family life

This and that

I love watching flowers go dry. They seem to develop a certain richness and character as they age and wilt. We’ve had these blooms on our sideboard in the foyer for more than a week now, yet they only just caught my attention tonight. I love how simple and pretty they look, and am considering drying them properly and putting them in our bedroom.

We hardly got any sleep last night, because a certain little munchkin kept us up. Poor Jamie has quite a bad cold – his first cold in almost eight months. I feel terrible, because I’m certain that I gave it to him. This recent cold weather has certainly gotten the better of our family. Only Angus and Pete remain healthy, which is kind of a miracle in itself. Anyway, here Jamie is in Nan’s arms, looking completely at home. It reminds me of this photo of him and Pa.

Our boys are so blessed to have grandparents who love them.

{ 14 comments }

Project Life, Week 15

So I’ve been pretty slack with posting my weekly Project Life updates. But the good news is that I have actually kept up with my weekly spreads these last few weeks, and I’ve found that it doesn’t take all that long to do once you discover your rhythm and establish a workflow. I still can’t begin to express how excited I am about this new way of documenting our day to day lives (thank you Elise!). It’s simple. It’s flexible. It’s beautiful. And it’s enjoyable, and not guilt-driven.

This is left hand side of the spread for week 15. Lots of people shots, because the week was filled with spending time with people. I’m quite sure no one else will notice, but it bugs me that the top right photo is slightly butting out in this shot. Now you know. (How crazy I am.)

I decided to change the design for the first photo. The tiny arrow in the left hand corner just wasn’t working for me. I love this new look because it has instant impact, yet due to the transparency of the text, you can still see the entire photo. This shot of the boys is also one of my favourites for the year so far. One of those moments that I want to remember forever.

The ‘this week’ template is working beautifully. Just enough space to capture each week’s highlights without going into too much detail, allowing the photos to tell the stories. The shot of Pete in a bucket at Clareville Beach reflects so much of his character: spontaneous, fun, cheeky and completely unpredictable. He’s such a cutie and always his own little person.

This top shot of Rick and the boys was taken on Tuesday morning just before he was about to read the Big Picture Story Bible (best children’s bible ever) with them. The photo is special because it’s not that often that I have time to snap shots during the hectic morning rush. The guys are all doing their ‘thing’: Rick attempting to reply to an urgent email; Angus attempting to climb onto Rick; and Pete and Jamie attempting to climb out the window.

On Wednesday, Aunty Jess came to play! So some lovely shots of her with Pete and Jamie, with a small paragraph of text on the first photo.

On Thursday mornings, my parents usually come over for a few hours to spend some time with the boys. On this particular Thursday, we miraculously managed to get a few photos of them with the boys all smiling and looking in the direction of the camera. It was also our last time seeing them before they were due to leave for a 2 week holiday in Hong Kong, so I definitely had to include one of the photos in the spread. I love how the boys all have their blue bibs and their plastic IKEA plates. So Casa Mason.

[click to continue reading…]

{ 33 comments }

On the kiddo table

Lately I’ve been inspired by the amazing Miss James from Bleubird Vintage to try and think more creatively about what we serve the boys for dinner. So these last couple of weeks, Rick and I have been brainstorming ideas and attempting to coax our boys to consume dinner more eagerly (and efficiently) by serving up meals which we thought they would be interested in eating. Well, the results are in and here they are:

Preparation time:

Approximately 40 minutes

Components:

Meat balls, bok choy, pumpkin and mushroom

Response from Angus (3 year old):

Consumed two kebabs by himself. Told us that he liked “the funny things on a stick.”

Response from Pete (2 year old):

Refused bok choy. Refused pumpkin. Refused mushroom. Finally accepted two meatballs. Accepted yoghurt with great delight.

Response from Jamie (1 year old):

Picked up meatball, and ate it. Picked up pumpkin, and ate it. Picked up mushroom and ate it. Picked up bok choy and attempted to chew it. Discarded bok choy. Picked up the remaining meatball, pumpkin and mushroom and polished it all off. Consumed one entire kebab (minus bok choy remnants) happily and willingly.

Our conclusion:

2 out of 3 liked the kebabs. Success!

Addendum:

Sadly, when we tried the same kebabs again a few days later, 0 out of 3 liked the kebabs.

Preparation time:

Approximately 30 minutes

Components:

Veal schnitzel, beans, peas and cherry tomatoes

Response from Angus (3 year old):

Consumed schnitzel with much persuasion. Consumed cherry tomatoes. Consumed 1 bean. Rejected all peas.

Response from Pete (2 year old):

Ate 2 pieces of schnitzel under great duress. Rejected all greens. Did not even look at the small red things. Instead, ate Jamie’s ‘Organic Only’ fruit muesli (read: baby food) from a jar. And a banana.

