House of Bogwitz

Pulled between the urgent and the important

2011-12-16T20:24:00.000+11:00

or rather the urgent/important and the important

11 days to go, minus the 2 days taken up by family gatherings over the Christmas weekend, and Pete, the kids and I are catering for a group of 17 over 12 days on a Blue Moose summer mission.

9 days left to get everything sorted

Over 700 individual serves of food

I laugh at that number because it's a whole lot easier than 700 looks or sounds

I promise it is

Much to do of course, many lists to be made

but all up, easy done

I just need to be and stay organised

Keep a steady pace

Focus on the urgent/important things

Trust that things that are 'just' in the important list will wait

LOADS of shopping to be done

Groceries for the trip. Clothes enough for us to all be away that long with minimal washing

Cat food, chook food, baby food

Systems to have in place for milk deliveries, mail, chooks, cat, bins etc before we go

A garden that needs to be planted out this weekend so it can be at least a little bit established before we go away, or we won't be having our usual summer bounty of vegies over the coming months

Preparing the house for a potential house sitter

Hoping we get the house sitter

The back up plans of friends and neighbours if we don't

Family needs, hubby time, playgroup break up, thank you gifts, optometrist appointments, resting

People needing to hear back from me

Me not doing so because it's yet to hit the urgent/important list... it's only on the important list

At least I haven't put them on the not important and not urgent list :o)

Hindered by health, the increase of MS symptoms that has come with finishing pregnancy & breast feeding, the arrival of summer, and whatever progression might happen otherwise.

Fatigue. Brain fuzz. Visual disturbances. Bumping & falling.

Stressed?

No

Just aware

All enjoyed

Awesome opportunity for self development, training the hearts of my children

For serving Him

Taking the time to blog about it using up precious energy and focus?

No

It gets that out of my head, which has been going around and around all day

Freeing that thought space instead for the processing of the next packing list

Shopping list actually

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VERY Naughty Cake

2011-12-12T07:59:00.001+11:00

What's left of the Naughty Cake

I made this cake yesterday on a whim, just to see what would happen and 'would it work?' It did. And it tastes sooo good it can't be good for you... so it's been named 'Naughty Cake'

I had some mixed frozen berries that needed using up, white chocolate in the fridge and wanted to try cooking with almond meal... I might be able to come back with a recipe - but will need to make it again to get the recipe, as it was random amounts of each ingredient. I'll need to weigh the ingredients as I go next time... actually I will make it again for sure... I have my bible study girl friends coming over this week for a games night and I think they would LOVE this! The white chocolate caramelises and goes oh sooo yummy. Pete had *3* pieces in one sitting!!! Yes, Pete!!!

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Summer fun

2011-12-10T15:33:00.001+11:00

It's our annual weekend to have my sister's boys here - we have them more often, but always this weekend in December for their wedding anniversary. Sadly nap time is no longer needed for most of the kids... so I'm keeping them busy and the house quiet another way

(leftover face paint involved!!)

Home Ed Camp

2011-12-08T16:09:00.001+11:00

Last week we went to Karnkendi Camp in Nelson, near the South Australian border. I have no idea how many there were all up, maybe 50-60?? Anyway the kids had a ball. NO photo's were taken of anything camp - ARGH - but Pete did take a few pics of the day he took our kids to Mt Gambier(ish). I don't know exactly where they went but I know they had fun!

I LOVE this photo of our 3 eldest

While on camp I got to know a few of the other mums. No other dad's stayed the whole time but 3 others were in and out as work allowed. It was an absolute blessing for me to have Pete there as my MS fatigue hit BAD and I spent much of the time sleeping... only doing bare minimums by cooking meals (self catering camp) and feeeding Charlotte... and then off to bed whenever she went!

The kids spent hours playing outside in the bushy areas that were on the property - easily making friends with the other home ed children. Melinda also managed to read a couple of books - it would be more of a surprise if she didn't, really. Pete took the kids on the canoeing excursion - older children went on a 4km paddle, which I think M & Nj will be ready for in another year or two. Our guys just played around with the canoes in a 'safe spot', learning the ins and outs of going straight ahead and turning.

We saw quite a few wild emu while driving which was really cool. Especially the mum or dad emu with 4 (large) chicks tagging along. Pete and the kids happened upon this echidna which hid as they got close but then peeked out to see if they were gone.... this is the peeking photo

Pete also took the kids on a tour in the Princess Margaret Rose caves. I haven't spent much time looking at those photo's... they all thought it was really really cool... but all I could think of after seeing this first pic, was those GROSS anti smoking ads

see what I mean?!!

They were trying to tell me the cave was BEAUTIFUL! Ha!!

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Spelt Bread

2011-12-01T15:07:00.001+11:00

First mix together
1.5tb dry yeast
1.5c warm water
1.5c warm milk
1/2 cup honey
1tb Celtic sea salt
5tb oil - I use 3tb coconut oil/2tb olive oil

Then stir in 8 and 1/4 cups of freshly milled spelt flour (if you are not milling your own flour, you will only need about 6 and 1/3 cups of spelt flour as it is more tightly packed.)

It makes a sticky wet dough and is not something you could knead.

Make sure the mix is in a large container as it will rise to 3-4 times it's size, cover with a damp tea towel and allow to rise and then flatten (2-3 hours). Once it has flattened, keep it covered and place in the fridge. Use it in the next 5 days for 2-3 loaves depending on the size of your bread tins.

On baking day, scoop out enough dough to fill your tin 1/3-1/2 full. Keep your hands wet while handling dough so that you don't get too covered in it. Pull dough from the top and tuck it underneath, rotating as you go, forming a loosly shaped loaf and place it in your tin.

Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to come to room temperature for about 2 hours if your tin size uses half the dough and about 1 hour 40 mins if you'll get 3 loaves from the dough.

20 minutes before baking, heat the oven to 170 degrees.

JUST before baking, make sure your middle shelf is clear for the bread and place another oven shelf under it with a tray on it that you have poured 1.5 cups of HOT water into. If you'll get 3 loaves from the dough, you only need about 1 cup of hot water.

Bake in the oven for 45mins to an hour, it will be a nice dark brown. Cool completely before slicing.

After I've removed it from the fridge

One portion in the tin ready for it's rising time

2 hours later it's ready for the oven

Huffin' and puffin'

2011-11-29T08:00:00.000+11:00

We got one of these at my request. Once upon a time (literally half a life time ago) I enjoyed running. Then I stopped. Starting again is HARD work!! Using this will apparently help lengthen my life, yeah? At the moment it feels a bit more like death. Trusting that will change :o)

The kids are not allowed to get on it or even touch it.... so teddy will instead... got to love a 3yo's thinking!

2011-11-28T22:23:00.001+11:00

Sadly not a duplicate; I've just heard another precious friend is grieving

The joy and expectation of a baby on the way

The tears and sadness at learning of that precious baby's passing

The peace of knowing that in all things God works together for the good of those who love Him

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away ~ May the name of the Lord be praised!

Love you too my dear friend, thank you for sharing xo

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2011-11-28T16:31:00.001+11:00

The joy of a newly announced pregnancy

The tears and sadness at learning of that precious baby's passing

The peace of knowing that in all things God works together for the good of those who love Him

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away ~ May the name of the Lord be praised!

Love you my dear friend xo

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Planning details #2

2011-11-26T08:35:00.001+11:00

The next pile of importance... Education in The House of Bogwitz is about a whole lot more than academics. This pile is a lot about 'the way we do things'

The top book which is hard to read in the picture is A Charlotte Mason Education ~ A Home Schooling How-To Manual
There is at least one other book that follows on from this, but this in itself has been a helpful tool for me. Great as an introduction to CM styles, beliefs etc or for use as a summary that is easy to go back to for refreshing one's memory of the longer CM writings.

A Life That Says Welcome is a book about hospitality through all areas of life... developing a 'let nothing stop you' attitude. That's a part of our family's education foundation; without love, we are nothing.

Joyfully at Home is a part of the deliberate direction in which we are raising our daughters

Maltesers - YUM! I will say no more other than I have heard they are not sold in the US (sorry peoples!)

Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit - oh so helpful for someone like myself who does NOT have a meek and quiet spirit by default. A few 'ouch!' moments when reading but it's only by 'ouch!' moments that we grow, right?

Raising Godly Tomatoes is a SUPER helpful book about raising godly children... children that ARE the blessing they're meant to be. If any Aussies are interested in getting a copy of this book, let me know. I'm looking at a bulk order if there's enough interest. Buying direct costs about $42AUD for one book, I can get a bulk order for about $25/book delivered to your door.

and that's the end of that pile!

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Organized Simplicity

2011-11-24T05:05:00.000+11:00

(I must say that it feels rather odd to be using a 'z' in the word organised!)

I bought this book sight unseen, other than the cover, when someone I asked told me it was a book on their family's wishlist. Having similar values to the family AND it being a book on *organising* it became a *must buy*

Letting you know right away though, that it's not a book I'm done with. Not even through it the first time yet. So my thought's here about the book are by default, incomplete :o)

The books tag line is "The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living"

The book starts out at the "Intentional Living" end of things. It helps you work through perceptions vs realities of needs and wants. With check lists along the way. I LOVE check lists! I LOVE intentional living too - everything is a choice and getting the clutter of 'doing' down to a minimum has to be just as good as getting the clutter of 'stuff' down to a minimum too, right? For me, that = sanity

The book covers sooo many things, so if there's a chapter you 'know already', there will be another chapter that gets you thinking again over things. The book takes you through efficient folding of sheets, with pictures to match; discusses the rewards of simple living, having a home that embraces little things (little people!) and includes a bunch of great tools like a 10 step plan to decluttering each room of your house, templates for a home management notebook and a few non-toxic recipes for things like toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo and household cleaners.

...and to top all that off, it's a VERY cute book. Pretty colouring, cute size and a hidden spiral that makes using the book nice and easy.

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Planning details

2011-11-22T16:43:00.001+11:00

In my recent 2 days of Home Ed Planning time (bliss hey?!) I got sooo much done. Still more to do. Focus was hard at times, but yes, lot's of good things achieved. I LOVE when I get time home alone. That which I was not able to get done is all good because I at least now know what that is, and sometimes that's the worst bit of the battle of organisation in anything - knowing what to do and where to begin.

Here's a bunch of books from my original picture, to give you a better idea of how I go about planning

On top are my 2 diaries for the next year. I photocopy a few pages out of them so I can start them early. The small one I've been using since the Start of October and the large one with 2012 noted on the spine, I have just started in the last few weeks.

Why diaries and not an app? I'm a paper gal. My brain functions better when I can see it all laid out.
Why 2 diaries? The small one means I can always take it with me - important for managing a life of bits and pieces. Saves me much thinking time as I don't have to remember to 'get back to people'
The larger one allows me to see a week to an opening which means each week when I sit down to plan, I have the space to do it. Book work times, outings, errands and meal plans can all go in the one place.
Both these diaries are from Kikki K and I'm loving them because asides from the cute designs, the monthly view in them is as a calendar view, not a long list of dates which is what I've found elsewhere since ditching my Franklin Covey. A calendar layout for a month is MUCH easier for me to visualise our coming's and goings.

Next in the pile are 2 of my 1c exercise books (I think I have a 10 year supply?)
I use these for project planning. One of these is for the home ed family camp we're going on next week. Here all info goes... costs & budget, packing lists, meals for the road trip and meals once we're there (it's a self catering camp which is great because it keeps the costs down in a MAJOR way)

The other orange book was empty and is now filled with notes.
As it came to mind I noted WHAT I wanted to plan on my weekend, What has WORKED in the past and what has NOT, notes of possible read -alouds and shared-chapter books, the workings out of how long it would take Melinda to get through her LLATL and Nathaniel his Explode the Code, The workings out of our term dates for the rest of this year and all of 2012, MY reading list for the next however long it takes me to get through it and notes on the developing weekly schedule.

Most importantly was the IMPORTANT page at the front of the book which helped me keep things in perspective.

Next in the pile is my bible. This one is about a year old now after I had a light bulb moment that I needed a bible that was easy to hold and use if I was going to achieve my goal of reading it more. A heavy hard cover study bible is not helpful when wanting to curl up in a chair and read or do bible time with the kids while holding or feeding a baby. This one solved that - a nice soft flexi cover and not too heavy. Don't do anything serious without your bible near by. If you get me you get me. If you don't then explaining won't help :o)

Organized Simplicity is a GREAT book in which I'm still finding gems.... I'll share more on it tomorrow (I promise!) It's NOT what I expected in an organising book and it's a keeper :o)

Large family Logistics is a book that is great for anyone with kids, I'd say especially for those who are at home with their kids. It makes a great gift - I've bought 3 copies already! I keep it handy when planning because if I'm stuck on something a quick flick through this and I usually have a new idea that will usually work for us - Got to love that! Plenty of room in it to make notes too (though some hate marking books, I know)

Well, that's the end of pile #1... there's 3 more to come... hopefully I'll get to them soon.

George Washington Carver

2011-11-21T06:48:00.000+11:00

This is the 3rd book in this series that we've read as a read-aloud. I have enjoyed them all, as have the children. Being a biography, they get a little tough for me to read towards the end because, well... the person always dies. Makes me teary every time!

ISBN: 9781883002787

We all learnt a lot... about racism, death, human cruelty, gardening, saving, choices, needs and more. A great way to glean a little bit of history. We just read along slowly, one chapter a day over maybe 4 days a week. This book had 16 chapters so it took us a bit under a month. I'd like to go a bit faster and am aiming for 5 days a week for our next few books. It's not the only reading that happens around here... bible reading, shared chapter read-alouds, personal reading in free time, quiet time reading... not to mention sneaky reading when something else is meant to be being done!

It's that time again

2011-11-19T07:59:00.001+11:00

The house is empty, all I hear are the birds.

I have the rest of the weekend home alone to plan and prepare for the next season of home schooling.

Time to pray and listen so I continue to know God's direction in my part of raising our children for Him, loose schedules so we can tick off bookwork completed, choose the next few read-aloud's, get a bunch of photocopying done, go over our bible lessons so I'm one step ahead of the kids, get memory verses written onto drill cards, flesh out some real life activities and experiences, fine tune family jobs and routines and then print print print and laminate laminate laminate :o)

9.5 hours sleep for the first time in forever has hopefully prepared me well!

Let the planning begin

Keeping that puzzle moving

2011-10-13T21:14:00.000+11:00

Busy times here at the moment... much juggling and fine tuning happening here

This week we have bought bunks from Ebay and added them into 'the girls' room (was known as Melinda's room).
The photocopier has moved from the boys room to the girls room.
The tall boy with Timothy's clothes is now in the boys room where the copier was... but Melinda's underwear has gone with it so we have about 9 drawers to swap the contents of, around.
There is now a trundle under the bunk in the girls room (thank you Ebay again).
Melinda's room has been decluttered (again) and now today I have moved the change table in there... it being on wheels will make life easier as I'll need to move it to get to the photocopier every few weeks.
Melinda's needlework box is now to be kept in the passage on the bottom shelf of book shelves
We've sorted through the children's books (also today) and have 3 bags of them to donate to a fundraising garage sale.
We also found another bag and box of things we can give away. Ooh and just remembered a whole bunch of other things I can add to the car boot for that drop off.
I've figured out I will manage paper better if I can have a filing cabinet near me in the kitchen/dining/office room, so in the next few days the 3 drawer cabinet will be brought inside from the 'weird room out the back' and be placed next to my fridge, behind my desk
Only in that position at the moment.... is a set of 8 plastic drawers. So now I need to find another 'space' for them.
And because the change table is no longer in our room, we can bring the exercise bike back inside at long last (currently in the garage)

Still not looking like we will be able to move our bed away from the wall while living in this house though!

(oh - and we got chooks!!!)

(they live outside though ;o)

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Training My Children

2011-10-10T21:39:00.000+11:00

Not everyone 'gets' this... so I want to spell it out.

Children are always being trained 'to' OR 'not to'

That is: Whatever it is that they do frequently/most commonly with ANY given thing/task/event/etc is what they believe is right, and learn to do by habit.

So if my child is 'most commonly' getting away with being lazy in their given jobs, then I am training them to be lazy.

'Getting away with'... is exactly that. I might tell them to hurry up, get a move on, do it again and do it better (nag nag nag)

BUT!

UNLESS I insist on the task being done well and with speed, then they are 'getting away with it' and I am training them in laziness

'Insist' = to remove ALL other options

so... I can't ever say I 'tried'... I either did what I needed to do train my child well or I chose not to and chose instead to train them to live in a way that is against our ideals

- - - -

Yes, sometimes I need to sit down and nut out what 'insist' looks like in a particular situation with a particular child... but in the end, the formula remains the same.

I am either training my children 'to' or 'not to'.

So is every other parent out there.

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Living in a puzzle

2011-10-09T19:46:00.000+11:00

The house we live in is so small, it's like living in one of these puzzles

Nothing can move where you want it unless something else is moved first

Homeschooling The Sparkly Pretty Bright Yellow Sunshine Way

2011-10-03T18:08:00.000+11:00

A friend on FB asked me to explain what I meant by 'school at home' versus 'home education'... I wrote so much I figured I should post it here too!

Cut and paste from FB:

Remember - this is just a mix of my readings on the matter, my observations of others and the system and my own experiences. I am by no means an expert but I reckon I can't be too far off the mark. If anyone else wants to jump in and add, feel free!

Unschooling: Easiest to explain as it's so wide open. Strict unschooling involves no expectation of text books. So a student may NEVER use one. I read a few years back of a student who was educated with the 'unschooling' method, had never touched a text book in his life and was, after passing one entrance exam, accepted into university to study medicine! So it does work. Education via this method is all about real life experience and following the passions. Much can be learned through the actual building of a boat versus just studying about it in school, right? It would easily cover 'maths' and 'science' and probably much more that I can't even imagine at this minute.
Pro - if someone wants their children educated via 'unschooling' then it can work. I'm sure there are more pro's, like not correcting maths work LOL but with this not being something I'd ever choose to do, I'm not aware of them.

School at Home: is more like a prescription. Often a complete pre-packaged curriculum like the ACE materials you are using OR a variety of curriculum from different sources but still making up a complete curriculum structure like would be done at school, only it's done at home.
What I see/think (I'm sure there's more I don't know)
Pro's: Little or no planning involved - it's all done for you. The parents trust the source.
Con's: It can be unnecessarily expensive which in itself is not a problem if one has endless cash! If money is spent where it is NOT needed, then it can't be spent where it might be preferred i.e. excursions/experiences or just normal family household things.
There is more knowledge needed by the teaching parent OR you need to pay to have access to the providers telephone or online support program OR the child misses out.
There can be bigger holes in education that you're not aware of till too late - just as it happens in the 'go to school' system, anyway. This happens because "the work that is prescribed, just has to be done" and whatever the child is, or is NOT learning can get lost in just getting things done. It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that because the child has finished workbook x that they are at that level. The school system experiences this same thing.... I've read that in Australia, 7% of students in the 'go to school' system are considered illiterate when they leave school at the end of year 10. I'd not expect the illiteracy in 'school at home' as the parent should at least be aware of that - but I can imagine it in other areas.

