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.”