Holidays winding down.......

Doing lots and lots and lots of reading.......

Accomplished.

Watching and looking up the birds who visit our bird feeder...............

Accomplished.

(too tiny to see- there were 12 of them on here!!)

A better view of them (from our bird book!) - 'Double banded finches' if you're interested

Mama / Papa "dates" with the big two kids (their choices)...............

Accomplished.

(Mama and Saraya had a movie night watching "Little Women" (again :)) by the fire.

Mama and Elijah made a trip to a cafe and had a play in the park with his tiny puppy family :).

Papa and Saraya went birdwatching at the wetlands as the sun rose, then breakfast at a cafe.

Papa and Elijah made the purchase of a new kite, followed by kite flying at the park (inspired by Mary Poppins, of course :)). )

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The potting and planting of daisies, broccoli, peas, lettuces, strawberries, spring onions and capsicums..........

Accomplished.

The sorting/ purging/ planning/ purchasing of new resources for homeschool..........

Accomplished.

The drinking of many cups of tea/ coffee/ milo with my husband...............

Accomplished.

Regular late nights and sleep-ins in the cold mornings............

Accomplished. I'll miss this one.

Having friends to visit, and visiting friends..........

Accomplished.

Watching many movies late into the night..........

Accomplished.

Yep, the holidays are winding down. I've enjoyed every minute. Now onwards to term three we go!

Plenty!

"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:32

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Photo: Elijah after his bath, ready to help me make omelettes for tea. This basket of eggs all from our very own chickens! They are laying up a storm and we are enjoying this provision so much. :) Fresh eggs are so so good.

Just a Spoonful of Sugar...........

As I have mentioned before, the author of Mary Poppins (P.L.Travers) was born in Maryborough, and our little heritage town has made her a bit of an icon. :) Because we are 'Mary'-borough, and our river is the Mary, etc, Mary Poppins has become special to the town. Remember this post? Each early July weekend is the annual "Mary Poppins Festival" which has been growing and getting better and better each year. This year it was attended by over 5000 people which is quite a substantial number of visitors! Lots of locals of course, but many tourists as well. Queen's Park is transformed into a mini fair-ground with lots of rides and entertainment for the children. Market stalls line Wharf Street and the Portside parklands, and street theatre performers entertain the crowds. Recognise one of these chimney sweeps?

Stuart joined the 'Merry Mary Troupe' (there's that name again....) recently and is enjoying it. They dress up and perform for various things happening around town. He is in the middle above!

Actually there were lots of people in costume, all over town.

Any excuse to go through our clothes and dress-ups and join in the fun!

Oh how I wish I could dress my children like this every day. :) They do too!

It was like going back in time for a day. We all loved it!

The highlight of the day was joining in the Grand Parade- not something we had planned to do but when we found out anyone in costume could join in, we couldn't resist! And our efforts (no sacrifice really - what a great experience for the children, and they loved every minute of it) were rewarded as we won the runners-up prize for the best dressed family!! The prize pack was eagerly opened by the children and included the Mary Poppins movie on DVD (which we own-would anyone like a copy?!), family meals at McDonalds and a family pass to ride on the Mary-Ann train (our local steam train). Fun!

Elijah got quite tired after the parade while we waited for the judging, and lay down on the road. He was absolutely adorable and was noticed by the cameraman for the local paper- and subsequently wound up in the newspaper today, tummy down on the road with his head on his fists and a sweet smile on his face! I will endeavour to scan in the photo sometime to show you.

Next up was lunch under the trees....... then the Chimneysweep Championship, which Stu was keen to enter! What would it involve? He had no idea, but wanted to join in anyway!

Half an hour of chimneysweep acting and showmanship followed, and yes he wowed the crowds with his charm and character. :) And won that too. SO, now we have a voucher for a flash restaurant in town and will be having a date night sometime soon!

All in all a great day. Oh, did I mention that last Friday night was watching Mary Poppins under the stars down at Portside (a parklands by the river)? Part of the whole Mary Poppins week of celebrations! We went along with Stu's sister, husband and boys who were up for the week, and had a great, cold, night. :)

You can just see the screen on the left in the first picture. We were so rugged up!! The children loved watching the movie on the big screen under the night sky! How wonderful that the major event held in our town each year is based on a musical. How appropriate and how blessed we feel to live here! :)

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After yesterday's activities, we stayed home today. Stuart went to work for a few hours but the children and I stayed in by the fire. Cool day again! My main goal for the day was sorting through all our homeschool resources and getting organised for school starting again next week. That included stationary- a massive job. I must have sharpened over 200 pencils this afternoon! And threw out a big bag of dry textas, after testing every single one of them. The children did help for awhile....... but really, it was a long long job. Once Stuart was home he read outside in the hammock while the children played in the yard and I finished the sorting. :) And now, it is done!!