In between those two extremes it's all 'pick n choose' on a sliding scale. There's still a significant degree of 'what suits our family/lifestyle/children' as there is in unschooling but 'some to a reasonable amount' of book work is still a part of the education.
There is soooo much in this middle area that I can't possibly cover everything I know, let alone all that is out there that I do not know. I'll try and give a few examples.

Each 'subject' would be covered in a way that would typically be chosen 'subject. by. subject'. Bookwork for one, real life for another, a blend for most (in ours anyway) Bookwork may be like a packaged school looking curriculum such as Math U See for maths but not necessarily done in a 'school at home' fashion of just do the work because it's there. When we use MUS, the kids don't do more than they need to and they don't move ahead until the know what they need to know. This means that Melinda who is showing a talent for maths isn't going to be bored by having to keep doing work she already knows and if another child in our family struggles with maths, then we can take as long as we need for a concept to stick before moving on. For me maths is a subject I want as few holes in as possible because if you miss out on understanding even just one key concept, it can hold you back from learning others.
English (or as it is now known, Language Arts) can be covered by a variety of styles of text books; read alouds of books that are advanced beyond their own reading abilities; reading of all kinds of literature, conversations about all kinds of things.
Science can be purely text books and experiments etc or can involve gardening, animal raising/breeding, baking and a whole bunch of conversations and finding out about 'what if's' and 'how does' questions.

Cons - initial work can take quite a bit of thinking from the parents. It can take some time and effort to become aware of enough options to satisfy the conscientious parent who wants to know they've picked the best options for their family.

Pros - easy enough to change anything that is not working because you're already open to 'seeing what is out there'.
Those of us that were raised in the system of 99% bookwork + homework (minus the % of classroom shuffling, annoying students needing discipline, days absent by either teacher or student etc ;o) can still feel secure with some bookwork basics in the areas we feel they are best used.
There's no deadlines and there's no being held back. We can have as many terms in a year as we like and just come and go as we need to around real life.
Because kids are not doing much or any work 'just for the sake of getting it done' (aka 'busy work') there is a LOT of time left for learning other things. Real life skills that so many kids are now not taught, time for developing entrepreneurial skills and so on.

This is a way of home educating that can sound scary and overwhelming because there is just sooo much you can know about it. Most homeschoolers I know do it this way though. Must be a reason for that I'm thinking!
It's just about one foot in front of another. There's no pressure to get it all happening in one go.

To someone who had a prep aged child and was feeling they need to get started on doing 'Something!' but didn't know what, I'd say pick some great books and read to the child every day. Find some basic tracing and scissor work, and other activities to develop fine motor skills to help with handwriting down the track. Get a basic maths book or print off some pages from the internet - there are many available and then start to educate yourself on what is out there. google can be great for finding out what is available or better yet, find a bunch of home ed mums and ask ask ask about what they are doing, what they are not doing and WHY WHY WHY. Gradually you will find out all you need to know to give your kids an awesome academic education AND an awesome real life education at the same time.
To someone with older kids, coming out of the school system I'd say get the kids doing some maths and English that you KNOW they can do, while you educate yourself and make choices as above.

When I talk/think about home schooling... I group the 'grey area' and 'unschooling' as Home Education. It's not really about 'school' it's more about education in all areas of life, if that makes any sense. 'School at home' covers things like the whole prepackaged curriculum way of doing things or the gather and create your own complete curriculum. I'd also group with it the other things like 'school of the air' for students in remote locations.
For us and those I know, educating in the 'grey area' way, is actually more a 'sparkly pretty bright yellow sunshine' way of doing things

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If you haven't yet taken the time

2011-09-28T06:27:00.000+10:00

If you haven't yet taken the time to watch the 33 minute film I posted here yesterday, then please make the time soon - NOW even. (if you're reading blogs, you can probably fit this into your day okay!)

Lives are being saved by this film, of this I am certain. Please watch it :o)

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Please watch (Please?)

2011-09-27T20:19:00.000+10:00

The lollypop

2011-09-26T20:40:00.000+10:00

A lollypop surfaced in our house about 2 weeks ago and it was quickly asked by every short person 'Whose is it? Can I please have it" to which I quickly answered (so as to end any discussion) "No you can't, it's mine"

Well Timothy (3) just can't handle it LOL

Every time he comes across it, an average of 2 x a day, he brings it to me "Here you go mum, I got it for you"!!!!!

Someone else is moving it too though, I don't know who... but it was placed by the computer today and now it's gone again... never mind, I'm sure Timothy will find it tomorrow.

Do you think I should stop the torment and let him have it?

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Someone has my 'bothereds'

2011-09-13T09:21:00.000+10:00

Hand them back please??? All I have is my 'I can't be bothered's!

2nd day in a row GRR LOL

Dishes to do, floors to clean, optometrist appointment to attend, bookwork and reading to be done AND I want to get my seedlings planted! Some of them anyway... wonder-hubby needs to do more weeding before I can do them all :)

I pushed past it yesterday and got done what needed doing... including rearranging a couple of things in my kitchen. Which looks good now, so I am pleased. Melinda even said to me that it 'looks bigger'. If you know my kitchen, you'll know that that is bordering on being a modern day miracle!!

MUST find my 'bothereds'... I think they're hiding in the clouds so I hope the sunshine comes out soon :o)

Treasured Moments

2011-09-11T19:15:00.001+10:00

It's been ages since I've taken one of the kids out for one on one Mummy Time so today I followed through with a promise to take Timothy out. I asked him what he wanted to do and he picked "Brown cake with brown icing pleeeease Mummyyyyyy".

After we found cafe #1 to be closed on a Sunday we headed to Zagame's and I let him pick from their cake fridge. He picked a cookies and cream cheese cake. We had a fun time chatting, eating, watching other people, eating, chatting and more eating. I really ought have taken an 'after' photo of that plate too! (and his face LOL)

I'm going to link this in to Treasured Moments because that's just what times like these are - treasured! Check out Erin's Blog to follow Treasured Moments and join in when you can.

Hubby and I had an at home date night on Saturday night - a movie and chinese takeaway... and little Charlotte even settled for the night more easily than she had in ages. It was nice to enjoy that time together without tackling one of the many tasks on the ever growing To Do List. The evening did confirm for us though, that we are needing to purchase a new dvd player... why oh why don't they last!?!

How about some plans for more Treasured Moments? There's nothing quite as special as family but girl friends are nice to have too - so I've invited a handful to come over this Tuesday evening for a fun evening... very much looking forward to that. Planning such a thing isn't always easy, guest list wise. Especially in a tiny house. Maybe I just need to do more of them again.

I'm also starting to pencil out ideas for the coming summer... picnics with the children, raspberry picking again and so on. Plans must be made or things don't happen!

PS Yes, this is the same Timothy as pictured in my blog header on the far right... time for an update there I think. Hoping to get my head around that one soon :o)
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Some Recent Happenings

2011-09-09T20:00:00.000+10:00

Shared glee opening a favourite DVD on her 9th birthday at the start of August ~ Swiss Family Robinson

A little fuzzy because sitting in a rocking chair, holding a baby and taking a photo is NOT a still event!


Mid-chat... she's a girl for sure!

She's in there somewhere - the boys LOVE playing with her

One of Timothy's favourite things to do is wash dishes :o)

Just noticed the boys hair - they've both had hair cuts since these photo's were taken and now have a style that looks more like Charlotte ;o)

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Cutting the grocery budget # 2

2011-09-09T15:20:00.001+10:00

Another Idea...

Add in a couple of 'dollar meals' each week or even more often... depending on how much you want to save and for how long in balance with health.

Dollar meals for me, come in at about $5 for the meal. For the whole family.
A couple of examples: Tomato Pasta Bake: 2/3 bag of pasta 66c, cooked plus a jar of stir through tomato pasta sauce $1.60, 2/3c shredded cheese on top 80c. Additions to this can be a drained can of tuna in spring water and/or a cup of frozen corn kernels, or some gently fried onion & mushrooms or stir fried literally 'whatever vegies are leftover in your fridge'. How about a Vegie Fried Rice... a couple of cups of rice, steamed, a few eggs diced after being 'ommeletted' (my word LOL) and then some diced vegies - whatever you have in your fridge which for us seems to be capsicum, mushroom, broccoli, carrots along with some onion and frozen peas/corn/beans. A few splashes of worcestershire sauce or whatever you like to use and you're done!

Spend some time brainstorming low cost meals you can make for your family! Baked beans on toast is about $4 for our family - including 2 large cans of baked beans... and if your family won't eat what you feed them, then you've bigger issues on your hands than dollar saving!

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A Desk for ME!

2011-09-08T22:35:00.000+10:00

At last! As of last night, I have a desk! Happy Happy Me :o)

What do you think?

These last 14 months are the only time I've not had my own desk space in (brain ticking....) over 23 years!!! As you can imagine, I've really missed it. And now we live in a shoe box and have added 4 children there is not much space at all and I'd all but given up on it.

There was a corner of the kitchen that had the old desktop PC which is 'going somewhere other than continuing it's life with us' and I'd laid claim to that spot for my sewing machine. No, I am not what you could call a sewer by any stretch of the imagination but I want to learn and sew more.

We went to Ikea on the weekend and I had to wait for Pete and the kids for a few minutes and ended up drooling over the desk section. And would you know it? One spoke to me!!! It was saying "Pick me pick me, I can do the job!". Pete didn't take much persuading, and voila! I have a desk. No space for my sewing machine to be left out all the time, but hey, I have a desk :o) and I will learn to get the machine out from time to time. Now there will even be space on the dining table for it because my desk stuff won't be taking up one end of the table *blush*

You think it won't look so clean for long?

Wrong thankfully - the special lid means the desk surface is hidden whenever needed, how cool is that?


This is what it really looks like when in use!

Similar to the school desk I had in grade 4 with a container under the lid but different because the front of the space underneath also lifts up. It's the storage space that is the desk surface.

The inside of the lid has pockets and is a pinboard!! There will be menu plans etc there before the week is out When I want visual peace in the room - very important in a tiny house - I can just close the lid!

I. Have. A. Desk.

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Cutting the grocery budget

2011-09-07T13:35:00.000+10:00

This is not always straight forward because you have to be able to live with yourself too! I could feed our family on about $100 a week long term if I wasn't so determined to go with the health benefits we've discovered of raw dairy, high protein and best practice preparations of grains and other foods.

However, sometimes I'm happy to switch to 'budget' of our dietary needs or 'super budget' and not do too badly in the health department. $100 a week for the 6 of us would be a 'super super tight budget' and wouldn't not have much room to consider our chosen food health. So something like that would only be a short term 'we need cash now' option. Usually I spend $200 a week on groceries for the 6 of us - yes, Miss Charlotte does count as nappies and formula are in there! $200 a week allows us things like smoked salmon, free range eggs and plenty of meat... so that's not too tight and gives me room to trim it down a bit if I want money for other things.

Here are some really easy ways to shave the grocery budget
-Toilet paper... I'm amazed at what people will spend on toilet paper. I use to go on the guage of 50c a roll being a good deal. Now with thicker fancier toilet papers it's not a good deal as you end up using more of those!! We use Aldi 16 rolls for $4.99 which is 31c a roll which saves us over $113 a year - on just one simple item. If I wanted to save more, I quite probably could. Because of different roll lengths and thicknesses, the best way to calculate cost & savings is to try different options for a week and see how many rolls your family goes through in a 7 day period and work out your costs from there.
-Dishwashing liquid... again, you need to test how long a bottle lasts you to figure this one out. We were using one skin friendly one (you can't get such a thing from a supermarket btw) and were going through it too fast. All this year I've been using a new one and have been dating my bottles. One bottle at $23 dollars lasts me 14 weeks, so $1.65 a week. I'm pretty happy with that, especially as it had been up around $3-$4 a week. I've used cheaper ones but they're loaded with chemicals I don't want on my dishes. We do a LOT of dishes here as we cook from scratch and I'm really happy with how this one is going. Again - you need to do your own testing/assessment based on how many chemicals you're happy to have on your plates and what you're willing to spend.
-Don't throw out food. Buy a capsicum at $6 a kilo? Half of it doesn't get used and goes in the bin? The capsicum you did use, just became $12 a kilo, which you'd have never paid in the first place! Dish small serves and allow for seconds instead of uneaten portions going in the bin. Cover a meal and make sure it DOES get eaten later.
-Home made 'takeaways' can save a fortune... Pizza from the shop is $17 for our family or about $10 with frozen slightly topped bases and our goodies added... Fish n chips about $25-30 from the shop or about $13 oven baked. Choose to adjust your taste buds accordingly. One takeaway a week turned into a home done one can save over $500 a year! What would you do with that $500? Work out your own 'no time to cook' meals that will help you save on takeaway, like frozen spaghetti sauce and shepherd's pies, and your own 'we want a treat for dinner' options like spring rolls, oven baked fish, dim sims, pizza etc. Put the thinking cap on, then remove these items from the regular menu plan so they become the treat or time saver you want them to be.
Just doing these things saves us $700 a year which means I can either a) buy higher quality foods like smoked salmon etc OR b) I can use the cash for other things... and that's not all the savings that are available either!

There's a whole lot more buzzing around in my brain but this is it for starters... remind me if I forget to come back to it!

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A crispy start to the day

2011-09-07T06:21:00.000+10:00

It was just 11.1 in here this morning at 5.45am! Almost half an hour later I've managed to get that up by 3 degrees so it's still chilly but feels warmer in here than the passage way. Makes me chuckle to think that in a few months it will be too warm for me on a regular basis :)

I'm nutting through how to best manage the summer heat, at the moment. Heat = stress on the body = an MS trigger. I know I can't solve it, but I sure can plan and work towards doing my best with it.

In the mean time, I need to work out how to best use TODAY! Normally I spend my Wednesday's at my sister's, caring for her 2 boys along with my own children. Today I'm not because my back still isn't good enough. It's quite a different feeling from last week when my sister and her family were away and I knew in advance that I was having the Wednesday off... it really was like a day off... but the last minute thing like this - not quite the same, is it?

I have a looong list of things I'd like to be doing here but I've been around long enough to know that in between caring for a baby, directing the children and resting & exercising my back, that I won't be getting a looong list done.

So instead my list for today looks like this:
1. The basics of food/clothing/sleep for the family
2. Back rest and exercises for me
3. Make and bake pasties

and that my friends, will make today a success :)

(ooh - it's 14.8 in here now!!)

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Blogging Sideways

2011-09-04T21:13:00.001+10:00

Yep, seriously. I am bedridden with a sore back and so am looking at everything sideways AND typing one handed so this is a little slow. That's okay though as I can't DO anything else!!

Pete has been back at work for 3 weeks now and that has been a crazy time of adjustments. I feel like I am finally getting on top of it, only to be now out of action. I've done my back like this 3 times before. The first time I was in bed about 5 days after a trip to the hospital. The second time was only a day and the 3rd time... I can't remember!

So many things have been happening here - good things, photo worthy things, big decision things, cute things... and more. I'm going to have to wait till I'm upright again though before I can get to blogging about those. And find some blogging time. That's the big thing I've noticed with Pete being gone... there is NO time! Some would protest that though and mention my frequent Facebook status updates LOL... well what can I say other than FB is easy. A no-brainer. I play NO games on there, I won't even look at them. The laptop is open ALL day, with 20-40 different tabs in use including FB and status updates are just 'thinking out loud' :)

Time now to try walking again and do some back stretches...

Meal Plan for the next few days

2011-08-20T11:28:00.000+10:00

Pete started work last Monday (Yippee!) and meals are now a whole lot more tricky because I can't hand him Charlotte at meal preparation time during the week and be guaranteed I can prepare a meal all in one go. Add to that the oven dying at the same time and we're still waiting on a replacement and meal planning is even more difficult. Muffins, quiches, egg & bacon pies, breakfast muffins etc are all great for plan ahead meals as are lasagne, shepherd's pie and more. Sigh.

So today, typing as I think... toasted cheese n tomato sandwiches for lunch
Dinner: chicken sticks on vegie rice
Sunday lunch: Ravioli
Sunday dinner: stir fry vegies n beef
Monday lunch: scrambled eggs on toast
Monday dinner: Honey & mustard chicken N vegies

I can't think much past that at the moment... probably a crockpot stew or something like that... thinking on Wednesday I might take baking ingredients to my sisters place and spend the day baking in her oven... if ours isn't replaced by then

Day One of Many

2011-07-18T07:10:00.000+10:00

84 days actually; day one of 84...12 weeks, loooong weeks I suspect

For the next 12 weeks, starting today, I am deliberately working on the weight loss thing. The Homeschool Lounge has started a summer weight loss challenge so I thought I'd give it a go, even though we're in the middle of a cold wet winter.

I was going to start with everyone else on Friday but life was so hectic that I couldn't start as I wanted to, though some changes have begun... so today, Monday, is my day 1.

My starting point: I have lost 21.5kg since Charlotte was born, a total of 23.5 since I got pregnant. I ended pregnancy 2kg lighter than I began it and then all the rest has just dropped off. My understanding from what I've experienced is that I actually lost the whole lot while pregnant but all the fluid I was retaining was making up for it. So basically, while I was eating well during pregnancy I lost loads. My version of eating well is not what we have been fooled into thinking eating well, looks like though. My diet while pregnant was high in protein, animal fats like lard and butter, some coconut oil, plenty of raw milk, yummy cheese and of course a good supply of fruit & vegetables.
Since Charlotte was born - 11 weeks ago - bad habits have taken over and sugars have jumped back into my diet. Not not NOT good. They make me cranky, retain fluid AND prevent weightloss.

So... my food intake now includes home baking, smoked salmon, cream cheese, other cheeses (my mum regularly brings cheese back from her visits to King Island LOL), Coconut oil, yoghurt, eggs, lots of vegies, some fruit, plenty of meat and beans, soaked where I can.
In general I'm keeping carbs lower than the average Aussie, though not as low as the very low carb diets out there. Dinners will only have potato, rice, pasta a couple of times a week and the main focus of all meals will be the meat and low carb vegies. Carbs will be earlier in the day. Protein will be at all meals... things like eggs, sausages, smoked salmon, cheese etc. Coconut oil will be added in as a snack a couple of times a day.

My 12 week goal is to lose 15+kg and along with cutting out a lot of sugars and processed foods, I'm going to be exercising... daily? and blogging it, to help keep me focused :)

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Sausage Stew - A Family Favourite

2011-07-13T10:25:00.000+10:00

This recipe is based on one I grew up with... any time we went on a camp with Youth Group, Dad would make up a pot of 'sausage stew' to take and share. Back then we were grossed out by it and it was an 'oh no, not Dad's stew again... so much so that when I mentioned to my sister that I was trying to re-create it, she was horrified LOL I am thinking, as I think back, that we were grossed out because Dad left the skins on the sausages... which then softened and came off in the stew... which yeah, is pretty gross LOL

So here goes... random measurements okay - you pick depending on what you're cooking it in!

1 Kilo good sausages - boiled, slit the skins after a few minutes in the boiling water which will help you to remove the skins. Once the skins are off, allow the sausages to cool before chopping into 1 inch pieces and leave to the side/in the fridge till potatoes are cooked

Potatoes - I have a 6L crock pot and use enough large chunks of peeled potatoes to cover the bottom of the crock pot, maybe 1.5kg?

