The Tooth Faerie :: marketing and magic

There's been a bit of excitement in our house... Wobbly teeth all over and Little Owlet has finally been visited for the first time. The owlets have decided that instead of just one universal tooth faerie, each of them has their own dedicated personal tooth faerie, who happens to be a millionaire (or at least have enough money for a gold coin for each tooth - gosh!). You'll be pleased to know that Little Owlet's tooth faerie is named Marigold and she wears a dress spun from spider's silk. There's much talk of silvery moons, dew drops and faerie magic!

Just as we're watching Little Owlet's teeth with anticipation, we're watching Tiny's with a degree of trepidation and making sure the products we use for her and for her teeth are of the purest and gentlest, most nurturing form. Regular fluoride toothpaste bit the dust long ago. We look for products that support and truly clean her teeth with their antibacterial qualities, and we don't mind that we are ingesting them because they are so pure.

With little changes have come some occasional resistance from the owlets. Switching to homemade toothpaste brought doubts from all of us, but I decided it was all in the magic and the marketing...

So I whipped this up:

2 x heaped tablespoons organic coconut oil
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
10 drops peppermint oil

Mix it around in a small bowl, then pop in a jar and label appropriately. Use as you would regular toothpaste...

They loved it. At first the saltiness of the bi-carb shone through. You could tweak that if you fancied, adding as much coconut oil and peppermint as suits, and I believe you could add a natural sweetener like stevia, if sweetness was your thing. It doesn't bother us now.

Our teeth are cleaner than they've ever been before. And we're quietly surprised and pleased that we're saving money on expensive fluoride-free toothpastes that owlets eat like lollies.

There's also a buzz about having super shiny teeth ready for the tooth faerie's next visit. Yep. It's all in the marketing and in the magic. xx

dreams :: {part one}

When I was growing up, just a little older than Big Owlet is now, I'd visit Jeffrey's Bookshop with my pocket money and I'd look at art supplies. I'd walk past the shelves full of books to the dark back corner full of little shelves and glass display cases. I'd pore over all the paint boxes, tools, pencils and paintbrushes... I'd wonder at what things might be used for. I'd delegate a portion towards buying something small and some to save for a tin of Derwent pencils. I loved the smells and the colours. All that wood and pigment just waiting to be put to paper... The potential. The colour. I decided that one day I'd learn to use those tools. And one day I'd have my own art supplies shop.

About a year ago Huz and I sat down after a long day and we decided to make that tiny glimmer of a far-off dream a reality. The dream looks a tiny bit different now, but the chest of drawers in my hallway is home to a growing range of beautiful, colourful art supplies. Childhood fantasy realised.

I'm a bit of a dreamer, as my year 10 maths teacher can attest... "You're very vague and dreamy, aren't you...?" She sighed in exasperation over what, I don't remember, although the words have stuck. Vague perhaps, but dreamy indeed, and unashamedly so. Dreams are what propel us along and I've got lots of dreams to work my way through. Part two is a doozie. Stay tuned...

Do you have any childhood dreams that have been realised?
Are you a dreamer? 
Are art shops your favourite thing too? xx

While the cat's away...

I've been away from our nest all week long. It's been amazing and a time of huge learning and expansion for all of us. More on that later, but for now, a little update on what the owlets have been up to with their lovely Papa. Photographer, owlet wrangler and my greatest supporter. Love him.













All photos by Huz. Find him on Instagram @berondi

Late Night Yum :: Chocolate Mug Cake

We work and play hard most days and end up on the couch in a comfortable but tired little pile most nights, watching episodes of Community, doing Spiral Garden work, stitching and nibbling treats with a warm drink... Huz and I really super look forward to this end of the day - quiet time together while the owlets snore... Sometimes we'll be stuck without a treat to nibble and it'll all end in tears. Either that, or we get inventive. 

So with a little help from google and a little tweaking, thanks to ingredients on hand, we gave a primal version of the Chocolate Mug Cake a go. I wasn't a huge fan of the original, but this is actually pretty delish. And the bigger owlets rather fancy it too and can't believe that much awesome can happen in two minutes. Tiny isn't in on the secret right now as almond meal is pretty much the worst thing for severe tooth decay, so I wouldn't recommend it if you have that going on, although soaking the almonds first would help... And the microwave probably  kills the goodness in the awesome real food ingredients, but sometimes a little lazy indulgence is called for...

