I asked the boys to set up my speakers on a different computer today. with John home on holidays, has has moved my laptop into his study so that we could be together. Isn’t that sweet? 😎 However, while cleaning the home school study today, I wanted to listen to Paul Potts but needed my speakers connected to the girls computer. I am actually quite computer illiterate and haven’t a clue what to do so I asked my boys to help.

The boys are usually most willing helpers at any time but especially with computer or technical type gadgetry related issues. I think it makes them feel good to be able to do things that I can’t. However, John was ‘helping‘ ‘Master C’ to do it. In other words, he was leaning over ‘Master C’ , trying to rip the cords from his hands and completely take over the job! I gently suggested that they learn to cooperate…no response. I gently suggested that they learn to work it out – fast!

I went on with cleaning. ‘Miss A’ was cleaning the kitchen and I started talking to her about a Christian’s way of not provoking one another anger or exasperating one another, about preferring one another in love. I quickly realised that she has heard it all before. Not to say she can’t do with hearing it again but I should have been talking to the boys, not to her!

So, I asked the boys to stop what they were doing and I called them to the kitchen table to sit with me awhile. I explained my thoughts to them and then asked them for their thoughts on the matters I raised. We then got to talking about teaching each other and how that needs humility. I mentioned that I taught and gave opportunity to both ‘Miss A’ and ‘Miss R’ to teach and that next year, I shall put that on my planner. 😉 I need to teach John how to teach in love, in humility…that a teacher is not a dictatorial boss but a servant. I need to teach him those basics of communication…that once he knows what he wants to say and who he wants to say it to, he needs to think of how it will be received…for that is the mark of a teacher. (Uh oh, I feel another 5 W’s and a H lesson coming on. 😉 ) But more than just being the mark of a teacher, it is important and basic communication skills necessary for life.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Romans 12:10

This morning’s life skill lesson took about 15 min, although it will now be an ongoing process of modeling (living by example), teaching and learning that I will be able to build upon. Today’s valuable lesson took all of 15min on a Saturday morning. There were no worksheets, tests, cut-outs, activity sheets nor any pop quizzes. There were no teacher planning notes or preparation needed. What was needed? A willing heart! A serving heart. A selfless heart. A willingness to stop my own activity and minister to the needs of my child, in love. A willingness to be proactive rather than reactive, for it is easier to deal with these things either before they rear their head or as it comes about naturally rather than leave it and have an ugly mess to deal with. It is simply living life with my children, according to Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

How thankful I am for these daily opportunities to minister to my children. Am I willing to stop the dishes or put down those teacher notes (or stop writing that blog post? 😯 ) and address my child’s need right at this moment? Do I remember that these lessons to be learned are far greater than knowing about Zeus or the Spartans or even the orbit of the earth? Each and every day that I am with my children is a precious gift…Lord, help me make the most of the time. Help me Lord, to treasure it, to guard it jealously.

What is most important? To teach my children about real life and the Creator of it all. If my child is not tending to his lessons and is being easily distracted, I’ll try to stop- observe him for awhile. The distractibility is simply often a sign that something needs to be addressed. Maybe he needs shorter lessons, different material or a different presentation of that material. Maybe he needs to have his attention span lengthened. Maybe he needs his emotional tank filled…there are so many things it could be. Stop, watch him, ask him how he feels, listen to him and then talk with him. And above all, pray for guidance. This is what I often do, but not always. It’s what I want to do more often.

When my girls fight or argue, the quickest and easiest thing to do is for me to speak sternly and tell them to stop it! But does it address the root of the issue? Oh, I need to remind myself not to be too quick to get back to those lesson plans or schedules for the matters of the heart do not follow a timetable. Sometimes…many times, I need to stop, watch, ask, listen and talk and above all, pray. Then after prayer, a similar process needs to occur: pray, stop, watch, listen.

Tomorrow or the next day, will I be willing to put aside my hustle and bustle to truly minister to the needs of my children?

Over the last two weeks, ‘Miss A’ and I have been dress shopping. This is a very rare occurrence for her. When she was younger, I tried to dress her in skirts or dresses all the time, much to her annoyance. As she got older, and I started allowing her more responsibility in her choices she has never been out of pants (track pants, training pants or jeans) or shorts. I wondered if my little girl would ever want to do those more feminine activities.

Guess what? She is growing up and she is desiring more of the ‘feminine things’. However, being an athlete means that she needs to be in athletic style clothes every day. (Ever tried sliding into base with a skirt on? 😉 ) I thought she looked beautiful, although of course I’m terribly biased. 😉 She doesn’t always find it easy to find clothes that are trendy and modest and practical.

