenta couch… dreamy! The throw rug and the cushions are all from Target a few years ago and the boxes are from Ikea. The wall decal around the light switch is from typo.

So there you have it, my little corner of the house that is all mine, to do with what I like, when I like. It’s where I work, where I play, where I create and where I learn. Most of the time it looks like a complete shit storm because all that playing, creating and learning is messy business. On those bad days when I can’t even see my feet through the papers on the floor that Steve can’t manage to file or when I step on a toy car or a spiky dinosaur Aidan left laying around or magazines and PR packages pilling up on my desk, well I have these photos to look back on to remind myself that this is what this room was created for… embrace it.

Do you have a space in your home to call your own?

Surreal or Real, Vogue Italia

2012-02-18T07:37:25Z

Two hours ago I was just going about my usual, domestic Saturday activities. Steve left me to sleep in while he and Aidan had fun at swimming lessons. We went to Aldi and bought milk. We did laundry, Steve mowed the lawn and I changed the sheets on all the beds. Aidan went down for a nap so I opened my laptop and got to work pinning some of my favourite curvy fashion blogs but I didn’t get to finish. I was interrupted. I caught a glimpse of one of my images from the Gisela Ramirez collection… on Vogue Italia newsfeed widget!!!

One click and all the air was sucked out of my body. There is was, clear as day, my photo on the Vogue Curvy section of the Vogue Italia website. My name wasn’t credited and I automatically went on the defensive. I called Gisela to let her know and thankfully she knew about it, she’d been interviewed months ago and hadn’t gotten conformation that it would be included in the magazine…

… that’s when my heart stopped beating. “Included in the magazine?” I stammered through the phone. Yep, there was a very big chance that once of the few photos she’d included with her interview would be published but there was no guarantee. My heart started up again and all the blood rushed to my head, I felt like I was going to be sick.

Gisela called Mag Nation in Newtown and they said they’d just received the shipment so she went to check it out and promised to call as soon as she saw the article, if my photo was in it she’d buy me a copy. I waited for what felt like years for her call but in reality it was only an hour or so.

“Bleep” went my phone…

“Bleep” it went again…

There is was in all it’s glory. Beautiful Delphina wearing Gisela’s iconic cropped tee. I called her and did what any grown professional woman would do… I screamed, squealed and giggled like a little girl. Gisela and her mother bought every issue they had in stock and will be kindly posting one out to me on Monday. I can’t even read Italian but it sure as hell makes me want to learn. I’m so proud of Gisela, I don’t think it’s really sunk in for her yet and I can’t imagine how Delphina must be feeling. If there is any time to get dressed up and drink Champagne… this is it!

sigh… I don’t even have the issue in my hands. There is a small part of my brain that’s trying to convince me that I’m dreaming, that it’s not really happening, that it’s all a fantasy. I don’t think my name is even mentioned but as awesome as that would have been, when it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter. My photo, a piece of my art, time and talent… is in Vogue Italia.

I die.

Using Google Friend Connect? Read this!

2012-02-16T04:41:35Z

When it comes to fiddly geeky blog stuff I don’t really know what I’m doing, sure I could use Instagram till my hand fell off, I can update facebook like nobody’s business and I can Pin like a pro but when it comes down to the nuts and bolts of building a blog and keeping it top notch… well that’s when I’m glad I have friends like Liz from Lizosaurus.

She loves cats and dinosaurs and knows her tech stuff. She also has an uncanny way of explaining the most complicated things so that even I can understand them and that’s exactly what she’s come here to do today. Liz and her husband Jarod designed and continue to maintain my blog filling it will cool widgets and what-nots, they’ve also been nominated in The Bloggies (kind of like the Oscars for bloggers) so if you find the following helpful or just think she’s cool give her some love by giving her your vote in the design category but now, over to Liz…

Dear Lovely Readers of Danimezza,

Something is going to happen soon. And you may not like it. But much like the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse, you need to prepare for it.

So. Here’s what’s going to happen: if you use Google Friend Connect to read this blog, you’re not going to get it for much longer. After March 1, actually. It’s all over. No more Danimezza. Not via Google Friend Connect, at least.

Why not?

