{quick three..} favourite magazines..

Firstly.. my apologies for running late again. The long weekend completely threw me out and all day yesterday I kept on thinking its Monday.. to the point of almost forgetting Ella's dancing this morning.. yep we were late.. 

On to the three.. magazines.. I must start with saying that I am a magazine reader rather than a reader of books. Possibly because I love to look at the photographs and images, so the mag needs to be filled with eye-candy. I have a selection of magazines I love but the three that I have a subscription to are.. 

{desktop}

for the culture of design..

Desktop delves into the world of design, advertising and digital culture, connecting with thousands upon thousands of passionate creative professionals and enthusiasts around the globe..

I've had a subscription to this mag since starting uni (many moons ago) and each issue is packed with info and an abundance of eye-candy. It is a mag I look at with kids around and actually read the content when they are not around. It keeps me up to date with what is going on in the industry and re-inspires me to create. 

{home beautiful}

for inspiration and a lot of wishful thinking..

I always have some sort of home magazine subscription.. and the last couple of years it has been home beautiful. There is no real rhyme or reason, it just seems to gel with me at the moment, the content inspires me, makes me drool and its not too over the top. Its doable. In the past I've had Real Living, Handyman, Better Homes and Gardens and Inside Out.. They're all great and if I ever get a chance I have a sneak peak into them at the news-agency and quite often still buy a copy here and there. 

{sew hip}

for ideas, patterns and info.. 

I love craft, always have. It's a way of chilling out for me yet still being creative. I love sewing and making things with my hands but seem to get bored quite quickly so am always looking for something new to make and do. Its a good way of getting me away from the screen for a while. Sew Hip is fab, its not too serious and has some really cool ideas. 

What are your favourite mags? 

If you know of a cool craft mag, I'd love to know!!

If you'd like to join in, grab my {quick three..} button from my sidebar if you like and add your {quick three..} post below. 

Please add a link back to here in your post so others can join in the fun. 

This linky will be open all week.. we're all busy so no hurry here.. 

For more info go to the {quick three} tab at the top.. 

If you don't have a blog or haven't had a chance to do a post.. feel free to jot down your little list as a comment..

Next weeks theme will be: {three movies} these don't have to be your favourites.. they're just three that made you think, that made you smile, you thought were a complete waste of time.. just three movies.. 

{quick three..} favourite shoes..

Now this one is a tricky one.. there are many different shoes I love for very different reasons. Without the doubt though the shoes above.. my super insanely comfortable birkis.. are my ultimate favourite.. I've mentioned them as my favourite shoes before here.. and they still top the list!!

So here are my three..

{1} birkenstocks / birkis
I have to put this under the birkenstock brand name as I have too many pairs I wear on a regular basis to stick to just three.. I got my first pair of bikenstocks when I was pregnant with Ella as I had terrible back aches and I needed shoes with some support without going all nanna-like. I fell in love and the birkenstock shop is a dangerous place for me to enter.. I have not yet left there without a pair of shoes.. oooops!!

So here is some of my collection.. I even own a pair of birkenstock slippers for winter.. and last year Ella got her first pair of birkis.. the red cat ones to match my original pair.

{2} keens
Now these are possibly heading into the nanna category, but hey.. they are so super comfy and one of few pairs of shoes I own other than birkenstocks.. I love them and I think I might have to invest in a red pair this year.. You have got to check out the keens website.. there is an option to check out how the shoes look with jeans. Lots of fun!!

{3} blundstones
These go back to my winery days.. but I still love them. I don't often wear them but when mud is involved then they always come out..

So.. tell me.. what are your fave three pairs of shoes? 
I know I cheated a little and generalised it with brand names.. but its so hard. Even for a non-shoe-obsessed gal.. its oh, so very hard!!

Grab my {quick three..} button from my sidebar if you like and add your {quick three..} post below. 

Please add a link back to here in your post so others can join in the fun. This linky will be open all week.. 

we're all busy so no hurry.. 

For more info go to the {quick three} tab at the top. 

If you don't have a blog or haven't had a chance to do a post.. feel free to jot down your little list as a comment..

next tuesday will be my little girls 4th birthday

so next week theme will be

{favourite girls toys}

now these can be toys you had as a girl,

you always wanted when you were younger or your daughter loves.. 