Some may remember our excitement when our team (QLD) won the U/16 national Tournament earlier this year in January. ‘Miss A’ was co-captain of the team. Well, following on from that…the team was nominated in the QLD Junior Sport Team of the Year award for 2007 and as co-captain ‘Miss A’ was supposed to attend and prepare a short acceptance speech on the off chance they might win.

Ugh, let me tell you that dress shopping to fit an athlete’s body yet be modest is not the easiest task! We shopped all around out local area but ended up going an hour away (still in our city) where a good friend took us to a few places that she knew of. That was fun!

Yesterday was the big day. ‘Miss A’ only loosely prepared her speech as neither of us expected that the team would win: we thought that the more high profile sport teams would win.

We took a few photos and then dropped her at the Plaza Ballroom, for this QLD Sports Night of Nights, black tie event!

They won!!!! Oh yeah, how cool was that??!! I believe that ‘Miss A’ delivered her speech, accepting the award on behalf of her team, quite well and seemed very natural. She gets incredibly nervous whenever giving speeches, as she’s only ever had opportunity to do so a few times. (I gave my first speech when I was about 25 years old so she’s doing better than I did!!) She sometimes has a bit of a stutter, but she is fine when she’s natural. She only tends to stutter when reading aloud or trying to be too precise. However, I think that years of practicing reading aloud and memorisation work, along with the oratory skills that we practiced at home are paying off.

Well now that is over, she can devote all her time and energy to training for the U/19 Women’s National Tournament which is being held in Tasmania in Jan ’08.

To have a look at the photo’s from last night, click here:

Hmmm, I see that when my life is busy, my posts dry up. It’s that life is happening all around me and I’m not reading as much, nor thinking as much…I’m in a season of ‘doing’. I’m living life…just everyday things that I choose not to post about, nor would they be of much interest to anyone else. Thus, my blog has been quiet. I’ll play catchup and share a few recent happenings though. ‘Miss R’ started a part time job! Yes, she managed to get some work at the same place that ‘Miss A’ works, a cake and coffee cafe. I’m so grateful to the boss as he takes on youngsters and allows their hours to be fairly flexible, the pay is award wages and it is quite a relaxed atmosphere. Perfect for a first job. Naturally, we expect their work ethic (that is being developed) to be of a high standard. I think that the part time work for ‘Miss R’ has been beneficial for her.

Last weekend, ‘Miss A’ and I were at a softball tournament. It was the U19 Women’s State Championship and our team was undefeated all the way- including the Grand Final. Mind you, tournaments like that are never much fun for either tea: the party being beaten or the team who is obviously not being challenged. There have been some good avenues for discussion from that weekend. The end of the tournament also brings the announcement of the QLD State Squad. We didn’t know how ‘Miss A’ would go as she is fresh out of U16 but to our delight and surprise, she was selected! The squad trains together twice a week (as well as they individual fitness training and their individual position training) and then they have a weekend camp in November where the team is selected. It’s always a tumultuous time whether one is selected or not. While one is selected, another girl misses out. The QLD State Team will be competing in Tasmania in 2008 against all the other states. She has a lot of work to do in the hope of making the team. She also starts a second part time job this week.

‘Miss R’ is having some confusion over life at school. I partly expected this as once one starts to earn money I think that they start to view their world, their life in a different way. However, she told me that she hasn’t used a pen or pencil at school all last term! (She knows how I feel about things like that) Being a computer literate family means she is weary of all her lessons being done on the computer at school. She also feels that there is not enough structure for her to learn effectively- she is missing any sort of one on one instruction, which I consider to be weird considering that she is at a school. However, my thoughts need to be proactive and not just ones of “Well, duh!”. We will spend the next few weeks discussing her options as she wants to do well for Yr10.

The boys are just wonderful, pottering along slowly but steadily with their lessons. I had to laugh at John the other day. I asked him why he wasn’t doing his Flying Creatures Science book and he said he feels he needs a break from it as it was becoming boring and that he’ll pick it up again when he feels ready! Ha! I laughed and marveled at him, telling that he doesn’t get to pick and choose when he will study. But that’s really not true. To a large extent I do let him do that. I let him know what he has to cover before the term or the year and I allow him the room to do it (or not). If he fails, then I have the chance to talk with him about time management, character, habits and study skills which all relate full well to life skills. This way he is learning much more than science through his science book. A homeschool mum has to be continually on the lookout for teaching opportunities, ya know. 😉

I’ve been trying to watch my health and fitness. This is not a new thing…it’s a constant effort but also a constant failing. Nevertheless, I keep looking forward. I ‘m finally able to admit the real reason I want to get fit. I was kidding myself in that I don’t want to be fat and unfit to go to Adelaide but they’re my family – they’ve seen me at my biggest.