Carrots - Peel and chop carrots into chunks... I use about 700-800g (I think LOL)

Onions - 2 large onions sliced

Put all the vegies into the crock pot and pour over a couple of jars of tomato passata, throw in a couple of Massel chicken stock cubes and about 1 tsp of Celtic Sea Salt.

Cook on high for a few hours till the potatoes are soft but firm (not falling apart!!)

Add in the chopped sausages and about 3 cups of frozen chopped beans

Continue cooking till the beans are nicely soft. If it needs thickening, do so with a thick tomato paste - I like Aldi's tomato paste, lovely and thick.

This will serve our family of 5 for 2 meals... I see a day a few years from now when it will just be the one meal!

Meal Planning for the week

2011-07-09T17:23:00.000+10:00

Working this out as I go... so a fairly 'live' blog post for you

Tonight: Baked beans on toast (This one was decided a couple of hours ago!)
Why: Simple, easy and nutritious as we find order in the house after 5 days with my nephews here. There is much to catch up on so I don't want to spend too much time on dinner when that time is needed elsewhere

Sunday Breakfast: Porridge
Why: Cheap and nutritious. Don't want to take the time for pancakes or eggs.

Sunday Lunch: Hot dogs in bread
Why: it's fast! The ones who need to have an afternoon sleep tomorrow can get there faster as we'll be eating within 10 minutes of walking in the door from church

Sunday Dinner: Leftovers (soup, lasagne, spag bol) and cheesy muffins if needed
Why: To clear out the fridge ready for the new week without wasting food. Cheesy muffins are easy to make if extra food is needed

Monday Breakfast: Porridge
Why: Cheap and nutritious. Don't want to take the time for pancakes or eggs.

Monday Lunch: Cream cheese and smoked salmon open sandwiches
Why: Nutritious - haven't had smoked salmon in the diet since Charlotte was born so we're missing some fish oils. I'll have been to the supermarket before this meal is needed (if all goes according to plan)

Monday Dinner: Beef Casserole and mashed potato with steamed vegies
Why: Easy to do as we focus on home ed for the day... and time for some good meat at dinner. Casserole is already cooked, mashed potato is already cooked and in the freezer as a potato bake so just needs to go into the oven.

Tuesday Breakfast: Eggs and Sausages; tinned fruit
Why: Overdue for a high protein/lower carb breakfast. I also need sausages cooked for a recipe to make tomorrow's breakfast easier

Tuesday lunch: Salad sandwiches
Why: Healthy, protein, vegies etc Easy as kids can help to make lunch as well

Tuesday Dinner: Mustard and mayo chicken with roast vegies: potato, pumpkin and steamed vegies: beans & corn
Why: It's a good day/night in our house to cook a meal at the last minute as no one is going out. We need to be home in the couple of hours before dinner for a meal like this one

Wednesday Breakfast: Egg & Sausage Pie
Why: Easy breakfast for 'on the go' as I can cook it the day before. High protein/animal fat so keeping to what works health-wise.

Wednesday lunch: Macaroni cheese
Why: I'm at my sisters for the day and this is easy; the kids love it

Wednesday Dinner:Takeaway Pizza
Why: We get home from my sisters at about 6.30/6.45 and need to be out the door by 7.15 for bible study, plus feed Charlotte in that time. Picking up pizza on our way home is a nice fast way to deal with dinner.

That's enough thinking for now LOL
It sure is easier to plan when I think about what is happening in the week and what meals work best with different types of days. Most of these things we have in the house - there's just a couple of things I need to add for this next bunch of days and all will be good :)

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Fire!

2011-07-08T21:06:00.004+10:00

The fun kind thankfully :)

A couple of weekends ago, Nj and Pete went on the annual Father/Son Pyromaniacs Camp with Boys Brigade. It was the 3rd attempt to do this. 2 years ago we didn't have the money. Last year we had paid but it was on the weekend after our move and Pete and I spent the WHOLE Friday night cleaning the house we were vacating, so driving on unknown roads and having a big weekend was not a wise idea for a dad on little sleep, so the plug was pulled.

This year it was all systems go though - and it looks like to me that they had great fun.

Building the huts

Just to burn them down!!

Thankfully they have the CFA on hand every year!

On My Mind

2011-07-08T08:12:00.000+10:00

Melinda enjoying being a big sister - loves giving the top up bottle any time she can

Click to find out more about 'On My Mind' and see what others have shared

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My new non stick saucepan

2011-07-06T17:55:00.002+10:00

Don't freak - there's no Teflon coating or anything like it that can add toxins to the food we eat.

Since doing some serious reading on the topic some time ago, I've been wanting to move away from our non stick pots and pans and have for the most part - I now use a big stainless steel stock pot, a cast iron casserole for stove and oven cooking, and a cast iron grill plate for frying.

I'd been holding onto the porridge pot though.

Stainless steel and porridge didn't thrill me. Or stainless steel and white sauce. Or anything else that gets stuck easily.

Finally I decided it had to be done. And it had to be a good pot, with a nice heavy base to avoid 'hot spots' on the bottom which cause a lot of the sticking.

And then the light bulb went off.

Saucepans use to be like this!!

But.... Cheap ones with thin bases became common and so then it was pots with non stick surfaces that 'saved us'.
Guess what? Using a high quality saucepan with a THICK base is no more or less 'non stick' than a pot with a non stick surface!

We don't need the non stick surfaced saucepans. We just need GOOD saucepans that will last us a lifetime. Look after them well, and any white sauce or porridge can be made without sticking!

2011-07-05T17:51:00.003+10:00

Remember the cake my brother made recently? Well this is his latest. Yep. It's a cake for a baby shower. Maybe MS isn't the reason my cake decorating skills have vanished over recent years... maybe all skill just went to live at his house?

I googled and googled

2011-07-04T17:11:00.003+10:00

and discovered that google actually doesn't have ALL the answers... or it may, just not all easy to find, if that's the case!

Once I discovered that the HUGE vine on the back fence was actually Kiwi Fruit, I wanted to know when they would be ripe and ready to harvest here in Victoria.

I. Could. Not. Find. The. Answer.

The closest answer I got was "April to June".

Well, just so you know.... where we live, they are ready in June. Let me spell that out so the search engines can find it... In Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Kiwi Fruit are ready for harvest in JUNE.

and if you're not sure about when they will be ripe in your area... it's pretty easy to tell that they are ripe

coz ALL THE LEAVES FALL OFF AND YOU CAN EASILY SEE THE FRUIT, it is NO LONGER HIDDEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I would have thought google could have told me that when I asked it 'how can I tell when Kiwi fruit are ripe?) At this point, they are YUMMY and READY TO EAT.

All 350+ of them.

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Home Ed Support

2011-07-03T19:36:00.004+10:00

It's so nice to gather with like minded home school families. That to encourage and be encouraged. To share the ups and downs with others that 'get it'.

Each Friday we get together with a few other families for a couple of hours play time for the children and a couple of hours chatter for us mums. It's lovely to see the children develop these friendships; good to be close by to help them develop in as healthy a way as possible.

Once a month I have the opportunity to meet of an evening with other home ed mums... we start by chatting curriculum and learning styles as they relate to us... and end up chatting about all other things... there has been a number of times when an innocent hubby has come into the room only to be soon blushing and on his way out again LOL

And from time to time we travel to Ballarat to visit with my lovely friend Marion and her children. There's much fun to be had with their family of 9, and I do miss our time there when there are some months between visits. We often stay overnight which is such a blessing - nothing quite like late night conversations with a girlfriend!!

There are other great links I have... a number of our 'family friends', such as our friends in Ballarat, home educate too and are just a part of normal family life now. It hasn't always been that way, it's a God-given answer to prayer

If you don't have support links like these in your life as you home educate, may I encourage you to keep looking, to reach out to others, to pray for the opportunity. To take hold of it when the opportunity arises.

Sometimes we don't need this support ourselves but we can forget that others need us as they journey the home education road themselves - don't deprive them of your encouragement and learned wisdom even if you think you have none to give. You could be just the answer to prayer that God wants to give them!

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2011-07-01T20:46:00.001+10:00

Much has been happening since Pete found himself without paid work... so much so that I'm still not getting on here as much as I would like. I'm reading blogs, commenting rarely and posting my own even less! I'd have thought not being gone to work 30 hours a week + transport of 10 hours a week would have shown up somewhere here at home but it seems not!

I must say though, I did manage to make pancakes for the first time in a couple of months, last week - Yum! the children had asked often as we usually have them once a week but breakfasts have been somewhat lacking these last couple of months.

Financially we are blessed - between the Australian governments 'baby bonus' payments, us being accustomed to living on little and the Newstart payments, financial life will change little here unless Pete still doesn't have work at the start of next year - How good is God's timing hey?!

It's been 4 weeks today since Pete finished work and probably one week of that (or the hours he would have been at work) has been taken up with job applications and interviews - he has a couple of promising leads at the moment but patience is required. We'll hear back by the end of next week - apparently.

The Kiwi fruit have ripened and so we've been harvesting them. We were able to send almost 200 to a food bank to bless the people requiring that service, through a mission organisation we support. There's still at least 50 on the vine after eating a few and having given at least 50 others away!! (Edited to add it's actually about 100 still on the vine)

I've attempted to get organised and back into bookwork with the children. It's almost working. Life revolving around Pete's job hunting as well as Charlotte's feeds makes it a tad more tricky to juggle than I'd like. And my expectations are low. Seriously low LOL. I must persist!!

We've spent a fortune these last few weeks too... maybe that's where the time has gone LOL We've needed a new second fridge for a while because of all the 'from scratch' cooking we do and so on. We planned to buy one brand new because they use so much less energy than older ones and we planned to wait till the end of the financial year to take advantage of the sales. Very happy to say we got a 240L, fridge only unit for 200 less than it's usual price of $600 and it has a 3 year warranty - bonus!! It even has glass shelves, something I love but was doubting I'd be able to insist on for this fridge, as price had to come first. Love it when God gives us the desires of our heart even for the mundane things :o) It's been serving us well for the last week... we just need to find time to unwrap all the shelves - looks rather odd inside, to be filled with food and milk but all the glass shelves covered in wrap and tape.

We bought Pete new glasses - he's been wearing an old pair from about 11-12 years ago even though he's had 2 other pairs in the mean time. One pair vanished while we were moving a few years ago and the other pair broke too many times. I don't know how he does that. Mine never come off my face long enough for either to happen to mine!

Also at long last, we got the lap top I'd been pleading for, for at least 12 months. The children need access to one, that is NOT MINE... so now Pete and the children share one and soon the desk top will go (when we figure out the best way to do this). I'll get that space for my sewing machine - can't wait!!! It was Pete needing to be able to use a computer away from us for job hunting, that finally convinced him that now was the time. And now it's been bought in time to take advantage of the education tax rebate. Love that.

I'm still spending about 50 hours a week with Charlotte, as a minimum... so time is still scarce. We've been buying bread since Charlotte was born but this week Melinda has asked me to teach her how to make bread so we don't have to 'buy the unhealthy shop bread anymore'... I'm keen to teach her while she's keen to learn, so that's something I'll have to add to my 'time for' wishlist.

Speaking of lists.... anyone else know/use Wunderlist? Check it out... I'm loving it. especially being able to 'share' any list I choose, with others.... like the 'honey do' list with Pete, as he can access it from any computer too :o)

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sigh of relief

2011-06-30T01:41:00.000+10:00

It's 1.36am on June 30th... FINALLY I have completed some long over due tax papers that HAD to be done and submitted by close of business later today. So good to have it done... now hubby can go and submit it

And I can stop thinking about it

and go to bed

till Charlotte wakes

...am thinking one of the most important things to teach the children, is to keep on top of tax paperwork

'spose I'd better start by setting a better example LOL

okay, bed time - night all!

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Sprung!

2011-06-09T12:54:00.000+10:00

Pete finished work last Friday - the solar company he was with has 'gone under' and so he was made redundant, effective IMMEDIATELY - I went and picked him up.

We weren't going to tell his mum... because we're not really worried about it. Her stress about it is harder to deal with than anything else LOL We live on little money (relative to our culture) and so unemployment benefits will replace most of the lost income until he's working again... so to us, it's an annoying hurdle we have to jump that really wasn't needed in our lives right now (not sure when it would be, but you get the idea I am sure)

Well, now his mum knows *chuckle*

She rings up, Melinda answers the phone and MIL asks for mum or dad.... Melinda says "Mum is feeding Charlotte and I don't know where dad is"... this then leads to the question "Is dad at home?"... only answer can be 'yes' to which she heard "I THOUGHT SO!!"

Totally SPRUNG hey!

Well hopefully we now don't get the usual: You're too old to be starting a new job, people don't hire workers your age very often, you're going to run out of money.... yada yada yada

Yes, I know it's because she cares... it's just no fun dealing with such a negative way of it being shown :)

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Cake

2011-06-06T21:58:00.001+10:00

Pretty cool huh?

My BROTHER made it! That crown on top - EDIBLE, made by him as well!!
He made it for a sweet 3yo's birthday...her first birthday without her daddy, who died almost 12mo ago

Got a moment?

Go to this link, look for the cake (it changes pages and we can't link directly to it) and then give it a nice BIG score... like *5* Stars to increase his average score

Got an extra moment? Be a little cheeky and check out the 'highest scoring cakes' that are on the first page the link goes to... and rate any others there as a *0* to lower their average scores ;)

Crazy Days

2011-06-02T07:14:00.000+10:00

Being at home for weeks on end, wondering if I'll ever get out of the house again.

Getting out of the house again, everything taking longer, wondering how soon I can score a week at home again.

Laughing at people's reactions to a family of 4 children being out and about vs just 3... the 4th seems to make a HUGE difference to the general population

Brushing my teeth at odd times because it's the only way they'll get done.

Running a sink of water to wash the dishes... the same dishes that the sink has been filled for 2 times already

No time to cook, have only managed it 2-3 times in the last month.

Being blessed by oh so many with their provision of meals for our family - have never experienced anything quite like it. I owe any sanity I have to these dear ones. No less than 16 meals in the last 4.5 weeks (no, don't read this and stop them coming LOL!!)

Too many late night cookies but losing weight anyway.

The need to remind myself that it wont be that way for much longer!!

From the early days of barely being able to wake up for night time feeds to one month on, waking as the first 'a' is spoken by my hungry-again daughter.

Functioning on such small amounts of sleep... hanging out for the weekends when I can accumulate 8 hours over night instead of the usual 5

Enjoying the quiet of night time feeds, of being able to study every amazing thing she is and does.

The fun first feed of a morning with Timothy wanting to climb over us both, helping her to close her eyes, giving a commentary on every little thing he notices about her... repeating again the next morning as though he's never noticed her before.

The chaos of *stuff everywhere*.

Knowing it's only for a short time.

Hoping it's only for a short time.

REALLY hoping it's only for a short time.

Blogging instead of putting some of that STUFF away.

It's all crazy.
So much more crazy than I could ever explain.
At the same time, the most awesome peace.
I am blessed. Truly blessed.

Now can someone just keep the kids busy so I can have a shower?!?!

In Awe

2011-05-24T09:02:00.000+10:00

As I snuggle with Charlotte and breathe in that sweet smell of a new born baby, I am time and time again so very humbled and amazed at the awesome power of our creator, God.

The task ahead wont be easy; raising a godly child in an ungodly world. To keep my focus on Him when the distractions of worldly success are all around.

I choose to cherish these moments, these round the clock feeding hours. To have sweet memories to hold onto when in the days, months and years ahead, the narrow path lacks companions and the journey seems long.
To return my focus to Him, His awesome power, His purpose for our existence.

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No Spend Month... and a road trip (unrelated!)

2011-05-12T07:17:00.000+10:00

We need to buy a new car! We don't all fit in our current car and have been on the lookout for a while. We almost found what we needed but our mechanic said that repair work hadn't been done well after an accident and so not to touch it... sad, because it was mechanically sound!
Pete's off to look at another this afternoon... priced beyond what we can afford, even at a streeeetch but if it's a good car we'll make an offer but are prepared to walk away. We can't bargain with more than we have!!!

Either way... it's now a NO SPEND month. The grocery budget has been cut from $650 for the month, down to $250, I've dropped the home ed allowance altogether, entertainment which sits at a low $40 has been scrapped and so on.

Thankfully we have a reasonably well stocked pantry and freezer, along with many pumpkins from our summer harvest. The well stocked pantry includes about 13kg of basmati rice LOL... so we could be seeing a bit of that!

The hardest bit for me was choosing to ditch my home ed allowance... I know it will be made up down the track and there's nothing I need urgently (that's next month LOL) but I'm so used to having it there. And tonight there is our monthly home ed gathering where I often see some great books I'd like us to own. Aah well, onto the list they will go.

So, for the road trip... which is only related to the no spend month in that the car I'll be driving for said road trip is why we're having a no spend month.

I'm thinking October - probably just myself and the children - up to 2 weeks away, but WHERE? Where to go? What to do and see? I've driven loads... like 1/3+ of a non stop trip to Queensland, to Sydney multiple times just sharing the drive with hubby and so on. I'd probably want to go no further than 10-12 hours from Melbourne and with a couple of overnight's on the way. It'd be cool to do the trip with someone else but I don't like my chances of anyone in my immediate circle of friends joining us; till we leave though, I'll keep hoping. Also, the thing that scares me most is accommodation costs so if you've some cheap (and safe!!) ideas, throw them my way. If my dad were still alive, he'd know enough people all over that we could borrow plenty of lounge room floors or church halls.. in fact, he'd probably come along for the trip!

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First Week as a Mother of 4

2011-05-09T07:41:00.000+10:00

A week can make a huge difference - for the first half of the week Charlotte was feeding almost ALL night and then something changed (I suspect my milk being in!!) and now the night's are sane. Each night improving and last night being the best... she slept 7.30-10pm and then from 12-5am and back in bed soon after 6am...which is where she is as I type... and I'm showered and dressed (can I do a happy dance?)
I'm still pretty sore when she latches on for a feed but oh soooo much better than earlier in the week when damage could be SEEN.

Meals are 'coming together' and 2 have been provided by church family - which was enough for 3 dinners. I cook when I can manage it and save the 'heat n eat' ones for the days when me cooking a meal is just not going to happen. Yesterday, Mother's Day, Pete cooked the most awesome roast... I'm thinking a new weekly tradition could be in store?!?!

What's driving me most nuts and wearing me out at the moment is the NOISE... 3 older children that have very little of my attention for the time being, seem to take up so much more HEAD SPACE. As of yesterday though I've been able to pin my extra stress on that and am now thinking through the plan to restore sanity!

I NEED quiet time while I am awake, not just so I can nap.
I NEED to be up early in to the morning to get the children off to a productive start for the day vs a dvd start to the day.
I NEED to know what activities I can put in front of them or direct them to.
I NEED to have a loose daily schedule/plan for everyone.
I NEED to make a list of what they can do to help around the house when I'm unavailable and they are at a loose end.
I NEED to get them out of the house a couple of times a week, for their sanity!

and specifically, I need to figure out a quiet time hobby for Nathaniel - 7.5yo. I'm thinking an electronics kit of some sort might be the go? Melinda has latch hook and will move onto cross stitch etc and while I want my boys to be able to do basic sewing, now is not the time for me to teach him.

