homebirthmum

The amazing everyday miracle that is my baby girl... Flora Jean

2011-11-28T18:37:00.000-08:00

Henna Belly

2011-11-28T18:36:00.000-08:00

the way was blessed.......

2011-11-28T18:22:00.001-08:00

Getting to the business end

2011-11-09T03:13:00.000-08:00

Here I am just a few weeks ago....
We are preparing now for a real live person to enter our lives.

A picture is worth a thousand words

2011-10-11T04:07:00.000-07:00

I asked April to take a few snaps with my phone during a visit from our beautiful midwife today... She came up with this. My only wish is that she was in it too!
What a beautiful moment to capture.
Today Maurice showed the midwife where the baby was, and which bits were where.
April took my blood pressure.
And Ivy found the heart beat.
This is the way we like it.
Pure and simple and on our terms and we have the PERFECT woman looking after us and facilitating this beautiful experience.
LOVE, love, love homebirth.

Our first go at felting... and the beginnings of a partially hand made Christmas

2011-09-30T03:45:00.001-07:00

Today we have tried felting for the first time. The children really enjoyed it! The three felted balls will hopefully be wrapped up to put under the Christmas tree for our baby who is due in December. Hoping to get crafty now and start coming up with some ideas for presents that will also give the troops some fun things to do!

Why I don't have ultrasounds

2011-08-12T05:04:00.000-07:00

Many, many moons ago I studies ethics as a young University student. At the time, Eugenics and medical ethics issues made my blood boil, and perhaps planted a seed for my future life.

Fast forward years to my first pregnancy at age 32. The idea of ultrasound, while cute and fuzzy.. a nice picture of my baby.. something about it didn't sit right with me. Firstly, I knew there was a baby there. I felt it. Why did I need a machine to tell me what I already knew?

Secondly, as I began to understand the medicalisation of pregnancy I was sceptical of the need for dating information, and more and more embracing of the idea that babies come on their birthday, not according to a date from an ultrasound.

Thirdly, flashes back to my university days. I realised I did not actually want to know if my baby had a larger than normal head, or any other 'possible' abnormality, to cause stress and worry, and more tests. I certainly did not want any specific tests for Down syndrome or anything else.

I also was aware of the possibility of false positives and false negatives.

Turns out for me I found a beautiful Midwife, who was very confident with her own hands to monitor growth and development. She was totally comfortable with my choice not to have any ultrasounds.

For each of my pregnancies I have chosen the same.

Sadly our 4th pregnancy ended in miscarriage at around ten weeks. At this point, after over a week of bleeding, in an emergency situation I consulted to an ultrasound. It was to see if my little babe had survived this big bleed, or not. Sadly not. What I saw was a large black spot.

Now in my 5th pregnancy at age 41, I have never had any intention of having a routine ultrasound. So far, there has been no indication of any problems, so we are progressing happily, without machinery to tell as all is OK.

Finally... A post....

2011-07-08T04:59:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the length of time in posting.... My laptop had a melt down and I lost ALL of my photos. I have managed to retrieve some photos, and have some new ones.... So I'm back. :)

Zenny Loves Piano Too

2011-03-28T03:04:00.000-07:00

Zenny the cat loves his piano lesson.
This particular day he came in (which he often does), sat on the stool next to Ivy, and when I tried to pick him up and put him on my knee, he jumped straight back and settled on the piano stool.
Music speaks in so many ways to so many!

My Little Knight

2011-03-28T03:01:00.000-07:00

Sir Knight Maurice the brave, having his lunch.

Tomato Harvest

2011-03-28T02:59:00.000-07:00

March has been tomato harvest month. Oh and the basil planted in with them has been amazing too. We are so thankful for our beautiful backyard bounty.

Homeschooling... What we do

2011-03-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share a few things and hear what others are up to with their home educating.

Some things we are doing this term:

Bank Accounts
we are learning about money, adding and subtracting, interest, withdrawls, deposits... money talk. :) Luckily the bank is a bit of a hike from our place too so a nice walk up the hill. They also have a coin counting machine which is great fun!
This is ongoing.

Grammar Once a Week
I have these books for the girls and am loving them. A little bit of work, once a week... not so hard to get done (for me and for them!) Trying to encourage some self management with keeping up with the weeks for my 8 y/o.

Comprehension Once a Week
Similar book to above... loving it also
These books are inexpensive and available for levels one through 6 (grades)

Maths Plus
simple, inexpensive books again. They are colorful and simple and meet the VELS requirements. Also in grade levels.

Library
We go to the library once a week at least sometimes more. Encouraging my eldest to use the computer there for requesting titles and searching. Kids also check out there own books on the self check out... Great fun!

Piano
Piano lesson with suzuki teacher once a week. We practice every day and listen to the CD's at bedtime. Ii LOVE the suzuki method. It really fits in with our home educating principals.