This is what the table looked like half-way through the process. Iwill take a photo for you of our new pencil / texta/ lead pencil / crayon tubs soon. So much better.

And the books are sorted and in a new basket which I'm planning to keep handy to the big table where we will do our work. I have a few new resources for Elijah who is oh-so-keen to join in with lessons, and we have just ordered a wonderful multi age P-12 history curriculum which we'll get in the coming weeks (I hope).

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We had some church friends over last night to watch the movie Fireproof. If you haven't seen it, it's worth tracking it down and watching it with your partner or friends. A challenging and emotional Christian movie starring Kirk Cameron (remember him?!). Definitely watch it if you can.

Two verses which have been on my heart this week are.........

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

and...........

Philippians 4:6-7
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Are we spending time thinking about what is lovely, what is pure, what is right? Are we dwelling in the positives or the negatives? What about guarding our minds? Our hearts? Are we protecting them? For the Word tells us to "guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" Philippians 4:23. This is clearly so important! What are we watching? Reading? Listening to? Who are we listening to? What are we doing with our time? I have been so challenged with this.

What about our children? Are we seeking to guard their hearts and minds? Are we paying close attention to the things they watch and read? Are we discerning about the kinds of games they play?

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:

'Watch your thoughts, they become your words;

Watch your words, they become your actions
;
Watch your actions, they become your habits
;
Watch your habits, they become your character;

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.'

How wise we would be to remember this! And to teach this to our children also. We are working on some habits with Saraya at the moment. Some improvement though still some struggles. It is an ongoing journey- and one through which I have the challenge as well as the opportunity to show her grace as she ultimately works to guard her thoughts, words, actions and habits. It is nice to pray with her about these things. We had an issue with forgiveness this week over a broken keepsake, and I was able to show her some verses which did help. Her favourite one was "If you forgive the failure of others, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matthew 6:14). :)

I am using scripture more and more as the children grow, and am realising the true value of spending as much time in the word as I can! This certainly makes it easier to teach and train the children- the verses are already there in my mind or in my notebook, ready to draw on as we need them.

My goodness, this has been a looong post! My new routine seems to be to post every 4 or 5 days- and make up for lost time. :) I would love to post more regularly but just can't manage it. I will try not to post such long posts, but I will have to slot blogging into my new schedule for next term somehow! I still think though, once or twice a week will have to be my limit. :)

Until next time, goodnight and God bless! Oh, and if you want to come along to the festival with us next July we'd love to have you come stay for the weekend!

It's Friday........

............... Which means that I am tidying and vacuuming floors, changing bed sheets, cleaning toilets and baths, washing etc. This remains one of my favourite days of the week! Today Stuart agreed to take the children with him to Prep for a couple of hours (he's been going in every day this week- sorting, purging, planning and so on; the children LOVE to play out there while he works!), and I have been making the most of the time I've been given. :) So nice to just work away without interruption. Second load of washing about to be hung on the line. Gingerbread cookies about to be mixed! We are expecting company for lunch and the afternoon/ evening so I'm busy getting organised. I'm taking a 5 minute break to have a drink and an apple......... and to post too. :)

I just wanted to put up some photos for my friend Theresa, who recently moved to South Australia and wanted to see our kitchen renovations! Here you are........

The new island bench, complete with 3 barstools for little people. (or big :)). We also had a second-hand dishwasher installed- and it has been such a blessing to me already! Interestingly, the kitchen actually feels bigger than it did before the island went in. So good to have that extra bench space.

We also put up curtains in the living room after 3 years of no curtains! It has been great for keeping out the hot/glary afternoon sun, and for keeping the house warmer at night. The curtains are thick and really keep the room insulated when we have the fire going. So nice!

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Last little thing to share. Rebecca and I have been emailing one another this week, and she has blessed me so richly with her knowledge and wisdom as a homeschooling mother. I just had to share this important point she shared with me earlier in the week. I hope you don't mind, Rebecca. :) It is truly shaping the way I am thinking about teaching my children.

"Saminda, while it is easy to become overwhelmed, just as Peter did when he looked at the waves around him, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. He has given each of these little ones to you and your husband and He has made no mistake in doing so. You are giving them the very best. You are giving them the gift of you. Remember to bring all things back into a Biblical perspective. We teach them to read so they can read His Word and hunger after Him. We teach them Math so that they can marvel at God and his order. If we compare ourselves among ourselves we are not wise (1 Corinthians 10:12). Focus on progress as your goal, not another family."

I hope this blesses you as it has me! Have a wonderful Friday, friends. :)

Mid-Winter thoughts

Tonight I am so very thankful for God's provision. For his love, protection, timing, faithfulness, forgiveness, and most of all for His provision to my family.

