Hazel often has trouble falling asleep. Stevie Zee likes to help her in that direction through a series of visualisation exercises that usually involve who is awake (The owls are awake, the possums are awake...) and who is asleep (Coco is aselep, Arki is asleep...). That way together they map Hazel's universe.
Recently, with Hazel's birthday approaching, it's involved birthday party preparations (what Hazel will wear, who will be in attendance, games played). Usually I am on the couch watching Air Crash Investigators, feeling glad someone can use their imagination and speak coherently after 8pm. But as the party draws near, I've become concerned: what kind of fantasy have those two constructed? And will it match reality? I don't usually outsource services of any kind other than taxation but this called for some professional advice. Thankfully Belinda of littlechair is like, my neighbour and sometimes collaborator. I turned up at her door in a state of high anxiety pretty well masked until I spilt my tea all over the table.
I know what you are thinking. Get a grip. But I feel like I have a bit of overcompensating to do. I wasn't there for Hazel's first or second birthday. Interstate! Not present. Belinda didn't know any of this but like a good medical practitioner, she asked the right questions, listened to the answers and then put forward a number of sensible suggestions at just the right speed. We workshopped furniture (children sized table and chairs), table decorations, activities and games. Hazel got the final say on the palette (pink, no real surprise there but we drilled down to pastel rather than fuscia). Through all of it Belinda was a calm, encouraging guide.
We will play a game that Belinda and I created, a version of pin the tail on the...this involves popping birds into a nest. The one below is in yellow but I am working on a version with a red balloon and pink birds for Hazel's big day.
Bird in nest, A2 with 12 birds on a sheet and adhesive stickers $26 + postage
Email me if you'd like to order one.
No comments:
Post a Comment