Dress-ups

This week when I went to pick up my kids from their daycare there was a sign on my son's room door announcing that next week will be 'Dress Up Week'! Oh goody, something extra for me to do. Just to clarify I am in no way craftily creative, so me making costumes just doesn't work. In fact, that's the sort of thing my husband is great at, but he probably won't have enough time this weekend to make anything.

We're being urged to rummage around op shops, find bits of fabric at home (we don't have that sort of stuff), dress up in costumes they already have or come in traditional dress, also something we don't have lying around. So off to the shops I headed and bought my son a costume. It is a lovely commercial representation of Lightning McQueen, a character my son absolutely adores.

The whole notion of dress up week is exploring the notion of identity. Our classroom teacher has observed many of the students pretending to be superheroes, or good or bad characters and she hopes that the dressing up will lead to some thought provoking questions where they can explore different emotions. Not bad for a bunch of four year olds.

I haven't shown my son his costume yet. I squirrelled it away into the top part of his wardrobe, but I think that perhaps we can do a big unveiling tonight and let him try it on as he's supposed to wear it tomorrow. I'm just hoping that I can somehow get him to wriggle out of it later for bathtime......

My style is......

There's a regular segment in my Sunday newspaper - The Sunday Age M magazine - called 'Streetseen'. This segment seemingly plucks everyday people from the street and asks them who they are and what they're wearing. I'm always fascinated that these people can answer the question: My style is? They do so with such bravado, such confidence.

This got me thinking. How would I describe my style? This week's paper had a PHD Monash university student describing herself as academic chic. That's what I want to be! Unfortunately I'm far from it. Academic chic to me means tailored trousers, tweed, vests, feminine blouses with pencil skirts, structured clothes and good quality leather footwear. The sort of clothing you most definitely won't wear in a sandpit.

In trying to describe my style I came up with a few ideas: comfortable sportswear; doesn't need ironing; Can I pick up the kids in this?; OMG I need to go shopping, this will have to do; OMG I need to put a wash on, this will have to do; fashion for the curvacious.

So as you can see, I don't think a journalist would approach me on the street, as I probably wouldn't meet their criteria. But I will say that I admire a person who can straight out describe their fashion sense. Personally I find it difficult to put my finger on it, so to be able to say that your style is say, androgynous, gypsy hippie, tea-party or trendy vintage takes a great deal of really knowing yourself and being able to express it.

When Australia has to do it's homework

Next Tuesday the 9th of August 2011 is Census night. This is when, presumably, the whole of Australia fills out a form, in our case it's the household form, providing details that can then be used as information to create a better Australia.

Personally I don't have a problem with a Census, but that's because I have Socialist leanings. Somewhere deep down I truly believe that the government is working for us. And also, for some reason I don't mind filling out the form.

The last Census was done on the 7 August 2006, and this got me thinking about how much has changed for me. In this year's Census, I will be providing details about my two young children, and that I am not working, but studying. My husband's details I don't think have changed too much, other than providing a different age. This also got me thinking, how does the Census reflect how much women's lives go through chapters?

Census time in 2006, I didn't have children, I was working and I was at the very end of my final year in my degree. I remember filling out the bit for highest qualification achieved, and feeling a little annoyed that I was a few months away from that. This time round of course I can with great glee put down a BA but again I won't be able to put down my Post-graduate qualification until the next Census.

The Census before that was the year after we got married. So essentially we were newly-weds, working hard, and having just bought a house had the mortgage looming over us. Each time I have filled out the Census form I have lived and am living in a different household. Yes it has been in the same house, but the whole dynamic each time is completely different. The time before that I was still living at home, I suppose my mum filled in the form on my behalf.

So, next Tuesday the nation will sit down and do its homework, that is fill in their forms, and I wonder how many other people see the changes and twists and turns that their life has taken too?

Renovation

This Sunday I lined up with some friends to try and inspect the houses on this season's The Block.

After queueing, easily for a couple of hours, we were then told that they were closing down the site. Disappointment reigned, however, oddly was feeling very positive as the couple of hours in the line were full of great conversation with friends. It did help that the day was stunning, sunshine and blue sky.

I was especially keen to see Josh and Jenna's place because they have used honed bluestone, the floor finish that we have chosen for our place. We wanted a floor that would work inside for a changeable space and downstairs bathroom, as well as being used to extend to the outside for our courtyard. I specified honed bluestone a couple of months ago to the architect and wanted to see how it looked laid down - of course I'm now going to walk around stating that they copied my idea!

Also, update on our renovation. We have finally tendered out to builders last week, and awaiting quotes. I think our final decision will rest on price, of course, and the rapport we have with the builder when we meet them. Now I feel like we're getting somewhere!