I’ve been helping my mum sort out some of the family stuff that’s been with us (her) for years and years, there have been a few fabulous discoveries.  Like this one, my dad sleeping a drawing by my nana, he must have been about 3 or 4, I gather.  Boxes of her work was not recovered before the Big Family Fall Out, my granddad, still alive somewhere apparently disposed of heaps of old family stuff, sad really, in some ways these fragments help connect me to my dad, telling me more of his story.

Lots more of nana’s illustrations, I’m going to have to commit some time scanning them along with many old photos.

I saw this, Luna busy reading (or so I thought) for sometime in the corner…

Turns out she was adding to Rob’s circuit drawing for his current project…

Trying out some new techniques.

She also drew some ‘hot fire drawings’ we talk a lot about volcanoes at the moment.

If you’ve been to art school you might have been lucky enough to have one of those classically trained drawing teachers.  The kind who maintain and enforce that subtle etiquette required when one person in the room is being a nudey pants.

The kind of art teacher who tells the class you must draw every morning for a few hours, in the hope that maybe those words will sink into at least one mind…  these drawings are all at least a couple of hours exhausting work, and if you went to art school you might know many gazzillion of these I have.  AND drawing was my favourite subject, AND had the best teacher, lucky me!

Anatomy was so hard, we drew from human skeletons, and live models, though I loved all those bones.  I still do.

We also drew from classical busts.

And still lifes.

In sorting out my work room I have unpacked some sketch books.  So exciting, some drawing projects as well as designs for other ideas, including set design for a sci fi play.  From AGES ago.

Above is the original drawing for my tattoo, I was making drawings of marine animals, here are some more…

I love tube worms.

Inspired by art work in some old undersea books.

Gotta love water colour pencils for vibrant drawings.

Pencil and ink..

Luna has been drawing lots of storms, we had a few weeks of rain and stormy windy weather a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately it was quite noisy and scary, and there wasn’t much sleep happening for the littlees which meant not much sleep for me either…

This one has a rocket blasting off on the right, see?  She puts a lot of energy into them and I love the circular movement, maybe this will help her understand them better and not be so afraid.

Luna has also told me that “There’s something scary” if I leave the curtain open at night, I usually leave the curtain open a little while I breastfeed Blake to sleep so I can watch the light and the view outside.  A few times I had noticed she’d be down on the floor almost hiding if I went in to see if she was asleep!  She sometimes falls asleep with songs, back massage or stories, but more often now, she snuggles down and I tell her I’m going into the lounge so I can do some work and she can fall asleep, and she does, quite happily.

How things change, I used to worry a little at times because breastfeeding your baby to sleep is frowned on, if not discouraged by groups like Plunket, for fears of making or keeping your baby dependent on you as a sleep association.  There are plenty of books, websites and experts that will tell you how to gently – or not so gently – make your baby an independent sleeper.  I wanted night time and bedtime to be a special intimate part of the day, stories, quiet songs, breastfeeding, cuddles, not a time of isolation, crying or fears.  Independence will come in it’s own time, being a mum is a day and night job.

I’m glad that it is still a pleasure, one of my favourite parts of the day, although there have been times where I felt like it would take forever for Luna to drop off to sleep – the times when I’d really want to do something, do work, or even talk with Rob – it has been good for us, and Luna.  What has helped me is being flexible, and not trying to expect too much from a baby or toddler, and getting rest when I can.

Now, with two to get off to sleep, I’m pretty determined to get the dishes done and the house reasonably clean and tidy before the kids are into the shower before bed.  It is going well too, we all get on and do it together, mostly.  I talk to Luna about putting our things away so we know where they are tomorrow, or so the floor is clear so we can vacuum first thing, and we wouldn’t want anything to get sucked up the the vacuum cleaner!  It gives a sense of order in our small home and if I’m lucky I have a clean workspace, even for just an hour…