Chocolate Mug Cake

1 mug or cup sized ramekin

3 tbsp cacao powder 

2 tbsp almond meal

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 egg

Melt butter in the microwave, in your mug. 

Add all other ingredients and mix until well combined - little lumps are ok.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook it on high for 2 minutes. 

Eat with lashings of cream if so desired. Feel smug. And enjoy. xx

creative space

It's been too long. Mum and Dad have missed my blog, so I know it's been too long. Right now I can spy Huz checking the computer for a new post... The one I've been trying to write as my posts grow further and further apart. Not to worry... all is ok. I'm just a little burnt out.



This week I'm a year older. I'm feeling loved and understood by this little owlet family more than ever, and that's such a wonderful feeling.

But I'm tired. Ten years of interrupted sleep have caught up. And despite the decluttering, the planning and the hard work, I'm creatively, emotionally and physically spent. Fortunately, I can identify what's going on, take notice, live with, sit with and understand it. I'm learning more about myself and my limits and that when I'm stretched, there's a limit to what I can share with those outside my nest. Sometimes there's not enough of me to go around and I'm learning to be ok with that. And generally I know what I need to do next to dig that hole out of the little trench I'm in. But it takes time...



It takes  nourishment. And rest. And space to daydream. I've been missing that. And so I suppose in the times when I'm not blogging and doing the day-to-day stuff I do... I'm daydreaming. Processing and learning and moving through it. Finding some creative space, in every sense, so that I can let some of that creativity free and I can share a bit of myself again.



It takes grounding in nature. And talking and cuddling and loving... and a whole lot of learning and of growth. There's plenty of that to come and I suspect that breaking this small writing drought, ripping that bandaid off, will lead to a string of catch up posts as I fill you in on what we've done between daydreaming...

Have you had time for daydreaming lately?
Have you felt burnt out?
What did you do to get your creativity flowing again?

Have a gorgeous week. xx

Today and tomorrow...

Today was one of those special kind of good days... There was a certain calm that I haven't felt in a long time... even though I was outnumbered three owlets to one, today we found balance. And it was good. I'm recounting it so I can work out how to make that happen always.

I woke after not much sleep, feeling awful, and cancelled all plans for a stay at home day. Owlets happily obliged and we went about making breakfast. We ate at the table this morning - perhaps that was it? The bigger owlets then moved onto their morning work - animal husbandry, followed by scaling the dizzy heights of mount foldmore. Then they began the formal part of their day - Minecraft.

Tiny and I pottered, washing and tidying... The house was pretty clean to begin with (that might have been it), as it is in our always-decluttering home... Tiny forgot the screens (ooh, maybe it was that?), and I remembered the bigger owlets' toddler days with fondness as we pottered and chatted together... Then we nibbled on our morning tea platter made from what was left in our empty fridge... And then  Tiny napped.



Big Owlet and I figured out some Big and Important Minecraft Stuff, while Little Owlet asked me how to spell every word that came to mind... I sewed two stitches and finished one hair clip for an order I'm working on. And I had a cup of tea - sign of a good day right there.



Tiny woke, played with playdough, painted nude, bathed (as one does immediately after painting)... and we spent the afternoon trampolining, then lolling, reading and boobing and waiting for Huz to come home.




There were tears and bruises and bumps today. There was frustration and tiredness. But today I remembered to respond with empathy. I remembered to keep communication open and flowing. I remembered to slow down. And wait. And hug them all. To give them my time, and take some for me (just a snippet). And to just enjoy it for what it was... Yes, that was it.

How have your days been lately? 
Do you manage many home days?
Do you like to slow down? 

Here's to a peaceful Friday. xx

mini milestones :: the big owlet edition

Her first solo plane ride. Her first time away from home for three nights. Her first time out in the big wide world on her own. She couldn't have been more excited...



A few nights in Melbourne with much loved and missed family. She would be taken to all her favourite places, taken to lunch and dinner... treated to new clothes and shopping trips. She would be reminded of the people outside our nest who love her deeply. She would return taller, wiser, more worldly, exhausted and homesick. She couldn't wait.



We were excited for her too. And we held it together brilliantly... Until she got to the top step, before entering the plane, and she turned, like the superstar she is, and she waved to us on the other side of the glass. Suddenly we felt small and far away, and we glimpsed our future and how quickly it all speeds by... And we were thankful for the reminder and glad for our dark glasses and spare owlets to cuddle as we waited for her return.