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Month: May 2008

Our unschooling teen: day in the life of…


Leonie posted a day in the life of her unschooled teen. I enjoyed reading it so thought I’d ask ‘Miss A’ ‘s permission to write her day. Some days are similar to this and other days are completely different to this. Now she is working again, (she had to leave her other job to relocate to SA) our rhythm is changing again. It’s been fantastic to have her home with me full time and we did make the most of it knowing that she’d go back to work soon.

She awoke at 7am and did some stretching and then when straight into her morning workout. Today was resistance training using free weights. Then she made herself an omelette for breakfast. She did a quick check of her online forums and email. And yes, she can actually do a brief check, unlike me! Then, she went off to clean her room and get ready for work. She then came out and did some research reading on the subject of coffee and beans and then wrote on her blog about it. This of course, led to her experimenting with our machine to get the ‘perfect crema’ from the espresso. While she was there she made the rest of us cappuccino’s and hot chocolate for the boys while we sat and talked about…coffee! We were talking about making our own blends and what particular roasts are good to blend.

Then it was time to go to work. She starts at 12pm but we needed to zip over to the coffee shop and buy some freshly roasted beans…I dropped her off at work a few minutes early so we had 15 minutes to sit for and talk. This was a short chat but we girls can get straight to the heart of the matter, discussing emotionally deep and personal issues. I love these chats and she loves to hear my thoughts on things and she mostly wants to hear what the Bible has to say on the many things that go through her mind. Today she has a 4 hour shift so she’ll finish at 4pm. While on the way back home I got a call from the school. ‘Miss R’ isn’t well and I stop off at the school to pick the poor poppit up and bring her home.

Meanwhile, the boys had tended to their morning chores and did some reading and while I was zipping ‘Miss A’ to work they found the family tent and set it up. This is a large tent and it took them awhile but they want to ‘camp out’ tonight. 🙂 So ‘Miss R’ I arrived home – we all regroup and then have lunch. (1pm)

(4.30pm) John (dh) picked ‘Miss A’ up while on his way home from work and they arrive home by 5pm, by which time I have the cappuccino machine ready to pour all the coffee’s and we sit together and discuss everyone’s day.’Miss A’ does another quick check of her email & Internet (and is totally excited as she receives an email from a good friend who wants to come and stay for a few days- a friend from Brisbane. She responds excitedly) Then she helps with setting the table and meal preparation, all the while involved in family discussion. Our tea times are always loud and rowdy with most of us giving our opinion on anything and everything. I was fairly organised so there wasn’t an awful mess to clean up after tea. All the children contribute toward cleaning up. This is great but it’s awfully noisy!

After tea, ‘Miss A’ popped on the treadmill and did a 30min cardio workout. She listened to some praise music while running and then comes out to tell me some thoughts she’s been having about a scripture. Then she sat with me and we watched some TV while surfing the ‘net on her laptop. She’s heavily researching and learning about coffee and barista work as this is an area she wants to go further in. She is tinkering with the idea of one day opening up her own coffee shop. She talks to me incessantly about her dreams, ideas and passions. We laugh together at the sometimes corniness of it all…but it’s what we do. It’s what makes us have such a close relationship. We live together, laugh together, dream together and sometimes, cry together.

She headed off to bed with a good book (she’s on book 5 in the Gods and Kings series). Problem is; she often stays awake until the early hours reading these good books! But these books have been such a source of inspiration and knowledge…we speak about it frequently and share our learning from these books.

‘Miss A’ is mostly self managed but she likes me to be involved. I don’t mind because I know that she is an independent learner and capable person but she simply *likes* to have me around. Today she didn’t do any fitness reading and writing but on another day she will. She also didn’t do any of the Business Maths that she has on the go but she will at another time. Another day she will do Bible study and/or cook a family meal or go and do the shopping or help me with the housework or do some work with the boys. Each day is different but is packed with learning activities. Her days simply don’t look like a structured schooly system…but I know she is learning and she knows it too. It works well for her and for us as a family. The day doesn’t sound that interesting or exciting and truth is, it probably isn’t. It’s the relationships within the day that make it all worthwhile…the manner in which she lives her day- full of purpose, knowing that she is operating in and developing her passions and God given talents, while strengthening her weaknesses. I’ve found that over the course of the semester or the year she delves into most, if not all, subject areas. She has grown as a person, as a daughter of the King. And in the end, we’re all thankful for the ability and opportunity to be home-based-learners.

