Category: 366 days of novice motherhood

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Singled out

Place: the car

Poison: nandos

Favourite things: getting excited for my first mothers day!

Tonight we hung out with one of the most amazing single mums. She is raising three kids by herself and we really wanted to honor her this mothers day weekend.

Now that I have a little one myself I am astounded at the sheer courage it must take to raise children alone.

The bible is very clear that we are to look after the widows and the orphans. I think our society is great at the moment looking out for the orphans. It is the latest fad, to be involved with social justice.

But what about the widows. The women who are raising children without fathers. The fathers who are raising children without mothers. Our society is full of them.

Not that we should feel sorry for them, or patronize them, but we are commanded to love and care and provide for them.

The government is not required to care for them, families are not called to provide for them, the church and it’s people are required to provide for them.

Who do you know in this category?

When was the last time you encouraged them?

Maybe tomorrow is that day.

Mothers day for the single mums and
Dads and also the women who desperately want to have children and cannot is one of the most desolate days of the year.

We can change that.

You can change that.

Encourage someone this weekend.

For all those who feel singled out. I pray tomorrow is a day of hope for you…

A

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Date night

Place: home

Poison: peach and soursop iced tea

Favourite things: a new scarf I’m crocheting

We have a 10 week old baby and getting out on a date is never an easy one, with feeding and all but spending time together alone is imperative.

The whole date night phenomenon has in some circles gotten a bad reputation, but for us it’s treasured.

We don’t need to spend heaps of money, just spend some effort.

So tonight we set the table, lit a candle, put Max to bed, cooked some steak, tossed a beautiful salad, turned the tv off, played some favourite tunes and date night began.

We are not religious about it, as the movie with the same turkey revealed. A couple that went to the same restaurant , with the same baby sitter, ordered the same meal, had the same conversation and both were completely bored out of their minds.

We try to remain spontaneous, allowing each other the attention to keep out relationship fresh and alive.

When did you spontaneously date your nearest and dearest?

Be spontaneous sometime soon…

A

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the simple things

Place: My Desk

Poison: Pepsi Max

Favourite Things: My little man sleeping

Max is now 10 weeks old. In his ten weeks of living, we have only given him a couple of baths.

Does our little man smell?

No, we have just decided to give him showers instead.

This morning though, I thought the time had come to bring out the baby bath we spent a fortune on setting up for our little one.

He absolutely loved it. Loved it, is actually an understatement, he gah-ed and goo-ed, smiled and batted his long eyelashes at me.

Its the simple things hey.

Often we are so complicated about life. We spend hundreds on trying to find happiness in a new pair of jeans, we spend hours on the internet asking and hoping that someone will like our status update on social media, we hang about holding our phone hoping someone will call.

Yet often it is the little things in life that really make us thrive. A warm bath, a candle lit over dinner, a roast cooked by a friend, a letter in the mail that is not a bill, a walk along the ocean with a listening ear.

The simple things.

Have you complicated your life looking for happiness?

Are you placing high expectations on someone or something, always being let down?

Why don’t you run a bath, light a candle, phone a friend, go to the movies, read a good book. Just find a little time to do something simple that changes your perspective on your circumstance today.

Life wasn’t designed to be so complicated.

Often we are the ones that over think the answers sometimes.

If only Max’s baby bath was big enough for me to fit in it…

A

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Innovating and scuba

Place: home

Poison: water

Favorite things: yoghurt and honey

Last year I scuba dived for the first time and today I spoke briefly about some lessons I learnt scuba diving about creativity.

1) take calculated risks-

When we learnt to Scuba dive it was a risk. Going under the water, with an oxygen tank, the predators, the equipment, it is always a risk. Just like creative pursuits. Whether we are knitting a scarf for Mothers day or creating a production for thousands there is always risk.

However I find a lot of creative people take risks, (because that is one of the most exciting parts about living on the edge as an artist) but they are often not well planned or executed. Equalling disaster.

Although the disaster of creative pursuit is no where near as drastic as a scuba diving accident, I believe the calculation required in planning and preparation for creative risks is just as valid.

2) clear communication-

When we learnt to dive, we couldn’t speak under water, so we had to learn sign language to communicate clearly.

I believe every creative pursuit, whether a painting, a production, a book or a photo is communicating something. Sometimes however, we are unclear about what we are communicating so the creative pursuit seems confused and unclear.

When we clearly outline in our preparation what we are wanting to communicate, I believe the final product is so much more accessible by the consumer.

3) keep it simple-

I believe the best art, the most accessible productions, the clearest manuscripts are those that are succinct and simple.

As we scuba dived, I had to remember the simple rules to maintain my buoyancy and enjoy the amazing wonders under the sea. If I breathed to heavily I would have to go up sooner, draining my oxygen. If I swam too fast I also would lose oxygen and therefore the amount of time underwater.

Creativity often is described as fringe, arty and confusing. I believe the most amazing creative pursuits are those that connect the artist with the consumer and create a simple connection.

I love creativity in all it’s forms and I long to learn as much about it as I can.

Hope these simple thoughts about Scuba diving and innovation have inspired you in someway.

What are some lessons you have learnt about creativity?

Inspired

Amanda

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Playing around

Place: the couch

Poison: Pepsi max

Favorite things: fish

Over the last 24 hours I have been working on the layout of this blog. I have been pushed and cajoled by my husband to start taking it all a little more seriously.

Out came my thinking brain and I started creating.

I really had no idea what I was doing, but I believe one of the greatest keys to creativity is having a playful spirit.

In Australian ‘mucking around’.

When we play around with something, facing fear of failure in the face and having a go.

I had no idea about building websites, I have no idea what a widget is, what plug ins are, but google, YouTube and just having a go became my gameplan.

If you want to create, you need to play around.

Grab a coffee, take a deep breath and just have a go.

Playing around!

Hope you like it…