It’s not us, it’s Google. This is what happens when you put your life in the hands of a mega corporation that runs the world – they get to call the shots. But, much like decisions made by your chosen deity: you don’t know why it’s happened, but you know there must be a good reason.

So, how can we kill it?

Well, unlike Zombies, this can’t be stopped. So we have to find a way around it!

What should we do?

I’m glad you asked! Otherwise this post would have gotten real awkward really quickly.

Well, here’s the easiest thing you can do (besides memorising the web address and visiting every day). Subscribe via RSS!

It sounds scary, but it’s not. Here’s how it works:

When you subscribe to a blog via RSS, it tells the little RSS kittens that you want to be told every time there’s a new post! So the little RSS kittens make a note of that, and every time Dani posts, then they go on a delivery run to ALL the people that want to read Dani’s blog. Can you imagine? A tiny little kitten with those huge awkward paws and little postal hat and bag visiting everyone? Nyaww.

Anyway. The RSS Kitten puts Dani’s post in your ‘post box’ (or ‘feed reader’) and you can read it when you next log in!

Handy right?

ZOMG, HOW DO I GET THE KITTENS?

OK! Now you’re on board with RSS, why not start my signing up for Dani’s blog?

First: Click on the RSS icon below and open it in a new window. (right click -> Open in New Window/Tab)

You only want it in a new window so you can read this as you go.

Now, you’ll see something like this:

Then, click on the tiny little Google button — this one here:

I mean, you can choose any of the others if you want, but seeing as you’re with Google already, you might as well stick with them!

Then you’ll see this dandy screen:

Choose ‘Add to Google Reader’ (that’s where the kittens go!)

And then it’ll take you into your reader where you’ve just subscribed to Dani’s site! Woohoo!!

Now, you can go and do the same thing with all your other favourite sites! Just follow that handy little RSS symbol and you can’t go wrong. (Well, too badly, at least).

But how do I get back there?

Google Reader stays at one address — this one: http://www.google.com/reader/
Just bookmark it for next time and you’re good to go!

Any other questions? Let me know in the comments! I’ll be sticking around for the next week to answer them :)

Love

Liz & the RSS Kitten.

My Rough & Tumble Dude

2012-02-18T13:45:57Z

“What is your child’s favourite thing to wear?”

Please note: The prize is x1 $100 Big W voucher which will be awarded to the most original and creative response. The winner will be chosen and delivered by Nuffnang. The giveaway will open from the 15 February 2011 and close at 5pm AEDST on 29 February 2012. One entry per person. Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you directly if you are a winner. Winner will be announced in the comments section of this post. Please refer to Term & Conditions.

Save Your Skin with Vaseline

2012-02-09T04:09:18Z

The lovely people at Vaseline sent me (and three of my family members) a small pamper pack in January designed to moisturise, protect and freshen up my skin. They asked for the opportunity to share with you some information that you may not be aware of when it comes to your skin and in return, one Danimezza reader will win a year’s supply of Vaseline Aloe Fresh Daily Body Lotion SPF 15+!!! My skin cancer check up is next week so I thought it would be a timely reminder for all of you to understand the effects of sun damage and hopefully it inspires you to book your own appointment… oh, and win stuff!

SKIN FACTS

There are two different kinds of sun rays which can cause our skin serious damage – UVA and UVB.
As much as a short walk from the train to work is enough to cause incidental sun exposure.
More than 47% of Australian women rate dry skin as the number one skin concern, while less than 40% use a body lotion daily.
One of the major causes of dry skin for Australian women is UVA damage from incidental sun exposure.
UVA ray strength remains much the same all year round – causing constant dryness and ageing.
UVA rays can cause premature ageing, wrinkling of the skin and can indirectly contribute to skin cancer formation, while UVB rays can cause the skin to burn.
Lack of sun protection is dangerous. Skin cancers now account for 80% of all newly diagnosed cancers.

Enter Here

Please Note: Promotion is open to residents of Australia 18 years or older. Entrants can submit multiple entries. Only the skin facts listed in the post are acceptable answers in the competition entry form. The promotion opens on the 1st of February and closes on the 29th of February. The winner will be drawn at random on 5th March. There will be one winner from each of the participating blogs Smaggle, BellaMumma, The Sydney Girl, Fat Mum Slim,Makeup and Macaroons, Miscellaneous Mum, Danimezza and Hello Owl. Please visit the Vaseline Facebook Competition Page for full terms and conditions.

