playground

We had a great day yesterday meeting our friends at a playground. As the photos tell, there is a huge selection there for the kids to explore - lots of climbing facilities (even though it says on them: NO Climbing - What the??? ;-) ), a pirate ship, a trail with 'bikes'on it, that they can ride etc. It's a very nice location as well, right by a lake. It was Lucille's first time walking there, and she loved it.
It's funny, that it's not that she has started walking, but she suddenly seems to have a different as well. She was mesmerised with a seagull and chased it for a very long time, eyes totally focused on it. She also trodded off to be with the other children, to taste some of everyone's food, to pull some hair of sweet little Jedd and had a great time.
On a sidenote, also in the house, walking, her perspective has changed and she is into all new things...into everything :-)...opening up every drawer and cupboard, climbing onto things, pulling on cables etc. Wonderful world waiting to be explored :-).

Matti had a 'bad'night, snotty from Tuesday evening on, to the point that he couldn't breeze during the night, and woke up lots and already at 5am. He was tired all day and also cut his feet open when he was in the lake, just before we went home, as he wanted to catch fish. At some point he gave me a lesson again in that connection is the main ingredient to 'happy'parenting/family life...A switch had suddenly flicked in him and he was in a very down mood, lashing out at me, demanding things that I didn't have...and I was about to let myself be drawn into it, reacting and wanting to say useless things like:stop this, or we are going home...which wouldn't have achieved anything, as he didn't want to go home, I wouldn't have known what upset him and we all would have been miserable. So, I got up, walked around, started to be a bit playful, but stayed at a distance, as he was still grumpy. Then I went onto the pirate ship and just started to play that I was a pirate, I called him (we played Seeraeuber Hauptmann Fabian und Messerjocke :-) ), and it was a joy to see his face light up again, and suddenly we were connected again. We played for a while, and also talked how busy the playground was and other reasons that had upset him a little.
I have been remembering more often lately to open my heart and work on our connection instead of reacting - which can be very challenging when I'm sleep deprived, which I have been much too much in the last few months. This has improved our relationship a lot and more to come :-).
I also have to remember that I use Lucille's sleep time to do something with him alone...again, it can be so hard when I'm tired, but when I do it, it's sooo worth it. I love him so much, and I also sometimes miss our one on one time...so, better create more one on one times then :-). The joy of multitasking and making sure everyone's needs are met :-).

I did a full BodyTalk session on him yesterday and Access several times, plus our falling asleep meditation, which I have been telling him for the last few nights. I had a hard time doing my meditations and going into my 'workshop', mostly falling asleep when trying to get in...so I thought, why not use this as a good night story, get my own needs for it met, teach Matti in this way how to use it and also to help him be more calm. It has been great...we go into the nature scene and do lots of fun things, and continue in our workshop...do swimming, horseriding, jumping on a huge trampoline, go to a healing room, have a sauna inhaling eucalyptus to free up his nose, eat and drink some healthy things, go out of it and travel to wherever we want to....
Matti has been enjoying it soo much and falling asleep so happily, eager to go to bed to listen to me and waking up much more refreshed. His snot was gone today and he only had a tiny cough.
I'm so glad that I have some tools to help ourselves so that we can heal quicker...BodyTalk is so very much part of sustainable living and wellbeing, as we don't need anything for it.

We went to the library today and got some more dvds out and heaps of books on gardening, rhinos, dinosaurs, snakes, cockroaches and insects. Matti said he wanted to get something about spiders as he wanted to learn how to kill redback spiders. He also got a computer game about building out, saying: I want to learn about building. You are not allowed to talk a lot while I do it ;-)! Heeeh??? Me?? I don't talk a lot ;-)!!!!
He helped me carry all the books and we had a great time.
At home he watched a dvd about lions and we watched one together about mountain climbing in the Alps (which he chose as well).

It's a wonderful journey to see the children develop and learning all the time. Every day they know new things, do new things, say new things...it's amazing. I feel so blessed to be with them all the time instead of having them raised by someone else and missing out on this beautiful journey.

When Lucille had a sleep today, Matti wanted to have his baby. He wanted her in the sling, then he sang to her, breastfed her and put her down to sleep after, as he found her a bit too heavy. It was soo cute to see how gentle he was. One day he will probably be a wonderful dad :-) ( a long time away :-) ).

Tonight we went for a bike ride, picked up our mail, had a chat down there to some village members, rode on to collect our milk and then home. Matti can ride so much further now.

Also this afternoon we went over to our neighbours, as we will be taking care of their chooks while they are away on holidays.
When we left Matti said: Have a great trip!
He is really developing his 'social talking', as he says often when he meets someone: Hi ... how are you going? or 'How have you been? What have you been up to? and things like wishing them a good journey, day or so....Also great to see, and if someone things that children who don't go to school miss out on socialisation, they just have to listen to them, and they will see the opposite.

Ok, enough for today, Friday already tomorrow. We have a lot of palm trees here, that need to find a place over the weekend. Planning the garden is exciting, but also quite daunting, as I know so little about it.