Melancholy of a restless mind

There’s something to be said about censorship and an online persona.

I find the online mummy experience can sometimes appear like a competition in perfect Pinterest projects and happy pictures of beautiful lives. I’m sure I’m guilty as charged, and I’m not saying that those things aren't real; it’s just that life is multi-faceted, multi-dimensional, multi-layered. It is a lot easier to post pretty pictures wrapped in niceties of our daily experiences than to delve into the complexities of solitude, sacrifice, dejection and cynicism plaguing the restless mind. One can be absolutely truthful and sincere without having to divulge much of the other side of the equation.

So there it is; a short and sharp paragraph telling you everything that is going on with me at the moment, and perhaps nothing that is reflective of my life.

I find myself seeing beauty in pictures of dead leaves.





And rain droplets beading on lemon grass blades.



My son fell asleep holding his transmitter for his RC car. That made me smile.



I think (I know) I need a holiday; somewhere warm with palm trees and perfect white sandy beaches that beckon me to roll out of bed and straight into crystal clear waters.

My third mother's day - in motion

My third mother's day experience - ever.

For as long as I can remember I've either not acknowledged it or spent the day feeling sorry for myself for not having a mother to celebrate. I never realised how fulfilled I could feel until I became a mother, and how much I would love the experience.

Here's a little movie I put together of my third mother's day.

If you are receiving this post via e-mail please see the movie by clicking here to go online and view, or if all else fails here is the link to it on youtube.

I've yet to sort through the photos I took on Sunday so I'll probably have an addendum.

My happy boy

When he isn't troubled by teeth and other such ailments that make him a grumpy puss he is a delightfully happy little boy.

On Tuesday morning we went to Ponsonby playgroup where we decorated bottles and made maracas out of them.



It's nice to be able to participate in the activities.



I don't get a chance to do this every day so I cherish the time I have with my boy.



It was funny seeing all the kids piled into the sandpit. Kien stayed in there playing well after all the other kids wandered off and he helped us pack up all the toys.



I stayed until the end; after story-time when the hall was nice and quiet and the kids were enchanted by the activities coordinator. Such a wonderful sight to behold.



~~~~~

Bathtime magic

He can spend ages in the bath.



It's something we do every night, and even though he may resist going (because he is having such a good time doing whatever he is doing), once he is in there he wants to stay in there.





He has lots of bath toys, but a lot of the time he just wants to soak, splash and roll around in the bath.





My happy little boy, how far you've come in such a short time.

Death ceremony - it's a cultural thing

It may sound morbid, but in my culture it is considered a celebration. Growing up I participated in numerous ceremonies marking the anniversary of close relatives death days. They were always elaborate affairs, and the house was perfumed with musty incense for hours afterwards.



We observed my grandfather's day of passing on Sunday at my aunt's place. The dishes prepared were bountiful, and we poured tea and burned joss sticks amongst 2 of my grandfather's brothers' family.







I took the obligatory group shot of the family (with Kien refusing to get in amongst the crowd).



I don't participate in many of these types of ceremonies any more due to our busy lives not being conducive to organised gatherings (and usually having to coincide with my parents' crazy work schedule). I try to make it along when I can, purely for the remembrance of the people I adored.

Aeroplanes and helicopters

What magnificent May weather we've been having here in Auckland! Long may it continue. I'm getting my fair share of vitamin D, which makes me happy.

Yesterday we decided to drive to Dairy Flat and check out the North Shore model aero club for some RC flying action.



My little guy couldn't be happier - in the arms of his dad watching model helicopters flying around.





I enjoyed it as well, and when I wasn't in the mood for helicopters or aeroplanes I was playing with my lens on the camera, and rolling around in the grass.





I'm not the only one who takes an interest in flowers, you know.



So then we decided to check out the North Shore Aero Club. Neither Jef nor I have been here before, and we were pleasantly surprised at how busy the airfield was. There was a big sign in the carpark that visitors were welcome to sit on the clubroom balcony and observe all the action.





It was such a great morning/early afternoon being out in the sun watching aeroplanes and helicopters.