What about you? Care to share a day in the life of your teen? (With their permission, of course)

General update

Family. Oh I praise the Lord for family.

'Miss A' 's latte art

My father has been with us for two weeks. After not seeing him for nearly 2 years, I am enjoying his company immensely. I’ve learned so much about myself, my family and my dad over the last few weeks.

What else has kept me from blogging? I presented a workshop on Discipleship based / Identity Directed Education at the South Australian Exploring Approaches to education Seminar which celebrated National Home Education week. I’ve been meaning to upload the workshop notes to the blog and I will…just haven’t gotten much time here of late.

‘Miss A’ has a new job, at a Cafe. She has an intense passion for coffee- real, true coffee. Yes, most of us just drink it but she lives it, breathes it, reads it and writes it! Not only does she make good coffee but she now wants to do her own roasting of green beans. What next?

‘Master C’ has been getting into photography again. I’ve found that all of our children have enjoyed playing with a camera, but some of ‘Master C’ ‘s photo’s are simply outstanding. He’s going to team with ‘Miss A’ soon and take photo’s of her latte art.

'Master C' 's picture of a leaf in our yard.

I have only just this weekend gotten around to arranging most of the books into their proper book cases. There are still a few boxes to go but I’m getting there.

That’s about it for now…I’ll upload the notes later.

Mother's Day: Part Two

How was your Mother’s Day?

I woke to yummy smell of pancakes and maple syrup with cappuccino. The children got up early and made breakfast in bed for me. It was lovely. It’s great to see the children working together on a common goal- that of blessing someone else.

I spent a large part of the day in the kitchen. This was my choice. I cooked up an Indian style feast for tea that night. I did this to bless my family. Before the meal I spoke a few words of thanks and appreciation to my husband and children…I affirmed them, made eye contact and spoke of my love for them. I explained that without them Mother’s day wouldn’t be, for me. I don’t write this to boast, rather to offer another side of me and my family. I had previously written about Mother’s day and that post is true…but as can happen with this medium, it is only one side of the story. I want to offer the same story but from another side or angle.

photo0090When John and I first got married, we wanted to start a family as soon as possible. But it didn’t happen. Each month would see me sad and teary. I desperately wanted to have a child and be a mother. It was 2 years before we conceived. Those two Mother’s Days were very sad for me. Oh, I would honour my own mother and my mother-in-law but it was also a painfully emotional time for me. Even now I remember the pain and the hurt that I felt. That pain doesn’t affect me now…I do not feel the sting of it but I do remember how it felt. And that in turn causes me to be so very appreciative and thankful for the four blessings that I do have. And I’m also reminded of the daunting task before me…that of parenting. Thankfully, God has the paths of my children firmly in His grasp. While I have a task, a duty, a responsibility, a privilege, God already knows their path and He is responsible for their salvation, not me.


How did you spend your Mother’s day? Have you learned any lessons from your own mum or mother-figure in your life? What did you ‘teach’ your children on this day? I’d love to hear from you.

Happy Mother's Day

May you have a blessed Mother’s Day today!

I thought I’d repost something that I wrote last year regarding Mother’s day. I originally posted it just before Mother’s Day but the principle is the same.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner. What are you planning?

My mother isn’t on this earth any more. She graduated and went to be with the Lord nearly 10 years ago. While she was here with us, my children had opportunity to see for themselves how I still honoured her as my mother. Now she isn’t here, I look for similar opportunities to teach my children how to serve and bless others.

Mother’s Day can be a day filled with self indulgent motives and consumerism which often teaches our children that money and gifts can buy happiness. I don’t want to impart this to my children. However, this day can also send other messages…ones which may not be entirely what we want our children to receive.

Some people have been surprised to learn that I encourage my children to bless me on Mother’s Day (and Dad on Father’s Day). While they are still young, I am teaching them how to bless others… impart to them a desire to serve. While I can live quite happily without being spoiled on Mother’s Day, it is for the children that I do this. That sounds rather pious, but it truly is my heart’s motive.

As a mother who chose to stay at home and teach her children, I am aware that this was my choice to live this lifestyle. I dearly want my children to have similar values. But if they see my life as not appealing…then how or why would I expect that they would desire it? If they see me moping around the house often, complaining and not living in joy, then why on earth would they choose a similar life? If all they see is mother being a martyr then they may ‘hear’ that the home-schooling lifestyle or even the lifestyle of motherhood is not one they want. Oi voi! I hope not!