For those of you that have boys, what 'quiet, sitting still' hobbies do your boys have?

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Introducing Charlotte Grace

2011-05-06T09:28:00.000+10:00

Born Sunday evening 9.05pm after a speedy labour of 50 minutes.
Weighs 3820g or 8lbs, 7oz; 50cm long.
Sooooo very excited about our new daughter... there's a story there but I'll have to share it later - family calls!

Treasured Moments

2011-04-30T10:00:00.001+10:00

My treasured moments for this week - which is waaay late! (click on the picture about to find out more, read others' and to join in yourself!)

1. I love the slow walking around the vegie patch with Timothy - everything is wonderful to him... he loves to come with me and it's his job (Thank You Very Much!!) to carry any vegies harvested, back into the house. This week as we're winding up the summer patch it was pumpkins - LOTS of them!

2. Out with Nj for some 'mother & son' time... I suspect the ice cream sundae brought him more joy than being with me did - I can live with that though, it's all part of making memories! I think it's Timothy's turn next, to come out with me for a treat. He doesn't mind what the treat is, so I pick lemon meringue pie for us to share... a rare treat!

Too Funny!

2011-04-28T10:00:00.001+10:00

We've not made the time to teach our eldest two to ride bikes without training wheels till this week - life has just been crazy these last 12 months and more!

So Pete takes Melinda out over Easter and sure enough, within 1/2 an hour she had a hang of it. Needs to practice more to develop the right muscles and reduce wobbliness etc, but all up she's 'good to go'.

On Wednesday afternoon, Nj (7.5) comes to me and asks if he can ride his bike out the front too. I say "without training wheels?" and he tells me "the bike with just one training wheel". I explain that that's not really learning to ride without the training wheels and that if he wants to ride out the front, he can remove his training wheels or wait until Daddy gets home and dad will do it.

Within 5 minutes he comes back in to say the training wheels have been removed and that he's heading out the front to practice. I remind him to not let his younger brother out the front, and then off he goes.

2.21pm I see him wheeling his bike through the side gate - it's about 15m to the footpath
2.25pm I'm BACK inside after heading out to watch him because his sister was YELLING "He's doing it, Nathaniel is doing it!!!!"

Yep, within about 2 minutes, Nathaniel was riding a 2 wheel bicycle.

I guess there are some advantages of leaving it 'late'?

Now I think we just need to raise the seat a little!

Home Alone

2011-04-26T10:59:00.000+10:00

I'm home alone at the moment - I love it. I love being with the family of course , the two are not mutually exclusive!

The chance to finish thoughts and plans without being interrupted. The chance to do a few more dishes and not see any created; to mop a floor and it dry before being walked on; to read a few more pages; jot down some plans; order something we need; declutter without being 'sprung'; to add finishing touches to rooms or surfaces; to write letters and cards...

To just be.

We try and make it a weekly event around here. Usually on a Saturday, Pete will take the 3 children swimming. Easter Saturday ended up being too busy for this so we deferred it to the next day, and the next and then the next - and finally they are off! I suspect this is my last 'home alone' period that I can count on being a couple of hours long. Once bubs is born, home alone will consist of Pete taking the kids to the park and bubs in the pram, in between feeds... we live near a GREAT park thankfully... I'm probably looking at an hour at a time in this next season of life.

Until this Easter, Pete has also taken the children to his parents who live by the beach, for the Easter weekend. WOW - that time is so helpful to me in fulfilling my role here in the home... all that above list, all at once! Bliss!
This Easter we've played it safe with bubs due this week. It's different, a nice different... but next year, I'll be 'Home Alone' again.

I also love being home alone WITH Pete. It happens about once a year, though this year it will be twice. We had about 30 hours home alone for our anniversary in March and are looking forward to about 48 hours, mid November. With many thanks to my lovely sister (xx). We prefer to bundle the kids off and be at home ourselves... coming and going as we please. It's so important to do this and have this time with each other. It's just delish!

Do you manage to get all that thinking and doing done with with family around? I know some who go to the local library to get that head space for planning etc but me, I'd rather the family go to the library and ME be home alone! Everything I need at my finger tips. How do you get time alone at home? Or your planning done if you don't make time alone at home?

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10 tips for being organised ~ Tip #6

2011-04-25T10:00:00.001+10:00

Tip #6
Changing Habits

This is the foundation of organisation - if you won't change your habits, you won't beat disorganisation!
and I say 'won't change', not 'can't change' because 99 x of 100 it's a choice.. maybe even 100/100?

Having said that, change can be difficult. (*still a choice though* she whispers)

When it comes down to it, it is a choice. Make wise choices to change habits, and it doesn't have to be as hard as we can make it for ourselves.

1. Don't change everything at once. Write down what you want to be doing differently in order to become more organised and pick a couple to work on for a month, then add a couple more and focus on them for another month and so on.

2. Little things do count and they do add up. So take them seriously.
I spend a lot of time washing dishes here, probably 4-5 loads a day. I spent months losing the plug - not in a big way, but my habit was to put it on the left side, where the dirty dishes get stacked. It would get lost amongst the dirty dishes in a short space of time, so every time I was starting a new load I was lifting things and moving them around to find the plug. Probably only 30 seconds, but still... that's 2 minutes a day, 14 minutes a week, and MORE THAN 12 hours a year looking for a PLUG!! I spent a few moments (while washing dishes) thinking of how to solve the issue and those moments have gained me 12 hours a year that can be better used elsewhere... for conquering other organisation issues, which will in turn save me weeks every year... which means I will be able to finally get around to those things I was convinced I'd never have time for! Gotta love that!
So now, I simply place the plug on the right hand side, between the dish drainer and the edge of the sink. Every now and then I forget but because I deliberately chose to think it through, I am quickly reminded and the next few weeks I am error free as the plug gets placed in it's 'can't get lost' place, once again.

3. Visual Reminders are great for changing habits. The key thing I found with trying to change habits is that the old habit that is not working for me is sooo heavily ingrained that I actually FORGET about the new habit I am wanting to swap it with!
A few 'system cards' on the corner of the bench has solved that for me. Anything will do, scraps of paper, sticky notes - whatever... it just has to be a short reminder of what you want to be doing, in a place you will see it often.
Let's say you're wanting to implement some of the tips from #5 Maximise Your Energy.
Take some cards or sticky notes or whatever you're using, choose the ones you want to work on first and write them on separate cards.
At the moment I'm working on drinking more water and also avoiding sugar so my 2 cards read
-Drink a glass of water, and
-Eat natural, avoid added sugar. Followed by a few easy healthy snacks that can be grabbed almost as thoughtlessly... carrot, low sugar yoghurt, crispy nuts, apple etc
Make your cards more of an instruction, not a 'nice idea'. 'Drink A Glass of Water' will have more impact than 'Drink More Water'.
Use this for other organising habits too.
Trying to keep a surface clean and decluttered - leave a sticky note saying 'Put It Away!!' is a great reminder.

4. Set Alarms. Pretty much every person has a mobile and every mobile has an alarm that you can 'label' as being for a specific purpose. Use it for changing habits!
I found us to be starting 'bookwork' at random times, and usually after when I'd like to have been starting each day. So now I have an alarm set that goes at 8.40am as a reminder for 'fruit snack and bookwork', which means we're at the books by 9am... and we can now be done by around 11am. Knowing that alarm is going to go off, also means we're better at getting the house up and going for the day. Most times it rings now, we have everything done that needs doing by this point in the day... cooked breakfast eaten, dishes done, beds made, load of washing on, bathroom wiped over, floors swept/vacuumed as needed, dinner under way and so on. Before the alarm, these basic tasks could drag on for an extra 2 hours... now add up those extra 2 unnecessary hours even just 2 days a week and that simple alarm is saving me more than 200 hours each year! And we're looking a whole lot better at 9am than before the alarm - loving it!

It may not be the things I've mentioned that you're wanting to change. So what? Pick what it is you want to change and just APPLY THE PRINCIPLE - no excuses!

ANZAC Day

2011-04-25T08:46:00.000+10:00

was made a whole lot more real to me by my friend's facebook status this morning

To the men who fought to get me out of Saigon when it was falling and the women/ aid workers who cared for me on the plane flight out who risked their own lives... I owe you mine ! Lest we forget...

Meal Planning ~ What's working at the moment

2011-04-24T10:56:00.000+10:00

aah, remember the days when groceries were still packed in paper bags?

Life has it's seasons and at the moment I'm in two at the same time - Pregnancy and Uncertainty!

Pregnancy is pretty self explanatory - I can plan meals all I like but all too often I just can't stomach the thought of what is on the meal plan!! I've never had this before in pregnancy so it's taken me till about 8.5mo to figure out what was going on LOL

What have I done about it? I've cooked as planned most of the time - occasionally swapped things around i.e. tomorrow night's option swapped for tonight's and so on, as that can sometimes work.
When cooking up what was already planned, I got over the guilt if I didn't want to eat it. I served it up to the family and then prepared/ate whatever it was that I felt like! The family didn't seem to have issues with it and hubby graciously didn't complain even on the couple of occasions that I was sitting eating a small steak while he was eating a chicken pasta casserole. Thankfully he LOVES 99% of my cooking anyway!

Uncertainty though? At the moment it's because bubs is due this week. Any day now. In fact, today would be great (Please Lord?!) Other times it could be because we know we have to head off at short notice for something and need to be ready to go.

In times like this I find the best thing to do is 24 hour planning - and plan according to what needs using up most urgently from the fridge. For 2 reasons - coming back to science experiments in the fridge is never fun and most importantly, to be a good steward of all we've been given, food wastage is foolish. It's a waste of both the food that could feed SOMEONE and the money spent to buy it in the first place.
You know that pumpkin you bought for $1 a kilo but then had to toss half of it out? Well, the half you used then actually then cost you $2 a kilo! Those strawberries for $8 a kilo but then 1/2 went mouldy and were thrown out - the ones you ate cost you $16 a kilo!!!! Get the idea... food wastage is mighty expensive!

So look in the fridge and make note of what you have that is heading towards your needed 'use by' date and plan those things into the first meals FIRST.

Even when not in times of uncertainty, this is one of the best ways I have found of keeping the grocery budget down. Look and plan every 3 days. Or more often. This often because once you plan, 'day 3' may have a meal on it that will use up some capsicum and mushrooms but then mother in law invites you for dinner that night. If you don't reassess frequently (and it only takes a few minutes) then before you know it, the capsicum and mushrooms will be furry and dried up and in the bin!

At the moment, this is what I am focusing on. It's one of the basics of home making and doing the right thing by the family budget. It's not an added extra for when life is quiet. It's the home makers job. It gives you the choice of either spending less, or of being able to buy higher quality foods.

Track your wastage for a couple of weeks (I will be!) and see if you can have ZERO edible food wastage in the kitchen... even those celery leaves can be finely chopped and used in a salad, soup, stew or casserole...

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Not For Loan

2011-04-23T10:00:00.004+10:00

How cute are these stickers?! These arrived this week from Vistaprint, ordered after I figured out that I don't want to loan out all of our home ed materials that may grab the attention of others. For a variety of reasons.
- I've got a miminum of 4 children to educate, we'll wear out out items soon enough without additional help and it's pretty awful to loan something to someone and it's visibly aged by the time it's returned. Happens a little too often. Any time I've borrowed a book from someone and had this happen, I've actually purchased the book and given the new one in it's place. Not everyone is as careful as this though.
- Too many have no hesitation in copying things that are not allowed to be copied... cd's, dvd's, paper curriculum's etc. I don't want to aid others in breaking laws, and so things that have a much higher risk of being copied are no longer for loan from our house.
- Items that were hard for me to get in the first place. For example, we are enjoying 'The Tale of Jeremy Vole' as a read aloud and it's also a part of the Grade 3 English curriculum we'll be using for all children. It is no longer in print and I could only find 2 second hand copies when I tracked one of them down for us. Having this item lost or not returned would be a PAIN... so this afternoon, I'll be popping a 'Not for loan' sticker on it.

Why the stickers? It saves me having to remember or keep a list and it's a whole lot easier to explain than appearing to be applying random 'borrowing rules' as someone browses our bookshelves.

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Home Education Budgeting

2011-04-20T11:03:00.000+10:00

I've often wondered what other people spend on home education and those around me IRL seem to be quite random with it, no set figure or plan other than 'as little as possible' or 'whatever I need to'. Glad that works for them... neither would for me LOL

I have a budget of $200 a month - most of those that know this, before I've now shared it with the world, are a bit gob smacked by it and indicate they think it a great & generous amount. I'd guess though, that it's about what they're possibly spending themselves and they're just not as aware of it.

So where does $200 go every month and super fast at that?

A year's maths materials for Melinda (8yo) will cost me $208, so there is one month gone. In the last 6months, I've already had a similar outlay 3 times (approx. $150 each time as I already had a reusable part, which this time I need to get a duplicate of)
Thankfully from now on Melinda is the only one I need to outlay for at that cost and once a year should be plenty. It buys the teacher book, test book & dvd as well as the student work book. For each of the other children I'll only need the to get the student workbooks each year at about $60 per child per year.

Swimming - yes, all activities have to fit into the budget as well... and so they are well thought out. Most I know don't count the activities i.e. gym, ballet, music lessons etc as part of their home education expenses.
I've chosen swimming to focus on, because I believe it to be an important life skill and the lack of can have life and death issues as well as social issues. Things like ballet are nice but not something I could fit into the budget along with swimming, piano and curriculum! Swimming costs approx $200 a term for two children (no rebate available as I mention below). That's up to 1/4 of the year's budget! We won't be doing it this next term as a new baby will take priority but I hope it can be managed for the remaining 2 terms of the year - the children love it and seem to be doing really well.

Our English curriculum (Language Arts) costs about $100 for teacher and student books but then only about $40-50 for the student books which is all I'll need for the children that follow. After this initial lay out, I've added in 'optional but recommended' books - about 10 I think for the grade 2 level and only 4-5 for the grade 3 level. With clever use of booko these don't cost a whole lot. And remember, in Australia, we get the educational tax rebate of 50% on all books, curriculum, computers, stationary, internet etc so any of these extra books end up costing me even less.

We use Apologia science - again, about $40 for a year's curriculum, when bought carefully regardless of number of children, and 50% of that comes back to me at tax time too.

Books books books. I love books. And this is why it's good my budget is capped LOL

I want my children to be influenced by great books. Godly books. One can't readily access these without owning them. Even recently I went to the picture book shelf and put all the godly books on one side and the secular books on the other. I was devastated to see that less than 10% of books that are influencing my 1-5 year old's, point them toward God and to God's way of doing life. We're now working to rectify that!!!

Thankfully internet access doesn't have to fit into my monthly budget, but I'm sure glad I get the 50% back on it at tax time. It's not part of our home ed budget because we'd have it anyway - even if we were childless!

Tax time is around the corner and you know what? I've already 'spent' the rebate in my head. A lump sum of $500-$750 is the best time of year for me to be spending on computers don't you think? So this year the rebate will go towards a new laptop for the older 2 children to share. The bonus being that in the following year, I can claim 50% of that back too LOL

So why have a home ed budget?

FREEDOM

I don't need to run each and every item past hubby! The budget as a whole was run through with him in the first place and he trusts me with our children's education needs - and LOVES browsing the home ed shelves for something to read himself *grin*

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One day at a time

2011-04-19T10:33:00.000+10:00

seems to have been the best way for me in the recent months of summer.
There have been so many things I would have liked to blog about, and hopefully, I'll still get around to some of them. Not having even the head space to start a draft or make notes for them it will certainly be some time before they pop up here LOL

So, where am I now?

Content. Content that I've prioritised my family when choices have had to be made. This has not been without cost. Blogging has had to be left - a low cost when on scale. Friendships have changed - those that either don't understand or accept the effect of MS on our family life have distanced themselves and easily taken offense by my limitations.

This does hurt as I am very much a 'my yes is my yes, my no is my no' person, and if there's any variation to this you can be sure it is with great cause and much grief at my end of not being able to live to my standards and values for that time, for whatever reason!

All up, I know it is just a reflection on themselves and their insecurities, and quite probably just highlighting a lack of genuine friendship.

Thankfully life does go on.

I've still kept up reading many blogs, though have rarely been able to leave a comment. I've celebrated baby births of blogging friends with joy - though again usually without comment... I'm still wondering what colour towels Erin's new baby will have LOL... and have a few Treasured Moments to add in.

I'm currently spending some time in England thanks to Cassie... it brings back memories I have from a trip as a child... maybe one day I'll get back there?

And I'm preparing for OUR baby's arrival. I am soooo excited and looking forward to meeting this little one. We feel so blessed that God has chosen to give us another and even now wonder if God has more in store for us - only time will tell. Having chosen to not find out the sex of the baby, I'm really looking forward to finding out when the time comes... though having chosen this path means we are super low on baby clothes. We have 2 outfits in green and yellow so hubby will be taking me for a quick shopping trip super soon after birth! I don't want bubs in neutral colours for months, which is why we're waiting. I want a girl to look like a girl and a boy to look like a boy, so waiting on clothing preparations is a must.

Home schooling has continued and adjusted - does anyone ever keep to the same plan for long? Lovely books have been arriving by post - I love this way of shopping... packages are such fun! Organisation is continuing to happen - the bulk of decluttering happened over the Christmas break, and now we're down to the fine tuning... there is much fine tuning to be done... if bubs doesn't arrive before the Easter break, I'll get a bunch done. Otherwise it will have to be in baby steps!

Last but not least, I'm still amused at my reaction to a recent statistic that I read... 'only' 70% of people on incomes averaging $90/pa use dishwashers... sometimes I feel like I'm almost all alone in washing dishes by hand so it's nice to know that I'm doing the same thing as about 30% of much higher income earners :o)

I can be sure though, that their kitchens look nothing like mine ;o)

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Super Yummy Breakfast Muffins

2011-02-03T06:59:00.000+11:00

I just made this small batch up as Pete needed some lunch today and baking bread was not an option. I'd say this serves 2 for lunch - we call them breakfast muffins though, as that's the meal they were first made for, a few months back.

This is very 'ish' in terms of measurements

1/3 medium home grown zucchini
4 mushrooms
1/3 capsicum

all whizzed in the hand held food processor and tipped into a mixing bowl

3 large free range eggs from grass scratching hens
2/3cup raw organic milk
2/3cup grated cheese
2/3cup of browned minced beef (grass fed, chemical free)
1/4tsp Celtic sea salt

Mix this all in with the vegies

3/4cup SR Flour

Mix the flour in completely, spoon into greased muffin pans and bake till golden on top at about 160 degrees
(the longer slower cooking is because of the high vegie / lower carb mix)

Multiply for larger batches... I'd like to x it by 4 and do in a cake tin and see how it turns out... It would take longer to cook but would result in less fiddly dishes when feeding more people!

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Lessons in Pumpkins and Prayer

2011-02-01T11:00:00.001+11:00

I'm really loving having our BIG vegie patch this year... BIG for us anyway... I know others with 5-10 times what we have.... but at about 30 square metres, we're about 5 times bigger than we were last year, so that counts as BIG to me.

