Well, we did it. The Mamapalooza festival is over. The Wordsmiths session was lovely. We could have just talked about writing about the arts, or published books, or mothers in fiction, or poetry, or activists' writing, or the mothers movement, or any of a number of topics, but we talked about what the speakers (bluemilk, Joan Garvan, Debra Kellahan and I), who had been thinking and researching and writing about motherhood for many years wanted to say, and that was fine. We heard from some local writers too. To me the week seemed to go very quickly. Vee disagrees. I've already forgotten all the hard work that went into the preparation, and we're planning for next year, hopefully with funding and with more people helping. And we're organising a local Feminist Mums Discussion Group.
As for the rest of life, we awoke this morning to no bread, no milk, and not enough eggs. The car needs repairs and my tooth broke. Child was crying because her uniform wasn't clean and ready - she hadn't put it in the wash. I have a story to write, learn and perform, and two assignments due. I need to do some mending for Banjo and sew elastic and ribbons on Matilda's new point shoes. Yes, moving onto pointe. Exciting and a bit scary. I'd like to say the fitting was fun, but it wasn't, and we're looking for a new dance wear shop!
motherhood activism Australia, maternal feminism
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Mothers' Day and Mamapalooza
For Mothers Day my gift to myself was helping create the festival that is Mamapalooza Sydney. Hoopla have published my article here - they make me look good!
http://thehoopla.com.au/day-mothers/
I'm having a lovely time with Mamapalooza, but Vee and I have been thinking that next time we'll run it over one day or one weekend, like an expo, so that the participants (artists, writers,musicians, stand-ups) can all meet each other, and so we can bring together groups that are raising money for charities and bringing awareness to causes.And so that we aren't going out every night for a week.
Last day today - my Wordsmiths session - and I'm excited. Lots of poems to read, and lots to talk about.
Sharing some other pieces about Mothers Day here. Clementine Ford on how naff Mothers Day is, according to the commercialised view , ie, mothers want gifts that help them do domestic work, then something to help them rest from domestic work, so they can get back to what they should be doing - domestic work.
http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/the-anti-mothers-day-gift-guide-20120510-1yevu.html
The reason I don't have a mobile phone, iphone etc. (Well, the main reason; the others are cost and I wouldn't know where to keep them - books and shoes and cds - I know where they go.)
http://www.handsfreemama.com/2012/05/07/how-to-miss-a-childhood/
And about Hoopla - you can't tell older women to shut up
http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/executive-women/queenagers-rule-the-net-20120512-1yjb1.html
As for me, I visited my mother yesterday and kept thinking, I really could drop everything and just help my aging parents. I'll be dropping a few commitments soon. To pay more attention to people.
http://thehoopla.com.au/day-mothers/
I'm having a lovely time with Mamapalooza, but Vee and I have been thinking that next time we'll run it over one day or one weekend, like an expo, so that the participants (artists, writers,musicians, stand-ups) can all meet each other, and so we can bring together groups that are raising money for charities and bringing awareness to causes.And so that we aren't going out every night for a week.
Last day today - my Wordsmiths session - and I'm excited. Lots of poems to read, and lots to talk about.
Sharing some other pieces about Mothers Day here. Clementine Ford on how naff Mothers Day is, according to the commercialised view , ie, mothers want gifts that help them do domestic work, then something to help them rest from domestic work, so they can get back to what they should be doing - domestic work.
http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/the-anti-mothers-day-gift-guide-20120510-1yevu.html
The reason I don't have a mobile phone, iphone etc. (Well, the main reason; the others are cost and I wouldn't know where to keep them - books and shoes and cds - I know where they go.)
http://www.handsfreemama.com/2012/05/07/how-to-miss-a-childhood/
And about Hoopla - you can't tell older women to shut up
http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/executive-women/queenagers-rule-the-net-20120512-1yjb1.html
As for me, I visited my mother yesterday and kept thinking, I really could drop everything and just help my aging parents. I'll be dropping a few commitments soon. To pay more attention to people.