We have Penpals
This is a great way to get hand writing practice without tears. :) And the principle is, you send letters, you get letters! Works well.

We also learn a lot along the way.... but that is another post.

What are you up to with your family's learning?

Homeschooling... A typical day

2011-03-08T01:23:00.000-08:00

It is amazing what happens when you are busy doing nothing.

For much of last year I focused very strongly on getting better at doing less. Doing less, committing to less, going out less, talking on the phone less and just being with the kids more.

Today was one of those days, where after a full day at home yesterday, I was thinking maybe we need to 'do something'. My 3 year old Maurice, who has a broken arm (again) was very clear in his not wanting to go ANYWHERE. He is a homebody by nature. I on the other hand was kind of itching to get out, and also thinking that we 'should' really do something. Whatever that means.

As we were busy doing not much a wonderful thing happened.

April began her piano practice by herself, which she has been enjoying too much lately. She said she really felt like playing! This was a great thing in itself, but she then played this beautiful piece (A Short Story from Suzuki book 2) that she has been working on for a couple of weeks and has experienced some major frustration over, many, many times.... because she wanted to. A small miracle.

We have talked a lot lately about how things can be very hard, and frustrating, but by learning how to learn something even when you are frustrated, you have a skill for life. We have talked about staying power, about persistence, about strength, and the joy that playing beautiful music can bring.

Today, she felt this first hand, and she truly glowed. She went back to the piano many times over the day, playing the piece over and over, with more confidence and joy each time.

I told her tonight that I loved hearing her beautiful music today.

Have we seen this yet?

2011-02-28T03:19:00.001-08:00

A precious visit from our dear island dwelling friends... and our other dear friends who live just around the corner. Equally precious.
Friendship across the generations weave the fabric of our lives.

2011-02-11T02:02:00.000-08:00

OK so here a is a little family vegetarian feast.

What do we have hmmmmmmm...

Cous cous and vegies... and a little plain cous cous for the fussy ones.

Some roasted beetroot with fetta

Roast potatoes... O yes

Some patatas bravas sauce (a la Jamie Oliver)

Some yummy sea salt

Sour cream, because Maurice tells us he is a 'sourcreamatarian' I kid you not.

Green salad.. a good friend at every meal with a little variation here and there.

And all laid out for us to choose what we want.

Luckily for me no one much liked the beetroot. :)

Enjoy your family feasts this week!!!

Ivy's Drawing

2011-02-09T03:02:00.000-08:00

My ivy is churning out an amazing array of drawings lately.
I especially love the way she takes the time to color with bold, strong colors and even adds backgrounds. I find her art work really interesting and fun.

O Blueberries are the best

2011-02-03T04:16:00.001-08:00

Picking our own Blueberries at Tuckerberry Hill Blueberry Farm was just a wonderful experience. Good friends and blueberries... what a combination.

Corn - Unit Study

2011-02-03T04:14:00.003-08:00

We are making corn cobs!
Stay tuned for the finished product.

Whole foods and chucking out of crap

2011-01-26T03:23:00.000-08:00

There has been some purging here of late.
With the new year came some new resolutions of health.
The pantry has taken a beating and we are re-stocking (or not) with organic, whole foods.
We have eaten many vegetarian meals but still intend to eat quality meats from time to time. Loving reading Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions" and getting LOTS from it. I need to buy my own copy.

What has changed?

WE are eating way more whole foods.... fruits , veges, nuts.... salad everyday (summer is grand for that and the garden is yielding beautiful lettuces)
I am going gwith a 'help yourself' style at the table so as not to overwhelm the young ones. All dishes are put on the table and everyone helps them self. No pressure... try if you like... enjoy together.
We have always eaten all together in the evening and I believe this is so important when exposing the little ones to foods they may otherwise not try.
Choccy balls are a big part of our diet....
Raw nuts
dates
agave syrup
raw cacao powder
We love them, we have them for snacks, for brekky, for whatever.

We are juicing now. Juice has become a great way to get lots of fruit and veg in to us in a short time and a beautiful and nutrtitious way to take in more whole foods.

Rain water from the tank..... mmmmmmmmmmmm... and no flouride. :(

Also working on getting rid of the chemicals that are in our house and have changed to using soap nuts for our washing with a few drops of essential oil. Loving it!

Oh and how could I forget... raw chocolate from loving earth is a blessing. we love it, we eat it daily... we eat it anytime. It is delicious and SO good for us!

Loving the feeling of 'cleaning up' and 'cleaning out' and taking the family along for the ride.

Vego fry up

2011-01-15T01:51:00.000-08:00

I made a yummy veg fry up today... no photo because it went down so quickly there was not time to photograph.
Fry up some organic butter, sliced mushrooms and a clove of garlic sliced.
Throw into a bowl with a whole avocado sliced and a chopped tomato.
Salt, pepper, more organic butter....
Eat quietly and quickly so you don't have to share

A sea of hydrangeas.....