Rough & Tumble BigW Style

2012-02-06T22:55:02Z

Paddle & Kick

2012-02-06T06:13:55Z

Aidan started going to swimming lessons again with Steve as his support person.

He was nervous at first but as soon as he saw the water he was so excited.

Steve was a little nervous too as he’s not a great swimmer but you couldn’t tell.

You couldn’t wipe the smile off their faces. It made me happy to see them so happy.

Aidan was always the first to face a new challenge.

I loved swimming growing up and I can see it being a big part of Aidan’s childhood.

I was sad I wasn’t his support person this time but still happy to take these photos.

Everyday he’s asked to go swimming, I might have to go with him midweek.

My son… the teachers pet.

They played games and laughed a lot.

He tried to use the kick board but wasn’t really sure what to do with it.

20 minutes later class concluded with “If you’re happy and you know it”…

… and we sung and clapped the whole way home.

Do your kids do swimming lessons?

Aidan’s Play Space

2012-01-30T05:52:05Z

Aidan and I play all day long but there is one particular part of the day that gets us both pretty excited. After watching his favourite show on ABC2 “Mr Maker” (think along the lines of “Art Attack”) we try and recreate whatever he did that day. If I don’t have the supplies we still pull out the paints, the pencils, the playdough or anything that is really messy. I’ve been inspired by Our Play Space over at Childhood101 lately and thought I’d share a few of Aidan’s favourite places in our house that let his creative juices flow.

We don’t live in a big house, my lens just gives a very generous interpretation of space so utilising the space we do have and keeping our living areas uncluttered is very important. I’m very proud that I’ve been able to keep the house looking like this for over a month now, I’ve found my groove and have an established cleaning routine, so does Aidan and Steve which helps. I took this photo in the far corner of the room, to the left is the hallways which leads to the all the bedrooms and bathroom. Ahead you can see a walkway which leads to laundry and entrance which is just through the kitchen. To the right you can see the dining area and another walkway into the kitchen which up until a month ago had baby gates installed, you can still catch me attempting to open them (even though theres nothing there) when I’m rushing about and flustered.

We’re lucky in that our living area is filled with great big windows so the whole area is constantly filled with light all day long, it’s where Aidan and I find ourselves spending 80% of our time at home during the day. That meant that it had to be very user friendly, adaptable and easy to clean.

I tried incorporating toy tubs into our living area when Aidan was a baby and as he grew he accumulated more stuff and the tubs overflowed so I bought more tubs and then eventually they were taking up every corner of the house, encroaching on walkways and becoming annoying. Now there is one tub in our lounge room and every morning it’s empty, as the day goes on when Aidan is asked to pick up his toys (that travel down from his room) he puts them in the tub. Ten minutes before his shower each night he picks up any remaining toys and drags the tub down to his room and puts the toys back on his toy shelf where they belong, then he jumps in the shower with Steve and I take the tub back to the lounge room. It’s been two weeks and the process so far has been a success.

Steve and I bought this poster from Aldi when I was pregnant and it was only when I did an epic clear out of his room that I found it rolled up and stashed safely behind piles of junk. Now it lives in the dining area next to the kitchen door. Every morning before breakfast Steve and Aidan talk about the weather (Steve is genuinely fascinated by weather) and say what month and day it is and the date. I cut up bits of craft foam and used blu tak to attach them to the poster. Every day Aidan moves the green rectangle to the right day/month and the green circle to the right date. If the green circle lands on a date which has a yellow triangle he knows it’s a school day. He’ll be starting swimming lessons soon so I’ll put another marker up for those as well. I think the poster cost $5 and I’ve seen them in Aldi since but not recently.

In the corner is the art area and has “Doodle Draws” (ref: Mr Maker) and his easel, a gift from Grandma and Grandpa at Christmas. It has a whiteboard and blackboard and both sides are magnetic, there is also a paper roll on top which is super handy. The draws are filled with bits and pieces I’ve collected and a few things I’ve bought recently in the ‘back to school’ sales. Top draw has pencils, crayons, twisty crayons, textas, glitter glue, glitter shakers, every type of glue imaginable, sticky tape, sticky dots and scissors. The second draw is filled to the brim with paint, I’d forgotten I had so much from my old crafty days.