Soon after Pete dug over the garden bed and removed most of the weeds and over grown grass (I say most because it's almost impossible to remove it all and those little bits left in do keep multiplying - one must be diligent!)

Lesson 1: Very similar to sin in our lives wouldn't you say?

so, soon after he prepared it for planting, we (I) noticed some self sown seedlings. From my limited knowledge, I called them cucumbers.
Within a few weeks I could see they were too big to be cucumber leaves and figured out they were instead self sown pumpkin plants.

Lesson 2: We don't know all we think we know... be prepared to learn more and adjust one's convictions

At the other end of the garden, I had (while the cucumber thinking was happening) planted some pumpkin seeds and after 4 weeks of nothing from them, I was sure it was a failure... though another couple of weeks later we did have emerging seedlings

Lesson 3: Patience

A couple of months ago, the pumpkins that were self sown were a disappointment. Seeming to be all male flowers...males can't have babies, pumpkins or otherwise (no lesson here, I know a little about reproduction LOL)

The pumpkins that we planted at the other end were flourishing. Well, their leaves were. Only 2 were fertilised and growing into full size pumpkins. The other females were having no success as the males were always flowering at the wrong time for the bees to take their pollen and fertilise the females... and so no more pumpkins growing. 8 weeks or more of 'still nothing'

Well early last week I decided to pray over the pumpkin patch - very simply I prayed 'Lord bless this pumpkin patch with abundance. Provide us with enough to eat, enough to give away and enough to preserve' (for the winter).

What can I say... a week later we have more than 7 fertilised pumpkins, and quite possibly many more on the way by the looks of things - you can be sure about 4-5 days after possible fertilisation that they'll grow to adulthood or not. And now I say "The Lord provides".

Lesson 4: Seek Him first and He WILL add everything else!

Since then God's said to expect more than 20 all up. And that those given away are to be passed to others, for them to pass along - given to those willing to share the story of Gods provision as they pass along the pumpkin. Our sole purpose in existing is after all 'for His glory'.

Pumpkin patch from seed. Pumpkin #1 is to the right of the centre and just behind the bright flower - hard to see but is rather large, guessing about 2kg at the moment. #2 is bottom centre, smaller - probably about 1.5kg. Both are not far of being ready.

Fertilised pumpkin in the seeded patch - this is about 12cm long at the moment

Fertilised pumpkin in the self sown (from supermarket pumpkin scraps) - quite different shaped pumpkins in this patch but still butternut!! This one is about 10cm long at the moment.

Hoping for an early cool change

2011-02-01T06:50:00.000+11:00

This heat has me so worn out - on good days I have about 3 hours of 'productive energy'... this heat and humidity drops it down to about 1 hour so I am very much keen for the cooler weather to return - Please Lord!

Last night it was 24 inside (in the room with the air con that is, and it had been up to 29 in that room!) when we went to bed and 26 outside. Well it did get a few degrees cooler an hour or so after we went to bed... but by morning, we're back up to over 27 degrees! Can I say Yuk?!

Ah well, I can't change it and this house needs some attention so that will be my focus this morning. This afternoon will be busy but 'self driven'... I've to drive 45 minutes to collect 100kg grass fed, chemical free, freshly butchered beef... and then bring it home again. Hoping the butchering schedule is all on track so there's not too much waiting involved! Once I return, I need to get 65kg of it into MY fridge and freezers and then I have 3 others coming to collect smaller portions - one friend and her 7 kids are coming from a couple of hours away to collect theirs (and do a few other things in Melbourne with their day)... I don't see this lovely lady nearly often enough so I am very much looking forward to this. Around about the same time as pick ups and dinners I also have a friend setting up a camper trailer in the driveway for about a week, for another friend and her 2 kids to stay in while the renovations on the house are being finished off.... it was going to be a couple of nights ago but the heat at night has made it better for them to borrow someone's cooler lounge room floor - ours is not cool and we're up from 5am daily and often using the lounge LOL. Summary: there will be a few people coming and going tonight!!!

So, in my couple of weeks of 'this weather is yuk, I can barely function let alone blog.... what has been happening?
Pumpkins (who ever knew vegie gardening could be so much fun!), tomatoes, children, piano, preserving, holiday planning, Treasured Moments and more - how great that so much of life happens by itself LOL

Stay tuned for those updates - but first, with it being almost 7am... I need to get the day happening!
There is a kitchen to be cleaned, rooms to be tidied and a busy day to organise (yes, not much happened here in yesterday's heat and now it's catch up time)

Have a wonderful day where ever you are!

The Power of Menu Planning

2011-01-20T14:52:00.000+11:00

I've had this post sitting in my drafts waiting for me to finish it off... a friend needs to do menu planning like NOW and in a big chunk, and hasn't done it before... and once I heard from her that some tips would be helpful, I also found Jamie @ See Jamie Blog looking for meal planning help - so all up, I figured it was time to get this finished and published for the world to see.

There's probably not much new here - there is a lot of menu planning information on the web. Though I must say, not much of it has ever really fit with me. Not the way I'd like it to. So after years of planning and not planning and trial and error I thought it time to pull together my thoughts on the topic. Hopefully you will find something helpful here!

I menu plan for 3 reasons
1. Sanity - knowing what's up for the next meal and never having to gaze into the fridge wondering what's for dinner. It's all too common that I have dinner cooking away, or we've even eaten dinner and friends are muttering on 'chat': What should I make for dinner???
2. Cost - it saves the horror costs of takeaway, my money is usually better used elsewhere. It allows me to make the most of good food prices and save a fair whack there too.
3. Health - if I don't know what we're eating and I'm having to come up with something last minute it would most likely be unhealthy. Most quick things are either takeaway and/or loaded with carbs.

There are two main ways of doing a meal/menu plan.
The first is to make the plan and then do the shopping.
The second is to do the shopping and then make the plan.
Both work, I prefer the second because it's cheaper! Lots cheaper!!

I shop weekly, I usually plan weekly. The two are rarely linked. I shop for the best priced, well balanced healthy foods and then I meal plan around it.

Getting Started
-If you've never done menu planning before, then just start with dinners. The evening meal. The main meal of the day. Leave breakfasts and lunches as something 'standard' till you get the main meal down pat.
-Write a list of all the meals you can think of. Do this in a way that you can add to it. Don't try new meals at this point, just the ones you know and can pull off with ease. This is your Master Meal List. I have mine divided into meat and meal types to make it easy to use. Use this as a reference when dividing up the groceries into the meal plan.
-Go shopping knowing how long you need the meals to last for i.e. is it one week? two? Buy enough meats to fill this time. Meals focused around the meat are healthier. Add in the vegies and a small amount of carbs and you're done.
-Buy the cheapest healthy things you can.
-Forget buying packets. They're not cheap. Even on sale. Even if they were free, they are loaded with chemicals that compromise your health.
-Buy meat. with fat. If you don't believe me, research it for a few hours. Buy enough for the number of meals you are planning. Or a bit more.
-Buy long lasting vegies or plan to shop for vegies more often
-Make use of frozen goods, especially vegies
-Buy for a couple of back up meals that are long lasting and either a)won't matter if not used or b)can be used at the end of the plan. I like tinned tuna in spring water for this.
-Make sure you have 1-2 (or more) super simple meals in the trolley. I'll post a few I use in the coming week - keep an eye out :o)
-Plan a 'guests' meal or two to have on hand, to save another trip out. Extra trips to the supermarket are extra expensive.

Once you've done your shopping, unpack it and carefully store it. Make sure meats are packaged as 'per meal'. Keep potatoes in the dark. Keep dry goods away from little critters - Tupperware is an awesome investment for this purpose!

Now that you have everything in the house, work out your life on paper.
Let's say you're planning for a week, as an example.
Write out the days of the week and make notes about what you need to consider on each day.
For example: One day you might be walking in the door at dinner time, another day you have friends over in the afternoon, right at dinner prep time. Another night family is coming and going at different times. Or you're going out for dinner and only the children need feeding.
Noting these things will help you make a successful plan.

For the night you are going to be walking in the door at dinner hour, this is the night you need to plan on something cold or cold and pre-cooked. or have had the crock pot on the go so it's ready and hot at dinner time with no last minute fussing.
The night family are coming and going, plan something that can either be cooked one by one, something that can be easily reheated in individual portions (No microwaves, thank you. Research it if you don't know why already), or something that doesn't need heating but can easily be served one at a time - like quiche and salad. Or something keeping warm in the crock pot like a soup or casserole.
Use your master meal list to give you ideas on how to use the different foods you bought.

I only plan a week at a time, sometimes less because for me it would be too insane to do it for longer. If I did up a whole month, too much would need chopping and changing as I went. More effort than it's worth. I'm just better off revisiting the planning thing each week.
I also plan according to weather. Here in Melbourne, that can change drastically from one day to the next.
Last night was cold enough that I could have cooked up a roast without an issue. Tonight it's going to be hot, so I don't want the oven on for a couple of hours, so instead have a light soup simmering away in the crock pot.

Can you shop for a month but then plan weekly - sure!! I'd build up though. I reckon it takes practice. It has for me, anyway LOL. If you jump in to do a big chunk all in one go, it can cost a whole lot more than you want it to because of wasted food, or food your family don't actually like!

I'm in the final stages of working out my 'Post baby 6 week menu plan'... a rare time when I will plan first and shop second. I can do this even though it will be slightly more expensive because that slight expense is worth the sanity of having 6 weeks of post baby meals figured out!! The expense of doing it 'backwards' as I call it, won't be too great because I am well practiced at this now and know my prices well, and what the family can eat in what duration of time. I'll share it once I've gotten it typed out - it's in the 'notes on binder paper' format at the moment!

Now because this is something I do with ease these days, I've quiet probably forgotten a bunch of things you want to know if you're just starting out. Ask away in the comments section and I'll be sure to help as I can!

PS: How to go insane with menu planning - just in case you want to do this the hard way
-pick a bunch of new recipes
-plan more than 2 weeks or even a whole month at a time
-go shopping for the exact items needed on your plan
-save planning time and don't match meals and life up as you plan

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The meal that won me my husband's heart

2011-01-18T09:27:00.000+11:00

or that's how we like to joke about it!

This is the first meal I ever made Pete. Before we were even courting.
He was moving house and I'd been brought up to cook a meal for those that were moving and so I did.
It was rather funny though, as I cooked it the exact way I'd been taught, which was with whole peppercorns and you removed them as you ate vs munching on them.
I forgot to give Pete the warning, nearly called him to tell him and thought better of him 'nah, it's obvious, he'll know...'

Oops, he didn't LOL
I still hear about it today, more than 12 years on!!

He then thought I could handle pretty hot and spicy foods - thankfully that didn't come back to bite me before he found out otherwise.

I've since adjusted it and now use ground pepper instead!

This meal remains one of Pete's favourites - I'm just not sure how much of it is because of memories and how much the flavour... I reckon it tastes pretty good too, so it could be both.

Sorry - no exact quantities... it's a casserole!! I was cooking for 4 adults and 3 children last night.

Chicken legs (I prefer to use organic free range) 1-2 per person. I used 10 in the one I cooked last night.
Carrots - lots, I used 7 large last night. Peeled and cut into thick slices
Celery - about 1/2 a celery, in thick slices, approx 1cm
Mushrooms - sliced or quartered... I used about 2 cups
Onions - 2 large, quartered and sliced
Butternut pumpkin - 1/2 a medium one. About 1/2 of this in 1 inch chunks and the rest, about 1/4 of that size so it will fall apart on cooking which will help to thicken the dish.
2 Zucchini, quartered by length then diced to 1cm 'slices'
2 Massel chicken stock cubes (msg free, trans fat free etc)
2tb lard or coconut oil
Sprinkling of ground black pepper
3 bay leaves (be sure to remove after cooking)
Boiling water/chicken broth or 50/50
To thicken: gravy powder/white flour

Brown the chicken legs in the lard
Add the onions and cook till translucent
Dump all other vegies over the top and spread out
Add stock, pepper and bay leaves
Pour boiling water/chicken broth over the whole casserole till sitting about 2cm under the top vegies.
Mostly cover (I just put a large cookie tray over the top of my baking pan and cook on about 180 for an hour and then 200 for 45mins.
At the temperature change point, remove from oven, poke and stir a little to make sure any dry vegies on top get submerged for the remainder of the cooking time.
Thicken before serving with 50/50 gravy powder and white flour... judge as you go.

Keep it low carb and eat as is or trigger a fat-storing-insulin-release and serve with rice, potatoes or pasta :o)

We keep it low carb ;o)

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When life doesn't happen as planned

2011-01-17T10:04:00.000+11:00

...even the smallest amount of organisation pays off!

I pushed myself too hard in the heat on Saturday and it took me all day Sunday to recover, including 2 serious naps... hopefully I will pick up the warning signs a little earlier next time.

What I did learn though is that I will keep on with menu planning - saves serious $$ when I'm not up to thinking about food... doesn't take much effort to cook something already thought out.

I also showed myself, once again, that the Out of Routine Recovery Plan is a life saver - or at least, a sanity saver! It doesn't even have to be me that does it - hubby's and kids can pitch in for sure!!!

By Monday morning it doesn't look like my weekend ended up with me in bed for hours, and I credit that to the above. (validation is a good thing!)

Now onwards with a productive week, and hopefully me pacing myself a bit better while knowing the improved weather will also help towards that.

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Art Success!

2011-01-15T10:59:00.000+11:00

With bubs due in only 15 weeks, I'm trying to keep things simple and one of the ways I decided to do this, was with Art.

The children now each have their own art bags with a visual art diary, paints and art pencils -and.... Ta Da: Their own 'How to Draw' book each.

On Friday, they each did their first lesson with it and I have to say, I am pretty impressed with the results.

It's not JUST a drawing instruction book - it includes water colour, collage and a couple of other art styles. The best bit is that it is all hands OFF for me... I just need to keep the camera handy!

This is Melinda's (8.5yo) Giraffe from 'How to Draw Animals'

and Nathaniel's (7yo) Diplodocus from 'How to Draw Dinosaurs'

One great thing about them having different books is that they work on their own project without comparing their results as they would if both pictures were 'meant to be the same' IYKWIM.

Once they finish these books, they can swap, and start over!

I bought these books sight unseen and was happy.

Once I got them I was excited.

And now I am seeing them in use I am so thrilled - they are more than I had hoped for!

Treasured Moments

2011-01-15T09:15:00.000+11:00

This week's treasured moments (click on the picture about to find out more, read others' and to join in yourself!)

1. Doing the grocery shopping with Melinda (8.5) I could do it so much faster by myself but deliberately take her of an evening to enjoy being out together. As a bonus, it teaches her some home management skills LOL
I love that when I whisper to her 'do you want to come shopping with me tonight?' that her eyes light up.

2. I love baking from scratch... and I have some to do today too... white choc and macadamia cookies (Thanks Jen, I'll go get that recipe shortly!) as a rare treat, a loaf of bread and a home made chicken loaf because we prefer to avoid processed meats. I love seeing the results and enjoying the smell of fresh home baked goods

3. I love learning new ways of being a better home maker, educator, wife and mother. Especially through reading. The book I am working through at the moment is 'Homeschooling with a meek and quiet spirit'. Love the light bulb moments that come with learning and the chance to keep on at it till I'm where I want to be.

4. I am so glad we have sunshine again because I love listening to the children's happy voices as they play outside - they're just not the same when inside... different types of fun happen. When outside they forget I can hear them and get much more involved in role play etc. Nathaniel and Timothy in particular have a great sense of mischief and an often hilarious imagination.

5. I love planning FUN... like this week's surprise party and this next week my sister and I are going shopping on Friday evening with Melinda who needs some clothes... a fun girls night starting with dinner. Very much looking forward to that - love spending time with my sister... I can see this happening again and again over the years as Melinda grows up.

What about you? What have you been enjoying?

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Thinking of tweaking the plan again...?

2011-01-14T08:57:00.000+11:00

Let me know what you think please - am I on the right track? why/why not?

Our home ed not-so-scheduled-schedule is working well. Very well. So there's no reason in that department to change it.

However...
I'd like a more relaxed day, at home, in the week.
Wednesday is pretty relaxed, but I spend it at my sisters - ALL day.

I'm thinking of trashing the current Friday program and putting the Science lesson on to the Thursday. Art would then go to Friday.

Friday would then be a day for catch up - if needed. And otherwise a day for art/crafting. Melinda's latch hook, my sewing, pottering around the garden, baking if desired. More of a 'fun being at home' day. Friday is also the day we go to the market every 2-3 weeks.

I think we can afford to do this, because at the rate the kids are going through their bookwork, they will be done in just 2-3 terms if I do keep Friday as a bookwork day.

I'd like to be able to set up the sewing machine from time to time and just work on one project without packing up mid project, and not be fussed about where bookwork is up to for the day, or if they've spent the day playing Lego inside or a bunch of outside play adventures...

Weekends don't lend themselves to this sort of day for us... for a bunch of reasons... they just don't.

Is this worth pursuing? or might it backfire?

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On My Mind

2011-01-14T06:39:00.002+11:00

This 'zucchini' was hiding under the pumpkin leaves... we usually harvest them when they're small - 15cm long. This is well over 30cm and weighs almost 2.5kg. I need to dehydrate it (today?) so I can store it easily for winter soup making

Surprise Party

2011-01-11T19:47:00.000+11:00

One of the children's friends turned 7 on the weekend... we invited them to come for lunch today but made no mention of a birthday surprise **grin**
Melinda and I worked out a menu and planned a cake, Nathaniel helped with balloons and setting the table.
She was sooo surprised and thrilled - it was such fun to do this!

The Cake

Opening Gifts

Enjoying a different kind of lunch than usual!


Laughter at the speed and success of blowing out the candles

A happy day.

2011 Home Education Plans

2011-01-10T10:09:00.000+11:00

I thought you might like to see how we're working our home ed this year. The kids and I are loving how it is working out.

These plans were first worked on at the end of last year and we had about 3 weeks of a 'practice run' with the then current curriculum. Once the new curriculum arrived and we began it just after Christmas I got a better idea of how it was going to work for us and what needed tweaking.

So last week we had off 'book work' because of daily swimming lessons and I spent my weekend home ed planning time (a weekly essential here) tweaking the schedule.

These 4 pages should give you an idea of how I fit it all together. Timothy doesn't get any record keeping yet, at 2.5 he has a life of ease.... for him it's all eat, play, sleep - even when he's helping out with housework he thinks it's play time. Sweetness!

I'm pretty sure that if you click on the pictures, it will bring it up larger - easier to read if you want to see the detail.

Everything we want to cover, my scheduling then followed

The Weekly Schedule - on the kitchen cupboard and in my home ed binder so I can keep track of where we're up to

Melinda's record keeping. At the moment I'm working on 6 of these being a term's work and we have 5 terms in our year. There's a whole lot more learning that goes on that doesn't get recorded on these sheets of course!

Nathaniel's record keeping - same as Melinda but for his work - we just cross it off as we go. 15min on each is enough. Sometimes this work will get done in a week, sometimes 4 days and sometimes 2 weeks depending on what else life throws at us.

