I raise my glass…

to our slower days!

Our taking time out and off days,

our finding balance days;

our days of not doing everything, and doing everything 

at the exact same time!

Because you know what happens, don't you, when you make room? 

Well, 'Everything' springs out…it can't help itself.

All the art and projects and music and ideas and reading that we were trying to find time for, that we were squeezing into our spare spaces… 

there's room for them now.

Time has opened up, laid itself out like a rug,

and we have sprawled over it blissfully, like cats in the sun. 

So there was time last week… 

1.

For one man to celebrate his birthday

and for us to give him banana fritters for breakfast 

and give him our goodies, all wrapped up

and to walk on the beach with him 

and take him out to dinner in his new shirt and tie.

It was a glorious day (for all of us! And it makes me wonder, with all the joy this man brings every single day, whose birthday was it really?)

Happy Birthday, mr beautiful. I love you.

 doesn't he look handsome in his new shirt?

2. There was time…

For a girl to be given an early birthday present from her Nana last Sunday

to go see Mary Poppins! 

In a gorgeous theatre in Sydney,

with two dear friends and a brother and a mum and a dad and a Nana and an aunt!

Plus we had divine Thai food in a restaurant before the show. 

It had this wood carving on the wall, which was carved out of a single piece of wood. Wow. (That's a lot of elephants in the room)

And there was mango sorbet for dessert after the show

and we caught the train there and back 

(which was so. much. fun)

Oh there was such joy bursting out! Three girls and one boy were laughing so hard sometimes they had to call time out on the jokes 

just to breathe.

This was the Best-est Ever Day I was talking about last Monday. It was the kind of day you keep close; you take photos of it, inside your mind, all day. The kind of day you don't ever forget. 

Thank you so much, Nana. I feel so incredibly lucky, having you as my mom and as the Nana to my kids. 

My cup runneth over. 

3. And there was time for…

Joining a food co-op!

How fun it was, to browse inside this tiny store, getting to know how it worked, meeting the people working and shopping there. While my boy did his music lessons, my girl and I scooped gluten free pasta into brown bags, filled jars with pistachios, baker's yeast, and organic popcorn, and we smiled at the babies. 

I have never really been a whole food/bulk food kind of person before (didn't know where to look, how to start, how to move into a food world of organic, whole and simply good). Now it just makes sense to go that direction. 

A new path will do that to you—have you noticed that? You decide one thing, then all these interesting opportunities, contacts, friendships and discoveries open up right in front of you, because this new path and you are a Fit. In this and SO many other ways, this journey is just like our homeschool one. (And how that makes me smile!)

4. There was time

to hunt for vegan cheese… 

and we found it! Scrumptious pizzas on Monday night. Hooray!

(Pizza should get its own star in Hollywood. Don't you think?

Or be awarded the Nobel prize for Awesomeness. Really)

5. And there was time 

to go to the library,

and come home with bags full of beautiful books.

Like

The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures

Theo Gray's Mad Science

and The Big Ideas That Changed the World. 

Awesome books that my kids have been poring over for days. 

Yum. 

And I truly believe libraries are some of the most magical places on Earth. You step in and come out different every time. At least, with different exciting possibilities, whole new worlds in your arms. I can't think of anything better. 

6. And there was time 

to write for days and days and days and days and days and days and days!

My girl is over 2,000 words into a chapter book she's writing on the computer. She's typing it all herself! She does it first thing in the morning, often straight after breakfast, at all times through the day, and sometimes at night instead of reading. She is a word girl on fire. 

And it's a great story—we're loving each instalment. Today we talked about illustration, and she and I started doodling the characters. That turned into her sitting at the table, drawing page after page of characters and scenes from her story. She had such a big smile on her face.

My boy is working on a longer piece too. It's set in this ancient, mythical land and is really complicated. It has him translating English into Spanish and Latin, and juggling a whole bunch of different characters. I've been talking to him about editing recently, about how to use dialogue to create scene, and how fun it can be to pare down a section to its finest bits. He's completely interested—loves getting feedback, just like his sister.

I feel so inspired around them both. It's so great talking to them about their stories. I feel like we are three writers, all of us driven, all of us excited, all of us equals.

7. There was time too,

for a visit to a Buddhist temple with a friend

which was delicious

and peaceful 

and just plain fun.

Are you full yet? 'Cause I'm not done!

Because 

8. There was time 

for a boy to create a piece of music, a jazz piece, and play it for his dad.

Who then wrote it out on manuscript paper

and then they worked on it together and wrote it out on Sybellius (a music software program) and together they edited it. 

The plan is to arrange it for my son's combo, and perform it at the end of Term. Kind of awesome, I think. We've been singing this song for days!

9. There was time for 

a boy and a girl to go to art class, where they sketched copies of portraits by other artists.

A girl was happy with what she did (and doesn't want me to post it here. She's pretty private that way)

And a boy took his sketch and artist's copy home 

to continue working on it, and working on it, and working on it.

A boy in his Element (at least, in one of his Elements!): 

10. 

There was also time for a girl to go to a birthday party

and 

for a whole family to go another birthday party straight after the first birthday party!

I tell you—we are social animals :) 

11.

Of course, there was time for a bike ride. 

Bliss.

Enough said. (I was too busy zipping along in the sunshine with the kids careening in front and behind, all of us exploring, talking, laughing, to take photos!) 

 And finally…? 

(Yes, I'm stopping after this!)

12.

There was time for a boy to rehearse with his Latin Jazz Ensemble, which he just loves.

This coming Friday, the Ensemble are off to perform at a National Jazz Festival. Their band director is none other than mr. beautiful! In one of their songs, my boy will be solo-ing on timbales. Boy, is he excited. 

My girl and I aren't going, because two days of driving and two days of concerts just aren't my daughter's thing. (Not yet, anyway) 

So the boys are off on A Grand Adventure,

and my sweet girl and I will find, you know, a few fun things to do ourselves. :)

(We are actually off to this festival on Sunday. We can't wait. Another train ride up to Sydney. Lots of yummy food! Not that I'm ever driven by my tummy. No no, not at all)

Ah.

We're all of us so excited. 

For the future, and for now. 

For our fine adventures—

the ones we take on together, and the ones we do alone—

and for 

having time to savour them.