The third draw has paint brushes, painting rollers, painting stamps and texturisers, a splat mat and recycled styrofoam trays I collect from the fruit shop to be used as painting palettes… sometimes to make boats. The fourth draw is filled with craft paper, foam shapes, feathers, pipe cleaners, paddle pop sticks, bottle caps etc. The last draw is where I keep all Aidan’s play dough stuff. On top is a sketchpad which we use for all his drawing, I like it because they are all kept together and the paper is thicker. I always keep empty containers on hand and the empty tissue box is waiting to be turned into a truck or a house.

I’m also a fan of using scrapbooking paper as it’s thick, often textured and you can pick up pads of different card stock really cheap, I get mine (I usually get plain/metallic/pastel/bright) from BigW for under $20. I think they make paintings pop and Aidan likes picking which colour to use. When we’re ready to dry our art I simply use pegs and hang them from the venetian blinds but anything I fear will drip gets hung up outside.

This is where it all happens, this is where cities made of blocks and duplo are built, where tickle fights take place, where we dance, where we hang out and watch tv and it’s where Aidan has his breakfast and lunch. Want to know how I’ve managed to keep a beige rug clean with a toddler… vigilant spot cleaning.

I’m so glad I bought this little table and chair set from Toys R Us (even though Aidan could barely walk at the time) because I haven’t seen anything as nice or affordable since. I was nervous about having a white table but I threw rational thought and cautious thinking to the wind but as time passed I got more and more irritated by each little mark that was left on it so I went to Bunnings and bought a metre of plastic glitter table cloth for $12, bought a pack of furniture tacks from BigW for $3 and with a few tap-taps of my hammer his little table had a sparkly new protective, wipe clean cover. He keeps his piggy bank on it as well as yet another Aldi weather calendar and a little vintage clock and abacus. He’ll sit there winding the hands of the clock, counting the numbers and counting the clicking beads. On the entertainment unit is yet another piggy bank, his dinosaur box that I made him and his tray of puzzles.

Picture me curled up on the couch next to the coffee table with my laptop leaning on the arm rest, that’s where I am right now as I type up this post. Let it be known that I hate this couch, absolutely everything about it. I’m hoping that one day soon Aidan will accidentally jump on an armrest and snap it in half so I can justify buying a new one. Something Aidan does like jumping on is his dragon from bop along buddies which I picked up at the Sydney Baby & Toddler Expo last year, the best $30 I spent as it’s given him loads of entertainment.

Isn’t he cute in his little bow tie, a prop left over from some blogging events last year that Aidan felt was too special to leave in the prop box. Under the coffee table is his big tub of Duplo, I tried to keep it in his room but we used it everyday so it just made sense to store it in easy reach so that Aidan can pull it out and play with it whenever he likes.

Just in case you’re interested, this is my little play space.

Aidan loves his tech too and he’s gotten more out of the iPad2 than I ever could so it now belongs to him. It’s kept in a simple yet sturdy folder case case from JB HiFi and the large stylus I picked up on ebay. Aidan uses a lot of Apps that require him to trace letters in order to unlock games or videos and this has been really helpful in getting him used to writing with a pencil, getting him away from using his fingertip for everything. He still writes on paper with a pencil but ‘personal’ technology will be a huge part of his life and considered a skill in his generation, we have no problem with Aidan using devices but they are all locked, the apps are specifically selected and he’d be lucky to use them for more than half an hour a day. His headphones are brilliant, the perfect size for his little head. His iPhone3 is my old phone that broke and can no longer make calls but the apps still work as does the camera. Steve bought a heavy duty Otterbox case for it so it survives the odd tantrum or being dropped whilst getting out of the car.

For the last few months I’ve been slowly incorporating small cooking activities into our daily routine. Before we took the baby gates out of the kitchen I gutted the cupboards and draws, I wanted to make sure that the majority of things he could reach were safe. We started letting Aidan into kitchen, teaching him what was safe and what was dangerous. Then the gates were taken off and all we could do was hope that what we taught him had sunk in. He puts his dishes in the sink, his rubbish in the bin, makes sandwiches and helps me cook.