{a little bit of me} a day of mixed emotions..

Today started off like each day does in our household.. mumma getting brekky ready for everyone while getting frustrated at the little man for getting into the fridge because all the locks we install seem not to be zaccy rated.. Ella fussing over which outfit she would wear this day and what shoes would go the best.. etc etc..

But me, I was a stressed mumma on edge.. you see, today we had Zaccy's ear specialist appointment in the morning and Ella was starting big girl Kindergarten in the afternoon...

I was relieved that we were going to the specialist and pretty certain of what the outcome of the appointment would be and I was right. The little man is going back into hospital to get his grommet put back in. It's good, great, nice that he will get some relief again, that he will hear a little more clearly and that his ear infections won't be as dramatic. In the same moment I feel anxious about taking my little man in to the hospital, knowing that again I will have to hold him while the anaesthetist does his business.. wait till he feels almost lifeless in my arms and the walk out and wait for him to come out of surgery.

Don't get me wrong... I am so incredibly thankful that its just his ears that are giving him trouble with a little dose of eczema sprinkled on his body.. I'm incredibly grateful that he is a tough little kid and seems to plough through life as if he was invincible.. but I still worry and feel so sad that he has to go through this again.

On the up-note, my little girl is currently in her very first session of big girl kindergarten. The drop off went well, she was so apprehensive that she was going, but in the same moment so excited to be taking the last step before school. I think she dreams about school already to be quite honest. She wondered quietly up to kids she had never seen before and joined in with their games. She sat at the table and introduced herself to the little girl that was sitting there.. She was unsure of her new surroundings but sure that she wanted to be there.

I on the other hand, had that big moth in my stomach.. omg.. my girl is going to kindergarten. I no longer have to sign her in and out, she is responsible for putting on her own hat, going to the toilet yada.. yada.. She's super great at all those things, almost to the point of OCD, but I'm normally there to watch her or get super detailed feedback from her carers. On the other hand a part of me peeled off like an layer of onion does. Deep down I know she's ready and so incredibly excited about being ready... so it was time for mumma to suck it up and let her enjoy this next step of her life.

My tantrum throwing hunky spunky little monkey took my mind off the fact that I was leaving my little girl behind though.. He really wanted to stay, and was over tired and there was a water play tray outside..

She often drives me nuts when she's here, but I so can't wait to go and pick her up today and hear all about her day..

the OUTCOME of the trip to the country..

With a little bit a lot more clarity after my chill out day I looked at my life as a whole and all the roles I play or the hats I wear..

me.. 

the physical being, the artist, the photographer, the designer, the gardener, the mother, the wife, the friend, the cleaner, the taxi driver, the renovator, the bookkeeper, the cook, the entertainer

you get the picture.. right???

♥ I jotted down the above list and, granted, I'm all those things, but enjoy some roles far more than others..
♥ I then thought where I would like to be in 5 years time.. because Rome wasn't built in a day.. right??
♥ Then I acknowledged the fact that I am no longer the master multitasker I once was.. but instead, a sleep deprived mumma with a lingering case of baby brain..
♥ Next I printed off a few of the momAgenda weekly planners and drafted a timetable.. allocating the time I wanted to spend with a particular hat on my head. Yes.. yes.. I know being a mum throws the best of plans out the window sometimes, but a girl's gotta give it a go!
♥ I printed off this quote and stuck it to the fridge...

Don't say you don't have enough time. 

You have exactly the same number of hours, per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein. 

~H. Jackson Brown, Jr. 

getting it in perspective..
love.. I love being a wifey, I love being a mumma, I love spending time with my cherubs, even though they drive me nuts and leave me exhausted half the time, I love my friends, I love photography, I love designing, I love my blog and I love crafting.. these made it to the top of the list..
like.. I like renovating, I like cooking, I like sewing, I like gardening and I like me..
not my favourite.. I need to clean, I need to be a taxi driver, I need to do the paperwork..
necessary evil.. I have no choice but to look after me.. or the above might as well be scrapped.. paper scrunched and dumped in the bin..

the OUTCOME.. 

yes I do ramble a lot.

everything has a certain amount of time allocated to it.. 

and this schedule now includes time for me

ps. i did my first pilates class this morning.. eeeek!!! i took a moment to have coffee (and cake) in my fave coffee shop and kasiabear designs will continue.. just with a slightly different focus for the time being.. 

the ADVENTURES on the trip to the country..