I’m learning more and more lately how important it is to teach our children the value of family through our own life experience. The children don’t always see me as ‘a child’. Naturally, they think that I’m an adult, grown up. And I am. But I’m also a child and will be as long as my father is alive. But even more so, I will always be a child as my heavenly Father is eternal. We need to teach our children what it means to know God as father…and part of this means being a child, being parented by God.

My older girls have a heart to bless others and they bless me without any prompting. However, my boys are still a little younger (9 and 11yo) and they still need some guidance and prompting in this area. It is also good for them to learn these lessons as I believe it will help them to love and honour their own wives, when they have them. The day will come when I will no longer encourage or prompt them to think of me on Mother’s Day…it will be totally up to them. I hope I will handle that time with love and grace.

I’d like to encourage you to think about Mother’s Day. What messages do you send your child regarding motherhood? Think about what legacy you’d like to leave your children…what lessons can you teach through this day? Your children will not always be young, and the time for teaching these sorts of lessons will not always be so ripe. Make the most of it! Pray and discover how you can creatively impart life values to your child and teach them the important lessons in life. Drop me a line and let me know how you plan to spend Mother’s Day.

For the Children’s Sake…

Italian Pizza Soup

Italian Pizza Soup

This delicious soup is quick and easy to fix. Just add crusty bread for a hearty meal!

5 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 medium onions, chopped
2 1/2 green peppers, chopped
2 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
5 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/4 cups uncooked rice
2 1/2 cups diced or crushed tomatoes
10 cups chicken broth
2 1/2-5 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
1 1/4 cups shredded provolone cheese or mozzarella cheese
1 1/4 cups grated parmesan cheese

  • Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.
  • Saute the onion and green pepper until softened.
  • Stir in the garlic and cook for a minute.
  • Add the oregano, basil, rice, tomatoes and broth, and bring to a boil.
  • Turn down heat and place cover on saucepan.
  • Simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
  • Stir in the pepperoni, and sprinkle with the cheese.
  • Continue cooking for another minute or two.
  • Serve, and add an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, if desired.

If I don’t have pepperoni, I just add whatever I have – bacon, chicken or whatever. I ALWAYS add olives…it makes it!

This can either be done on the stove top or in the crockpot. I’ve done both.

Savoury Pumpkin Pie

Okay Jacqui,

Here’s my easy peasy recipe for Pumkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie

1 kg pumpkin, peeled,
1 cup rice (brown gives a crunch and nutty flavour but white is fine too)
1 egg
½ cup milk
1 ¼ cup cheese
salt & pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs.

Method

  • Boil pumpkin and mash, adding a dob of butter.
  • Boil rice. Add rice, egg, 1 cup cheese, milk and seasonings to pumpkin. Smooth into dish.
  • Top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs.
  • Bake 25-30 min in 180C degree oven (350F).
  • Serve with crusty bread and a tossed green salad.

Serves approximately 4.

I vary this depending upon what is in the fridge. If we have left over Fried Rice, I add that or corn, mushroom, etc
I also play around with herbs/spices like nutmeg, caraway seeds and lots more pepper.
Sometimes, I add parmesan cheese to the mix and maybe even crushed cornflakes instead of breadcrumbs.

If we have a vegetable soup, like a broccoli or cauliflower soup, made with home made stock, this will do us for a main meal…along with fruit or a piece of bread n jam afterwards.  😉

Seasonal Cooking

After having several yummy and nutritious meals lately, we’re going fairly light tonight and eating some of the left-overs. However, I’ll make a Spinach and Potato Soup with a fresh tossed salad. This soup is so easy and delicious. I simply sauté an onion and some garlic in a mixture of olive oil and coconut oil. I add half a potato per person along with a packet of frozen spinach. I sometimes prefer frozen veggies, if I can’t or won’t buy organic. I think they have as much, if not more, nutrients in them than the ‘fresh vegetables‘ from the grocer that may have travelled many miles before getting to my table.