The real reason is my children and *life*. Teens are so much fun and full of energy and excitement. I can feel that teens are so energising but if I’m unfit it isn’t – it is actually draining. I want to be energised! 🙂 I want to enjoy every second of the journey of life. I want to feel excitement at everything, great or small. Being unfit sucks the very life from a person. I want to enjoy my teens, every fast-paced, energetic, life breathing moment with them! I need to be fit in order to do this. That’s the real reason. I know it doesn’t seem hard to admit but for me, it was.

Ah, spring is my favourite season of the year. I like summer but spring is so welcome after the colder months. With spring comes a renewed interest in getting fit, cleaning and organising the house, planting herbs and all those activities that signal the end of winter.

Potpourri is a mixture of dried, naturally fragrant plant material. Once it has been dried, essential oils are then added along with a ‘fixative’ that helps to retain the scent. I love the fact that potpourri is so individual. I can’t fail with it! Every batch I make is different and unique. It is an eclectic mix of colour, texture and fragrance: much like our family. 😉

Spring is also the time when I renew the fragrant potpourri in my home. I have big jars of dried rose petals, and bowls with a few other dried flowers. I add different essential oils to it. I add vanilla or pine or something nice to the one in the toilet and lavender/patchouli/ chammomile for the ones in the bedrooms. I fill pretty little bags with it and hang them in various rooms, including the wardrobes. I love the look and the smell of them! Every room (except the boys room) has a bowl or jar of potpourri. I even have some rooms colour matched! Some bowls have more purple colours while other bowls have dried yellow and orange flowers (the earthy colours) while most of the jars have deep maroon/red coloured rose petals. I put sticks of cinnamon and some cloves, and other spices in some of them too: anything that looks nice or smells nice! I change scents to match the season. I use those little ceramic/pottery oil decanters. They look nice but more importantly, they hold fragrant essential oils. You can put any oil you like and they emit a gentle, smooth fragrance.

I also put a few drops of essential oil, such as chammomile or lavender, onto a cotton ball and tuck it into pillows in the bedroom and the lounge room. The faint odour is released whenever the pillow is used. For extra comfort and sound sleep, I use the best silk pillowcase in the market.

If the house is especially odoriferous I burn a few drops of essential oil in an oil burner. These can be found for a few dollars in the dollar stores. Mix a few drops of oil with some water and let it simmer gently. Apricot, peach, musk, orange, chocolate and vanilla are some of my favourites, although it depends. In winter I use herby type oils as it makes us feel all clean and spruced while in summer I like the fruity, light smells.

I also use essential oils in a spray bottle of water. I use this to clean everything! Benchtops, walls, table, chairs, etc. For this I use either tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, spearmint or peppermint. It’s especially nice in the colder months as it helps everyone to feel ‘clear’ in the sinuses and gives that real clean smell. The mint types are excellent for use after there has been a bout of sickness like vomiting or diarrhea. :/

After making my own chai tea recipe I realised that it was a beautiful smell…so sometimes I make up my own concoction of spices and simmer it on the stove. Actually, I did the other day with a blackberry and vanilla herbal tea bag! I broke the bag open and gently simmered it on the stove. Hmmmm, beautiful! This is especially nice in the cooler months as the spices just make me feel warmer.

It’s lovely to have a vase full of herbs on the kitchen bench. One can’t help but rub them between their fingers when walking past and the oils are released and the fragrance fills the kitchen, momentarily.

I’ve also used a few drops of essential oils as perfume. This makes a welcome change to typical perfumes that are made with alcohol and are drying to the skin. I’m partial to vanilla and musks. 😉 Don’t use the cheaper oils for this though…I would only use the 100% pure essential oil on my skin.

The reason that I use essential oils so much is that my dh is very sensitive to unnatural or man made odours and it is something that will be inhaled into the body a lot so I like to be careful. So I try to use oils rather than chemical laden perfumes. I haven’t always used the expensive oils either. I used to use the cheap $2 oils from the dollar stores. They work fine, just have to top up the oil each season. I usually top up and refresh my odour producers at the beginning of each season. I feel that we can become a little immune to the benefits of essential oil fragrance so that’s also why I change it periodically.