~~~~~

Autumn leaves

They are everywhere. It's awesome.



Kien did some more leaves jumping outside in the late afternoon sun.



He also wanted to climb the tree.





~~~~~

Morning ritual

Every morning we have pretty much the same ritual - toddler wakes up, wanders into lounge to find us, crawls into bed with us (we are camped out in the lounge at the moment - I'll elaborate at some point on this situation when I can adequately formulate sentences that won't completely bore you to death), then promptly asks for helicopters on iPad. But sometimes (because he likes to keep us on our toes) he'll ask (that's a polite term for what the reality is) for Mummy's iPad, and then he'll find all sorts of short videos I took of him over the last 28 months. Here he is yesterday morning watching himself using his sign language to ask for stuff back when he was 16 months old.



Hope you are enjoying your weekend wherever you are now.

Good times

He's still not 100% right but he is getting better. The constant whining is at a minimum, as is the requirement for our attention at all times (depending on the situation, and his mood, and what side of the bed he's woken up on, and his preference for mummy or daddy at that point in time, and whether blueberries should be on his spoon with or without rice bubbles, and whether there is juice in the fridge, and whether there is enough paste on his toothbrush - that's all).



We went to playgroup on Tuesday morning and he vacillated between being ultra clingy to incredably independent. I find it particularly hard when he's this way, especially when I'm chopping fruit in the kitchen for shared morning tea and he's scrunched up between by legs and the bench demanding cuddles. My hands are all dirty, and even the bubbly Activities Coordinator couldn't pry him away with a balloon! Next minute he's supper fun and jumping all around.





His imagination has just taken off as of late. He was pretending that thing (I don't know what it is - looks like a steering wheel with a handle) was a helicopter. He said "helicopter take off. I flying helicopter" and made noises like "der-der-der-der-der" and he "flew" it around in the air. Then he said "helicopter landing!" and decended it to the ground.

Jef is making a RC tricopter at the moment, and he assembled a frame (some pipes joined together) for Kien. Kien loves it - his very own tricopter heli. He carries that and one of our old RC transmitters around and would pretend he was flying his tricopter. We hear him chirping "I fly tricopter heli. der-der-der-der-der. Up and down. Be careful. Don't crash. I landing tricopter heli now. der-der-der-der-der-der."

The napping situation - it's hit and miss these days for us althrough he will still nap at daycare every day. So if we want him to nap we either take him out for a walk in the stroller or go for a drive.



On Tuesday afternoon we met up with Mum, Rod, Michelle and Thomas at Limon for spanish tapas and sangria. Kien stirred several times, crossed his legs and went back to sleep for a while longer as we enjoyed the afternoon sun.



Rod had his hands full entertaining both kids. Here he is supervising them sharing snacks.



We walked home via Wynyard Quarter, and Kien was so happy to run up and down the astro turf covered mound.





We got home, and all he wanted to eat for dinner was yoghurt - or so I thought - until I turned around to find the boy rubbing it through his hair.



Argh. He just loves to make work for me!

But then he can look so innocent it melts my heart.

Musick Point

The headland offers panoramic views over Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour, and it feels like a stone throw to Browns Island.



I've never been here before, and it was Jef's suggestion to go here for our Sunday outing. Despite the threatening storm clouds ready to burst at any moment we managed to enjoy the beautiful esplanade.



We were lucky to be able to go into the radio station for a brief viewing. Telecom now leases this 1940s construction.



We walked down the cliff face to the water, and it was steep!



Then the rain came.



We need to come back here to take some proper photos. I only got a few scenery shots in before the DSLR ran out of juice, so all the other photos were taken with my iPhone.

Feijoas

The boy LOVES feijoas. He eats them at any given opportunity and asks for them constantly. He has become an expert scooper.