Today started off with this:

So that’s pretty cute in my opinion. I’ll have you know that Jamie’s not always that happy sitting on the floor. Correction: he’s almost never that happy sitting on the floor nowadays. Being eleven months and all, he’s at that stage where he wants to be on his feet and be in the middle of all the action but sadly he can’t stand up by himself yet so needs what I like to call a ‘propper’ – ie. me or Rick or any available grandparent. Unfortunately for Jamie, said parents are usually running around getting milk or taking out the dirty nappies so the poor thing is stuck sitting on the floor a lot. Discontent and screaming, I might add. We still love him big time though.

After lunchtime, the boys went down for their naps and I drove off in our little green Corolla and headed up to Avalon Beach. (At this point, alarm bells are probably ringing in your heads. Relax – my wonderful mother-in-law was back at home with the little ones. If no alarm bells went off, shame on you.)

It’s so bizarre that I’ve lived in Sydney for some twenty-five years now and yet this is the first time that I’ve actually explored the northern beaches. It is seriously a beautiful place here.

Here’s proof:

Anyway, as I drove up Pittwater Road with the ocean on my right, I almost felt like a glamorous movie star cruising around sunny California with oversized 50s sunglasses and a silk bandana protecting my hair from the wind. Only difference being that my Corolla is no convertible and I looked nothing like a glamorous movie star. But still.

Once parked, I contemplated a snooze in the car (and indeed I tweeted about this as I thought everyone should know that I was contemplating #asnoozeinthecar) but after several minutes of discomfort, I decided I wasn’t falling asleep but my tummy was getting hungry.

So I went here:

Awesome, right? I mean, is there anything cooler than a gigantic chalkboard combined with picture perfect handwriting? If we were to ever own a house, I think I would seriously consider painting one entire wall with chalkboard paint. Thank you, Frank. (Funny that, because the barista’s name was Richard.)

Next to Frank’s cafe was the Mark Tuckey Home store. My goodness, it was filled with all sorts of eye candy. In particular, a bright yellow vintage typewriter made me swoon while some vintage-saris-turned-bedspreads almost made me abandon our white colour scheme in the bedroom. With all my willpower, I walked out with only a small notebook o-check notebook (this one in fact) as well as a sweet birthday card for Rick.

When I finally got home, it was time for some outdoor play with all three boys which, yes, involved me propping up the littlest guy. He doesn’t let up, that one. Fast forward through dinner and bathtime (and a lot of tidying and cleaning), I finally got to sit down in the boys’ room for two minutes before the little guys trundled in to be dressed. I look calm in this photo because I knew that there wasn’t long to go…

And once I put Jamie down, there was this…

Peace. Quiet. All I could hear was the distant murmuring of Rick with Angus and Pete as he finished saying goodnight to them.

Yes, my husband is awesome. He does the mornings, and he does the bedtimes. Oh, and he makes me yummy and healthy food to eat:

And that’s why he deserves this:

‘Big Love’ card by Me and Amber; vintage green necklace from Sobrina Blue.

Thus ends my impromptu ‘a day in the life.’ Gosh I had fun writing this! Thanks to Elise for the inspiration.

There’s no denying that it’s been rather quiet around here lately.

The truth is that I’ve been trying to find my feet again with regards to this blog – working out ‘a new direction’ if you will. I’ve been reading a number of new blogs over the last couple of months (a welcome escape from the craziness of moving) and as always have been greatly inspired. Our new home and this area that we’ve moved into have also been good fodder (try saying that five times!) for new ideas.

As cliched as it sounds, I’m both nervous and excited. Nervous as to how this ‘new direction’ will pan out and excited about all the possibilities! I know I’m being vague, but it’s forty five minutes till midnight and I promised myself fifteen years ago that I would start getting to bed earlier.

Till tomorrow!

Photos (clockwise from top): Evening reflection; deconstructed roses; gorgeous paper cut-outs from The Nest UK; an unexpected sun shower in the evening; a branch from my studio.

Rick and I don’t usually celebrate Valentine’s Day but today he surprised me with a lovely bunch of roses. Isn’t he sweet?

Anyway, thanks for all your lovely messages in response to my last post. I actually did get that massage though it was not a relaxing massage by any stretch of the imagination. It was a Chinese remedial massage and my goodness the guy discovered sore spots on my back I didn’t know existed. I felt great afterwards though! I’m all for short-term pain if it means long-term gain. (Cliched, but true.)

