Housewife Confidential » Family Life

Square Pegs

Kat — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:30:22 +0000

I always have such high hopes for holidays. We’ll be able to sleep and recharge our batteries. We’ll spend time outside. There will be time to focus on specific projects…

Well, I figure you can easily guess none of that happened much for us last week. We seem to forget that at least one child has difficulty sleeping away from home and we’re up more frequently than usual (exception being Feather Down Farm last year when everybody slept). It bucketed down with rain for 90% of the time so we had little outdoorsy time. And of course I barely touched the project I had intended to nail.

On the surface of it, our holiday wasn’t a complete success. And yet; we caught up with friends, had time to talk, took walks in our pyjamas and went swimming a whole lot.

I think it takes getting it very wrong to figure out what you need. We are slow holiday folk and no amount of trying to fit ourselves into something different is going to change that.

But even when you take the wrong path, there are interesting things to see along the way. Nothing is wasted.

Now I Need a Hat

Kat — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:49:25 +0000

Monty likes to make himself busy. Busy creating homes for goats, building boats and arranging his collection of muslins into elaborate structures. Busy, busy busy.

Today he laid his muslins out on the floor, arranged the chairs, fetched his accordion and turned to me, “Now I need a hat, Mama.”

Then he busked.

And told the crowd they needed to dig deeper in their pockets.

Collect the Moments Registration Open.

Kat — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:00:39 +0000

The last couple of days have been emotional to say the least. Kat and I are bursting with pride and thanks after all of the lovely comments, tweets, messages and emails we recieved.

I am thrilled to announce the very first Capturing Childhood course Collect the Moments is now open for registration!

Rainy Windows

Kat — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:00:07 +0000

Hurrah for April Showers! I know it’s not a popular view but I really do love the rain and we really really need it around here.

We had some rainy afternoons (including a brilliant thunder storm) and rainy afternoons call for something a little extra in the drawing stakes.

A whole afternoon spent creating their paper twins. Bliss.

Eggs in the Woods

Kat — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:00:10 +0000

I love how traditions take hold with each year that passes. Without any prompting from us, Milla and Monty have been alive with talk of the annual spring egg hunt for days. And it would be simply impossible to hunt for eggs in the wood without the company of our very best friend Amy who started our tradition.

Not only do we hunt for eggs but Mama frantically tries to take close-ups of the eggs before they are discovered. Those children are fast!

Eventually, baskets full, they retire to a handy den to sit on logs and eat their haul. Chattering all the while about the sneaky chocolate-hiding bunny and sharing their news with one of their special people.

I do so love our little Spring tradition. How do you celebrate the season?

Time Machine

Kat — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:00:07 +0000

Isn’t it like I took them back in time?

Having inherited my father’s 1970s SLR along with some tasty lenes I have a rather large collection of old camera equipment.At some point in my teens my right eye stopped focussing properly and my pictures all came back blurred. I switched to cameras with auto focus and although I felt wistful about the SLR I knew I wasn’t getting the pictures I was seeing. To cut a long story short I now wear glasses and focus with my left eye.

Having spent the last year working on using my DSLR in manual and often focussing by hand I knew that I could pick up the SLR and get better results than I had previously. When I watched Angie’s February Favourites video and saw that Poundland were selling film for, well, a pound I took it as my cue. Let’s gloss over the fiver it cost to process, this film was just a pound so I could get out and about without fretting over wasting money with every frame. I fitted a 50mm lens and took it out with me every time I left the house for a week.

It took me a while to stop chimping (looking at the screen) after every shot and a day or so to remember what the meter was telling me (it was saying ‘change the aperture’, not ‘yeah, this looks good’). But by and by the majority of pictures worked. Some places the colours were lost and others I hadn’t quite got the light right but I think I can see what I was doing wrong.

Above are my six favourite shots, what do you think? I love the bokeh behind the daffodils – I had not expected it to be so beautiful when I took that. I adore the colouring, especially that last shot of Monty, it is so completely 70s.

One of the main reasons for wanting to take the SLR out again is that the lens collection my father had amassed is pretty enviable and I would never be able to afford that much glass for my camera. I think I’ll be keeping it to hand and perhaps I’ll stock up on a few more rolls of that £1 film to pop in the fridge. Because there was always film in the fridge.

PS – I have a rocking new camera strap – take a looksie here.

My Mother’s Day homework for school.

Mama’s Day

Kat — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 10:00:09 +0000

Mighty is the force of motherhood! It transforms all things by its vital heart.

George Eliot

Wishing you all a lovely day whatever you are doing xoxo

Celebrate

Kat — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 04:00:12 +0000

There is nothing quite like the blind excitement of a day all about you. Monty has been looking forward to his birthday party and the big chocolate cake he would have since before Solstice.

Do you recall the parties you had as a child? I do and I think I’m influenced by what stood out for me; not the children’s entertainers but the simple pleasures of running around, playing silly games and the party tea. I embrace these memories when I’m planning my children’s parties and stick to simple activities with lots of time for free play.

This Saturday we followed a Gruffalo (who had stolen our jammy dodgers), played in the park, ate sausages, got covered in chocolate cake crumbs and crowned a crazy-dance-musical-statues champion. Afterwards the family rode scooters and bikes and sang happy birthday to our youngest member.

A gathering which is almost a cause for celebration in and of itself. Family and friends taking time to show how much they love each other. Creating memories of sunny days which were so much fun you thought you might burst.

The Third

Kat — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 19:00:01 +0000

Kitchen helper, adventurer, craziest legs I ever saw. Happy birthday Monty x

{this moment}

Kat — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:00:14 +0000

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired to join in with Amanda.

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