If I don’t have any home made stock, I add about 1 and a half cups of water per person, along with a stock cube, pepper and parsley. I’ll simmer this for about 30 min. Then I use my hand held wand (blender) to puree it. It can be served with croutons (‘Miss A’ makes the best ones) but if we’re watching our carb intake I tend to omit them but I’ll serve a tsp of good quality parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. While it isn’t fashionable any more to have salt on the table, we do. I use an organic, unprocessed Celtic Sea Salt, which we may crush in the mortar along with some fresh herbs. This allows us to make up our seasonings on the spot. The children love doing this as they can ‘make their own’. 😎

I’ve been looking at trying to eat more ‘seasonally‘. To do this, I have to look at prices of fresh produce, not just at what is available on the shelves. These days, most veg is easily available but it doesn’t mean it’s fresh. 😡

Persimmons are high in glucose and contain good amounts of protein but none of us like them! My MIL gave me a large bag of them from her tree but we won’t eat them as raw fruit. Maybe I’ll try the pudding from this site:
Here’s a free download which will inform you about persimmons if, like me, you don’t know much about them.

Cabbage isn’t our favourite veggie but it can really stretch out a meal. The meal I use cabbage for mostly is our version of a Chow Mein. I’ll post the recipe when we have it next. I use Kangaroo meat, rice and cabbage as the basis for it.

Sweet potato (kumera or yams) is not only yummy but supplies our bodies with Vit. E and folate. Just last night, I julienned a sweet potato and added it to the baking dish where I was roasting cubed potatoes. We all love sweet potato!

Mushrooms are also in season but at $9 per kg I can’t afford too many. But pumpkins were cheap at the markets so I bought a few of those. Pumpkins are so versatile, aren’t they? We like Pumpkin Soup and Pumpkin Pie with Brown Rice.

Do you have any absolutely delightful recipes featuring these foods? Would you like to share the recipe, either by writing here or leaving a link to your own blog post? I’d love to hear your favourite winter recipes, or those recipes using foods in season.

Nourishing Foods…From the Inside Out

I’ve noticed that our eating habits change with every house we are in. I think it mainly has to do with the kitchen. Even though this house is smaller, the kitchen is bigger! I l o v e the kitchen!!!!!! Plenty of bench space and cupboard space makes storing goods easier but the best thing is that the stove is fuelled by gas! I love cooking with gas instead of electricity.

About 1.5 km down the road is the local Village Plaza where I have Woolworths and Foodland (Foodland is a South Australian Independent store) but they also have a few butchers, a continental deli , a fresh-food green grocer and a bakery. What more could I ask for? For the first time in years, I am able to actually buy the things that I usually cook with.

Once a fortnight, we’ve been going into the city to the Central markets. Many years ago, the markets overwhelmed me but now I am zipping around them with ease. I don’t know if it is because I am older and a bit more relaxed or that after traipsing around the nation, learning about new, foreign towns every year, that I am thoroughly enjoying the familiarity of Adelaide. maybe my perception of what was hard has now changed, after our recent life experiences.

Anyway, I have been thoroughly enjoying all the cooking and preparing of meals once again. My passion for healthy food has been rekindled and so I’ve been doing some reading of Nourishing Traditions again and visiting a few blogs- only a few though…I have hardly been online at all and I’m not overly keen to start spending hours at it again. However, I did want to mention a few things that I’ve been reading and doing.

Michigan Momto3 writes some very inspiring and informative posts on her blog, Musings of Home and Hearth. I know this lady and she has such knowledge for nourishing foods…and such a passion to share! Do drop by her blog and try some of her recipes and read her shared knowledge of books she is currently reading.

Reading her blog, I was inspired to make my own stock again. I toddled off to the shops and bought some chicken carcasses, came home and simmered them away on the stove. The whole family agreed that tonight’s Minestrone Soup was the absolute *best* I’ve ever made. I credit the stock. Something that I learned from Nourishing Traditions is to add a little vinegar to the stockpot as this helps draw the nutrients out of the bones and carcass.

With rising costs of meat, and the concern I have with typical meat from the butcher we tend not to eat beef or lamb anymore. Instead, we have always used ground kangaroo meat. But I have found the best organic kangaroo store at the Central markets. not only can I get ground meat, but beautiful roo sausages and diced steak. The other night, I did Kangaroo Pepper Steak with mashed potato and pumpkin. It was lovely! Tonight, I used the diced steak to make Kangaroo Stroganoff. Again, the meat was beautifully tender and juice, which isn’t always easy with game meat. Not only is the kangaroo cheaper but it hasn’t been tainted with as many chemicals and other yuckies. So, if you see me post a few recipes, you’ll know why- that’s where my head is at the moment.