History, Read-Aloud's, Spanish, Piano practice etc aren't on this schedule but happen/will happen. History and Read-Aloud's are both read on the go or in the evenings with Dad. Spanish happens in the gaps of life or when I'm tied up - they don't need me for it.

I'd love to see your home ed schedule too - so once you've blogged it, add the link here and comment below.
Be sure to use the link to the scheduling post and not just to your blog home page!

Menu Plan for the week ahead

2011-01-10T06:31:00.001+11:00

Monday
B: Eggs, sour cream, smoked salmon, oranges and raw milk
L: Sandwiches with chicken, cheese and salad... and lots of butter of course
D: Hot dogs and salad - easy because we're off to the community garden to have dinner and get some digging done

Tuesday
B: Roast potatoes and corned beef with creamy white sauce. Raw milk
L: Party food to surprise a sweet 7yo for her birthday: Watermelon, Grapes, Fairy bread, Party pies, Potato Gems, Cake, Tuna salad
D:Beef Casserole (already cooked)

Wednesday
B: Baked beans on buttered toast with grated cheese on top. Raw milk
L: Smoked salmon and cream cheese on bread
D: Pan fried chicken fillets with buttered corn cobs and fresh garden salad

Thursday
B: Breakfast muffins & Raw milk
L: Tuna Salad
D: Spinach & Ricotta Lasagne with fresh garden salad

Friday
B: Fried eggs, soaked porridge, fruit & Raw milk
L: Zucchini slice
D: Tango meatballs with roast vegies and cheese sauce

Snacks are fruit, cheese, yoghurt, raw milk and left over corned beef.

Will we stick to this? Mostly
Why? The food is already in the house and the thinking done
What could change the plan? A significant change in the weather or my health and ability to prepare the meal as needed or on a whim.
What would a change look like? We might swap days around or cook something totally different - yet still aiming for the health of high animal fats, high protein, plenty of eggs, lots of veggies and fruit and low carbs - with the ideal of dinners having only 2 'carb nights' in the week.
Why? Because we can FEEL the health benefits; non biased research supports it i.e. research paid for by independent bodies vs pharmaceutical companies, vegetable oil companies, the soy industry etc.

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Treasured Moments

2011-01-08T09:18:00.000+11:00

Click on the picture to find out more about 'Treasured Moments'. I think this is a great way to be deliberate in enjoying our families; to be inspired and to encourage.

1. Anything Timothy (2.5) gets excited about - yesterday it was that he could see the water coming out of the water filter and into the jug. He shouts with joy and jumps about 15cm off the ground - life is fun with Timothy around.

2. Gardening with the children one on one as we chat about the amazing creation we live in, apply biblical truths to the gardening tasks like weeds and sin and just enjoy serious conversation in such an easy way

3. Waking the kids for our Annual Pyjama Ride - sometime before Christmas we wake the children once dark, load them in the car to go look at a bunch of beautiful lights and then wind up with a late night supper at McDonalds.

4. I love listening to Nathaniel (7) as he reads his readers - he's improving so fast at the moment and it's great to see his face light up with a determined and excited **I CAN do this!!**

5. This week I am determined to do what Timothy wants more often (once a day?) when he says 'Play a me mummy! Please play a me!)

Join in and share your Treasured Moments - I'd love to know what they are.

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My Most FAVOURITE Savoury Muffins - Zucchini & Fetta

2011-01-06T11:00:00.001+11:00

Add to a bowl
1 large grated zucchini

2tb sour cream
1/2c vegetable oil
2 Eggs

Mix together

Add 1c Milk

Mix together

Add 250g diced danish fetta cheese (1/2cm)
and 3tb toasted pine nuts

Mix together again

Add 2.5 cups of self raising flour

Mix for a final time and scoop into well greased muffins pans.... this recipe just made me 12 regular muffins PLUS one tray of 'Tuppermuffins' which is 7 smaller ones

Bake at about 180 degrees C until starting to brown
Turn out onto cooling tray and allow to cool completely before storing.... so tasty while warm though!!

2010 - Looking back

2011-01-05T18:05:00.000+11:00

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"

Charles Dickens, opening line A Tale of Two Cities

and that sums up 2010 in a nutshell!

the long version might be a tad more interesting to read though LOL

The year started off mid health crisis, my MS was causing lack of confidence in doing my part of the family business and this had 'not so good' financial repercussions and so Pete was looking for work. He quickly found a job and by the end of January we felt relief even though still waiting on that first pay check.
After a couple of months we could see light at the end of the tunnel and were making strong plans to get back into a better financial position.
That all went out the window a couple of days after Mother's Day - Mother's Day itself was made rather AWFUL by the landlords visiting unannounced and YELLING at us because.... well, um, for no good reason... that in itself is another long saga and lessons were learned and trusts broken.
We were given notice to vacate and so the search was on... turning up nothing. We ended up moving out, keeping things in storage and staying with friends for about 10 days and the same at my BIL & SIL's in the city. It was a CRAZY time of too much driving, too little sleep, loads of stress, no bookwork happening and I soooo don't want to go there again.
God blessed us with the house He wanted us to have - He will provide when we allow Him to choose what He wants to provide. The house leaves a LOT to be desired and yet I've not felt so peaceful about living ANYWHERE in years. Knowing you are walking the steps He wants you to walk, provides that promised peace that passes all understanding.
So after what felt like an eternity but was only a few weeks we moved into the 'crooked little house' (anyone know that song/poem? I vaguely remember it from my childhood)
The move cost us thousands we didn't want to spend this year and we've only just gotten over that financial hurdle.
We've now been here 6 months, in the house that is about 1/2 the size... the one with the laundry in the back yard... yes, my laundry needs mowing on a regular basis. And we've only just finished the major unpacking and decluttering that is required when one makes such a seemingly backwards move - when most others are moving bigger and better LOL
The main reason the unpacking etc has taken so long is all the other hurdles that we've had to deal with in the last 6 months.... the flu, right when we needed to be in Geelong for a funeral - a friend from years ago lost his brief battle with cancer and I so wanted to be at the funeral to support his wife, also a friend from long ago. Within a week, a close friend lost her 5yo son to a drowning accident and again we were unable to attend the funeral. Such sadness in the middle of our moving.
Election day #1 saw me sprain my ankle and I wasn't on it much at all for a couple of weeks and didn't drive for 4. This was only about 5 weeks after we moved in and about 1 week after the final gathering of our boxes from storage. Needless to say, that did set things backwards.
October saw us with the chicken pox in the family - all 3 children - for about... well yes, about a month... it was November before we were all clear... only 'just' in time for Timothy's dedication and Pete's baptism at church. We'd made many attempts to gather the family for Timothy's dedication over the last 2+years and when it came down to it, still no one from my side of the family was able to come and only Pete's parents.
One of our close family friends came, the other was tied up with sport on the Lord's day.
Still, it was a great day of celebration.
Just after that, gastro went through the family and we had to cancel the BIG BBQ we had been planning for months... it will happen, but not until March 2011.
We were able to get to the funeral of my step-grandfather which I was so pleased to be able to do though it was a mad mad drive to Sydney and back while the chicken pox were still lurking.... the boys came out in spots the night of the day we left *sigh* and so on the road, we needed to make other arrangements for where they were to stay while we were gone.
So this last year we've missed funerals, birthday parties (one special one in particular of some precious precious twins that I was so sad to miss), our BBQ celebration, girl's nights at church, too many home ed meetings that I love so much, much much bookwork (still working on catch up), we missed out on camping at Christmas time and oh so many other things. I feel like each time I turned around there was something else we were having to ditch - oh that's right, Christmas in July at a dear friend's home in Geelong, Pete and Nathaniel attending Boys Brigade Father/Son weekend even though it had already been paid for, many many play dates with a friend... and yes, more.
Amongst all this though, there has been joy. There have been blessings.
The effort our friends went to, to come to the dedication & baptism was such an encouragement in the midst of disappointment.
A friend driving Melinda to Girl's Brigade for a few weeks while I was unable to.
The blessing of this new baby, due only about 16 weeks from now.
Practical help with moving house - some unexpected help too which is always extra special
A delightful BBQ afternoon with a much loved family
Pete's job being made more secure as his contract was about to run out. Many many others didn't keep theirs' with the industry changes.
2 Fellowship lunches through church have helped us to get to know more people there, we've settled in and are about to become members.
Lower rent.
An awesome vegie patch.
The discovery of fruit trees at this house - including a kiwi fruit vine now laden with hundreds of kiwi fruit... just need to find out when to expect them to be ripe.
A LOVELY day this last week, raspberry picking and a picnic with friends.
I DID get to the funeral of a friend's father who passed away.
We've met some lovely new neighbours.
We were blessed with free accommodation for a week's holiday on Phillip Island, which we managed to do - the chicken pox arrived as we were packing up to come home. Am going to have to be looking at house swapping for some more time away I think!!
and again - probably many more blessings than this. They sure have been hard to see at times, but I am so thankful they have dotted this year of trials.
Last but not least - the two most important in fact. This year we have been keeping much more on the narrow path that God requires us to walk. We have ditched more of the worldly things that creep in and are so much closer to God because of this. Considering what is at stake, I'd not give that up for ANYTHING.
Also, it has been our best year of marriage thus far (almost 11), by a LONG shot!! And for this I am so grateful.

2011 is now here. Whatever trials come our way, God will see us through. Whatever joy we have, is a gift from Him and will be treasured.

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Piff-a-thon Tally #2 & #3

2011-01-04T15:09:00.000+11:00

DEC 18th

51 things from the last tally

PLUS

1 odd bootie
1 pair of booties (again I ask, what is it with these??)
1 cosmetic bag
1 perfume
1 toothbrush holder
1 hair band
1 bottle of mineral health mixture, past date
1 unused journal
1 perpetual calendar
1 unopened dvd - deemed to not fit with 'whatever is pure and lovely'
1 handbag
1 tape measure
1 toddler shape sorting toy
1 make up palette

JAN 4th Tally

65 things already

PLUS
2 european pillows now gone
1 dolls house
6 items of dolls furniture
a whole bunch of little ponies - let's say it was 15 but I know it was more than that, a whole bunch of pony hair brushes went with them
3/4 of a tea chest box of clothing - will count it as 20 but again it was MORE
1 old hard drive
1 wine bag
1 candelabra
4 notepads, partly used - we have too many too keep for future use
1 computer mouse
1 Barbie
4 melamine rice bowls
8 picnic plates
4 floppy discs (total for this count is 69)

so that's now a total of **134**

There was a whole bunch more that I can't remember LOL... It was all going out the door so fast in the end... so I shall have to do some more to get to my official 150... and as soon as I can figure out photo's from my mobile to here in the next couple of days, I'll show you what we tackled!

BTW - If feels sooooooo good! Has anyone else been working on decluttering?
Plenty of local people have - Pete had to go to another opshop this morning when dropping off a boot load, the big Salvo's store wasn't taking any more donations as they're full up with the big Christmas decluttering many have been doing LOL

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Happy New Year?

2011-01-03T15:43:00.000+11:00

aah, so many blog posts going around and around my head... I'm still chewing the whole Christmas thing at the moment... might come back to it at some point, this year or next.

Happy New Year though?

no, that's not my greatest wish or desire for you my friends.

Instead I hope and pray your year will be your most godly year yet - that, is my deepest desire for my family and I. And I can wish for you no less.

If happiness comes as well, wonderful - but may it not come instead, that would be most.... sad.

Seek FIRST the kingdom of God

Consider what areas of your life you are holding onto that really ought be God's.... our God is HOLY and this is too often underestimated and pushed aside with the 'theology' of God's sense of humour... behaving as we like and brushing it off as allowable because of God's sense of humour... or we just do as we feel like and refuse to align it with His holiness... thinking the way we live is fine because it's 'not as bad as it could be'.

We are exhorted to fill our minds with things that are of God
⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
(and thus, not other things)

What of your TV viewing needs to go? reading? internet browsing? hours in the day? thought life?
What needs to be added in?

Living a 'smidge' above the standards of the world is easy. God doesn't call us to that standard though.

I pray that you may have a hugely challenging year, as you measure your standard instead against God's holiness and not the filth in the world.

May happy not be your goal... let that be something God might add when you live the goal of holiness... godliness...
May you walk every step of 2011 right with Him, who created you and I, for His glory.

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Piff-a-thon Tally

2010-12-18T15:40:00.000+11:00

So far before today - ZERO

and today....

5 Books to mum
5 Books to the library
41 Items into the 'leave the house but not sure how' box
-jewellery doll
-2 candle thingys
-a dvd
-a jacket
-2 pairs of baby booties (what is it with these?!?!)
-2 evening purses
-28 books
-3 cookie cutters
-1 headband
--------
51 Items so far.... wow, only 99 to go... I might need to go over the planned 150 items to find sanity in this house!? Will see what it looks like over the next couple of weeks and then decide :o) There is a LOT coming into the house at this time of year, for sure!

Marked 'to go' but not ready to go, are a king sized doona and 2 European pillows.... that's some serious bulk but not a high number count... must get them ready to go in the next few days and then they can be counted.

Our lounge room at the moment as we're gathering everything from around the house that is in the wrong place or is not yet unpacked.... some serious hours of work to be done here!!

oh - and today, hubby cleaned out the art & craft cupboard!! Nothing has been removed from this cupboard but before he began, it looked like not another thing could be squeezed in here - clever man is he!

Should have taken a 'before' picture but we rarely remember to do that LOL

Random Thoughts

2010-12-17T16:09:00.000+11:00

Much is going on.

These last couple of weeks have been sooo busy

I'm LOVING the vegie patch

I'm a little overwhelmed with all the fruit in the back yard that will be good for picking over the next couple of months

My kids are just being painful while they fold the washing right now as I type

Hubby has 2.5 weeks off work starting tonight

Fish n chips for dinner - was going to be in a park but now it's pouring so it'll be here at the table

I am soo looking forward to 2.5weeks that fit a bit better with my preferred hours - usually we need to be in bed at 9pm to be able to get up at 5am!! Wake up time of somewhere between 6 & 7am will be so much nicer

We have so much to get done over the next couple of weeks but want to balance it out with family fun. Must keep that in mind.

Lots of fun was had at my sisters place last weekend when we did (my side) family Christmas there

There are so many nutrimetics orders coming in at the moment, which is great - must continue to track and write them down so I don't forget anything

I have received a whole bunch of curriculum stuff in the last week and a bit but have yet to sit down and go through them. I am REALLY looking forward to making & taking time to do this.

I love the sound of rain on the roof

I'm wondering if Pete got to the train dry or got caught in the rain.

There is nothing in the diary for tomorrow = bliss

Pete just called ~ he's wet... I no longer need to wonder

I wish weeding didn't make my hands so dirty

I have so many blog posts I want to finish writing.... and a whole bunch of blogs I need to go back and comment on from when I've only had a few minutes to read

I need long gardening gloves, the zucchini plants give my arms a rash

I need to publish this so I can get Pete from the train!

150 Things To Go

2010-12-06T11:17:00.000+11:00

That's my goal.... 150 individual items must leave this house between now and when Pete goes back to work on about Jan 6th. I can't count normal things I'd throw away in day to day life. They have to be things that moved with us to this house back in July.
I'm not sure how many I'll get to this week as I've figured it to be our busiest week of the year, but I'll post as I go, over the next few weeks. Life slows down again next week :o)

Anyone want to join me on a month of decluttering - even if it's not 150 things?

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My FIRST Sewing Success!

2010-12-04T15:15:00.000+11:00

I've started a couple of other projects but so far they are both incomplete. Well today, I have gone from start to finish on a skirt for Melinda... made so it should last her for a couple of summers at least.

She's thrilled with the result, as am I

Ta Da!!

A closer look at the fabric

I chose this fabric because of it's 'busy-ness' and thus it's ability to hide any errors.

Thankfully there were as good as none. I need to figure out the top part of the skirt a bit better for next time. It tapers in the whole way up - including into the waist band area.... need to look at some other skirts to see how best to finish them off. A blessing is, it can't be seen on this skirt!

10 tips for being organised ~ Tip #5

2010-12-03T19:02:00.000+11:00

Tip #5
Maximise your energy

Being organised is soooo HARD when you're low on energy and focus. Lack of organisation will just make you more tired and stressed... and attempting to 'sleep it off', won't necessarily re-energise you... it just shuts off the stress for a few hours and delays the inevitable.

Here's a small bunch of things I've figured out / discovered through hours of research, that affect energy/focus levels

1. WATER - Drink lots of it. Mild dehydration is a big cause of fatigue
2. SUGAR - is evil! It destroys energy among other things. It gives you false highs and very real lows. It's said to be more addictive than cocaine. If you need more energy, avoid sugar like you would the plague. It's in EVERYTHING. Cut it out for a month and then have something sugary. Notice how ill your body feels - this is how you will have always felt... you've just grown accustomed to it. Like the frog in a pot of water analogy.
In the 1700's we ate less than 2kg of sugar a year. By the 1900's we are consuming over 45kgs of sugar a year!! A glass of fruit juice has about as much sugar as the often quoted glass of Coke. 25g. Just one glass a day is over 9kg of sugar a year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tomato sauce is 25% sugar/weight, most Jams 50%. There's a teaspoon-ish of sugar in every McDonald's burger... that's before you count the overall carb content which your body treats as sugar anyway! If you didn't change your diet and just added up all the processed sugar in a week you would FREAK OUT - I dare you, do it!!
Even avoiding all the obvious sugars, you're still consuming heaps and heaps... more than enough
3. Avoid ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS. Aside from the chemical toxicity, they wreak havoc with your adrenal system. Research your adrenal system and how it works. You don't want to mess with this. Your body assumes an artificial sweetener is the REAL THING... it releases insulin, which drops your blood sugar when it shouldn't, leaving you then craving more and the cycle goes on. Over use of the adrenal system ruins it. Stops it working effectively.Makes you a whole lot more tired among other 'not so good' things.
4. Exercise. Lack of it makes you feel blah. If doing it makes you feel blah then start and build up slowly. You don't need endurance. You need bunches of little intense bursts. This will increase your sense of well being, focus and energy.
5. Low Vitamin D... will lead to fatigue and make you susceptible to all sorts of illness and disease. I deliberately get, as often as possible, daily sun through the year. I recently tested and came back with a low Vitamin D result.... so if I'm deliberate in getting sun, how low are others?? Get yourself tested and do something about it!!

In short - quit whinging about low energy unless you are on top of these 5 things. I have NO pity on someone who doesn't pay good attention to these things yet complains about lack of focus, energy, fatigue or anything else related.

Get your energy on track - even a 5% improvement if you're really ill with something, will still help you get on top of life and be more organised!! Chances are you'll improve a whole lot more than that.

Next I'm investigating CoQ10... anyone use this? Know anything about it?

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No Longer A 'Mystery Vine Thingy'

2010-12-03T09:39:00.000+11:00

A lovely neighbour came over to introduce herself last week and told me of 3 fruit 'trees' we have that I didn't know about.... one being the 'Mystery Vine Thingy' out the back....

It's A KIWI FRUIT VINE!!!

And it's growing LOADS of these cute little Kiwi... all around an inch long at the moment!

How cool is that!?!?!