However, more importantly than the fragrant odour in our home is the fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. As wives and mothers, we are the aroma of Christ to our husband and our children and those that we come in contact with each day. It is my desire that I will be as a sweet scent rising to God: that my family will breathe in the exquisite fragrance of Jesus the Messiah through me, as I am blessed by them.

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God?s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
2 Corinthians 2:14-16

Hello reader! Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

Oi Voi! For a person who has been going to church regularly one would think that Mr. Rudd might be able to answer the question with a straight answer. Surely the answer to a question such as “do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?” is either a yes, no or don’t know, don’t care!

I find Mr. Rudd’s response to be scary. Scary in that if he has gone to church regularly then he should have heard enough to answer the question with a yes, no or I don’t care. Or maybe it is just a matter of politics. Maybe the truth in his heart is not the image he wants to portray to the general public. Maybe he was momentarily caught off guard and wants to give the best ‘political answer’. Either way it is scary.

Question: ?Mr Rudd, do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God??
Mr. Rudd’s response: ?Well, I?m a – I?m a, a person who attends church regularly.?

If you want to hear it for yourself, head over to SBS and watch this clip. It is the very last line of the clip so keep watch or you’ll miss it.

Why am I blogging about such things? Australia is gearing up for an election and for quite some time now I have liked Mr. Rudd and thought he was a good candidate for Prime Minister. But I despise using Christianity as a political vehicle to gain votes and as time goes on, it seems like this is happening, just as it did many years ago when Mr. Howard was running for first time election. He too, voiced many Christian values and gained the support of many churches. Often, I post about things that are on my mind. This has been on my mind for days…so I thought I’d put it out there. What do you think? Am I being overly picky or is this an issue?

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:32-34 ESV

I haven’t been online much lately…too many things going on that needed my attention. We’ve been rushing around this past weekend, getting up before the crack of dawn to head out to the diamonds to watch ‘Miss A’ play softball. I love it. The sun beating down upon my head, filling my whole body with warmth…the fresh air pouring into my lungs and over my skin. Ah, it makes me wonder why I spend so much time inside, on the computer. 🙄

Some friends have gone for a long overdue holiday to the country. I am so happy for them and hope they have a time of rest, rejuvenation, relaxation and refreshment but, inside I’m a little green.

Whenever we move house or interstate I go without the computer, our tv viewing is limited and we are simply together more, as a family. We don’t have a phone, other than the mobile for necessities. I love it. Even the children don’t mind, although one likes to have their MP3 player glued to their ear. 🙄 Often, after time away from the computer, I am in no hurry to get back to it. I don’t really want to visit the forums or email groups again. Oh, I’ve missed people and catching up with friends but the things I’ve gained simply are simply precious. Ah, to be a self controlled person who doesn’t struggle with addictions and can use all things in moderation.

It’s times like these that I become terribly aware of the constant and almost silent hum of everything electronic. My laptop is quiet but it still hums.The TV reverberates with its drone, the music from the tv or the stereo or the MP3 player or the light of the microwave oven, the phone beeping at every text message, even the lights seem to hum with noise.

Silence is more musical than any song.

~Christina Rossetti

When we’ve been away, my senses and my heart are more tuned in to people, to family, to friends, to God. It is my prayer and hope that my friends will experience all this and more…but it is also my desire to change things in my life so that I can experience this daily, amidst the busyness and noisiness of daily life. To take the phone of the hook, turn the computers, tv, radio and lights off and head to my bedroom for true peace and quiet as I hear from God and spend time in His presence. I’d love to be able to go away for a holiday but at this time, it isn’t possible. Our next holiday will be at Christmas time when we head home to South Australia to see family and possibly to Tasmania for the National Softball tournament- it won’t be a time to pull away from everything electronic and really rest.

What about when there is a storm and a blackout? Oooh, my children get all excited and run around…for a little while. Then they start to realise how much they rely upon electricity. Me? i love it! It gives me the excuse to be quiet and rest. But why don’t I do that more often? Why do I need a holiday or a blackout to do that? Hmmm. In the meantime I do what I can but I’d love to hear your comments. So inspire me, motivate me, give me tips and ideas for how to eliminate electronic hustle and bustle while living in a family that loves electronic gadgets and technology.

❓ What about you? Does electronic noise bother you? How do you deal with it?

