Domestic Bliss

As long and challenging as the day may sometimes seem in the domestic trenches, managing a home and family, I am always grateful that I do not have to work full-time anymore. I have worked sporadically in our business since we started our family and even with the flexibility that being the owner of the business allows, it is still extremely demanding for those days that I had committed to. A friend of mine recently decided to decline an extremely lucrative and prestigious full-time position (a dream job actually) because as she said "I've taken on a new client instead - my family". Bravo beautiful girl!

I have a Rose Kennedy quote which I covered and stuck on to our fridge for inspiration:

"I looked upon child-rearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully as interesting and challenging as any honourable profession in the world and one that demanded the best that I could bring to it"

I met up with an old work colleague a few years ago who had gone on to reach great heights in the industry we both worked in and we spent some time discussing her latest achievements. She then asked me "Don't you sometimes feel like "just" a suburban mum? I mean, I know you love your children, but don't you want to do something really significant in the world, outside of your own four walls?"

This is a girl I used to aspire to be, whom I greatly admired professionally and personally. I didn't feel put-down, I actually felt a great sense of clarity which has remained with me since. I assured her, as I assure myself still, that I am a person of significance. To my husband, my children, my mother, my extended family, my friends and ultimately and most importantly to God.

The time, effort and vigilance I give to what God has given me responsibility for, the greater impact in the long term. Even just the act of making sure there's a nutritious meal on the table each night has a massive impact on how the eight of us live our lives. We come together, we talk, we nourish our bodies and our relationship with each other and are strengthened.

Bec, a good friend of our family with four small children of her own and who used to work with my Mum, said to her one day "The days are long, but the years are short". Thank you for that Bec, that wisdom has stayed with me always and become a mantra to me over the years.

I could talk ad nauseum on this subject and I know a good post is a quick post, so I'll leave it at that for now. In the meantime, here are some happy snaps of the fun things I get to do at home. Miss N-12 dropped my camera at her graduation on Sunday and I haven't been able to get it focused consistently since, apologies for the fuzziness.

Watching & always listening to Miss M-6 playing schools. She is very strict!

It was my darling Mum's birthday on Monday and even though we're having a "proper" celebration this weekend, we decided to have a spontaneous dinner and cake at the last minute as she'd spent the previous 24 hours at the hospital caring for a dear friend and was a little low. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to throw something like this together at the last minute.

This was my impression of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. As I said, it was literally "thrown together". I think it still tasted OK! I love how happy Mum is in this photo despite having no sleep the previous night.

Our neighbours had thrown this out in their council clean-up. I have liberated it for our new "craft cupboard".

One side of it is hanging space. I've been looking for a place to hang all the kids white school shirts in the one place so I knew how many were clean etc. I have all the drawers also for the other side which I intend to use for giftwrap, cardboard, scrapbooking supplies (kids, not mine), glue, glitter, stickers, scissors, cards etc. This cupboard is a gem!

I was sanding back the top coat and looked up and straight into these eyes. Scared the living daylights out of me - cheeky kookaburra.

I'm grateful he decide to fly away before he could leave a little deposit. He has that look about him though doesn't he?

Any day caring for those I love and who love me is truly a day to be counted as joyful. It just occured to me however, that it is just as important to care for those who are sometimes difficult to love and may not love or care for you in return.