Response from Jamie (1 year old):

Allowed schnitzel bites to be put into his mouth. Tasted schnitzel bites. Spat out schnitzel bites. Accepted my offer of porridge, which we had as back up.

Our conclusion:

Try again when all three are over the age of five.

Addendum:

Mummy polished off the schnitzel bites.

Preparation time:

Unknown, because these were made by Nan (on Pa’s birthday)!

Components:

Chicken nuggets, potato fries

Response from Angus (3 year old):

Finished most of the food on his plate, along with a few tomatoes from the grown-up’s salad.

Response from Pete (2 year old):

Climbed on and off the chair about five times. Ignored nuggets. Ignored chips. Ignored mummy’s look of immense exasperation. Accepted six mouthfuls of porridge.

Response from Jamie (1 year old):

Ate grapes. And maybe five mouthfuls of porridge.

Our conclusion:

Invest in the shares of a company that produce rolled oats.

Addendum:

Mummy ate the nuggets. Mummy ate the chips. And then mummy had lasagne. And pie.

Despite everything, we shall keep trying. Round 2 here we come. Brace yourselves, boys.

p.s. I am also over at Johanna’s blog today, sharing the big and small things that make life with three little boys easier and extra special. Head over there for a few peeks into our home!

{ 26 comments }

The time that was and is to come

When Rick and I first got married, we used to go over to his parents’ house for lunch or dinner at least once a week. Sue, Jess and Mark – Rick’s two sisters and brother-in-law – would often be there too. Mary, Rick’s mum, would usually have something roasting in the oven, be it pork, beef or lamb. There would be also be gravy, baked vegetables, salad and apple cider. Sometimes instead of a roast, mum might make a lasagne, which would be equally delicious. Whatever she made, there would almost always be an apple or peach crumble to follow, served with creamy vanilla ice cream and a hot cup of tea. We would chat, laugh, swap stories and some of us would even catch up on a nap now and again (okay, I admit, that was often me).

Though I wasn’t aware of it then, that was a truly special time in our married life. It was through those conversations over the countless meals we shared together that I got to know Rick’s family – my family. I learnt family history, family trees, family stories, family rituals and family jokes (and boy were there many of those). I learnt why Rick is the man that he is – so expressive, so gentle, so loving, so warm and so kind – because that’s what his parents are like. I learnt that in the Mason clan, family comes first, and nothing is too much trouble if it means helping each other out. Words cannot express how blessed I felt to be included and welcomed so unconditionally into such an amazing family.

These days, we don’t often get to enjoy a family meal together at mum and dad’s place like we used to. Everyone lives further away, work commitments are more demanding and for us, having the little ones means that it’s hard to go out at night or at lunchtimes, because that’s when sleeps and naps (theirs, not ours) take place.

On Friday, however, we packed the boys into the Discovery after their nap time and made the trip to Pa and Nan’s place. It was dad’s birthday, and mum had invited us over for a family meal. We arrived to see a meat pie baking the oven, a lasagne on the benchtop ready to go, and homemade chicken nuggets for the boys. Jamie jumped straight into Pa’s arms, while Angus and Pete bustled about emptying the toy cupboard and trying to get Nan’s attention. Being the amazing grandmother that she is, Nan of course managed to keep both boys happy whilst finishing off dinner preparations. Honestly, I aspire to be like her one day.

After dinner, which was admittedly a slightly chaotic affair, we bathed the boys and put them in their PJs. Then, with much excitement, Nan brought out Pa’s birthday cake and one by one the candles were lit while the boys looked on with great anticipation. We sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Pa, with both Angus and Pete joining in. In fact, as I watched Pete shout “Hurray!” along with everyone else, I was suddenly struck by how much he’d grown up in the last few months. Naturally, the boys devoured the chocolate cake (if only dinner went down as easily) and Pete even asked Nan for a second serving, that cheeky little monkey.

Even though we had to rush off after the cake and had no time for cups of tea, the family time together gave me a beautiful taste of what is to come in the future, when the boys are a bit older and can stay up later. As for now, I shall cherish this wonderfully chaotic stage of life, because this shall surely pass in the twinkling of an eye.

p.s. Happy birthday Pa! We love you to bits.

{ 22 comments }

The last days of summer

The beaches here in our new neck of the woods have been such a wonderful blessing for our family. Neither Rick nor I grew up near the beach, so being able to drive seven or so minutes to see the ocean is a real treat. However, one of our favourite beaches so far is Clareville Beach, which is about twenty-five minutes drive from our home.

