Bubbas big move!

It's been a while, but I'm back!

As Christmas comes ever closer, the days seem to get shorter and then there seems to be sooooooooo much more to be done!

So here is a fun chance to step back and focus on something fun

A few weeks ago Bubs moved into his big cot and big brother flannel wanted to help!

We started with two animals, then a few more, and a few more and . . . . . . .

Posing for the camera, this used to be my cot ay mum!

 Mmmmmmmmmmm I love this astro boy mum, very delciouso!!

Somedays tired doesn't even come close!

Wishing the work was done,

Knowing it won't do itself,

So sitting here procrastinating,

Work still not getting done,

So tired kinda feel like I'm in a dream already!

Someone said last week after hearing bubs having a good old bawl about something

"I wish we could do that!"

And today I wish that too

Still tired, 

Still not any further forward,

Still have a mile long list,

Still

Pro

Crast

In

Ating!

Wish this was me!!!

Yawn . . . . . and the list is just getting longer . . . . . . .

I love my boys!

After a day of challenge!

Not feeling well at all yesterday afternoon, to not to bad today and then braving a two hour show with Mr very tired 4.5 and bubs and sleepy husband (and also amazing friend to help balance it out lol!

The show was great,

My boys were tired,

BUT they did it for me!

They came to a show, all the way in town (on very hard pews!!  Hubby told me a few times tee hee), super difficult to find parking and a little bit expensive but despite all that they came.

When ever I joined in the singing I did get a gentle shushing from Mr 4 however!  This is a show to watch not sing along with was his tone! 

I guess he enjoyed telling me to be quiet for a change!

The day continued with a few dramas, one of the funnier ones Mr 4's foot slipping down between the pews and having to be carefully turned around to get out during the final song, hubby falling asleep in the second to last song, while holding bubs (also asleep)

And if fact I don't want to remember a few of the other challenges we faced at bedtime, but despite having to read the riot act and walk away for a while (thankfully hubby also knows when I'm reaching my end)  Mr 4 came back

"I want it to be a mummy day, will you read me a story"

So we ended the day on such a beautiful note!

My boys,

All of my boys,

Make my heart swell.

I am so unbelieveably blessed with a wonderful family, a family that loves and cherishes each other and the Lord!

Amen

Jungle Madness - Mural time!

Looking in on Bubs room I remembered my goal for his room!

That's the trouble with the internet lol! 

Tooooo many fun ideas! 

I read a comment from a lady talking about going to the trouble to buy a projector from a store with a return policy to make a mural and then I remembered we have a projector in the lounge mmmmmmmmmm maybe I should use it!!!

After many days/weeks/months deliberating

I finally decided that if I was contempleting taking the wall paper off the walls to be able to paint a mural then I really wasn't tooooo worried about the newspaper so why not paint on it anyway lol!!  So began the fun time of my holidays! 

So here is stage one of probably a three stage jungle mural, lots of fun and it came out quite well too!

Just Hanging out!

Over the past few weeks, Flannel has started using the phrase

"We're just hanging out!"

A LOT

So here is a pic of the boys, Just hanging out together on our wonderful red chairs!

Our red chairs were an AMAZING Trade Me Triumph only $50 each, and we now have TWO wonderful comfy rocking recliner chairs, awesome for story time and hanging out!!

GOAL setting madness!

At my conference two weeks ago John Shackleton (johnshack.com) went through a goal setting process with us BUT he didn't let us off that easily, he made us actually set a goal and I whole-heartedly agree with his reasoning!

However

That means I now have a rather ambitious goal

AWESOME reward

and equally challenging CONSEQUENCE.

So the emails come in each Monday reminding me that the ten weeks to complete it are rapidly disapearing.

Come Monday 21st November I will be leading a brand new Aerobics class with good music in our church for at least 30mins while still being able to talk to lead . . . 

To be honest I can't wait!!

Now to work out how to actually get fit enough to do it!

 



2 months with NO CAFFENE does not appeal and that's the consequence!

What are you afraid of???

Thanks to Mama's Losin' It Writers workshop here is my writing challenge for today

What       am

I       Afraid

Of        ???

Maybe a better question is what aren't I afraid of?

I'm afraid of soooo many things,

Calling people on the telephone

All types of adventure sport

(even our back yard water slide!!!)

Challenging people when I know I should

Sharing my faith in Jesus when given perfect oppurtunities

When the kids are sick

When hubby is sick

When I'm sick

When I have to drive, especially right hand turns and traffic lights

failure

trying and failing

YET

I'm not afraid of:

public speaking

leading singing in front of 700+ kids

running kids aerobics

leading worship

One of the speakers I heard at my conference said you should run towards your fears,

tackle them head on he said, that's the only way to conquer them.

And though I don't see bungy jumping in my future, I think he really has a point!  When my fears are pulling me back I need to face them, conquer them and move on from them.