So many times we may feel we are letting God down. I know I struggle with certain sin areas on a daily basis, and it always astounds me how much grace God offers to those who love Him. No matter my shortcomings, I know each day is a new day and that His grace is never-ending! What a wonderful, beautiful gift we have been given.

We have reached the middle month of Winter, and the cold has certainly settled in. We are using our fire place often, and enjoying the classic Winter comforts- feather doonas, lying in bed and chatting (always with little visitors!) in the mornings, very warm lavender baths, endless cups of tea, hot chocolate, coffee, warm soups, and of course cuddles by the fire. :) All good things.

And today? We were gifted with a surprise day of fellowship with our special little friends, Chloe and Declan. Their Mum, my sweet friend Cathy, is now 31 weeks and was having some pregnancy concerns which saw her require some hospital check-ups today. All is fine, but could I ask you to keep her in your prayers these coming weeks? She is just desiring a natural, healthy birth in God's timing and by His hand. Thank you for your prayers!!

We had a great day with our visitors, and got up to all sorts of holiday fun. We were so busy, I only took a couple of pictures.......... here they are.

Chloe brought these matching friendship necklaces over today. These two girls share such a special bond, I pray it will last right through their childhoods. They not only play and create and be little girls together, but they also share lots of deep thoughts and issues they are thinking through- I love catching bits of their quiet chats! They truly are a comfort and blessing to one another. So so sweet.

Two Pale faced Rosellas visited our bird feeder this afternoon. What a treat. I had two very excited little children running in to tell me to grab the camera!!

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In other family matters, Stuart and I are working on a few negative character habits we have seen creeping in with our older children these past months. It is so helpful having him home for the holidays to help me 'spot', train and encourage the children in these areas. How I wish he could be around all the time!! It has been an encouragement to us both to see some improvement, just in the past few days. I have found that children are so responsive when we are clear, intentional and consistent in our expectations of them.

I am hoping that the seeds we're sowing these holidays will bear some good fruit once we get back into our homeschool routine next term. I am feeling very optimistic about this!

God has opened my eyes to many things as I have spent time reflecting on our first term of homeschooling. Oh, He keeps opening my eyes to many many things in every area of our family life and although overwhelming at times, I do feel blessed and inspired and so thankful once again for his provision and care! It's good to keep in mind that being challenged is a positive thing. We are meant to keep growing spiritually throughout our lives and this can happen when we identify our weaknesses, hand them over to God and trust in His help in improving them. Remember, we have been promised:

"........... with God, all things are possible". Matthew19:26.

"Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you". Matthew 7:7.

I look forward to implementing some changes to the way we were doing things last term. I have been planning out the next term and look forward to sharing more with you soon.

Most importantly, Saraya (and Elijah too) is very enthusiastic about learning and is loving being home with me. I am so grateful for this! I too am loving and appreciating all the extra time I have been given with her.

Oh, and she is turning into quite the avid photographer too. :)

She spent rather a long time just before baths tonight trying to get the 'perfect' photo of her chicken Tulip- looking at the camera. She got it in the end! I was inside cooking dinner when she finally came in, satisfied at last that she had captured what she'd wanted to capture. I tell you, this girl sure is determined.

God bless you this week!

Out of the mouth of Elijah.....

Just after breakfast this morning, Elijah says to me:

"Mamma, it's really very clever- we are just like monkeys and bees!"

"Really?" I ask. "How, Elijah?"

"Well, monkeys have 5 fingers on each hand, like us." Okay, that I understand. But bees?

Upon asking him how we are 'just like bees' he replied with a coy smile:

"Because they live in families". :)

I love my boy!!!

A day with cousins!

We had a great day yesterday for the first day of holidays! Just waking up late and getting to take our time getting dressed, lounging around with cups of tea......... I could do this every day!! :) My Mum and Ray arrived at lunch time, and then we all headed up north to Bargara to visit Ray's son Jeff, his wife Jed and their two gorgeous girls Kiele and Alani. Our children met and played last summer holidays and got on SO well, they have been asking to visit the girls again ever since! Needless to say, a fun time was had by all. :) And Jeff and Jed have had a lovely outdoor spa installed since our last visit, and the children loved the novelty of getting to go "swimming" in winter! I think the water was 32 degrees C, so very very warm!

Pizza for dinner, a movie for the kids and some great conversation and a game of pool for the grown-ups, and late home to bed.

We enjoyed some time in the park with Mum and Ray this morning. The model trains were running, there was a jumping castle and Stu took Saraya and WIll on the Mary-Ann (steam train) as well. Today is a beautiful winter day, so great weather to be out and about in.

Everyone's resting at the moment, Mum and Ray have gone home :(, and I think we're going to do some gardening soon. I bought pea, broccoli and strawberry seedlings the other day and want to get them in the ground.

Happy Sunday, everyone!