This is Aidan’s space in the kitchen, we practice chopping, pouring, spreading, rolling and mixing. Sometimes we could be making something special like cookies or cupcakes but mostly he helps with whatever has to be done like helping me make coco pops or toast for breakfast, a cheese sandwich or noodles for lunch or spagetti or burritos for dinner. It’s become such a regular part of life that being in the kitchen is no longer a novelty and he’s learnt from watching me, which areas are safe and which ones he should avoid. His little hands are too weak to open the fridge at this point and all the food in the house is stored up high so I don’t have to worry about him just walking in and helping himself.

I’ve already shared his room and the bathroom which is a hive of activity at the moment and in another post I’ll share our outdoor areas which get a work out every afternoon. I appologise for the length of my posts recently but hopefully the photos are descriptive enough to give you an idea if you only have a few moments. I think I’ve held back about Aidan for so long that it’s all bursting out of me, begging to posted. I’ll try and break down future posts but for now I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know the Mumma side of me a little bit more.

Where is your child’s favourite place to play at home?

Aidan’s Big Boy Room

2012-02-14T23:23:00Z

I made a promise a few weeks back to show you Aidan’s room and finally everything has come together (including the weather) so I could take some photos. Below is a few photos and a bit of a tour, if I haven’t covered something please feel free to ask any questions in the comments section. Without further ado, my take on the perfect room for a little dude…

As soon as you walk in the room you’re surrounded by light and colour, it’s one of my favourite places to be. The windows are tall and skinny so to make them look bigger I used a single white curtain panel to cover the window, used an extra long curtain rod and then had my mum sew up two blue silk panels for each window which hang at the ends and only cover the wall. The silk was expensive for me, just under $30 a metre and we used 4 metres all up but it’s been the best investment. They tie the whole room together. The rug was from Aldi back in 2010, I haven’t seen it back in stock since but it’s the best. Nice and soft, still bright and easy to clean.

I hate the colour of this house, we rent and the mustard walls make me sick, by using bright colours and using blue tones it feels more balanced. I bought the tall bookcase from ebay back in 2007 and painted it white, a versatile piece that holds all his nappies, lotions, a few baby reference books and all his linen and extra blankets. I like to keep them separate as it makes it easier to find things which is usually late at night. You can see his shoe basket by the door, it’s Aidan’s job to keep them all together (he can put them on and take them off on his own) the same goes for his toy shelves.

Oh how we all adore his new king single bed! It has a single bed trundle underneath for when his Aunty or Grandma come to visit. I bought all his new linen (on sale) from My House, I love that place. Aidan’s a bit of a ‘sheet snob’ like us. His are so soft and the most beautiful shade of blue, he snuggles down happily each night. Now we can comfortably lay in bed together, read stories and just hang out. The thing that keeps Aidan from falling out of bed is ugly so I use the bedspread to hide it. The stepping stool is from Ikea and the perfect height, when he doesn’t need it anymore it will move seamlessly into another part of the house.

The owners of the house installed ugly pine shelves that made the room look smaller so I took them out when we moved in several years ago, leaving holes in the wall. I got some wall decals recently to match the set I already had (which have be transferred to canvas) and Aidan helped me put them up, covering the holes in the process. He lays there quietly after being tucked into bed, from the hallway I can hearing him talking to them or making up stories it’s so sweet.

He also watches his glow-in-the-dark mobile counting the stars and looking at the moon. It’s not the most elaborate mobile and not the one I wanted but it’s simple and Aidan adores it. Steve and Aidan will sit in bed with his torch in the dark, shining light on it making it glow.

His torch lives on a little chair beside his bed and his drink bottle at night goes there too. He has a table which he has breakfast and lunch on and two chairs are in the lounge room, the other two in his room. The cloth bucket is from GoLo and the perfect size for all his highly rotated books. The sheepskin rug is from when he was a newborn, I loved mine growing up and it seems he does too.

