Eye Preloader

Month: March 2006

The blog about not blogging about the Big Picture Conference!

What a whirlwind weekend!

‘Miss A’ , ‘Miss R’ and I excitedly set off early on Thursday morning to drive to Sydney for the Big Picture Conference. On the way, we listened to a downloaded audio of homeschool speaker, Cindy Rushton and then we listened (rather, I grimaced through) some of ‘Miss A’ ‘s music. If I were having trouble staying awake, which I was not, this music would have seen me keep wide awake and on the lookout!

We stopped at Yass for a cuppa and we met up with some homeschooling friends of ours and had a brief catch-up time. We waved ‘Miss R’ off as she has gone to stay with them for a week. We continued on our way making good time.

We got to Sydney and made our way to the north-west of the city where we were to meet Bec and Lisa at the Richmond train station. Feeling pretty pleased with myself for arriving early, I sent an SMS to Lisa telling her that we were waiting. Well, we waited and watched the train pull up, and then go again…with no Lisa or Bec departing. Uh oh, please don’t say we were in the wrong place!!!! I called Lisa and asked her where she was. Oh! they were at Richmond?where was I? Hmm, good question eh? Turns out I was only a few blocks away at East Richmond station.

Rebecca and I first met years ago when we lived in the same town but Lisa and I had never met in real life. We’ve ‘e-known’ each other for a few years though and get on pretty good online. A few people had told us both that they thought we would get on famously in real life but then again, who knows? What if we were so alike that we clashed??? Well, as it turns out, we did get on wonderfully, although I’m still amazed at how I struggled to get a word in edgeways!

We drove to the Merroo Centre and had a few cups of tea when we found out that we weren’t going to be able to eat tea there! Eek, after a day of travel and talk, we were hungry ladies who needed sustenance! So we headed out for pizza. We came home and made ourselves comfy in our bunkroom and then went down to the main centre where some of the vendors were setting up their book displays. Oh goody! A sneak preview.

With all good intentions we hit the sack pretty early that night although we were kept awake by Bec’s snoring!

The next morning (Friday) saw us all up early as we went into the meal area for breakfast and then it was the beginning of many greetings and the speakers presentations. In between meals and presentations, we also had some workshops which were led by local homeschoolers and these were great! Again, another late night with lots of talking and giggling but this time, ‘Miss A’ kept us awake with her snoring! Kath and her daughter, Lizzie had joined us Saturday morning and Kath kept us in fits with some of her stories. Saturday was another fun-filled, excitement laden , informative, encouraging day with many good-bye’s at the evening’s close. Meeting Belinda and spending a little time with her and her husband was a highlight of my weekend too! Full of mixed emotions, we said our farewell’s and planned to catch up online once we got home.

With nearly everyone making their way back to their homes, there were only a few of us left at the centre- those leaving early the next morning. We had a beautiful time of fun and fellowship over a cup of tea but after all the excitement of the weekend it was hard to wind down and get to sleep, but we did?about 1.30am, I think. I don’t know if anyone snored that night. We also had a gate-crasher that night as Kath and Lizzie had left and all the Canberra ladies had left poor Michelle on her own so she decided to drop in on us. (Well, really we did invite her but… She fitted into our room like a hand in a glove and we loved having her with us.

I planned to leave early the next morning so that we could get home to John and the two boys but after a leisurely breakfast, the fellowship just didn?t seem to want to end?it was about 11am before I dragged myself away and ‘Miss A’ and I headed off home. I didn’t want to leave but at the same time, I really wanted to get home.

‘Miss A’ talked non-stop on the way home! She had really enjoyed the conference and a few sessions had been geared toward and about teens ad high school so she was chuffed. (Oh, chuffed is my word, not hers). We got home and hubby looked very pleased to see me- he?d been cleaning the yard and hadn?t eaten much since I left. :-/ Ah, it?s good to be home.