It’s about that time of the year when the pages of the calendar are flipping over quickly which, for the homeschool mother, often means praying, thinking, stressing, researching and considering options for the upcoming year. Many people start planning for Christmas or vacation trips or entertaining plans and somewhere in it all, a mother’s heart can start to feel overwhelmed or even dry up.

Sometimes as mothers, we can feel like we’re pulled and pushed in every direction…others feel like butter that’s been spread over too much toast. Sometimes it is just all part of life so we soldier on, but if this happens to often then it can lead into being part of a negative or destructive cycle.

If you are in the homeschooling journey for the long haul- if this is a marathon and not a sprint, you will need to find ways to feed your own heart and mind. By feeding our heart and mind I’m talking about continuing to learn, to be stimulated, to serve, to be nourished in body, mind and soul. Bible reading and resting in God is a must! Our cup can overflow with the abundant love and grace of God, but we still need to exercise our physical body occasionally. So, we need to consider ways to cultivate our souls.

“Mothers should cultivate their souls, that in turn they may cultivate the souls of their children.”

~Billy Graham

The things I’m talking about need not be expensive- expensive doesn’t mean better! The key is however, finding some things that make you feel energetic…things that put a spring in your step…put a smile on your dial…something that makes you want to get up in the morning…something that stimulates your mind or body… For some it is volunteer work, a craft hobby like scapbooking or quilting, others find that gardening or cooking invigorates them. Some ladies love to decorate and paint stencils along their walls while others might like to pop out into the shed and build something for the home. There isn’t one right thing that suits everyone. But, the difficulty that a lot of homeschoolers mother face is how and when to fit it into their already busy or harried schedule. Please share how you fit your ‘Sanity Saver’ time into your family routine.

I used to love playing and coaching softball. I couldn’t wait for trainings. I also love entertaining and having visitors. I love watching good movies. I like watching Sci Fi with my hubby (sci-Fi can be intellectually stimulating) I like taking the children to the pool- they swim; I read a good book. I like to write. I may not be very good at it but there really is something to be said for the processing that goes on when one attempts to convey their thoughts, dreams and ideas via the written word. I like to serving others and help them. I find this invigorates me. I just have to share what I did that has truly nurtured my heart. I bought myself the Paul Potts CD. I have never been a real fan of opera but honestly, this talented fellow is making me do a complete turn around in my attitude. I bought the cd, popped it into my computer and just soaked it up- I was so refreshed and moved by it. Opera and jazz are not amongst my favourites genres of music and if anyone else feels similar or is wondering how to introduce opera to the children, pop out and buy the Paul Potts CD, called One Chance. You can hear some samples here, but they don’t do the CD, or his voice, justice.

• Cindy Rushton has a lit of ideas on her site that you must check out!

• Mother Culture and You, by Karen Andreola

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28 -30

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me?watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Let’s encourage each other and share ways to cultivate our souls and nourish our hearts, bodies and minds while serving our families. I’d love to hear from you!

Whew, what a weekend! It all started on Friday when we had to go across town to take ‘Miss A’ to a softball tournament. That in itself is not hard. Crossing the Gateway Bridge is not my favourite thing to do. Not necessarily because the bridge is high (it looks worse than it is) but once you go through the toll, it is like a drag race as about 10 lanes merge into 3 or 4 lanes! The whole drive is about 50 minutes. On Friday, I did this twice.

Saturday and Sunday was also spent with me trooping out to softball, which I probably make sound like a chore but the truth is that I love it! A day in the sun, watching my daughter, play my favourite sport, cappacino, chocolate and a new book! What’s wrong with that?

‘Miss A’ was hit with a pitched ball on Sunday. So off we went to the nearest hospital for an x-ray. Four hours later, we returned to the softball grounds, said goodbye and drove home, with ‘Miss A’ hobbling along on crutches. Apparently she only has soft tissue damage with extensive bruising, but time will tell more. We’re hoping it is only that as she hopes to be back on the diamond on Sunday. ‘Miss A’ wasn’t able to go to work on Monday or Tuesday which suited me just fine! I loved having her home with me again…I’ll have her for a whole week.
Saturday night was a bit disappointing. Being avid Crows Fans (AFL), John taped the match of the final and we sat together and watched the poor Crows claw their way to a devastating loss. There was much mourning in this home, for the next few days.

‘Miss R’ secured herself a part time job, at the same place as ‘Miss A’ ! Im very thankful to the boss at this patiserrie, for giving the girls such opportunities. ‘Miss R’ did an extra shift on Monday, to help cover for ‘Miss A’ ‘s absence.