It’s his very special hang out, sometimes he’ll just go in there on his own, drag his toy up onto his bed and play games. I think he enjoys the new perspective being high up off the ground. You might notice the quilt I made him as a baby. It used to live on the rug on the lounge room floor but then he got a little rough and some seams started to give way. It’s now been retired to the foot of his bed and it always makes me smile. I’m also working on more ways to incorporate his artwork into his room too but I’ll share that in a different post.

I picked up these awesome lanterns from Typo on sale, I couldn’t believe they were blue, white, red, orange and yellow striped an absolutely perfect match for his room. Even when they’re not lit up they add something a little extra. These are usually left on if he’s having a bit of trouble getting off to sleep, he can’t help but stare at them and doze off.

Here’s the other decals, they went on great but when I tried to remove them and put them up elsewhere they seemed to loose their stick, this may be because we use a vaporiser a lot. The decals were expensive and I still loved them so I glued them onto a plain white canvas, worked a treat! The CD player is from GoLo, I took it with me too the hospital when Aidan was born. He listens to Justin Hunter or Rainforrest Lullabies every night. The GrowBag Egg is awesome letting us know the temperature of his room and acts as a dull night light. Best of all is Aidan’s name blocks made by the very talented Rhi from Hummingbirds Song.

Everything has it’s place in his room. We culled a lot over the holidays, it was crazy! We were given many things and kept them in the vain hope that someday he would play with them, that they were too expensive to give away and I was too lazy to list them on ebay. Anything he didn’t play with or was too old for was donated, I think the op shop ladies eyes were going to pop out of their heads as I unloaded bag after bag. We have such generous friends but there was just so much excess that it left me feeling dirty. I’d rather a parent who can’t afford to splurge pick up a brilliant bargain for $2 and make a child’s day, plus all the proceeds from my op shop go to Camp Quality.

The bookcase was an old ugly varnished pine piece that Steve dragged into our relationship but I jazzed it up a few years ago with blue and white paint, at the time I had no idea it would fit in so perfectly with my little boys room. As you can see I have a slight addiction with children’s books but fortunately so does Aidan, we always manage to find new ones at the op shop. Some of them are from when I was little, we’ll lay in bed his head on my shoulder, his fingers twirling my hair and I’ll read the words my mother read to me. Aidan’s room isn’t filled with books… but with treasure.

My baseball glove from when I was a tween sits high above and Aidan’s ever growing hat collection hang along the side, I really need to buy more hooks. The precious books and pop up books are up the top just out of reach from little fingers. The typewriter, mailbox money box and wooden train are vintage op shop finds, the letter ‘A’ is from Typo. The brightly coloured wooden balls are actually a baby toy, they click and jumble around and was one of Aidan’s favourites when he was a baby. I’ll hold on to them forever.

He has a cross stitch sign on his door of a little boy flying a plane and towing a banner that says “AIDAN”, an original design that my Mum made it for him. The height chart is from the same wall decals collection, Aidan loves the monkeys and counting how many bananas each one is holding. Extra nappies are stored in a basket up the top and a few special figurines and toys are on display on the shelves. Aidan gets dressed in front of the mirror everyday, combs his hair and checks out his shirt. He’ll often sit on his bed and pull faces in the mirror when he thinks I’m not looking.

The wardrobe is a bit iffy, it can get a little damp despite my best efforts (damp rid etc), it’s just how the house is apparently. I’ve never stored clothes in there but desperately needed more storage space, turns out these cheap plastic tubs from Kmart fit perfectly. The bottom one is filled with soft toys, the other is filled with musical instruments and home corner items, the last is filled with cheap tiny plastic animals and trees. If we’re having a full day at home I’ll bring out one of the tubs and he’ll get so excited, then once we’re done it all has to go back in the box and then back in the cupboard. Aidan knows when I open these doors it’s going to be fun.

Besides the large plastic trunk (which was a gift and holds bulky toys) at the foot of his bed he has a toy box shelf which I got from Toys R Us in 2010 and matches a table and chair set which is set up in the lounge room. We use this to store all his “daily use” toys like cars and trains. He knows they all have to be packed away each night before his bath and the shelves make it easy for him to do it on his own. As soon as this starts to overflow I know it’s time to cull again. The toys hanging on the wall (on 3M hooks) are “springy things”, foam filled animals suspended from a long bouncy spring, both were gifts from friends when Aidan was born. My OiOi nappy bag still gets used as an overnight bag and still looks as good as when I first bought it. The backpack is for Steve when the boys go out on their adventures.

