"Are we there yet?"

I have an 18 month old who speaks in phrases. Not words, just phrases! I tend to believe that this unique trait is probably due to the fact that his mother (that would be me) speaks so fast and so often that it is difficult for him to decipher the beginning or the end of words. His very first "word" was "Herewego", and this was closely followed by a phrase well known to most parents who have ventured anywhere at all outside of the home with their children, and that is "Are we there yet?"

It really isn't surprising that Tyler learnt to say this phrase by the time he was 12 months old. The poor child was strapped into a car seat at 6 months of age and driven 3500km across the country with two sisters by his side repeating this particular phrase constantly... for 5 days! If that wasn't enough, his parents then decided to pack up the trailer again in true Hillbilly style and move the family down south to a little patch of farm in the middle of nowhere. Hence any car journey at all now involves anything from 30mins to 90mins for little people to cram in as many "are we there yets" as they can possibly muster. In fact I distinctly remember one trip to Perth in which the little guy screeched "Are we there yet?" in varying volumes and voices for approximately one and a half hours.

Atlhough this was more then slightly frustrating at the time, when I think about it, I realize that Tyler's phrases actually have a delightful way of reflecting the stage that our family is at. Most of last year, we all had that sense of wondering if we were 'there yet'. Having sold or packed up all our belongings on what seemed like a whim, and moving our little tribe over to the other side of the country, we couldn't help but wonder what 'there' was going to look like. We settled briefly in Perth, until once again opportunity arose and we unsettled ourselves again and headed out to the farm we now call home.

Now 6 months later, after a bit of painting, tiling, living with limited water and without doors on bathrooms for awhile, we have settled ourselves into this new home and are ready to stay for quite some time. I suppose you could say that we feel like for this time and period of our lives, we are 'there'. And that is a pretty good feeling really! Being in a place where we can live and grow as a family, discovering new things, spending time together, and basically just living life in this wonderful place.

And now, Tyler's new favourite phrase is "'This-is-FUN", and once again, I would probably say, that my clever little toddler is right about that one too! This IS Fun!

"Joga Bonita"

Playing has always been a central part of my life. Not playing sport (no way!) or playing an instrument but just good old fashioned play. Playing with playdough, playing with blocks, creating a castle out of old sheets, throwing coloured spaghetti at a wall (ok that one has now been outlawed in most daycare centers as a waste of food & a bad example for children...but it was fun!!)

As a babysitter, nanny, childcare worker, then as a childrens' pastor and chaplain and now as a mum about to embark on a journey of homeschooling, play has and always will be an important part (if not all) of my day.

And so when I heard the term "Joga Bonita" used by Brazilian soccer players to describe the way they play their game, I took an instant liking to it. I love the idea that we can interact with each other, learn from each other, enjoy each other in a way that can only be described as 'playing beautifully'. So that is my aim, to play beautifully with my children, my family, my friends and everyone I meet.

And seeing as writing is one of my favourite things to play at, then I thought blogging would be a great way to take you all on my play journey with me. So if you are interested in reading about the adventures of 'schooling' (otherwise known as PLAYING) on a sheep farm out in country western Australia, then read along as we play our way through life.