Tonight we’re off to the school Music Night where ‘Miss R’ is going to be singing, in front of a live audience for the first time ever. To say she is nervous is an understatement. She has sung in the school choir before, but this is just her and one other girl.

Life is busy and full at the moment, and I haven’t had much time for writing or reading which doesn’t necessarily make for the most interesting blog, considering the caution I use when choosing to share a little of our life. 😉

Bless you,

To the person who is visiting this site and using the information and ideas contained therein, to promote their own website or forum without giving due credit I would ask again that you stop it. You know who you are. My site stats know who you are too. You can see that I write not for my own glory but for the encouragement of others. You can see that after the most recent activity of plagiarism I wrote a new copyright page and have joined copyscape. I see that you have indeed taken these same ideas and put them on to your own forum. I have always tried to acknowledge those who have helped or inspired or ministered to me in some way. Anyone who visits this blog would know that I have been deeply inspired by the writings of Robin Sampson and Sally Clarkson- I don’t try to hide that in any way. I believe that imitation is a form of flattery so I am slightly flattered that you choose to draw inspiration from my site, but it would be nice to treat others in the same way you would like to be treated. If you have put up a copyscape icon it means that you’d like others to treat your writings and content with respect. I would like to think that you would do likewise with my content.

To those who have no idea what I am raving on about, please ignore this post and I’ll get back to regular blogging soon. 😉

SSSS Blog Meme

Here are a few blogs that I was really touched by or ministered to by this week. They’re in no particular order.

Margaret’s blog is one of those places where I will usually get a laugh (I don’t count on it, but it usually happens). However, after the chuckle has gone I am often left with a deeper insight than before I visited her blog.

Today, Margaret has written about Gomez Addams, from the Addams Family (who doesn’t like that show?) being a homeschool advocate. It’s funny but there’s also food for thought. Don’t take my word for it- pop over and visit her. Leave a comment if you liked what you read.

Phyllis wrote about Sowing and Reaping over on her blog. I was encouraged yet challenged by her post.

?If we focus on our needs, we will always be needy,? As I read this to my children this morning I was stopped in my tracks by what a profound statement it is, yet this is often where I find myself stuck.

Sally Clarkson over at Wholeheart Moms always motivates, inspired and encourages me and her post, Getting Back to Basics was no different.

I have pondered, lately, what I observe in many of the children that I meet along the way, how they reflect their mother?s philosophy of education and life. If you don?t start with the end in mine?what you want to see produced in your children?s lives, then you won?t build the right things along the way. I see so many sweet young moms going to these homeschooling fairs and piling themselves up with all sorts of colorful curriculum and work books?and even other moms who think they will accomplish their goals by using videos. Yet, the pioneering spirit of homeschooling, seems to be lost and I see the choice of these materials having an ill effect on so many children.

I purchased an inexpensive ebook to share with my daughters from Sheri Prescott. We have done a few of these type of books before but it has been awhile since our last one so I thought her new ebook looked good. It is!

How To Be a Super Model: A Guide To Inner Beauty. My goal is to encourage and challenge young women to seek Jesus with their whole hearts; modeling their lives after Him.

Well, that’s about it for me and the SSSS blog meme. Now that I have participated in one I will make sure I continue. if you have no idea what I’m talking about you can visit Robin’s blog for more information.

Sally Clarkson has written a beautiful blog post that I just knew needed to be spread far and wide. So while I will include excerpts from the post here please go and read the full entry, which you’ll find at: Sally’s blog

I have pondered, lately, what I observe in many of the children that I meet along the way, how they reflect their mother’s philosophy of education and life. If you don’t start with the end in mind, what you want to see produced in your children’s lives, then you won’t build the right things along the way. I see so many sweet young moms going to these homeschooling fairs and piling themselves up with all sorts of colorful curriculum and work books’ and even other moms who think they will accomplish their goals by using videos. Yet, the pioneering spirit of homeschooling, seems to be lost and I see the choice of these materials having an ill effect on so many children.

One of the problems of homeschooling today, is that it became big business and so all sorts of companies developed materials to tempt moms, who have so many feelings of inadequacy, to buy. The more of these curriculums a moms buys, the more stress she is putting on herself, because she will surely expand her feelings of inadequacy each month because of all the pages of assignments she will not finish. Multiplying guilt and inadequacy is never a formula for success in my book. More options does not necessarily mean more excellence.