So there you go, his room in all it’s glory. It’s been so cool to look back on my blog and see how his room has developed from a simple dream, then into a nursery, changing again when he went into a toddler bed and finally as it is now. I wanted a room that could develop and grow with my child, also one which wouldn’t cost the earth. His room is a mix of bargain furniture, thrifted novelties, well loved books and loads of light and colour. I’m really happy with the result, I love it but most importantly… Aidan loves it.

No Nappy, Jocks In Bed

2012-01-27T06:03:19Z

Earlier this week Aidan made the decision to go to daycare wearing only jocks, no nappy. I was scared for him and worried that if he had a bad experience he would back track completely, I was no longer in control. I had a bit of a meltdown that day, had lots of time to think and evaluate my goals, it was rough finally being so honest with myself, I was breaking down walls. By the time Steve got home I was mentally exhausted but keen to get our little boy home. When we went to pick Aidan up from school he ran to me with his little arms stretched out wide for a hug and said “Mumma Mumma, nooooo accidents!!!” he was beaming from ear to ear… and so was I.

His carer explained that he’d been brilliant, told them when he needed to go and went peacefully when any of the carers asked him to. He slept in jocks at nap time and was really good at washing his hands, “Easiest transition ever“, their words. The relief washed over me like a wave, I felt like I could breathe again. She explained that he was really into lego and was the only child to help pack away the toys so he got a sticker. That’s my boy, the geeky teachers pet just like his Mumma.

I went to grab his things and I noticed a plastic bag, the carer said “oh they’re just a few wet things from an accident“. I was confused “I thought you said he didn’t have any accidents?“. Turns out only 10 minutes before we picked him up, he asked to go to the toilet but insisted on taking his pants of himself. He was busting, his pants got caught on his shoes and he ‘dribbled’ a bit as they finally got them off. No biggy, I was even more relieved. We said goodbye and chatted about his day all the way back to the car.

That night after his shower we went through the usual nighttime routine but hit a roadblock when it came time to put his nappy on. “No Nappy, Jocks in Bed” he repeated over and over. It threw me off balance, I wasn’t prepared. Aren’t you meant to focus on dry days before experimenting with nights? Isn’t he meant to fight me on this? Does he fully understand what he’s asking for? Steve and I starred blankly at each other, what do we do? So I did all I could and explained that he would have to wake up and go potty. That if he felt like he had to do a wee during the night to shout out for Mumma and I would come and help. He nodded his little head and smiled as he pounced into bed. It was at that moment that I knew I wasn’t going to get any sleep that night.

As Steve was reading him his bedtime story I did what most people do and I called my Mum for advice. She squealed over the phone at his progress and then laughed when I explained that he was refusing to wear a nappy at bed time. She explained that when I was little she took me to the potty before bed and then left me to sleep until she was ready to go to sleep herself (10pm-12pm), then she would wake me gently, explain that it was time to go potty, walked me to the bathroom through the darkness, sat me down and I’d do my business. When I was done she’d walk me back to bed, tuck me in and then I’d be right until morning. She wished me goodluck and threw in an extra giggle for good measure as she hung up. Ok, I can do this…

We sat on the couch, Steve doing his thing and me doing mine and then for some unknown reason Steve decided to pick a fight with me (that lasted until the following afternoon) over the smallest thing. He stomped off to bed and left me to deal with the situation on my own. I was fuming and tired and emotionally drained so I distracted myself with twitter and at 11:30 I wandered into Aidans room and gently woke him up. It all went exactly as planned, it was official, my mother is a genius. I was relieved but nervously listened out for his tiny voice and my head couldn’t stop processing the fight, needless to say I got about 2-3 hours of broken sleep.