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Mums really do rock!
Last night at the Supper Club was a great night of mums making music. It was fascinating how each act used a different language, different style of music, and had different things to say in song. I loved it.
There were two mother/daughter acts, and it was a privilege to see how much they loved performing together.
The Supper Club was a good venue - they looked after us well and the food was fresh and delicious.
It would be wonderful if we could put together a complication cd!
There were two mother/daughter acts, and it was a privilege to see how much they loved performing together.
The Supper Club was a good venue - they looked after us well and the food was fresh and delicious.
It would be wonderful if we could put together a complication cd!
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Mamapalooza is a wonderful thing
We opened the art show tonight, displaying 34 art works by mums about mothering. The artists wrote of the way their creative practices have changed since becoming mothers. Some said how much it means to them to be part of Mamapalooza.
My favourites are the works by Jasmine Symons, Niki McDonald, and Emma Morris.
So happy. It's worth it.
My favourites are the works by Jasmine Symons, Niki McDonald, and Emma Morris.
So happy. It's worth it.
Sunday, May 06, 2012
I feel like things are changing
There has been so much public discussion about feminism lately, I really feel like things are changing.
Yes, it really is me here. Me not being a tired pessimist.
The reasons for my optimism?
Feminist mother blogger bluemilk was approached by Fairfax to write for the Daily Life pages. About feminist mothering. That's big. She keeps up to date with the big and small conversations about feminism. I really don't know how she manages to read the amount she does. She's intelligent, thoughtful and insightful. She also has a serious job, and two kids, and is involved in her community. She's some kind of wonder, and I'm so happy I'll get to meet her (again) when she joins us at the Mamapalooza Wordsmith forum at Tap Gallery on Mothers' Day. At Daily Life she joins Clem Bastow and Clementine Ford, who also write about feminism.
You can read bluemilk's piece here:
http://www.dailylife.com.au/life-and-love/work-and-money/leave-work-at-530-20120501-1xwej.html
And there are more.
Musings of an Inappropriate Woman, the blog by Rachel Hills, also is a great place where feminism is discussed. And I love her picks for best of the rest of the net.
The newsletter of the Women's Electoral Lobby also compiles feminist events and issues from around the world, and is worth subscribing to.
The Hoopla, News With Nipples, Feministe, Hoyden About Town. Reports of grassroots action in the UK and the US. Sydney Writer's Festival and other public forums. It's all going on.
Gives me hope, it does, and makes me think it is OK for me the settle back a tiny bit. Still speak out, yes. But it's OK to do some other things as well.
Yes, it really is me here. Me not being a tired pessimist.
The reasons for my optimism?
Feminist mother blogger bluemilk was approached by Fairfax to write for the Daily Life pages. About feminist mothering. That's big. She keeps up to date with the big and small conversations about feminism. I really don't know how she manages to read the amount she does. She's intelligent, thoughtful and insightful. She also has a serious job, and two kids, and is involved in her community. She's some kind of wonder, and I'm so happy I'll get to meet her (again) when she joins us at the Mamapalooza Wordsmith forum at Tap Gallery on Mothers' Day. At Daily Life she joins Clem Bastow and Clementine Ford, who also write about feminism.
You can read bluemilk's piece here:
http://www.dailylife.com.au/life-and-love/work-and-money/leave-work-at-530-20120501-1xwej.html
And there are more.
Musings of an Inappropriate Woman, the blog by Rachel Hills, also is a great place where feminism is discussed. And I love her picks for best of the rest of the net.
The newsletter of the Women's Electoral Lobby also compiles feminist events and issues from around the world, and is worth subscribing to.
The Hoopla, News With Nipples, Feministe, Hoyden About Town. Reports of grassroots action in the UK and the US. Sydney Writer's Festival and other public forums. It's all going on.
Gives me hope, it does, and makes me think it is OK for me the settle back a tiny bit. Still speak out, yes. But it's OK to do some other things as well.
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Mamapaloza Sydney is Next Week!