Now... just one QUESTION... if we're going to have buckets of Kiwi fruit, what else can one do with them other than eat them fresh or put them on a Pav?

10 tips for being organised ~ Tip #4

2010-11-28T21:03:00.001+11:00

Tip #4
Make more margins.
Stop tail gating... you know when you see that crazy car on the road and you give it a whole lot more space.... well life is like that crazy car - out of control... so accept it, get over it and make some space!

Put the clocks in the house forward a permanent 6 minutes - and don't tell anyone, if you can get away with it!
When going somewhere, work out how long you need to get ready so you can work out your departure time... and add in an extra 20%ish for life that will get in the way - a nappy that needs changing, misplacing your keys, looking up the address or whatever it may be. It can almost be guaranteed THERE WILL BE SOMETHING.
Do first things first... make your list for the day and note the things that are MUST DO's on that day, and start with them. Do the optional items later - because they are the ones that don't matter so much if not done!
Budget every dollar, including about 10% 'oops'... BEFORE the money arrives. Then don't spend it any other way until the next time around.
Work out dinner the night before so that a) anything needed is defrosted and b) you're not gazing in the fridge at 5pm wondering what to cook or having a takeaway AGAIN!!
Have a complete back up meal or two in the house - even if it's just a bag of pasta and a jar of pasta sauce.

That's the first bunch of ideas that come to mind, to help us have more 'margin' in life... I'd love to hear what you do to create 'margin' in your life and thus avoid what I call 'headless chook syndrome'.
(and for non-Aussies, a chook is a hen)

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Look What I Won!!

2010-11-26T10:47:00.001+11:00

Okay, so I won it a couple of weeks ago now... but have been good and not opened it till now. In fact as I type, it's still wrapped up... so this is about as live a blog post as you can get from me!

All wrapped up

60 seconds later - Cute hey?

I won this from Cassie at Cassie's Cuddles - I love seeing what her and her family are up to and it is Cassie that has inspired me to start sewing... I have a LONG way to go but thanks to Cassie and now this book - I have lots of inspiration

After a quick flick, I think this is the project I will work on first - I need one!

Thanks Cassie!! xxx

PS... not too many posts to go till my giveaway... I'd better get to them as I want to give these currently mystery goodies away before Christmas! And in case you're wondering... it is international... so it doesn't matter where you live, you still have a chance :o)

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10 tips for being organised ~ Tip #3

2010-11-21T18:55:00.000+11:00

Tip #3
Have a back up plan - before you have the main plan

I'll explain Tip #3 in a minute.... but before I go there I have to say... Tip #3 is a PRACTICAL tip.
Unlike Tip #1 and Tip #2, this one is practical.

If you've read the first two tips and are saying 'At last! Practical is what I need! I was wondering if we'd ever get to the practical!'... or anything else that sounds even remotely like that... then my educated guess is that YOU need to go back and immerse yourself in both tips one and two. Pray that God will open your heart and eyes to anything that you can learn from them.

Without having a handle on both the first tips, then you will go jumping from one practical tip to the next, from a variety of sources... and nothing will ever come together. I know. I've been there, done that and bought the T-shirt (well, the organising books actually!)

So - back to Tip #3
Have a back up plan - before you have the main plan

or as I call it 'My Out of Routine Recovery Plan'

I use it every time that life is upside down. Be it returning from an emergency trip interstate, or at the end of a week like last week when there was too much to do in too little time or just when I've had a backwards day or two and I don't know which way is up. Maybe it's after coming back from a family holiday or camping trip... I use it at the point where once I might instead start searching (probably online) for some 'new' organising help, information and ideas.

Step 1 - Get the children occupied... be it sleeping, TV, outside - whatever... at this point it doesn't matter. Just get them out of your head for an hour or two. If this is not possible and they'll be clinging on... then I just say 'Tough, get over it and make it work'... if you use that as your excuse, you haven't done your homework on Tip's #1 & 2 and you don't have my sympathy! If you work better with some cheerful music or essential oil burning - now is the time to get that happening now. I like Andre Rieu if I have the headspace for the extra noise and as for essential oils, something citrus is always nice and energising. Now is not the time for vanilla! Down a glass of water and move on to step #2

Step 2 - Figure out the next couple of meals. Yes, even if it's 7pm and the next meal is breakfast... ot it's 8am and lunch is hours away... get the next 2-3 meals SORTED. Again at this point, don't worry about health so much as full tummies. This is not about your usual standards and the ideal way you would like to live. It's about finding short term sanity so you can start to move forward to that ideal. 2 min noodles with tuna, a bowl of wheat biscuits and milk, baked beans on toast, a bag of frozen potato gems... WHATEVER... just know what the next few meals are and write them down. (one day, down the track, not to far away from now - you will actually have a spare casserole or two in the freezer for days like this.... so keep the faith but just don't aim for it now unless you already have something like that in the freezer okay?). If the next meal happens to be NOW or when you are working through this list, that's fine - make it happen when it needs to and be thankful you're now on top of it... and then just move onto the next step.

Step 3 - Spend no more than 30min and get the 3 wet areas looking/working better. Note: looking better... not 'up to scratch'. Put the dishwasher on or run a sink of dishwater and load it with dirty dishes - or both.... put a load of washing in the washing machine and turn it on - for me, this used to be a rewash of the load I had left in there and had now gone smelly (oops!) (to fix this, add your usual detergent (again!), make it a warm wash and add a teaspoon or cap full of eucalyptus oil... this should get rid of any musty smell from the wash).... now get back to those soaking dishes if you have any and wash a few, dump another load of crusty dishes into the sink.... now to the 3rd wet area... the bathroom basin(s). Quickly put things away off the surface (no, don't straighten the cupboard now, just get the bench surface clear(er) ) and use a wet cloth to give the basin and bench a decent wipe over and then the dry cloth in your other hand to dry both. 2 minutes TOPS at the basin, okay?
Now, of the suggested '30min tops' I suggest for these 3 wet areas, you are probably only halfway through that... so finish up the dishes if you can... if there's no time left, no worry... you'll get faster as you practice this. Half the hassle of being organised is knowing what to do next!

Step 4 - Spend a couple of minutes clearing what you can off your dining table and give it a quick wipe down and dry. However much you do, it's going to look better than it did right - don't aim for perfect, just improve it!

Step 5 - Set the timer for 10minutes and GO! Spend the time doing a 'quick pick up' of your main living areas... the lounge/kitchen/dining table floors... as much in the bin as possible... as much in the right place as possible... the rest, just move it off the floor.

Step 6 - Vacuum the middles of the areas you just cleared. Again, just make it better - not perfect

Step 7 - If you were feeling 'sticky' as you were moving around doing all these, grap the mop and mop the middles - 2 minutes okay?!

Step 8 - Grab a glass of water (dehydration is one of the top causes of lack of energy!!) and sit down. Breathe. Take a moment and look at what you HAVE done... not what is still to do. Feel good about it!

and in about an hour, the house is starting to come together, though sometimes it's crazy enough that I work through half the list again right away. Either way, a lot of stress has been reduced and I can focus again on long term things.

The important thing is to make a list like this that is yours - one that works for you. Also, make sure you don't get hung up on what's on the list. It's designed to cover 'all possibilities'... so if you're working through it and 'hey presto' there's no washing to put on.... then it's just 'Yippee' and you move on to the next thing... or maybe the table doesn't need clearing, or whatever... as time passes, the portion of the list that doesn't need working on grows - go with the flow, skip over it and pat yourself on the back instead. Still don't shorten the list though... because the day will come when it ALL needs doing, for one reason or another and it's great to not have to think about it.

PS: A lot of disorganised people I've met or know online will procrastinate by convincing themselves (all too easy to do) that they first need to sit and relax before tackling the house. I promise you it doesn't work. Jumping in on a list like this will have you feeling so much better, so much sooner than half an hour or so on the computer or watching TV ever could... stop fooling yourself and just DO IT!!

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A Week in Review

2010-11-20T16:33:00.000+11:00

The days go by so fast - but this week especially so! It's not usual or even desirable, for us to be this busy on a regular basis but it all just fell into this week for a variety of reasons.

We started off with the 'perfect' day of schooling on Monday... (that should have given me a clue about the end of the week LOL) and in the afternoon we went visiting and spent a delightful couple of hours with some dear friends who live about 45min away... coming home in time to pick up Pete from work and then to drop Melinda at Girl's Brigade.

Tuesday another busy day - we didn't get through as much bookwork as I would have liked... everyone needed a nap which does tend to get in the way of productivity. We need to learn to manage this a bit better. Again in the afternoon we spent a couple of hours at a friend's home - this one lives only about 15min away... and I had a lovely cuddle of their 10 week old baby - a boy after 2 girls and a baby that was soooo longed for. God is good!

Wednesday the children and I went to my sisters house for 2/3 of the day and looked after her boys... we did our bible session together which is a start, but no other work than that.

See, very social this week!!!

THURSDAY... a few errands in the morning (I'm thinking I should have deferred this??) and then my sister arrived with her boys... Pete had today off work, so he looked after all 5 children while I took my sister out for a long leisurely lunch at the Pancake Parlour for her birthday. We've both voted it to be an annual event from now on. An absolutely WONDERFUL day!
Schooling on Thursday - Ha!!

Friday started at 2am with gastro... ugh. Thankfully Pete dealt with most of it... Nj first, me by 5am and then Pete by the end of Friday. So far Melinda and Timothy seem to have escaped it. I pray it stays so!

So this made Friday a waste of a day... as Nj said to me 'Mum, you've been on the couch ALL DAY!!'. Pete did take the car to get the air conditioning fixed and re-gassed, so that is one thing that was good.
Schooling on Friday? Ha!

So sad to say, with the arrival of gastro... we needed to cancel our big 'almost summer BBQ' that was to be happening this afternoon from 3pm.... I certainly couldn't be here blogging if it was happening. We had about 24 adults and 46 children of all ages coming and God even gave us perfect weather for it! Much fun was planned - bubbles, slippery mat, face painting, paper planes and more... oh yes - a 5 metre long ice cream sundae!! Yes, we will be rescheduling in the new year!!!!!!!!!!

2010 will be remembered as 'the year my life was cancelled' for sure!

10 tips for being organised ~ Tip #2

2010-11-16T09:00:00.004+11:00

Tip #2
Quit cursing yourself.
Change your words - remember that there is life and death in the tongue!!

Take a moment to sit in a chair and think about your second most dreaded task.... save the worst for the next exercise okay?
Think about it... how big it is, how awful it is, how it never goes away, how tired you are, how you just don't have the focus for it, can't be bothered, unappreciated by others when you do do it.

Do you feel like doing it now?

Now sit and ponder the WORST one you came up with before. For me, that's probably the ironing.
Close your eyes and think again... choose to think to yourself how good it feels when finally done, how great it is to not have it hanging on the to do list anymore, how energised you feel, imagine yourself getting up and getting stuck into it, admiring the finished task and feeling the weight lift off as you see the final result.

I bet you feel a lot more like doing this task now than the first one you thought of right?

If you now need/want to go and get it done NOW - then GO!
You can always come back to read the rest later, right?

**So, remember to choose your thoughts, and choose good ones**

What about how you sound when talking to other people?
"I'm too disorganised for that"
"It's never ending"
"Kids make it so much harder"
"I'm too tired"
"I'm too sick"
"He's the messy one"
"If only the kids didn't make so much mess"

Your brain is lazy... when you say or think these things, it hears them as an instruction; as a truth and struggles to operate in any other way.

Change your words and help yourself
"I love a tidy loungeroom"
"It feels so good to declutter"
"I'm working with the children to teach them to tidy up their own things"
"It'll only take a few minutes, I'll do it now"

Go on, go do it now ~ we're at the end of Tip #2.... it'll only take a few minutes

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10 tips for being organised ~ Tip #1

2010-11-15T09:10:00.000+11:00

No, I am not a BO 'born organised' but I'm working on becoming more organised. Some do mistake the progress I've made, and am making, as me actually being a BO... but trust me - I'm not!

Tip #1
Have a purpose.
Know why you want to be more organised.
God wired us to work with a purpose.
It's much easier to walk 30min to catch a train daily than it is to just get out and go for a 30min walk every day.
So know your WHY... the 'why you want to be more organised'

For me...

it was coming to a better understanding of God Himself.
I serve a God of order and excellence. One doesn't need to spend much time reading God's word to understand that. We are made in His image, a likeness of Him. We operate better when organised, even if we struggle with learning to be organised.
By knowing this, and the way children and husbands operate... I know my family does better when we're organised.

Titus 2: 4-5 tells us that when we are not 'keepers of the home' that we blaspheme the Word of God.
Yet another very good reason to manage my home well!

Also, what does my home say about me and my God?
Do I want to encourage the world to think that 'homeschoolers are messy/dirty/disorganised/too busy'?
Do I want to encourage the world to think that 'families with 3 or more children are messy/dirty/disorganised/too busy'?
Do I want to encourage the world to think that 'Christians are messy/dirty/disorganised/too busy'?

More reasons to work on being more organised and make it a natural part of life, don't you think!

Motivate yourself by writing out the Titus 2 verse above, or something like Proverbs 10v4 and put them where you can easily see them throughout the day - I have them next to my kitchen sink... a biblical kick in the pants if you will :o)

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Easy Smoked Salmon & Pea Risotto - and almost healthy!

2010-11-13T17:19:00.000+11:00

Rice isn't great for you, but if you must have it (and I must, from time to time) then here's a recipe I made up and used today for our family lunch. It served a family of 5 (2 Adults, 2 children and a toddler).
I wouldn't like to serve this for a dinner, even on a carb night as the carb content is a little high for our health preferences - but it would do in a pinch if I had to!

3tbsp Healthy Fat - I used 50/50 Coconut Oil and Butter. You could also use Cold-pressed Sesame Oil or Lard.
1c Diced Onion
1c Arborio Rice
1/2 c White Wine
1 Massel Chicken Stock Cube
1lt Hot Homemade Long-cooked Chicken Bone Broth
200g Smoked Salmon, diced
1c Frozen Peas
1/3c Shredded Parmesan Cheese
For seasoning: Celtic Sea Salt, Ground Black Pepper, Extra Parmesan Cheese

1. Heat the oil
2. Gently fry the onion till translucent
3. Add the rice and heat while stirring, till translucent. From here on, you just keep on stirring most of the time, okay!
4. Add the wine and sizzle it off
5. Add a cup of broth and the stock cube (yes, stir!)
6. As it thickens, add some more stock - say 200ml at a time. Keep doing this till rice is cooked but still has a firmness to it.
7. After the 3rd addition of stock, add the frozen peas
8. Once the rice is cooked, add in the diced salmon and stir in for a minute to allow it to cook
9. Stir in the Parmesan cheese
10. Season with salt and pepper
11. Allow to sit a couple of minutes before serving
12. Serve with a little more Parmesan cheese on top

Enjoy!

'Cooking Salmon' is the cheapest smoked salmon to buy. It's a bunch of end and side pieces and about $10/kg less than the neat slices. Just dice in on the display card and scrape it straight into the risotto

I've joked about having an ironing fairy

2010-11-08T06:42:00.001+11:00

and the Lord has given me an ironing angel!!

At the end of Sunday's service (Pete's baptism and Timothy's dedication), many people approached us and one lovely lady gave me a note with her phone number, saying she would like to help us with house cleaning &/or ironing!! Pete had mentioned my MS diagnosis in his testimony and this lady tells me she does house cleaning and ironing, free of charge, for those that might need a hand.

I jokingly asked her if she'd seen my ironing pile!! (it's more of a mountain at the moment, than a pile)

So today, I am going to phone her and graciously accept her offer and the Lord's provision.

With MS, I struggle mostly with fatigue and 'head space'... heaps worse than the usual lack of head space one might complain about. The children can ask me something and I need to repeat it back to them a time or two just to process it and figure out what they're asking! Sometimes I sit doing nothing, because I can't even get thought's straight enough to think about what to do next!!! Of all the things I need to manage, ironing is always at the end of the list even though I have a huge awareness that it needs doing. The person at most disadvantage because of this is Pete, so as much as this will be a blessing to me, it will also be to Pete.

God is good!

ETA a PS: I've noticed my 150th post ever, is coming up soon and I've been toying with having a give away as many of my blog friends have done... so keep an eye out... it will be in the 150th post... it's something I love to use daily and is related to cooking, gardening and babies!

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A new way of cooking

2010-11-06T09:47:00.000+11:00

After much much reading from researchers who do not have an 'invested interest' other then truth and genuine good health, we are pressing forward with the changes to our diet that we began a year ago.

A few things we've already done
-removed over processed salt from cooking. It's now for playdough only! We now use Celtic Sea Salt. It has 75+ minerals versus the 2 that are left in standard salt. 'Sea salt' sold at the supermarket is just dodgy marketing and is still nutrient deficient.
-We've been drinking raw milk. Milk that has not been pasteurised. Milk from healthy cows. Organic cows. Milk that has not been homogenised. Cows that don't get injected with antibiotics etc. If the milk from the supermarket was unpasteurised you'd still never get me to drink it...do you know they strain it to remove puss that is in the milk from sick cows with mastitis? Why are the cows sick? because they're not cared for and kept healthy... they're pushed to create heaps more milk than a cow was ever meant to produce in a day. Raw milk is an entirely different product. It's the milk God intended us to drink and when you know about raw milk, 'a land flowing with milk and honey' being a good thing makes so much more sense. It helps you avoid tooth decay, it helps keep the stomach bacteria balanced. It prevents crohn's disease and can even heal it.
-Honey, we use raw honey. Honey that has not been heated - supermarket honey has been. Raw honey is healthy.... processed honey has had all the good enzymes killed off. So it's just a sugar, not a health product.
-We use rapadura, not sugar. Rapadura is still a sugar. It's just barely processed. It's dehydrated sugar cane juice and again, retains the vitamins etc that the over processing removes. If you must use sugar in something, this is the best way to go.
-We soak our porridge overnight for 12 hours before cooking it. This releases nutrients and stops nutrients being removed from our body by the eating of grains that have not been prepared properly.
-We make our own bread.... yeast, celtic sea salt, rapadura, wholemeal flour, water.
-We eat much more fat. Yep - the healthy stuff. Butter, lard, coconut oil etc. A good book on this is Eat Fat, Lose Fat - amazing info in there that you'll never hear from any vegetable oil or margarine company. Basically those foods (veg oil, marge etc) are a huge part of the cause of rising heart disease and a whole pile of other health issues. In the last year I've changed fats in the house to the REAL healthy ones and more than doubled fat intake. I've not put on weight... I've lost 2kgs.
-Bone broth added to as many meals as possible. This aids digestion and helps you absorb more nutrients.