Another thing that may be worth sharing is what I have been using to cleanse my face. Yeah, I know, who really cares right? But this is quite interesting. I had previously used Cetaphil with simple moisturiser but since coming down south, away from the lovely humidity of Brisbane, I have really felt my skin, particularly my face, become very dry. I would use the moisturiser but my face would just soak it all up. I don’t like to use a heavy moisturiser as I can tend to have an oily T zone. I had read a little about the Oil Cleansing Method but didn’t like the idea at first…after all my skin can tend to be oily. But I also know that oily skin will become oilier if not moisturised or conditioned. So I took to researching it a bit more. Then I thought I’d have a play and experiment with it. well after using it for a few weeks, I suggested that ‘Miss A’ use it too. She has now been using it for 2 weeks and she loves it too!

My skin has been very clear and feels so smooth. It isn’t dry any more but it certainly isn’t oily. After I get out of the shower I simply splash a little cool water on my face to close the pores and then I use Akin’s Rosehip oil around my eyes and the Simple moisturiser on my face and neck. Sometimes, I use the same oil mixture on my neck and décolletage. Oh, it’s also fantastic for removing make-up! Absolutely wonderful. Other times, especially at night I might use Virgin Coconut Oil. (I also use Coconut Oil on my hair at night- about once a week. It’s magic!)

I poured the oils into a jar and followed the instructions on this site: The Oil Cleansing Method.

I used the following oils for my skin:

  • 30ml Castor Oil
  • 30ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 30ml Grapeseed Oil
  • 5-10ml Tea Tree Oil
  • a few drops of Sweet Almond oil

Here are a few more links if you’re interested:

http://www.highonhealth.org/why-you-need-to-start-using-the-oil-cleansing-method-ocm/

http://www.thebeautybottle.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=2

As with anything though, you should do your own research first and then do some test patches before applying to your face.

That’s about it for now…till next time.

Please, please pray for Robin

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,

Please, please pray for Robin Sampson. Robin has had health issues for some time now and recently posted an update. She had to go into hospital again for a blood transfusion. Even amidst all these health matters, she still manages to hear from the Father and post what she is learning. Read her post, A Reminder of the Blood Covenant.

Robin is a homeschooling mum of 20 years. She has 11 children and is the author of The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach and the Biblical Holidays book. She is a fantastic encouragement to many. Recently Robin has had a setback and she and her family need your prayers. Please pray for them. You can visit her blog to receive regular updates. Her good friend, Kathleen, posts updates as she can.

Please pray.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**UPDATE** 7th May

Robin’s medication has been changed and she is feeling so much better. The medication seemed to play havoc with her emotionally. The Dr’s have also said that her heart is fine and she won’t need another heart operation. Praise God! There are still more tests needed to see where the internal blood loss is coming from so your continued prayers are needed. See all updates here: http://heartofwisdom.com/blog/

Mother's Day

How was your Mother’s Day?

I woke to yummy smell of pancakes and maple syrup with good cappuccino. The children got up early and made breakfast in bed for me. It was lovely. It’s great to see the children working together on a common goal- that of blessing someone else.

I spent a large part of the day in the kitchen. This was my choice. I cooked up an Indian style feast for tea that night. I did this to bless my family. Before the meal I spoke a few words of thanks and appreciation to my husband and children…I affirmed them, made eye contact and spoke of my love for them. I explained that without them Mother’s day wouldn’t be, for me. I don’t write this to boast, rather to offer another side of me and my family. I had previously written about Mother’s day and that post is true…but as can happen with this medium, it is only one side of the story. I want to offer the same story but from another side or angle.

When John and I first got married, we wanted to start a family as soon as possible. But it didn’t happen. Each month would see me sad and teary. I desperately wanted to have a child and be a mother. It was 2 years before we conceived. Those two Mother’s Days were very sad for me. Oh, I would honour my own mother and my mother-in-law but it was also a painfully emotional time for me. Even now I remember the pain and the hurt that I felt. That pain doesn’t affect me now…I do not feel the sting of it but I do remember how it felt. And that in turn causes me to be so very appreciative and thankful for the four blessings that I do have. And I’m also reminded of the daunting task before me…that of parenting. Thankfully, God has the paths of my children firmly in His grasp. While I have a task, a duty, a responsibility, a privilege, God already knows their path and He is responsible for their salvation, not me.


How did you spend your Mother’s day? Have you learned any lessons from your own mum or mother-figure in your life? What did you ‘teach’ your children on this day? I’d love to hear from you.

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