Just because we now have hundreds of channels on television doesn’t mean the quality of shows has improved more doesn’t always mean better. This is also true of education. Plying your life with myriad activities and opportunities and lessons and classes are costly in time, money, and peace. Choosing wisely a few focussed activities, and choosing the make home the center and priority of a mom’s life is the wisest, most historically and classically soothing way to build peace in the home and godly character in a child.

There is no substitute for a mom diving into great thoughts, with her children, and passionately discussing these together. If one of our primary goals for our children is to inspire them to love learning and to give them a passion about knowing and learning and creating, then this passion is caught when taught by a living, breathing, responsive person. No child or adult can get as much inspiration, personal attention or focussed attention from a video or online school. Now I am not saying that these things cannot be employed for some of the education or for a few subjects in which a mom and child can benefit from the expertise of others (and mainly in the high school years or for math tables or language study).

But, if we replace the love and care and encouragement and passion that comes from a mother’s heart to her children with a machine, we cannot expect to have the same heart and character results. Jesus’ impact on his disciples was because of the personal heart and mind and relationship and life time He had with His disciples. Can you imagine Him putting them on a video and telling them, “At the end of this multimedia course, you will be expected to give up your life for the cause of my Father, who is in heaven.” No, indeed. They gave their lives for His cause because He loved His own and shared His whole life with them. He befriended them, cared for them, instructed them.

Your children are pre-wired to looking to you for love and approval and inspiration and care, they want you most of all. Your heart, your imagination, your joy, your love, your direction. May God so fill your heart, and give rest to your body, so that you will always have the resources from His Holy Spirit, from which your precious ones may have life to draw from.

Have you been blessed by Sally Clarkson’s books? If you haven’t had opportunity to read them yet, you need to! Buy yourself one or more as part of ‘parent training’ if you need to justify. Just get a copy of Sally’s most recent books. You’ll be glad you did.

Whew! What a few weeks it has been. A few weeks ago, we went to Sydney to watch ‘Miss A’ play in a softball tournament for the Youth Development Squad for Australia. It wasn’t too bad except two children didn’t want to be there and are totally bored by it all (their idea of fun is not to spend 10 hours a day in the cold watching training and games- how can they not enjoy that?) and it was freezing cold. we did pop into Featherdale Wildlife park which was good but two of us came down a little ill and we had to leave for the cabin early. It was a good week of softball. We arrived home (to QLD), after a 1400km drive home (leaving at 3.30am). We plonked ourselves into bed (on the Friday) and prepared mentally for a rough few days.

We awoke the next morning (Sat) to laundry and getting ready to move house. We continued laundry and packing and cleaning of the yard on Sunday and early on Monday morning the sole packer arrived to start prepacking our belongings. It was a very late night. Bright, crisp and early on Tuesday morning, the removalists arrived and started finishing the packing, all the while bemoaning the amount of books that one family can own. They then spent the rest of the day and early evening uplifting our things into the truck while John and I stayed late to do the final clean of the house. ‘Miss A’ worked on both days and I really missed her help. ‘Miss R’ and the boys pulled their weight though with the washing of walls and yard work.

We all arrived at the new house on Wednesday and the fun (chaos) really began. The removalists just drop the boxes and have little idea of where to put everything. We could require them to unpack everything but by 2pm I was sick of them and just wanted them to leave my new home and let me get to work. Our first priority is to do the children’s bedrooms so they have a quiet place to retreat to and they can sleep at night. Then we do the kitchen. Suffice to say that John and I slept on the couch that night. The next day (Thursday) John got the washing machine going and made a fence to keep the dog contained and we started unpacking some of the 450 boxes of belongings!!! We’re about half way through.

John always does his homework with regard to internet connection to a new location and this whole area is serviceable, EXCEPT for this cul-de-sac!!!!! So being unable to survive on dial-up, he went searching for new ideas. We’re now connected to wireless broadband which is good but a little slower than our previous speed. Oh well, I’m just glad we don’t have download limits or times.

My house is about 60% unpacked and ordered. We had our first home cooked meal in 3 weeks tonight! / / /

Anyway, that’s the very brief description of what our time has been like. I stumbled across a cool section from TIME and it shows a photographic snapshot of 15 different family meal tables around the globe. Check it out– it’s very interesting…

Can you imagine a show ride that would be a mixture of the huge, fast, scary roller-coaster combined with the whirliness of the ‘Tornado’ ride? Well, I have my ticket and I’m preparing to board.

