Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Catching Up


Hello.

I feel like I've been a little absent in the past few weeks (and they have been some crazy weeks). I've been filling space here with food and hats and portraits of my children, but in the background there's been a whirly-gig of wild activity which leaves little time for much more. My ideas and thoughts and inspiration levels are near to overflowing, but I've lacked the space to turn them into anything.

But soon, but soon. Nearly a year's worth of plotting and planning is about to fall into place. This week marks 11 years in my job, which means it's been a year since I've been eligible for long-service leave. Some people would plan an extended break to allow more family time. I'm sure you won't think me crazy (do you?) to know I've timed my extended break to coincide with one child starting school and the other two preschool. I've spent almost every day of the past three years with the darling little creatures. Because I work from home, even when I'm working, I'm with them. If they're not knocking the door down for a cuddle or to give me a drawing or to ask for a bandaid, they're right outside the office where I can hear and feel their every move. The ways in which the "work from home" dream didn't quite meet my expectations are the stuff of another blog post. Suffice to say, when my part-time job goes into a two-month hiatus in a few weeks, it will be all about me. Me, me, me!

Thank you for your sweet inquiries about my big girl's first week of school. It has all gone wonderfully so far. Her energy and excitement after day one was incredible, and though the tiredness is beginning to show, it's clear she's loving every bit of it. And she seems to have grown up so much in the space of a few days. I'm so proud.

And I've been having such lovely days with my babies, just us three. It's such a different dynamic when big sister is out of the picture. They miss her like crazy, and run to grab her when she gets home, but in the meantime they play beautifully, dare I say quietly, and things seem to be in a happy rhythm for now.

In other news, I'm currently doing Stephanie Levy's Creative Courage e-course. Have you heard of it? I had wanted to sign up for some sort of online course to do during my long-service leave (remember, me, me, me!) and while this one fell a little early (I'm struggling to find the time to complete the exercises at the moment), when I saw the starting date was my birthday, I took it as a sign. Many years ago I did The Artist's Way with a group of girlfriends, and it was such a great experience to allow ourselves the time and space to just be creative. I remember doing a visualisation exercise where I imagined myself one day living in a house in the country with a gaggle of beautiful babes, writing every day. If you squint your eyes a bit to make the vision blurry, it sort of came true.

Well, that's a lot of information for a quiet Wednesday evening. I'm off to knit a hat, plan a double birthday bash, pack a lunch and contemplate just how much knitting, writing, photographing, recipe-inventing and blessed silent nothingness I can fit into the coming months.




14 comments:

  1. Good on you for taking two months off! You'll be having a great relaxing time, and everyone will benefit. I feel the same way as you do, too much catching up to do. fill space with painting or sewing things and then go out and do one million things at once and don't write about it. Funny how when you write a blog you feel obligated to your future self to write about things that happen just in case you forget. This thought comes to my kind about once a day. I hope you enjoy your break x

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't think you are crazy at all!
    Thanks to the QLD Health budget crisis I am on a forced one month leave...and I am not planning on pulling Toddler C out of child care for even one of those days!
    One month of work is twelve days...and I plan to spend all of those twelve days doing what I want to do!
    I have earned this holiday and I will enjoy it to the fullest!

    Enjoy your break!

    ReplyDelete
  3. How can you nurture and fill others if you don't fill yourself? Enjoy time for you, it will I'm sure enrich your mothering role! :) x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you so much for the 'creative courage' link. It is exactly what I needed. So understand the "working from home" dream not quite working out. I've had that a bit but just with previous flatmates, haha! x

    ReplyDelete
  5. Enjoy every minute of YOUR time! I look forward to reading about it. We all have lives behind the scenes of our little blogs. Lives like everyone else's and like you I don't post a lot about that component. As I figure, my blog space is for me! ME! And even though my life is more than just fabric, quilts, photography, gardening, cooking, baking etc these are the things I love to do and make sure I have time for at the end of the day :)

    Knit, write and cook to your hearts content Greer and don't forget to capture it all for us to have a peek at :)

    Sophie xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. P.S. I'm glad to hear Lola has taken to school as a duck to water :)

      Delete
  6. Goodness Greer, enjoy every minute of that me time! I am just about hyperventilating over 5 hours on alternate Wednesdays that have just opened up before me with the start of four year old kindy! I think eight weeks would leave me out cold. I must warn you, expect unprecedented energy levels and list crossing off abilities if my Wednesday today was anything to go by! mel x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Can you see the big happy smile on my face as I envision you on YOUR long-service leave. Perfect-timing. Not crazy. I'm about to start having 5 days a fortnight without the Twins when they start Kindy. I will miss them but will not be twiddling my thumbs feeling lost, lots of lovely things I plan on doing. Enjoy!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. ooh that sounds like bliss, and well deserved x

    ReplyDelete
  9. This sounds absolutely perfect, and well deserved! Hope your time is magical x

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fantastic blog уοu have herе but I wаs wanting
    to κnow if уοu κnew of any
    сommunity forumѕ that cover the sаme tоpіcs discuѕѕed hеre?
    I'd really love to be a part of group where I can get comments from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks a lot!

    Here is my web-site find bucket truck For Sale
    Check out my web-site - best bucket trucks

    ReplyDelete
  11. I totally understand why you saved your break from work until now. If you'd taken it sooner you might not have used it to it's full potential. As ever I am in total awe of you and what you achieve and think you definitely deserve some "me, me, me" time.

    Gillian x

    ReplyDelete
  12. I couldn't think of a better time for me time, which kinda requires time alone. And time to play is as necessary for creative adults as it is for kids. Have fun!

    ReplyDelete

I love comments. Thanks for yours!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...