4 Seasons: Making, Baking, Coughing & Spluttering

The nippers all have coughs and snuffles, which is surprising for the season. They are still happy loves, but a little on the tired side and having more time off school and kindi than usual (really don’t want to pass on germs just prior to Christmas!). Poor bubba isn’t sleeping well with her snuffles (which means I’m not sleeping well). Last night I was propped up with pillows so Alice could get a bit more air in and out her blocked up nose. The ‘Karvol‘ capsules were put to good use too (love the smell of the eucalyptus).

So with me being rather sleep deprived and having more bodies in the house than I’d anticipated in the run up to Christmas, I have been making the most of the extra hands on deck to get creating and baking.

I love seeing my children enjoy creating. This week we’ve been linking our creations to the season of summer and also the festive season of Christmas. Charlotte came up with this festive tree and beautiful cards. We’ve made heart decorations and gift tags, thinking of those we love near and far, as well as being thankful for the people that help, support and guide us in our lives. Charlotte has woven some lovely hearts as gift tags to attach to the Christmas treats we’ll be baking next week as thank you gifts to her teachers. And we’ve been making Pohutukawa decorations to hang up.

Of course the wonderful creating means the living area goes through a regular phase of being absolutely covered in card, glitter, glue and tape, whilst the kitchen surfaces get hidden under baking equipment and a thorough dusting of flour (made a scrumptious banana cake today).

I can tolerate the mess for a few hours, whilst we merrily busy ourselves, and then have to call for ‘tidy up time’ (feeling like a kindergarten teacher). Of course the surfaces don’t stay clear for long and the hoover is getting a daily work out in the living area, but it’s all worth it (so I keep repeating with a calm mind and happy heart!).

I just hope we don’t have impromptu visitors when we’re in one of our ‘creating’ phases, as it’s kind of hard to find the kettle! Though the coffee machine is my best friend at the moment – sad, but true. I am totally addicted to coffee and have two to three a day. This is essential for me to function, as I haven’t had longer than a four hour stretch of unbroken sleep in nearly ten months! Alice sleeps all up for 11 to 12 hours at night, but wakes for comfort feeds. She’s on a futon next to me, so I’m not too disrupted, but if I don’t go to bed early then I really feel the consequences the next day.

I’m missing cuddling up with the hubbie. We are both missing each other. We grab a hug when we can, but it’s only moments before a little person is pulling at our leg or a slightly larger ‘little person’ is saying ‘Look Mummy and Daddy are kissing, tee hee hee…’.

But then Dan and I know that this precious time with Alice so young is racing past. Within a year we’ll be back to having more time together. Right now we are catching our moments like ships passing in the sea at night. Just last night, after Charlotte and Sophie had gone to sleep, Dan came and sat with me on the bed. We cuddled up to watch Alice sleeping. To gaze at such a young, tender life sleeping peacefully is so precious and amazing.

She is blossoming from baby to toddler, just as the Pohutukawa trees are beckoning in the summer. We watch in awe as her character opens up more by the day (and keep supping our coffee to keep the tiredness at bay!).

Over the past few days we’ve been making Pohutukawa decorations to signal the onset of summer and welcome in this season of growth in the garden and long days of sunlight. Alice has carefully observed the art in progress, whilst her older sisters are learning (with lightening reactions) when glue, scissors and glitter need to be moved to a higher surface!

Summer is here, the season of light, life and love. Long family days of togetherness. Living, breathing (some of us snuffling and spluttering with hay-fever and colds) and basking in the warmer temperatures and seasonal delights of fresh salads and summer berries.