For more info or if you would like to get involved
please contact Festival Organiser Vee Malnar 0402036082
or email mamapaloozasydney@gmail.com
We are part of Mamapalooza International.
For more info please go to:www.mamapalooza.com
Find us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/
Pozible Crowd Funding: Please go to:
http://www.pozible.com.au/
Monday, April 23, 2012
Easter holidays and residential school
Before
I went away Banjo invented a type of drawing called scribblex (yes,
drawing to Skrillex), Matilda organised and orchestrated her birthday
party (hamburgers and water fight), including a clean up round robin
beforehand, and the village helped me write my assignment by taking the
children for the day - three children with three families. I watched my
first box set: Mad Men Season 4, and loved it. Don’t know that I’ll be
rushing out to watch more box sets (I find it strange that people boast
about seeing certain tv shows, as if they made them, when really,
they’re boasting about sitting on their lounge for twelve hours), but
I’ve broken the seal. The only box set we have at home is West Wing, and
yes, I’ve started watching it. It’s educational - the lead up to US
elections. I wonder if candidates have asked Aaron Sorkin to be their
speechwriter. I'm not in the habit of watching dvd's. We'll see.
I’ve been away at residential school. I’ve spent a week of thinking about one thing: just one unit of study. Very unusual for me. No cooking or cleaning. No organising children. I didn’t even read the news. While away I found I was feeling more myself than I do at home, which is bit of a worry. I found I can still do theatre, that I’m good at it, and noted the freedom to just do it without worrying how it looks. I feel now like I can be a drama teacher, and even though I have a lot to learn, at least I have a clue about what it is I have to learn, so I’m on track. Quite confronted by how free I can be in a theatre studio, yet I haven’t danced on a night out in years, and I’m really quite conservative now. I don’t have to be. And I have sorted my drama teacher uniform. I know what to wear. Done.
It was good to catch up with old friends, who knew me when I was fun and interesting, and be reminded that it’s hard to live with integrity, after studying the arts, no matter where you end up. If it wasn’t mothering for me it would have been something else I’d be applying critical thinking to. A reminder that not everyone has the education we had.
Realising that, coming from an arts background, of course I’m the kind of mother I am, and of course I help organise a Mamapalooza festival.
I read ‘A Visit from the Goon Squad’ by Jennifer Egan, which I enjoyed. Recommended.
While I was away I got an article published in The Hoopla. Not world changing, but nice to be acknowledged.
And while I was away I wore my reading glasses. Like a new character. Because I feel a bit funny wearing them in front of people who already know me. Must grow up and wear my glasses.
But oh, my back. Not a good idea to sit in a train for nine hours when you have a fractured tailbone. I knew that. Didn’t stop me. Reminder to self. Don’t do it again.
First day back, last day of school holidays, I offered to take the children to Luna Park. We drove to the train station. I withdrew some money. Matilda said she didn’t feel well and wanted to go home (she didn’t want to go out with Clancy). I drove her home. We drove to the station. Bought rail tickets. Waiting on the station Banjo said she didn’t feel well and wanted to go home . (She missed Matilda). We drove home. Then tried to organise an outing with Clancy, without treading on other children’s toes about who wanted to see which movie. Matilda now felt fine. So even though I had planned an outing that meant lots of walking around and not much sitting, I ended up sitting. Must do something to help my back.
Apparently, while I was away, the children did more cleaning up after themselves and their lunches were better (I’ve been a bit slack about holiday lunches, but hey, after twelve years of three good meals a day, and morning and afternoon tea, I’m on a break). And the children said they enjoyed not hearing the word ‘assignment’.
So, coming up this term, and time to get back into work mode.
* Preparing lessons to teach ethics classes.
* Writing stories to perform as the library storyteller - look at folk tales. All help gratefully accepted.
* The playgroup I run - learn everybody’s name, get the resources together and decide about singing songs.
* Helping with the reading program - no preparation but there are conversations re organisation.