So, what now?
Having learned that the so called 'healthy diet pyramid' is actually the 'dodgy diet pyramid' and is the cause of my excess weight, we are now making more changes.
Carbs at dinner 2 x a week... Tuesday and Friday's are carb nights... potatoes or rice is the preference, especially until I can make properly prepared home made pasta - by properly prepared, I mean from soaked grain.
Protein and fat at every meal, especially breakfast.
The majority of our diet is now meat, fat, vegetables.
I'm even being good and not touching the fresh baked bread as it comes out of the oven - so delish with melted butter - unless it's baked in the morning and can be had with a decent serve of protein as well.
We are ordering bulk organic grains and will soak, dehydrate and mill our own flour (from this I could make a healthy pasta)
Breakfast now might look like:
-small serve of soaked porridge with currants in it along with a couple of slices of roast beef retaining all the fat
-Egg, sausage and toast
-Beans on buttered toast
-Home made full fat yoghurt, egg, fried potatoes
and other combination's of that sort of thing.
Lunches are pretty similar to what they have been, I'm just making a much more conscious effort to include good sized servings of meat, cheese etc.
Dinner is interesting!
I've looked at the recipes I usually use and have modified them to increase meat and remove pasta, rice and potatoes. So Kye See Mein has no noodles or rice but increased cabbage and minced beef. Busy day casserole we tried for the first time this week with no pasta... instead I increased the meat and added in a bunch of fried diced pumpkin - very popular even with our most fussy eater.

It is sooo good to eat and feel full so much earlier, so much less food! It is great to have no desire to snack in the evenings. The extra energy is WONDERFUL!

Yes, it's more time in the kitchen for both cooking and dishes. Yes, it's a smidge more expensive.
but so what. It's health. That makes it very cheap!!

We can see the extra energy and health.... and health is a multi-generational thing... in the Western world, it's getting worse with each generation. Our babies start of with the deteriorated health we have and then it gets worse being on the western diet and then their babies start with an even more deteriorated health... and so on.
It's time to stop this.

Further reading on sugar....

In 1700, the average person consumed about 4 pounds of sugar per year.

In 1800, the average person consumed about 18 pounds of sugar per year.

In 1900, individual consumption had risen to 90 pounds of sugar per year.

on raw milk

on much of the above
and for the easiest reading on oh so much of this... the book Nourishing Traditions is a must.... borrow one from a library for just a week and you'll want your own.

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Disappointed

2010-11-04T08:44:00.000+11:00

After 2.5 years and multiple attempts, Timothy will be dedicated at church on Sunday. Without family and friends joining us. Pete is also finally being baptised as an adult. Without family and friends joining us.

Yes, a bit of an ouch.

And in this, I must learn to be content.

A reminder to myself as I move past this...whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

That's what I need to fill my day with.

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry

2010-11-01T08:10:00.002+11:00

After waiting months and months to see this film, it is finally in Australia and we have a copy
I highly recommend you getting one too!

What I liked most

It was heartwarming and drew you in... expect to shed a few tears

The wonderful examples of forgiveness

The encouragement to share the gospel

The healthy relationship portrayed between young and old

The promotion of living God's way being great and something we all really do want versus being restrictive

...and last but not least,

The inspiration it has given my children - I won't tell you what about, as that gives away too much... you might be able to guess after you see the movie :o)

What I liked least

Initially I was quite uncomfortable with the emphasis on 'liking a girl' and 'dating' as I hold quite strong convictions about a more deliberate 'courting' way of finding one's marriage partner.

I love how it was dealt with in the end... but if I told you how that was, it'd give away such a good part of the movie, so I'll just say it was directed back to who God wants us to marry, not so much how we 'feel' about someone in a moment of life.

All up I think it can be used well and lead to some good discussions with our children about not looking for a marriage partner till one is mature enough to be married, seeking God's will in relationships and honouring God above all else.

To see the movie trailer click here

To buy it in Australia, try Koorong.com

(I'd add a link but it's seems to be having rare loading issues at the moment)

Word does not yet have it in stock

NB: I have not been asked to review this, nor have I been given any goods or cash to do so. It is a personal review of my choosing.

Little helpers

2010-10-31T19:02:00.010+11:00

We had such a fun time Saturday night / Sunday morning when my favourite nephews stayed over. Mr4yo and Mralmost2yo.. ooh, he's two this next week!
Anyway, back to our fun....
The boys arrived at 3.30pm, just as the downpour arrived in our part of Melbourne (65mm in 24 hours here)
so Mr4 went outside with Melinda and Nathaniel to dance in the rain and get completely SOAKED... so it was into dry pyjamas by 4pm.
A little bit of indoor play (Timothy and Mr2 had been playing trains while the others got wet) and then it was DVD time on the bed in our room which they thought a wonderful idea... and a bonus when the home made pizza arrived up there for dinner!
Clever hubby laid out large blankets first to catch the crumbs :o)

the little ones aren't quite as enthralled by the movie!

Into bed once that was over and they all went to sleep right away and didn't wake till just after 7... the most civilised rising we've had with 5 blessings in the house at one time!

A tasty breakfast of eggs and hash browns, big glasses of milk and then it was clean up time.
I asked Melinda to gather the plates for me so I could get the dishes underway and a little 4yo voice says to me 'can I help too Aunty Relle?' Loved it - so sweet! So he, with much joy, gathered all the empty milk glasses and brought them to the kitchen for washing.

I was reminded of this later in the afternoon (The nephews headed home shortly after 9am) when I was clearing the dry dishes and Timothy comes into the kitchen with an "I help mummy" as he starts to put the glasses away that I'd stacked onto the table for the older ones to put away. He was rewarded with much praise from both Pete and I.

Such joy when they offer to help, vs being asked.

Such joy in the home when we do ALL work together! I'm a believer in jobs from as early on in life as possible.

At the moment home making jobs looks a little something like this

Timothy (2.5)
Feeds the cat
Picks up his own toys
Takes out the recycling with Nj (has been doing this for about 12mo)
Brings his dishes to the sink (occasionally I cringe but no breakages from this yet)
Puts his own socks and undies away
Does lots of 'gofer-ing'... "Timothy, can you please get X for mummy?"

Nj (7)
Folds clothes and puts them away
hangs wet clothes on the drying rack
Peels vegies
Makes his own bed
Strips sheets off beds for washing day
Brings the bins in on rubbish day
Takes out the rubbish bags
Keeps the toilet paper shelf from running out
Puts dishes away
Removes chairs for floor mopping and then puts them back
Unloads the car after grocery shopping
Changes dirty nappies!!
Sets the table
Working on: learning to vacuum

Melinda (8)
Removes the dish drainers and cleans the draining board
Folds clothes and puts them away
Can make simple lunches like pizza toasts and sandwiches
Peels and chops vegies
Strips sheets off beds for washing day
Puts a load in the dryer and turns it on, empties, folds and puts away once dry
Removes chairs for floor mopping and then puts them back
Unloads the car after grocery shopping
Sweeps and washes the bathroom floor
Sets the table
Working on: washing dishes

There won't be a any rude shocks when these children have their own homes to care for!

What about your children - do they get to help keep the house going too?

(*gasps* as I realise I need to check we have a gift organised for Mralmost2 nephew!)

.

Mystery 'vine thingy' - can anyone help?

2010-10-30T10:30:00.001+11:00

I have no idea what yet another plant/tree/vine is in my yard... if you've read along for a while you'd know we're renting in a new place since July and are making a whole bunch of new discoveries, mostly of the fruit kind.

We thought it dead when we moved in because it was just a bunch of old looking vines with no leaves at all... since then it has loaded itself with leaves and just recently it's produced a whole bunch of berry looking things... so are they flowers or some sort of fruit? There's clusters of them all over... hundreds...

Does anyone know what it is?

In response to Ganeida's comment, I'm adding this picture of a full leaf by itself :o)

all the leaves are pretty big - I don't have small hands at all LOL

Baking fun

2010-10-27T13:34:00.000+11:00

A very productive morning here!

While the children were deep into their own bookwork... I got some serious baking happening. We had some fruit that needed using up. So first, I made a banana loaf... with a bit of this and a bit of that... making up the recipe as I went! 3 eggs, about that much better, 2 bananas, 1c SRF and a few other things

ta da!!

Then I made some apple muffins - soooo yummy (I can't say yummy about the banana loaf yet as we're yet to try it!)

It was about now that Timothy discovered the sink and began his happy hour of playing with water

He's more and more keen to turn and pose for a photo these days

And finally, a loaf of bread was ready to go in the oven to be baked

Oh, that's right - and all the while I had creamy rice cooking in the crock pot. Why? Just because I'd never done it before!

The only down side of such fun is the dishes

All done now though :o)

and........

a quick update on yesterday's art (because yesterday's post was about last weeks!!)

It became a 'play and make what you will' session just for Melinda. Nathaniel who is covered in chicken pox at the moment REQUESTED a nap and slept for 3 hours!!!

For a few days Melinda has had idea of building some sort of boat... she was rather pleased to finally be able to 'get around to it'

Tuesday Art

2010-10-26T10:29:00.000+11:00

Only now getting around to posting last week's art! Last week got a little too nutty... more about that once I figure out how to download photo's off my mobile :o)

We talked about shapes... positive shapes and negative shapes and then made these posters to illustrate the positive and negative of each shape created. I had already done mine as an illustration of the sort of thing they were aiming for. It was really interesting seeing them choosing a shape and then trying to get it to show up with the piece of paper folded in half. They done plenty of cutting with paper folded... 'snow flakes' and the like... but not too fussed about the particular shape at the end. There were some good thinking skills at work here too - good practice!

Left, me ~ Middle Nj (7) ~ Right Melinda (8)

Also... more recently - like yesterday... I finally got around to making the cover for MY home ed binder... I kept losing it with other 'look alike' binders... not anymore

The middle section is what I call my 'home ed gripe' and I've had it on my kitchen wall for quite a while now. It's a good reminder for me and also has kept others a little more quiet on 'testing' the kids at every opportunity - bliss!

...and now I need to get organised for this afternoon's art!!

Sunday at Home ~ Making the most of today

2010-10-24T09:09:00.000+11:00

Having returned from a quick, last minute road trip to Sydney to 2 boys covered in chicken pox, I'll be staying home this morning instead of heading off to church with hubby & Melinda.

I'm very ready to focus on it being a Sunday at Home... time to bring calm and peace back into our world.

We came home to a tidy house just before 6pm last night but that has soon changed as we unloaded the hastily packed car. A tad chaotic here now - okay, more than that... VERY chaotic.

My plan is to potter around getting everything straightened and put away. We have beautiful worship music playing and I'll light my favourite scented candles shortly.
This afternoon we'll have family worship time together... hopefully some time out in the garden (need the sunshine to hang around for this) and prepare a lamb roast together for dinner. Lunch is already made - thank you mum :o) and maybe some time for reading...

A calm, joy-filled, peaceful day.

'Full steam ahead' can kick in after dinner as it usually does on a Sunday evening... there is much to be done... but until then.... a restful day.

Thank you Lord for Sundays

.

Once A Month Cooking ~ Spaghetti Bolognese

2010-10-19T16:07:00.002+11:00

While I may not do all of my cooking 'once a month'... doing some of it 'once a month' is pretty close to magic.

This is my favourite spaghetti bolognese recipe.... I love dishing it up into family serves and popping them into the freezer. So easy as a last minute meal solution to pop one in a pot with a lid on and by the time the pasta is cooked - the sauce is ready too.

Got last minute guests for a meal? ... grab 2 or 3 bags from the freezer and dinner is good to go for all. We keep plenty of frozen garlic bread on hand for this purpose too but if for some reason I am low, I'll whip up my cheesy garlic pull apart - 5 minutes to mix and about 15 to bake (stay tuned for that recipe one day soon)
Faster than take away!!

NOTE: I do this recipe in bulk, usually doing a triple batch, which is what I've photographed. It fed the family dinner, gave me 3 more family size serves for the freezer, another serve for 2 adults and another serve for 1 child.

Loads of vegies

Spaghetti Bolognese ~ serves 6

Ingredients

60g Butter

1 Onion, large, finely chopped

2tsp Fresh crushed garlic

2 Celery sticks, finely chopped

2 Carrots, finely diced

600g Lean beef mince

1tsp Dried Oregano

1c Red wine - A GOOD one! I like a nice merlot for cooking or a shiraz/merlot... I don't drink wine but it's great for adding an awesome flavour in cooking!

1 Beef stock cube - we use 'Massel' brand without all the additives that you don't need

2 400g tins diced or pureed tomatoes (I use a 700ml jar of the Aldi tomato cooking sauce... well, 3 of them because I make a triple batch)

4tb Tomato Paste

400g Dried Spaghetti – then cook in a large pot of lightly salted water

3tb Grated, fresh parmesan cheese

take time to simmer for a couple of hours

til it's nice and thick

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until starts to soften

2. Add the garlic, celery and carrot, and cook, stirring over low heat for 5 minutes

3. Increase the heat to high and add beef and oregano. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until browned

4. Pour in the wine, reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes until wine is absorbed

5. Add the tomatoes and stock cubes, stir well and allow to simmer till thickens

6. Add tomato paste and any additional seasoning, heat through and serve on bed of pasta, topped with the Parmesan cheese

Put a bag in the container first then load it with the sauce you want to freeze... tie it off and pop it in the freezer

Then Voila! In the morning you have a brick of bolognese sauce and no messy container

PS: Another good reason for doing a bulk batch is the mess! Simmering it down will always cause some tomato splatter... this way I have the splatter to clean up once but it feeds us 4+ times!

Last week FLEW by

2010-10-18T08:30:00.000+11:00

Life shouldn't be able to go from a Monday to the next Monday so fast... but it would seem there's no stopping it!

Monday was the first day of our new education routine - GREAT day... first days usually are though so I wasn't holding my breath. The week followed was just as good though - so good that we took Friday off bookwork so I think this new plan is going to work!

Monday we started our new geography unit... South Africa


One of the 4 things we did on SA... a missionary story, globe location and colouring it in on a map of Africa were the others

Tuesday we... followed the program... had a pretty regular day? Got a birthday card for Nj in the post so he called Grandma to thank her....just one of those days... ooh - maybe it was the day my new book arrived? A Family Guide to The Biblical Holidays... it's hard to get it for less than $45, so if you're interested now is a good time to buy... I've waited 6mo for it to get below $40

Wednesday was Nathaniel's 7th birthday so we had rather a slow start to the day... pancakes for breakfast, french toast for lunch and fish & chips for dinner - his meal selection. A carb boy LOL
Melinda started MathUSee on Wednesday... I've started her on their first book, Primer which is prep-ish and we went through 2/3 of it orally to make sure nothing was skipped... so far only one thing she wasn't familiar with so we spent a few minutes on that. On Monday I'll finish off Primer with her, and start going through Alpha with her, again just orally... I'm expecting that she'll know most of it again, but a few things will need work. Then in a couple of week's she'll start on Beta, doing most of it by herself.. I'm expecting she'll know some of it but that maybe 2/3 will be either needed because not already touched on or needed to consolidate what has only been touched on. By the time she starts this, I'll start over with Nj, going through Primer, orally... and so on.

Thursday I got so carried away in our garden here that I missed the monthly home ed meeting!!!!!!!!!!
I got my first lettuce and zucchini planted though - am now expecting our first zucchini in 3 weeks if it grows as fast as our January ones did.... $4-8/kg in the shops is crazy for something that grows so easily!!

Friday was no bookwork and instead we had a super busy morning doing the MONTHLY grocery shop at both Aldi, Coles and Woolworths... we also do meat from a butcher, nuts to make crispy nuts from a nut shop, raw honey from the raw honey man and raw milk from the raw milk dairy. By the time we got home it was lunch time so we found some food, got Timothy into bed and unpacked as much as we could. There was loads of rain on Friday though, so I left the front seat of the car full of toilet paper, nappies and other things like that till after dinner when the rain had slowed down.

Nj got a hold of the camera at the garden so we have a bunch of 'interesting' photo's

Saturday Pete took the children to our plot at the community garden and pulled out the last of our carrots... and took some photo's so I could remember what else is there and plan accordingly. He also bought me some flowers! Gorgeous man :o) My wedding bouquet was hot pink and yellow gerberas.
While they were out, I started on some sewing.... still a couple of things to do to get it finished... hopefully Monday afternoon we will get to Spotlight to pick up the ribbon I want. Will post more details once I am finished the project :o)

Saturday night laying in bed, I felt bubs move for the first time.... lots earlier than the other 3 but it has been earlier with each one. It was like a whole bunch of bubbles moving around - very exciting!!

ooh goody! Cauliflower on it's way... tiny, but on it's way!

*Grin*

I also cleaned the house on Saturday while Pete was off getting new tyres on the car.... sink, vacuum floors, bathroom cleaned, loungeroom decluttered (that last one was the biggie!)

Sunday, afternoon I baked bread... not much of the finished loaf left now

YUMMY!

and late afternoon, Pete and I got stuck into more unpacking... 4 tea chest boxes done with 25% leaving the house... pretty happy about that. Is getting easier to walk around in some areas of the house! Still much to do... but happy we got this done :o)

.

Spring!

2010-10-12T16:44:00.000+11:00

The garden is looking better... a lot of this green has happened by itself but Pete is responsible for the digging over of the vegie patch - yes, it was there in the first pic, just totally over grown!! He's also working his way around the front and back yards doing the edging on all the paths so the bricked borders can be seen again... looks much nicer this way :o) The grass & weeds are growing about 10-15cm a week at the moment, so it usually takes a double mow to get it low enough to survive to the next mow. Hopefully in a month or so, the growth will slow down again and we'll see Pete inside on the weekends or outside actually enjoying the yard!

Before: Start of August


After: Today and yes, the trampoline still needs putting up - maybe this next weekend? The wet bit on the vegie patch is where we've planted two lots of butternut pumpkin seeds today... we have other seedlings on the way and will get them planted once big enough, in a few more weeks

Before: Start of August


After - Today

See all that green on the two trees! The one in the centre is a magnolia... the one on the right I have NO IDEA about... it seems to be growing some sort of fruit or flower now... will keep an eye on it now we know it's alive!

A lovely surprise this week was to discover that just near the clothes line we have a fig tree, covered in figs at the moment! I'll have to learn a few ways to use them up as I've never even eaten one before :o)

Not sure what this is but after spending much time looking at blossom pictures - it's looking like some sort of cherry... I'm hoping it's a sweet one!

Meal Planning for the week ahead

2010-10-11T06:45:00.000+11:00

I've done up a 2 week meal plan while we were away... but it won't kick in for another week or two because
in the mean time I need to use up a few odds and ends that are still in the freezer from whenever... like the hamburgers Melinda made up a month or so ago.

So what will this week look like?

Sunday we had...
Lunch: Dim Sims
Dinner: Bean & barley vegie soup

Monday will be:
Lunch: Zucchini Muffins made by Melinda
Dinner: Beef n vegie rice

Tuesday
Lunch: Soup and home made bread
Dinner: Sausage Stew

Wednesday
Lunch: French toast & salad
Dinner: Nj is birthday boy today so he has chosen Fish & Chips
Must make a super delicious cake for today too!!

Thursday
Lunch: Tuna salad
Dinner: Savoury chicken casserole on rice (hubby's favourite)

Friday
Lunch: Scrambled eggs on toast
Dinner: Bolognese on baked potatoes

Saturday
Lunch: Hamburgers and corn on the cob
Dinner: Smoked salmon and pea risotto

Some of this will no doubt change but I find having a framework like this, keeps life sane and me from losing the plot... and helps get the children in bed at a reasonable hour... and helps the grocery budget!
What about you - How often do you meal plan? Does it work for you?