Well, that’s the timeline of our weekend but it’s left out all the very important parts like what I learnt, what or how will our home and life be changed or impacted by this? Truth is, I can’t verbalise much yet. But that’s okay, partly to be expected really. I feel like a computer who has downloaded a huge program and now it needs to be formatted and processed, ready for application. My mind needs to be formatted so that the ideas can be verbalised, and I mainly do that processing via talking…poor hubby.

I’ve also decided to not make any decision about implementing ideas or changed yet. I’ve done that before… rushed into making all sorts of changes only to find out the long, hard way that those changes, whilst good, were not designed for my family. So now, I’ve decided to pray about it all and trust that God will reveal to me any changes that need to be made or direct me to any ideas that could be implemented?

Ideas from others are like that eh? They can be the greatest ideas but doesn’t mean that they’ll be the best fit for us, for our family.

Seasoned Speech

wonbyoneI took one of those online personality test quizzes, which often are a little silly but this one had me seriously thinking…

My score told me that:

41 TO 50 POINTS: Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing,practical, and always interesting; someone who’s constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who’ll always cheer them up and help them out.

Hmm, I wonder if this is really how people see me? Who knows? I do know that some friends, both online and In Real Life have told me that I can come across as opinionated. I’m trying to teach my girls about having an opinion but voicing it with discernment, grace and tact. Tehee, the hard part is discernment, grace and tact eh? It’s not so difficult to ‘teach’ one to have an opinion though, is it?

As a child, I often felt like my opinion didn’t matter…that I wasn’t smart enough to voice my opinion. This largely came from my experiences at school more so than home and family. As time went on and I started to mature, I found that there were areas that I could voice my opinion. Then, after awhile more, I found that there were actually some things that I started to know a little about…and had the freedom in which to voice my opinion! As is so often the case with me, I probably took it to the extreme – stating my opinion whenever given a chance. Thankfully, the Lord has pulled me up on this a number of times…sometimes it has been through a painful experience while other times a quiet, individual experience. But, I am learning that just because I have an opinion or a thought doesn’t mean that I have to verbalise it. I’m even learning that just because I might be asked for my opinion, doesn’t mean that I have to take the soapbox and proclaim it loudly. I need to use discernment in each situation.

Some things that I am learning…and am trying to teach my girls is:

Do I have any responsibility in this area/matter?
Do I have any authority in this area/matter?

Usually, the answer to those questions will dictate to me, whether or not I need to speak and if so, how much and in what manner I need to say them.

As an example: Years ago, as a recent convert to homeschooling I thought it was wonderful and that everyone (or as many as possible) should homeschool. I used to be fairly verbose with my thoughts too. Over time, and situations, I came to see that this is one way but the Lord, in His wisdom, has not decreed that it is a command necessary for salvation. So, do I need to preach it?

Years ago, I used mostly Charlotte Mason’s methods to educate my children, and I thought it was all the bee’s knee’s. However, I realised that it is only one way…amidst many ways… and that the CM method isn’t purely right or wrong or the only way nor necessarily the best way for everyone, so did I need to preach it?

There are so many issues or ‘hot topics’ that I have an opinion on and that are important to me…but is it essential for me to voice them? Do I have responsibility or authority to speak of it? Sometimes yes and sometimes no! I’m trying to ask myself these questions before I speak.

What is it that I want to speak about the most? A method of homeschooling? A style of cooking? A brand of clothing? Something particular that may have worked for me? I want to share what I’ve found to be the best – in life, in homeschooling, in everything! And that, is the all gracious, all powerful, all knowing God…the God of the Bible. This is the only gospel that I want to ‘preach’ for that is what is essential for salvation…for that it truly worthwhile. We don’t know how long we have on this earth, to do that which He has called us to do- may we make the most of our time and our resources. May we seek His grace, for our lives… that our speech would be seasoned with grace when we speak to our husband, our children, family and those that we come into contact with.