If we can do this, we can do anything!

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Phew that was A M A Z I N G!!!

Just home from an AMAZING conference, 

I know it was great because I AM STILL Buzzing

And I pity the people who I've met since, 

they've been experiencing a bit of an ear bashing lol!!

So many ideas, but amazingly they all seemed to link together and even more exciting I could see so many links to faith.

With so many secular speakers it was amazing to see the biblical basis for so many parts of it and the growing importance of a moral code in the way we look after kids!

It was mentioned that we often don't realise we hold certain beliefs and have to be aware of them in order to see how they effect our expectations and attitude.

How calming it was to KNOW that so many of my beliefs are steady, strong and clear in my mind because of my faith.

BUT

the most important

and exciting part of the weekend for me was the value of the KIDS in education!

Over and over it was stated,

"if you don't LOVE teaching and LOVE the kids then DON'T TEACH!"

"I teach because I love the kids!"

"the kids are the most important"

"I want my school to contain happy, smiling kids who want to be at school"

Questions I'd want my cat to answer . . . . . .

Dear Bekho,

1. Why did you decide that today just after it hailed to sneak out between my legs? 

 

2. Why did you look and me through the window and then run away again?

3. Why did you wait till Nigel was already on his way home to find you to come back and see me?

4. Why did you decide that my morning would not be complete without some extra excitement?

5. Why do you love the only chair your fur sticks to sooooo much?

6. Why do you love to sleep on the babies change table? 

Though I don't know your answers I do know this 

- I really enjoyed crunching in the hail and breathing the crisp morning air!

- Seeing you out the window lessened my worry you were gone forever and had run far away!

- I felt quite proud of myself, that I had rescued you ( well at least you came back! )

- It really was a bit more exciting than the dishes and washing!!

- Now the chair is soooooo comfy, who could blame you, I have to fight to get it myself 

BUT the baby change table you're on your own there buddy!!!

My life's Motto

I can do all things through Christ who strengthen's me! Philippians 4:13

As I sit here I just wonder . . . . how long has this verse been my favourite, how often do I live it, how often do I forget??

One of the tricky parts in this verse for me is the I at the beginning

I can do all things . . .

well actually I can't

and so often I get so disheartened because of just that, I can't do all things

I think of my four year old and the frustrations he faces because he can't, though 90% of the things he CAN'T do are things he is completly capable of, he just wants some one to take the time and do them WITH him!

I wish I could be more like that in some ways, asking for help from God to get through even the everyday situations, and though I don't cry aloud the way he does, I sure scream inside some days, and others get my frustration in spiteful comments or a grumpy attitude.

I guess in some ways we just don't grow up

But in others we do,

when we are kids we are encouraged to ask for help, as a teacher I am always telling my students to ask for help, not just sit there and wait for the answer to fall from the sky. Yet as adults and especially parents we try to do things, to do all things on our own, it somehow seems wrong to ask for help even when everything gets tooooo much!

I have to constantly remind myself of the second part of this motto, through Christ who strengthens me! And as I contemplate returning to work in less than two weeks after having my beautiful second son Josiah . . . .

I guess I need to forget a little about the checklists and weekly plans and rely on Christ to create my direction, rather than follow in my wake of miracle house fixes and meal plans and home decor ideas.

I can do all things ( that is the important things ) through CHRIST who strengthens me!!

The first half of the verse makes me a Martha, I love that it says she welcomed him into her home, but I also become worried and upset by all the details of just living, is my house tidy, do my meals taste good, am I doing the best I can . . . I, I, I, I.

I long to be a Mary just sitting at Jesus' feet, while still worrying about everything getting done.

BUT I CAN do all things THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Jesus Visits Martha and Mary
38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her. Luke 10.”

26 onions, 21.5 carrots . . . . . . and it became . . . . . .

 

This is what 26 onions look like,

half diced,

half sliced,

all causing massive amounts of tears!!!!

 Here are the carrots, they don't look it but they were HUGE!!

1 of these guys = 4 ordinary carrots!!

I didn't use them all and I still have HEAPS left!!!!

 This has to be the most colourful mince I've ever seen

Soooooooo Pretty!!!

Lets hope it tastes as good as it looks!!!

After making up about 6 Lasagnes mum who was my wonderful helper all day asked 

"Did you taste it?"

"Ummmmmmmmmm . . . . . . . . . Nooooooooooope"

Luckily my trusty made up recipe worked again and it was yummo!!

And the crazy mince and cheese potato top pies!

Hope they taste as pretty as they look!

Piping potato however is not the same as butter icing!!

1. It's very hot

2. It's very thick

3. It's very hot

4. You need a bigger tip

5. It's very hot!!

But it did look a bit unusual, wonder what it'll taste like???