Hope you all had a sweet day with your special someone. xo

…I enjoyed time alone at our local car wash cafe.
…I watched the boys watching cars drive by.
…I had my toenails painted a new shade of red.
…I made Angus’ first morning tea ‘bento box’ for preschool.
…I found time to take a photo with Jamie.

I’ve had an abundance of words swirling around inside my head for a long time now, but I’ve had neither the time nor the discipline to sit down and spin them into coherent sentences and paragraphs.

To be honest, this last month and a half has been rather hard-going, and my perfectionist tendencies and inability to go to bed before midnight have not helped. I’m constantly stressed, tired, tense and anxious and I’m certain I’m becoming increasingly unfit and unhealthy every day. Having no time to myself has almost meant that I’ve had no time to blog, thus stifling the primary outlet for my creativity these days. All this needs to change, otherwise I just know I’m going to drown.

So today I sat down and prayed. I started eating healthily again. I made time to take some photos. I wrote this blog post. And I’m hoping I might be able to sneak away for a massage in the afternoon.

Baby steps, I guess.

It’s been raining a lot in Sydney this last week. This summer sure has been unusual. I’m hoping that the weather clears up a bit early next week because Angus is starting preschool on Monday and I want it to be a sunny, cheerful day for him! I know – preschool? Where has the time gone?

Remember this? Today we set up a new cubby house at our new place under our new dining table. The boys loved it. Despite how exhausted I was, I couldn’t stop laughing as I watched them playing together yet each still doing their own thing. Gosh I love them.

Anyway, today is Chinese New Year and I’m missing my parents who are currently in Hong Kong. Part of me wishes I were in Hong Kong with them, celebrating the new lunar year with all our relatives and, of course, amazing food. I probably could’ve initiated some sort of a celebration for us here, but without mum and dad here, it just seemed rather meaningless.

Sometimes it saddens me that I’m not passing on much, if any, of my Chinese heritage onto the boys. It’s so strange, and in a way startling, how different their childhood is compared to mine. I grew up in a Chinese household and family. They’re growing up in an Australia family, with only small hints of their Chinese roots popping up occasionally. Perhaps that’s just the way it’s going to be, and I need to learn to be okay with that. Or perhaps I could make more of an effort to ‘learn’ certain things from my parents, so that I can in turn pass it on to the boys. I have yet to work it out.

In the meantime, I wish you all a wonderful start to the lunar new year!

Bring it, dragon.

Our Eames rocker arrived this week and oh my gosh, it is as comfortable as it is gorgeous. Rick, Angus and I all approve (Pete and James have yet to cast their vote). Now I just wish I had one in every single room of the house. A girl can dream, no?

It’s safe to say we’ve been ridiculously busy around here, what with moving, Christmas, unpacking, settling in and Rick starting his new job last week. Updating this blog has taken somewhat of a backseat as I wade my way through setting up a house that is almost double the size of our last. The amazing thing, however, is that at some point during the craziness of these last few weeks, this new place became… home.

Tonight after we put the boys down, I finally got my act together and actually picked up the camera. And so I give you – our kitchen. The very first room of the house that I set up. And no, those numbers are not significant in any way (although this is the fifth home that we’ve lived in, and this is the first month of the year) – they were simply the ones that came in black and that would stand up straight. Clearly, I’m all about the deep and meaningful.

Despite everything, we managed to get our tree up just in time for Christmas. All three boys helped out while Pa and Nan watched on (actually, Nan did more than just watch – she was the main reason ornaments actually got hung!). Even though holiday decorations aren’t really my thing, it was heartwarming to see Angus’ excitement, Pete’s curiosity and Jamie’s intrigue. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and wish you the very best for the new year! Thank you for reading here, it means the world to me.

Our new home. Lots of rooms. Lots of space. Lots of doors. I miss our old home, but I know we will create new memories here. Every day, we are settling in more and more. Today, I actually finished unpacking the last box, and Rick even got the internet set up. My head is filled with a billion thoughts, and my body is running on adrenalin. Will share more in the next few days, but for now here’s a tiny sneak peek. Can you spot the Christmas stockings?