Danishbird

“Maria and Violeta” via bluecaleel

I don’t know about you but I spend a lot of my time as a parent feeling enormously guilty for the way I handle some situations with my children. This parenting gig is really hard! Sometimes I feel successful and more often than not I feel I have failed myself or children in some ways. Last week was particularly challenging and I just wasn’t handling things well and instead of dusting myself off and trying to turn things around, I wallowed in a sad pathetic pity party about how hard things were. It wasn’t pretty people! A lovely friend emailed me this article by Elena Bower….READ IT! It lifted my spirits and made me realise that beating myself up is such a waste and that we all must be a bit kinder to ourselves.

Here is a bit from the article because Elena Bower just says it better

‘And feeling badly when I mess it up again isn’t an option. Feeling badly is the perfect diversion from just getting calmer and softer, which is a process of seeing it all, coping with it all, and shifting it all.Feeling badly just keeps our unsavory behavior in place, generation to generation. I had no idea I could design a softening within myself; I was perfectly resigned to the thunder, and then if I “felt badly” afterward, that made me feel like a morally sound human and made the whole thing sort of okay.’

Must go as I think Freya is biting Magnus!

The weather is changing and Freya’s new rain mac arrived the other day.  She is so excited!  She can run around in the rain with her jacket and gumboots!  My friend Tessa also brought around macarons the other day and Freya tried one.  She was very excited by all the colours but not so sure about the taste.  Perhaps a bit too refined in texture, flavour? She is quite happy with chocolate chip cookies!

as in a change in position or tendency….Freya that is. Magnus is becoming the more reasonable sibling and Freya has taken to a general increase in whining, crying for no apparent reason(I am quite certain she has a reason,I just haven’t figured it out yet) and meltdowns involving sitting down and not moving until she is certain she has made it clear to us that she is not happy about something. So,when my brother sent me a link to “Reasons My Son is Crying”  it made me crack up and what perfect timing!

Here are some general pictures of cuteness that make my heart melt and forget about the aforementioned episodes.

I caught the two of them having a wee quiet chat together while having their snack.

Freya checking out the goats

Easter in the Hawkes Bay (Waimarama Beach)

Hastings Farmers Market (the best!) and real fruit ice-cream.  I see a bit of a theme here..and yes we do feed our children other things besides ice cream!

I love it when Magnus gets excited about something and grabs Freya’s hand to share it with her…

As I have mentioned before, I will be turning 40 in the very near future and besides a general stock take of my life and goals…I have been streamlining my wardrobe as well.One thing I am doing a lot more of is buying fewer “now” clothes and opting for the classics…a well tailored pair of black pants, a beautiful timeless blazer and well made shoes. Let’s face it, running around after small children ain’t no fun in poorly made shoes which brings me to my latest present to myself (for my birthday of course!). I managed to score a pair of Church’s loafers online and they arrived packaged in the most beautiful way and at over half their normal price (love those European sales) to boot. So without further adieu, a bit of loafer inspiration..

These are the ones I ordered..love!

If it’s good enough for Kate…well

I think I may have mentioned my love in a previous post for Ilse Crawford’s work (studioilse). I love how her interiors are thoughtful and really liveable. She manages to nail the whole eclectic mixing of styles with aplomb. You have probably seen her recent work at Ett Hem hotel in Sweden. I would love to book a couple nights there when we go to Scandinavia later this year….

A few years ago, I attended a trend forecasting seminar here in Auckland with Li Edelkoort,the guru of trend forecasting. She is one of the trailblazers of trend forecasting dating back to the 70′s in Paris. She continues to inspire with her beautiful eye to the future.