So all up we got:

9

Lasagnas

4

Mince & Cheese Potato Top Pies

5

Cottage pies

30 

Burger Patties

4

Meals of Beef Stew

8 

Meal bags of chicken ready to cook

 Meals Done and dusted!!!!

So that should keep us eating reasonably healthy for the next 6 weeks!!!

We'll miss you Nan

It's often said we all have to die someday, and I guess by the time 98 comes around your chances are much higher,  BUT it was still a shock to get the call yesterday that nan had passed away.

My mother in law had just been saying how much nan would grumble if she came through this again, why didn't you let me go, she would say, and in reading this is sounds so sad, but you have to imagine fiesty Nan with a really strong tone of voice, and I can also see her finger waggling.

When my father in law passed away just a few months ago unexpectedly she said it should have been me, but though I miss him, I wouldn't trade at all, and the special visit she had with bubs a month or so ago was sooooo special, I like to think she waited for him and for her daughter to come home after being able to have her holiday away.

I miss you nan, I feel saddness that we couldn't come to see you more, one of us always seemed to be sick and we didn't want to give it to you, seems a bit pointless now!

But I am so grateful

Grateful for the visits we had to you in the home, when Flannel jumped on your bed and did transformer moves for you in the middle of the floor!

Grateful for the cats he kept spotting out the window!

Grateful for the tea cup that always reminds me of you when we have 'high tea' like we did just on Monday afternoon with friends!

Grateful of the special nan you have been for Nige, he will miss you so, even though he is relieved for you, that you didn't have to suffer too long!

Grateful for your spirit,"how are ya nan?"  "Terrible!!" you would always say, but still laugh and enjoy the kids!

Grateful for your love of chocolate and chocolate biscuits and adversion to veggies!  (Nige still can't believe you used to make him eat his when he came to stay, and you didn't eat yours!)

Grateful that you were still so aware right to the end, not getting confused but knowing just who we are!

Now you can be back together with George again after such a long wait.

We love you Nan!

AND we're off 50 meals in one day mmmmmm, well maybe . . .

The shopping is done

Well the veggies and meat at least, I've never brought so much meat at one time, 5 kilos filled up a normal size shopping bag half way, and three kilos of chicken too, but not to expensive, so we'll see!

I'm a bit of an excel-a-holic, I LOVE those auto sums I have to say, if I can find a way to use charts to help my life well then I will!!!

So 8 recipes later all the ingredients tallied on a chart I discovered almost every recipe had onions!!

26 onions to chop tomorrow (only two done so far, I think I might borrow my husbands dive mask! My eyes are welling up just thinking about it!)

21.5 Carrots ( I brought the cheap HUGE ones, less peeling and cheaper!!!!)

2 whole celery (Due to a recent obsession with the Wonderpets Flannel has decided he LOVES celery though he won't actually eat it!!

I'm not quite sure what has possessed me but hopefully it will work, this is only my second time trying the meals for a month thing, but this time I'm using all of my recipes rather than the ones from the book which should help and I've roped in my mum on promise of some meals for her freezer too so we have about 2 hours while Flannel is at kindy to get it all underway!  

I got a bit enthused tonight and made the burger patties, MAN who knew mince could be soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cold to work with your hands especially 3 kilos of it, plus the sneaked in carrot, onion and every type of sauce I could find in the cupboard, 

I even measured it

And weighed each burger patty as I went, 

Got a good 36 altogether which is quite a few meals even for my BURGER CRAZY family, lets just say we rarely stop at one tee hee!


Well I'd better get an early night of it,

Tomorrow is gunna be exciting, 

Will I really make the 50 meal challenge???


Will we really eat all the meals I cook???


Which one will I stuff up and then have to eat 8 meals of over the next few weeks???


Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm stay tuned!!!

10 things I love about my job!!!

With heading back
to work next week
after 15 wonderful weeks of maternity leave
I think now might be a great time
to
remind
myself
of these
things!!

I'm in a sound of music mode so these are a few of my favourite things!

Smiles and giggles, kids saying good, morning!
Awesome wall displays and art in the making!
Inspiring and learning and getting to sing!
These are a few of my favourite things!

Reading a novel and seeing them learning!
Making a difference and knowing my students!
Getting to learn and teach fun forties swing!
These are a few of my favourite things!

When there's marking, and there's planning and I'm feeling mad!

I'll have to remember my favourite things and then I wont feel soooooooooooooo bad!!!

SO in numbers

1. Smiling faces!
2. Teaching new things and seeing the understand!
3. Singing!
4. Learning from them!
5. Dance lessons and Jump Jam!
6. Reading aloud, especially when they want more!
7. Making a difference!
8. Seeing students become more confident!
9. Marking funny stories and spelling mistakes!
10. Being able to support and care for my team!
11. Feeling I am a valuable asset, that I can make someone elses job easier or better!

I teach to share, to inspire, to learn and support, and I really do love it!!!!!

So I guess I should just breathe lol!!