Mudcake Kind of Day

We had such a lovely weekend at my parents place in the Yarra Valley. They are so supportive of us and our two gorgeous girls. We go there and have such a relaxing time, everyone is so happy and my man and I got to have a lovely dinner out together for a few hours. Having even a small amount of time as a couple alone so reinvigorates you to face the challenges of a small babe.

I have decided that I should focus more on the moment, as I used to when it was just Ella and I at home. We used to spend almost all our days doing crafts and focussing only on the fun stuff. With a second small girl in the house, one who as a baby has been much more challenging than her sister, I have found it far harder to enjoy the moment and have been focussing much more on all my chores and how I never get them all done. The house is never as tidy as I'd like, the washing is never put straight away, dinner is most often only thought of just before it's time to eat. As a result it's so easy to feel constantly inadequate as I focus on those menial tasks rather than the bigger job that is my girls.

Our renovations start next week and when the house is much cleaner, newer, organised I do truly hope that it will be easier to keep on top of the more mundane tasks as getting things done won't demand as much effort.

Today is a gorgeous day, so I decided that there wasn't anything that couldn't wait. We put the blanket in the back yard and my big girl and I lay and cuddled in the sun. Leila choked on some leaves and grass for a while and then started climbing on us. Attention then turned to mud pies, the final products I'm sharing with you here. I feel so much better for that short hour of our days. Ella get flithy and needed a bath but kept saying "we must do that again mum" and I felt so much happier for those words. I was reading Soulemama this morning and the excerpt from her upcoming book. I so agree with Amanda, I remember clearly activities I undertook in our gardens as a child - vividly. I remember building numerous structures for my Barbies - stone and mud houses and holes lined with plastic and filled with water for swimming pools. I certainly want the girls to have memories like that of their own, dozens of them. I must remember those memories of my own the next time I feel that mopping the kitchen floor is more pressing than making mud cakes with my girls.