Paddle pool

It was 35 degrees (Celsius) today. Fortunately I finally bought a paddle pool last week.

I think it would be stating the obvious to say that the kids like it.

Bedtime appears to have gone out the window

Bother

Division of labour

I have long believed that a happy partnership means that both partners have to contribute fairly equally to the household and that no one should be left with the worst job of all: monitoring the other's contribution.

To make this possible I think a fairly clear division of labour can help to reduce the amount of boring negotiations over household chores.

This is roughly how we have come to divide ours (for now, obviously things will change as kids grow etc):

Me:
Meal planning
Cooking & food prep
Food shopping
Gift planning & buying
Daytime clean up (including dishes - although he often does breakfast ones before work)
Schedules (ours & kids)
Breastfeeding
Charlie nighttime parenting
Weekday at home parenting work

Him:
Evening clean up (including dishes)
Paid work
Bill paying
Banking
Mail sorting, dealing with contents
Lily nighttime parenting, including story & bedtime
Driving (when we're together)
IT troubleshooting

Both:
Gardening
Constant tidying
Holiday planning & booking
Parenting
Bathroom cleaning
Laundry (but he does far more than me)
Household shopping
Farmers market shopping

Of course sometimes he cooks or shops for food, and sometimes I clean up in the evening or do the banking, but this is the general pattern.

Do you have a pattern at your place or do you tend to alternate more?

NY Resolutions 2012

Practice yoga weekly

Take a daily walk

Learn to meditate & practice daily

Write more

Finish PhD

Read more books & keep a reading journal

Find the time to volunteer (@ Fitzroy legal centre?)

Eat more raw food

Be more grateful

Keep decluttering/simplifying

Help others more often

Cycle more, drive less

Stick with meal planning

Be kinder, especially with my family & self

Stop reading drivel/hateful opinion pieces/the comments on news sites

Eat far less sugar

Stop mindlessly checking email, twitter & Facebook

Stop using canned food

Christmas 2011

Our Christmas was full on and over-the-top, as usual, and the kids had a ball, as usual.

Every year I oscillate between acceptance and panic as the scale of our Christmas(es) with our many large, boisterous & excessively generous families dawns on me.

Every year, at some point, I try to hatch plans for what we could do less of; how we could reduce the avalanche of gifts; how it could be contained, somehow. And every year, at some point, I watch the sheer joy that it brings the kids and I surrender.

I have yet to find a balance...

Melbourne - 3 month review

So it's been three months since we moved to Melbourne. That went fast!

I have to admit to having been very reluctant to move down here from Canberra. It wasn't that Melbourne didn't sound like a great city, with interesting laneways, good food, community gardens, lots of bikes, crafty people & markets, etc.

It was just that Canberra was working for me. We have a great group of friends - many with kids. My mothers group is awesome. Lil loved her school and has some truly excellent friends. We have heaps of family in Canberra and they gave us a lot of help and support - as well as being good company... I really didn't want to leave all that to move to a place where we knew no one (especially for Paul to start a job that involved a ton of international travel).

And yet... It has actually gone pretty well.

We've landed in a great spot. I really like our neighbourhood and I think we may live in one of the friendly streets around.

Our immediate neighbours are lovely. The people next door have a 3yo boy, which thrills Lily, and they are super friendly (we just got home from a Xmas party at their house actually).

Next door to them are a couple who just moved to Melbourne, to spend more time with their granddaughters. They look after their two grandchildren (2yo and 4yo) twice a week and we now have a regular Monday playdate, which Lil looks forward to all week. Last Monday her and the 4yo played for five hours straight with no arguments. They were in and out of our houses and backyards. At one point we had them out on the footpath with bikes, scooters and toys. We were shortly joined by the woman who lives a few doors down and her two young kids and then by the next door neighbour and her 3yo. A spontaneous street playgroup! It was lovely.

The rest of the street is also friendly. Lots of people sit on their front porch and say 'hi' when you pass. Like K who lives a few doors down who invited Paul & Lil in for cookies and her life story, and told us to help ourselves to her lemon tree. She's lived here for 50 years, having moved into the house on arrival from Italy. Or V down the road who has lived here for 40 years (also from Italy). She often stops Charlie and I for a chat when we go out for our evening stroll.

The street has a Christmas party every year. They close off part of the street and people drag out tables, chairs, bbqs, music equipment, food, etc. they even hung a 'chandelier' this year. We went along with a gingerbread house to share (& dinner, dips & sparkling wine). Everyone was friendly. One person took Lil & I into their backyard to pick raspberries and told us to help ourselves anytime. Another proudly showed me his clumping bamboo. Lily made friends with some 'big girls' who played with her very caringly. It was a great night.

Beyond our street I've joined a new mothers group and it's truly fabulous. Everyone is so supportive and friendly, and, as a bonus, they all practice AP, which is pretty cool for me.

Plus Lil starts a new school next year and after four weeks of orientation I'm happy to report that I think it's a winner. One of the women from my new mothers group has kids at the school, including a daughter who will be starting with Lil. Last week we sat up the back of the info session and talked like naughty school kids. Old habits die hard.

Finally, well, Melbourne is actually a cool city. We have a cute cafe around the corner from our house that does great coffee and food. And this is normal! The food is good. The little shops are fun. The laneways downtown are cute... Plus there is cool stuff for the kids like the Collingwood Childrens Farm, the Zoo, kid space at the NGV, ArtPlay, etc...

So yeah. It's going better than I expected. Not that I don't miss everyone in Canberra...

Food diary - day 7

Last one!

Muesli, strawberries, blueberries & soy milk
Coffee with soy x 2
Banana, strawberry, cashew & almond smoothie
Toast with tahini & tomato
Original 'Lord of the Fries' burger (veganised)
Blood orange spring water thingy
Raw brownie
Pasta salad with tomato, snow peas, asparagus, avocado, lemon juice & olive oil
Mango, pineapple, strawberries & blueberries
Tofu
Half a mini vegan chocolate cupcake

Food diary - day 6

Muesli, strawberries, blueberries & soy milk
Soy milk coffee x 2
Banana, strawberry, cashew & almond smoothie
Small tofu & salad sandwich (too small!)
Raw brownie
Spirulina & berry smoothie
Black bean burrito (@ Las Vegan)
Soy yogurt
4 x Orgran animal crackers
hot chocolate (soy milk)

Food diary - day 5

(I'm only doing 7 of these. Sorry! I know they're boring)

Muesli, strawberries, blueberries & soy milk
Coffee & soy milk x 3
1.5 tofu & brown rice patties
Slice of raw mousse cake (@ Foxy Brown Espresso)
Fried rice (black sticky rice) with tempeh & heaps of veggies
Soy yogurt with mango, banana & strawberries
Chai with soy milk

Food diary - day 4

Two slices of Vegemite toast
Two cups of coffee with soy milk
One raw brownie
One tofu & brown rice patty
One scoop of raw cashew ice cream
One soy milk hot chocolate
Penne with eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, olives & tomatoes
Two slices of toast with almond, brazil & cashew butter
Chai with soy milk