It’s a small, cosy beach with shallow water and no waves. The beach itself backs onto a row of houses, which adds to the intimate and friendly feel of the beach. Angus and Pete can run, jump, splash and play to their hearts delight without us me worrying about their safety, and on a Friday which is when we usually go, it’s almost completely deserted. Which makes it feel like we have this beautiful beach all to ourselves. It’s as close to idyllic as a day out can get. In fact, I have been so won over that I recently bought my first swimsuit in six years!

One of the very best things about spending time together at Clareville Beach is that Rick and I actually get to relax. Yes, you heard me parents. Relax. We don’t have to worry about them getting lost, making noise, being run over by a car, being snatched away by a random stranger, falling off some play equipment from up high, or spilling drinks and food onto the ground. It is awesome. Last time we went, I even got to lie down on our beach towel at our spot in the shade for a full ten minutes while Rick had all the boys down by the water, each doing their own thing. You guys, I actually got to stare up at the sky and switch off. How often does that happen? (Never.)

As you can see, we’ve come a long way from our first family holiday with Angus (bottom left) on the South Coast when he steadfastly refused to let his feet touch the sand. It brings me so much joy to see how much he loves the beach now. Pete, our little tornado man (top right), rushes straight into the water as if he were made for splashing. He doesn’t even care when his face goes under. Methinks that swimming lessons are in order.

Our days off are just so precious, because it’s the one day when the boys get Rick’s complete, undivided attention. It’s the one day that Rick is not distracted with the never-ending list of things he needs to do for church. I just love seeing them hang out, have fun and be ‘boys’ together. I’m very blessed to have the family that I do.

All in all, we’re simply soaking up these last days of summer before the chilly season sets in.

Are you doing the same?

(p.s. I did some guest blogging over on Kristin’s lovely blog Bonbon Mini a couple of days ago. About the boys, no less. Read it here if you have a spare moment! And while you’re there, check out Kristin’s store Miniluu which is filled with beautiful, natural goodies for your little one.)

{ 20 comments }

Two blondies

Thanks to everyone for their wonderful response to the Jamie’s room tour. It was so nice when it all started coming together and so much fun to share it with you all. I can’t wait to put together the other room tours now! In the meantime, I have a few other columns planned and look forward to introducing them next week, including one about decluttering and getting organised (ie. Get Sorty 2.0, here we come!).

Today happens to be Rick’s birthday and we are both excited about our date night tonight! Chances are we will probably head back to Jugemu & Shimbashi for a sumptuous Japanese dinner. We just love that place and can’t seem to stay away from their delicious soba chips, spinach salad and Shimbashi rolls! We are very blessed to have wonderful parents who live in the same city and are always willing to babysit.

I just couldn’t help but share these photos of Rick and Jamie hanging out in my studio today. Jamie doesn’t get much one-on-one time with either of us, so when it does happen, it’s uber special. I still can’t get over how blonde Jamie is. There’s even some ginger in there. Whatever happened to my dominant Asian gene? (Rick’s joke is that I am running out of toner. My husband is a funny man, no?)

Some links for this Friday…

Anyway, happy Friday to you all and happy birthday to my one and only!

{ 18 comments }

Big love

Today started off with this:

So that’s pretty cute in my opinion. I’ll have you know that Jamie’s not always that happy sitting on the floor. Correction: he’s almost never that happy sitting on the floor nowadays. Being eleven months and all, he’s at that stage where he wants to be on his feet and be in the middle of all the action but sadly he can’t stand up by himself yet so needs what I like to call a ‘propper’ – ie. me or Rick or any available grandparent. Unfortunately for Jamie, said parents are usually running around getting milk or taking out the dirty nappies so the poor thing is stuck sitting on the floor a lot. Discontent and screaming, I might add. We still love him big time though.

After lunchtime, the boys went down for their naps and I drove off in our little green Corolla and headed up to Avalon Beach. (At this point, alarm bells are probably ringing in your heads. Relax – my wonderful mother-in-law was back at home with the little ones. If no alarm bells went off, shame on you.)

It’s so bizarre that I’ve lived in Sydney for some twenty-five years now and yet this is the first time that I’ve actually explored the northern beaches. It is seriously a beautiful place here.

Here’s proof:

Anyway, as I drove up Pittwater Road with the ocean on my right, I almost felt like a glamorous movie star cruising around sunny California with oversized 50s sunglasses and a silk bandana protecting my hair from the wind. Only difference being that my Corolla is no convertible and I looked nothing like a glamorous movie star. But still.

Once parked, I contemplated a snooze in the car (and indeed I tweeted about this as I thought everyone should know that I was contemplating #asnoozeinthecar) but after several minutes of discomfort, I decided I wasn’t falling asleep but my tummy was getting hungry.

So I went here:

Awesome, right? I mean, is there anything cooler than a gigantic chalkboard combined with picture perfect handwriting? If we were to ever own a house, I think I would seriously consider painting one entire wall with chalkboard paint. Thank you, Frank. (Funny that, because the barista’s name was Richard.)

