The Safe and the Unknown

 

This is Harriet.  She makes stuff.

 

This is a painting Harriet created the other day.  Actually to be honest I don't quite know exactly when she painted it, but it was sometime this year.  Specifics aren't my strong point here. Not much of a painting you're thinking.  Pretty basic.  But then, let me invite you to turn it over.  Read its title.

 

If you're like me, you've read this title and found yourself instantly transfixed.  What is safe?  What is the box?  Where is the unknown?  Why is the shade?  Am I really a dream?  And other existential crises.

According to Harriet, the box is the brown rectangle.  The unknown?  Well, that's the swirly, multicoloured mess of lines outside the box.

And it was somewhere around then that I got the cold shiver of someone who realises they are looking at something amazing.  How great is that?

 

As for me, I created...well, err...I created muffins.  Oh yes, kale and beetroot and blueberry muffins for sure, but still - just muffins.

 

More Harriet creating.  This is her latest embroidery to be displayed on the playroom wall.  There are brighter, darker colours on the outside, with smaller stitches and each smaller circle has larger stitches.  The last two shades are softer "because we're softer inside".  Emotional allegory, anyone?

 

This is the pile of books I've read in the last 2-3wks.  Although I'm only at the start of Beloved and I forgot to include "How to Talk so Kids Will Listen...".  Re-reading Playful Parenting is always a fantastic way to bring me back on track with parenting - rather than working towards control I work towards connection.  And of course with connection comes understanding and cooperation - which helps get things like teeth brushing, dressing, and all of those fun little details of life performed with a laugh rather than the exasperated stress headache one might otherwise experience.

Just on Wonder - Harriet read it after me (it's an older children's book) and loved it.  In fact she declared it her favourite book EVER.  So now James is on to it as well; at this rate it should be Ted's first solo novel.  It's a really lovely book and I thoroughly recommend it to all (and if you have a child that loves Star Wars it has a lot of those references in there too, but don't let that put you off because neither Harriet nor I rate it as a personal interest and we still loved it!).

edited to add - I just realised I let The Book Thief  stay on the shelf for this shot, but that's one I've also finished in the last couple of weeks.  I was in tears at the end, what a wonderful read.

And see - this blog post still doesn't chip away at the mountain of experiences we've had of late.  That Playful Parenting does create a household rather full of fun ideas and adventures.

Reminder to self - Harriet is only seven.  Harriet is only seven.  Repeat.