I tell you, life with my husband is never boring! My mother used to call John ‘The Tornado’ and it was exciting when I was 20. Now, it’s still exciting but it’s also tiring. I guess I can’t lay the blame all at his feet though- some of it is just life…life with children.

After much house hunting, we finally have a house to go to. It ended up being a DHA home, after all that looking around and comparing we did. Oh well, at least we have a house with a smallish back yard that is large enough for the boys and I to do a little gardening.

Regular readers of this blog may recall that my 16yodd is an athlete. She was selected to represent Australia in the U/19 Youth Development Squad so we are off to Sydney next week to watch her train and play. She has been training for this since January. I’ve been proud of her as she has matured through her sport. She now spends many hours in individual training- not because I or a coach is pushing her but because she wants to. She knows what she must do in order to be physically and mentally ready and she has been slowly and steadily preparing herself, as best she can.

We head off in seven days. We’ll be gone for nine days. We get back home and unload our bags just in time to start packing the house as two days later, the packers will be here to start packing the house! One the third day after arriving home, we move to our new home! How it will pan out is beyond my understanding. How I will cope with it all is something I do not know. However, looking on the bright side, at least it is something that isn’t going to drag on and on- within a few short weeks, it will all be over and done with and we’ll be settled into our new place.

I’m looking at schools in the area for my 14yodd. The local school has an emphasis on arts, music and drama so she is looking forward to that. Naturally, she is feeling a bit of a pull at the moment as she emotionally prepares to leave her friends again. In the big picture, I’m sure it means lots of life experience and life skills for her, but it is painful at the time.

The boys are excited…our home is in a cul-de-sac again, which means that they play outside! Yay!! We have no backyard here and it is a busy road so they don’t go outside much, which isn’t too exciting if you’re a boy! We’re looking at planting a few herbs and vegetables once we get settled.

Me? I’m looking forward to being somewhere longer than 12 months. This posting is at minimum 18months with a possibility of 3 years, so I find that pretty exciting. Did I mention that I love the weather here? Yesterday, the coldest period was 9 degrees but in poor ACT 8 degrees was the warmest! Oh, while I love my friends in Canberra I don’t miss the weather.

If I don’t post often over the next month, this is why. Going away and moving house can have that effect. 🙂

We saw a brief report on the opening of the new Creation Museum in the US. Not only are we Creationists but take a slight special interest in Ken Ham as he was instrumental in John’s conversion to Christianity many years ago.

I couldn’t believe that there were protesters present at the opening of the museum. Christian’s are often called fanatics and I can see how that is, but I also don’t understand the depth of the anger that some protesters displayed. The museum is not committing acts of murder or injustice…it simply presents the biblical alternative to the history of the world. Creation / Evolution certainly hits at the crux of everyone’s core beliefs.

We’ve used a few good resources. Answers in Genesis always have great, thorough resources, especially It All Begins with Genesis but Heart of Wisdom (the store is called Homeschool-Books.com) also has a wonderful study. When is the last time you discussed Evolution theories with your children? Do you children study Creation? What resources have you used?
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I’d like to encourage you to talk with your children today or over the weekend, of the beauty, the majesty and the wonder of God’s creation. It is my hope and prayer that the first eleven chapters of Genesis will not just be a nice story that our children recite rather that they will be well versed in the science of creation and be that they will be equipped to answer objections and untruths.

I spent the first 18 years of my life in one town, one house. Very secure and stable. I married my dear husband and have moved around ever since!

In the last 6 years we have moved house 4 times…and we’re off again! Some might say that it doesn’t really count if you’re only moving 10 kms away but when you are a homeshcooling family (books and computers), it really does count!

All the moves are unsettling to the older children. There’s no easy way to say it. I’d like to not complain but it is hard on them. They want to put down some roots, which can be important in knowing one’s identity. Instead, they’ll have to change school (my 14yod attends school), make new friends yet again, find a new church and youth group, and get a new part time job. We’ve only been in this house for 12 months. My girls do a fantastic job of handling all this, each in their own way, but it would be nice to be in one place for a few years.

We have always tried to find positives in each move, even though at times this has been hard. Doing this though has been a great teacher- our children have learned to look for the positives in situations…even situations that are out of our control. We remind them that are having the opportunity to not only see parts of our beautiful country but to live in the state and city and truly experience it. This is far different to a quick holiday.

So over the next month or so, if I’m not around much it will be because I’m busy packing again.