We woke the next morning to a completely dry happy boy who ran to the potty and danced about giving high fives and shouting ”Wee Mumma, it’s HUGE!!!”. The rest of the day was normal, no accidents and no nappies. That night he said the same thing “No Nappy, Jocks in Bed” so we trusted him and he was fine. Sitting on the couch, Steve and I took the opportunity to talk about what was really bothering us and boringly enough it revolved around housework and our own bad habits. He hated that I never unpacked the dishwasher and I hated that he never wiped the tables or benches down when he and/or Aidan made a mess. I know, first world problems but if that’s all we had an issue with I was happy. By the time we were done going back and forth listing each others most annoying bad habits we were laughing and back to normal and then we heard a little cry from Aidan’s room “Mumma, Potty!” it was time to take him.

I took him to the potty and he sat there barely awake, wobbling on the seat, he did his business then went back to bed and then to sleep. That night he’d asked to go, it was progress. Steve and I laid in bed talking in the dark, like really talking, to that point where all the things you’ve held on to and bottled up come pouring out. It was raw, it was nice, it was ‘home’, curled up in his chest both talking about life, one we shared. It was 2:30am when we finally fell asleep, each having a better understanding of how our lives were in that moment. We fell asleep but it felt like I only blinked.

Aidan woke at 6am, Steve left me to sleep only to wake me several hours later with the promise of eggs for breakfast. We had a casual day playing duplo with Aidan, playing games on the ipad and cooking food, it was nice and calm. At bedtime Aidan put on his jocks and got into bed and this time we trusted him, he’d proved he understood what he had to do. By this point I’d only had 6 hours of sleep in two nights and I was exhausted, I tried everything to keep myself awake. It was 10:30 and too early to wake him to go potty. I laid in bed, eyes closed, justifying sleep to myself “It’s ok, go to sleep, he’ll wake you if he needs to go…zzz“.

Steve and I woke to a cry and in that moment I knew it was too late. He wailed miserably, sad soft sobs as Steve picked him up and took him too the bathroom reassuring him “It’s alright mate, things happen,we’ll just clean you up, we love you.“. I bounced out of bed and stripped his sheets and quickly threw on new ones. He almost refused to go back into his bed until we showed him that the mess was gone. “I sorry Mumma… accident… I sorry” his little voice quivering. “It’s ok” I told him, “all clean now and time for sleep, I love you.” Steve stayed to keep him company. I put the sheets in the machine and wandered back to bed and looked at the clock, it was 5:30am, he’d almost made it. I lay in the dark alone, eyes brimming with tears, looking at the ceiling and writing this post in my head as my son whimpered in the next room. I felt like the worst mother in the world, we were a team and I’d let him down. He would have made it all night if I’d just stayed awake a little longer how could I be so selfish and fall asleep! I cried myself into dark dreams.

Later that morning when Steve left for work he came into my room and climbed into bed with me, he didn’t give me a kiss. I asked if he was ok and if he remembered he had an accident. Suddenly he shouted at me “NO, JOCKS IN BED, WAKE UP GO POTTY, NO ACCIDENTS!!!” and he slapped me on the arm. I was shocked as it was so unlike him and neither Steve or I smack. I remained calm and explained that it was ok to be angry but we don’t hit our friends and he said “MUMMA NOT MY FRIEND!!!” and he slapped me again. I lost it.

It’s not that I try to hide my emotions from my son but I do try and hide the ugly tears, you know the ones. This was the first time he had disowned me (I know there is more to come) and he did it in such an angry way that it threw me. The tears rolled down my cheeks and my chest heaved in pain. Now Aidan was the one who was thrown, he stared blankly like most blokes do and wasn’t sure what to do. I tried to calm myself down and explain again that it’s ok to be angry and mad at Mumma but it wasn’t ok to be hurtful or hit people. He sat quietly for awhile looking his hands, me sitting calmly across from him. I said I was sorry for not waking him to go to the potty and told him it was ok for him to get out of bed and go on his own if he needed to. He nodded and leant over and gave me a hug, I said “I love you“ and he whispered back “Sorry, Mumma friend, no hitting“. I might not win any awards but at least there would be no bruises.

The last three days have been epic, I feel completely drained and lethargic, my son however is full of beans and why wouldn’t he, he’s been having nights full of sleep and has the new found freedom of playing with himself in his jocks whenever he chooses. Steve and I feel closer and have a little more understanding about what’s going on in each others lives, It’s been tough but in a strange way I’m glad it all happened.

Now tell me… is it nap time yet?