Photo descriptions are not so necessary I don't think.. in short we had a day of just hanging out.. the kids got to do all those little things that amaze kids like playing with the animals, playing in W shed, with tractors, in the cow tunnel thingies (yes.. i'm not from the country), they got to sit in a mining/drilling truck, mumma got to take photos, auntieG got worn out, we had lunch at a little pizza place and mumma got new birkenstocks.. 

So the reason for going to the country.. even if it was for just for a day trip did its thing.. I got to take focus of everyday life and then refocus.. 

the OUTCOME of the trip to the country.. coming soon.. 

the REASON for the trip to the country..

I've never been a huge reader of books.. Why? Not entirely sure but reding a book that's not either a computer manual or a book on parenting or a book that teaches me something has always seemed like a waste of time. I wish that wasn't so, but for some reason that's just me..

Since having kids I've done a heap of reading of kids books to the kiddos.. The books don't often teach me anything but the kids love them and I guess I fulfill my reason above by justifying reading the books, with teaching the kids something.. I so hate being practical sometimes..

I've been somewhat obsessed with Dr Seuss since Ella was born.. I've bought every Dr Seuss book I've come across.. So getting to the point.. If you have ever read Hunches in Bunches, you might get a good perspective of how I've been feeling lately.. in a nutshell.. all over the shop and chasing my tail!!

Last week a number of things happened which I looked at as signs just to stop and throw in the towel with my little business and go back out into the real world and get a job. Then I've questioned which direction to take kasiabear designs.. I've got so many ideas and started projects that it's hard to focus. My little kamikaze's are changing and evolving every second.. which also makes me question whether they are in child care too much and I should be soaking up every possible second with them before they start school or whether to up child care a day a week so I can focus a little more on my work. Then I've questioned whether or not I am taking good enough care of myself and the household and focusing too much on the business..

I then look at people like Claire from Scissors Paper Rock and think.. how on earth do you manage to be a teacher, run your own business, take time away to spend with your family, be an awesome mum and write such a gorgeous blog.. or Naomi from Seven Cherubs.. yes seven.. OMG.. I can barely keep up with two.. or Shan from Missy Melly, a nurse and an acupuncturist, who is a mumma of twin girls who she looks after full time while running Missy Melly.

It makes you question yourself, whether you are doing enough, it brings on all those funny belly feelings...

I am super crap at taking time out, at chilling out. Seriously crap!! I don't watch TV cause its a waste of time and I don't read books unless they give me information or teach me something. Baths... eh.. too long!! My chill out time is sitting on the computer and fiddling with photos or reading blogs.. but my body doesn't relax, it would much rather sleep or at least lie down.

The only way I truly relax is by physically removing myself away from the house and far enough with enough distractions so I cannot think about work or what needs to be done around the house.. So.. thats what I did..

We made a date with auntie G to visit her mumma in the gorgeous Adelaide Hills and spend the day on her little farm with the kiddos and auntie G's fury kids.. And all I can say is that it worked.. I chilled!! I had no other option than to chill.. and it all makes so much more sense..

More on the trip soon..

{a little bit of me} where do i blog..

Since reading one of my fave blogs, Fat Mum Slim today, the question of "where's your blog spot" has been floating around.. well.. its kind of funny at the moment.. but here it is..

Up until last week, my blogging spot was here, there and everywhere, including the couch, outside while the kids played and on the kitchen table and my laptop just followed along.. The old-boy however had a few issues last week and from overuse/abuse on my behalf, and decided he would overheat, blow up his battery and became a desktop computer as mumma has refused to buy a replacement battery..

So until the old boy gets replaced with a nice new macbook-pro for playing on and blogging and a desktop computer, he lives at the end of the kitchen counter, plugged IN. My blogging therefore is done either in the kitchen in between washing up dishes, making snacks for the kiddos or on my iPhone.

It's kind of cool and handy as I can look onto the kiddos, but my feet are feeling the load.. my load that is :o)

Pop past fat mum slim and have a look at other blog spots around the place..