* Uni assignments. My assignments this trimester haven’t been as good as they could have been. Need to make this high priority and do better this term.
* A block of prac at a local school. What to do with my children after school? Do I just cancel all afterschool activities and put them in after school care - they won’t like that! Organising people to cover me in my jobs. Wish me luck.
* And of course, Mamapalooza - that’s going to be one crazy week. I need to keep reminding myself that I don’t have to write a book in preparation for the Wordsmiths session.
And in between all this, I’ll be cooking, cleaning and running around after children. Or is it the other way around??
Now, off to work. If you see or hear me doing anything not related to my set goals for the term, give me whack!
I’ve been away at residential school. I’ve spent a week of thinking about one thing: just one unit of study. Very unusual for me. No cooking or cleaning. No organising children. I didn’t even read the news. While away I found I was feeling more myself than I do at home, which is bit of a worry. I found I can still do theatre, that I’m good at it, and noted the freedom to just do it without worrying how it looks. I feel now like I can be a drama teacher, and even though I have a lot to learn, at least I have a clue about what it is I have to learn, so I’m on track. Quite confronted by how free I can be in a theatre studio, yet I haven’t danced on a night out in years, and I’m really quite conservative now. I don’t have to be. And I have sorted my drama teacher uniform. I know what to wear. Done.
It was good to catch up with old friends, who knew me when I was fun and interesting, and be reminded that it’s hard to live with integrity, after studying the arts, no matter where you end up. If it wasn’t mothering for me it would have been something else I’d be applying critical thinking to. A reminder that not everyone has the education we had.
Realising that, coming from an arts background, of course I’m the kind of mother I am, and of course I help organise a Mamapalooza festival.
I read ‘A Visit from the Goon Squad’ by Jennifer Egan, which I enjoyed. Recommended.
While I was away I got an article published in The Hoopla. Not world changing, but nice to be acknowledged.
And while I was away I wore my reading glasses. Like a new character. Because I feel a bit funny wearing them in front of people who already know me. Must grow up and wear my glasses.
But oh, my back. Not a good idea to sit in a train for nine hours when you have a fractured tailbone. I knew that. Didn’t stop me. Reminder to self. Don’t do it again.
First day back, last day of school holidays, I offered to take the children to Luna Park. We drove to the train station. I withdrew some money. Matilda said she didn’t feel well and wanted to go home (she didn’t want to go out with Clancy). I drove her home. We drove to the station. Bought rail tickets. Waiting on the station Banjo said she didn’t feel well and wanted to go home . (She missed Matilda). We drove home. Then tried to organise an outing with Clancy, without treading on other children’s toes about who wanted to see which movie. Matilda now felt fine. So even though I had planned an outing that meant lots of walking around and not much sitting, I ended up sitting. Must do something to help my back.
Apparently, while I was away, the children did more cleaning up after themselves and their lunches were better (I’ve been a bit slack about holiday lunches, but hey, after twelve years of three good meals a day, and morning and afternoon tea, I’m on a break). And the children said they enjoyed not hearing the word ‘assignment’.
So, coming up this term, and time to get back into work mode.
* Preparing lessons to teach ethics classes.
* Writing stories to perform as the library storyteller - look at folk tales. All help gratefully accepted.
* The playgroup I run - learn everybody’s name, get the resources together and decide about singing songs.
* Helping with the reading program - no preparation but there are conversations re organisation.
* Uni assignments. My assignments this trimester haven’t been as good as they could have been. Need to make this high priority and do better this term.
* A block of prac at a local school. What to do with my children after school? Do I just cancel all afterschool activities and put them in after school care - they won’t like that! Organising people to cover me in my jobs. Wish me luck.
* And of course, Mamapalooza - that’s going to be one crazy week. I need to keep reminding myself that I don’t have to write a book in preparation for the Wordsmiths session.
And in between all this, I’ll be cooking, cleaning and running around after children. Or is it the other way around??
Now, off to work. If you see or hear me doing anything not related to my set goals for the term, give me whack!
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