Next to Frank’s cafe was the Mark Tuckey Home store. My goodness, it was filled with all sorts of eye candy. In particular, a bright yellow vintage typewriter made me swoon while some vintage-saris-turned-bedspreads almost made me abandon our white colour scheme in the bedroom. With all my willpower, I walked out with only a small notebook o-check notebook (this one in fact) as well as a sweet birthday card for Rick.

When I finally got home, it was time for some outdoor play with all three boys which, yes, involved me propping up the littlest guy. He doesn’t let up, that one. Fast forward through dinner and bathtime (and a lot of tidying and cleaning), I finally got to sit down in the boys’ room for two minutes before the little guys trundled in to be dressed. I look calm in this photo because I knew that there wasn’t long to go…

And once I put Jamie down, there was this…

Peace. Quiet. All I could hear was the distant murmuring of Rick with Angus and Pete as he finished saying goodnight to them.

Yes, my husband is awesome. He does the mornings, and he does the bedtimes. Oh, and he makes me yummy and healthy food to eat:

And that’s why he deserves this:

‘Big Love’ card by Me and Amber; vintage green necklace from Sobrina Blue.

Thus ends my impromptu ‘a day in the life.’ Gosh I had fun writing this! Thanks to Elise for the inspiration.

{ 16 comments }

Cubby house now houses three

Remember this? Today we set up a new cubby house at our new place under our new dining table. The boys loved it. Despite how exhausted I was, I couldn’t stop laughing as I watched them playing together yet each still doing their own thing. Gosh I love them.

Anyway, today is Chinese New Year and I’m missing my parents who are currently in Hong Kong. Part of me wishes I were in Hong Kong with them, celebrating the new lunar year with all our relatives and, of course, amazing food. I probably could’ve initiated some sort of a celebration for us here, but without mum and dad here, it just seemed rather meaningless.

Sometimes it saddens me that I’m not passing on much, if any, of my Chinese heritage onto the boys. It’s so strange, and in a way startling, how different their childhood is compared to mine. I grew up in a Chinese household and family. They’re growing up in an Australia family, with only small hints of their Chinese roots popping up occasionally. Perhaps that’s just the way it’s going to be, and I need to learn to be okay with that. Or perhaps I could make more of an effort to ‘learn’ certain things from my parents, so that I can in turn pass it on to the boys. I have yet to work it out.

In the meantime, I wish you all a wonderful start to the lunar new year!

Bring it, dragon.

{ 14 comments }

Belated wishes!

Despite everything, we managed to get our tree up just in time for Christmas. All three boys helped out while Pa and Nan watched on (actually, Nan did more than just watch – she was the main reason ornaments actually got hung!). Even though holiday decorations aren’t really my thing, it was heartwarming to see Angus’ excitement, Pete’s curiosity and Jamie’s intrigue. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and wish you the very best for the new year! Thank you for reading here, it means the world to me.

{ 6 comments }

Sunday evenings, the end of an era

I know Coke isn’t exactly the international health drink, but once summer weather hits, I can’t help but crave it. Plus, Coke Zero can’t be that bad right? (Google disagrees with me, but then, Google thinks everything is bad if you use search terms like “health effects” and “health hazards” and “why does this fizzy drink make me dizzy.”)

During these last few months, I’ve been spending a lot of my Sunday evenings at home with Rick’s parents. They usually arrive in the afternoon and play with the boys then help me feed them, bath them and put them to bed. Did e’er more wonderful in-laws exist? I think not.

But wait – there’s more. Mum (ie. Mary) will always bring dinner. Yes, that’s right. She comes to babysit and she brings us food. Hands down best mother-in-law in the whole wide world (naturally, it goes without saying that she reads my blog too) – definitely one of the many reasons I married Rick.

But back to our Sunday evenings: once the boys are in bed, the three of us will sit in the living room, have dinner together, chat about our week, watch Escape to the Country, and of course wax lyrical about my husband/their son and my children/their grandsons. Throw in several cups of hot tea (not literally), and seriously, it’s close to a perfect evening.

Mary, if you’re reading this (and I know you are), know that I will genuinely miss these Sunday evenings together. Even on the nights when I’ve retreated to the studio “to do some work,” I’ve loved knowing that you and dad were in the lounge, cuddled up and watching The. No 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I know that we will find something else to do together next year, but this year has been truly special – to me, it feels like it’s the end of an era.

(These photos were taken last Sunday night, when I was in the studio… “working.” The clover flower was given to me by Angus, who wanted me to keep it in a safe place. Sadly, it started wilting pretty quickly, so that safe place is now the bin.)

{ 24 comments }

← Previous Entries