2011-01-03T03:06:00.000-08:00

Just because they are so beautiful.

Oh how I love Hydrangeas

2011-01-03T03:03:00.000-08:00

How I love hydrangeas and my beautiful girls. Pictured at the Fitzroy gardens.

April made a skirt

2011-01-03T03:01:00.000-08:00

April's first big sewing machine effort.... WOW!
with a little help from me, and big thanks to her sewing Aunty for the fabric. We are hooked on home made individual clothes and planning more!

Summer Delights

2011-01-03T02:58:00.000-08:00

A full salad from our garden... what a delight.

Life goes on....

2010-12-23T01:25:00.000-08:00

Amazing how even when time stands still in your heart, life goes on around you.
Physically, recovering from my loss has been slow.
Fortunately for me there have been many who cared for us with food, chocolate and ice cream and loving listening. I continue to knit the little pair of pants I started for my babe and wonder who they will be for. Maybe they will just be for me.

In the mean time, we have had a ballet concert and two piano concerts. The end of year rush has been amplified by my lack of health. The girls did beautifully, and I was so proud and just a little bit teary.

My new favorite song is "Smoke gets in your eyes"

My children's smiles are all the sweeter to me right now and their hugs are all the warmer.

Much love to those who have loved and lost... thinking of you especially as Christmas approaches.

the loss of my wee babe

2010-11-27T23:39:00.000-08:00

Joining the sisterhood of thos who have loved, gestated and lost.
There is a kind of kinship here and I feel a new depth for all who have lost. Also have thought a lot about the women who died giving birth, who bled and bled and there was no way to stop it... the women who were so brave in our grandmothers generation to temp fate to love a growing and beautiful baby knowing full well it could be the end of them. And to those who didn't want to be mothers, but were anyway, and were lost.

Have bled a lifetime of blood and clots and managed to come close to pass out in the process. My babe was small and gone... 10 weeks gestation but much smaller.
Firt time I have had a scan, fist time I have had a VE.

I feel thankful for the beautiful pregnancies I have had before and how simple and seamless they have been.

I feel like I have been hit by a truck, and look it.
In the small hours of the morning, the darket hour of the soul, I had a 'D & C' to stop the blood. Which in the end I consented to, after hours of loss. it stopped. And I am thankful for that also. I tried to let it go naturally, but the wee babe was still there.

Now I recover, back int he beauty of my own bed, my own house, children playing. And know that I will never know the sweet smell of this baby.
And will never hold her to my face and kiss her forhead. i have thought much about this in the night.
So here it ends and begins. The ending of a life. The beginning of a new understanding of grief and loss.
To all thos who have lost, i hold you in my thoughts.
xx

"Linnea in Monet's Garden" The artist Claude Monet

2010-10-29T03:38:00.001-07:00

We have chanced upon a lovely 'unit study' of Claude Monet via the book "Linnea in Monet's Garden"

we had the same picnic as they did in the book... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... Baguettes, goat's milk cheese, cows milk cheese, tomatoes, nectarines, pate and cider.

We also tried our hand at a bit of nature drawing as Monet took so much inspiration from his garden.

some music theory for the hands on learner

2010-10-29T03:32:00.000-07:00

Trying lots of different ways to learn the note names.

Maurice off on his first outing with Papa

2010-10-13T04:20:00.000-07:00

The girls so love their visits with Papa.
Now Maurie is ready for his turn! Mostly he loves going in Papa's van. Their first outing was to Bunnings! Talk about some male bonding. We were all very proud of Maurie off on his first outing without the family.

2010-10-05T04:43:00.000-07:00

April has glasses. i think she looks very grown up and sophisticated.

Stuff we've been up to

2010-10-05T04:29:00.000-07:00

It;s been a while but a day in the life...
I knitted a little pair of teeny trousers for my friend who is having a baby soon, I got a great Miffy puzzle at the Op-Shop for $2 and we got into Flat Stanley.
Fun times.

Melbourne Museum

2010-09-27T04:05:00.000-07:00

We recently got to the Museum. It was a goal of winter to get there! The building is spectacular. A lot of it was a bit over the heads of our kids but was still a great afternoon out.

Maurie, the artist

2010-09-01T05:21:00.000-07:00

Maurie is into drawing right now. Nothing is safe.

April doing what she loves

2010-09-01T05:20:00.000-07:00

April has discovered Harry Potter. I am wondering what she will do with her life when she gets to the last book.

Life... what we have been up to

2010-09-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

The girls have overseas penpals who they have been taking photos for.
Maurice, has no penpal, but is crazy about apple and cinnamon pikelets.
Have a great day with your beautiful people.

Your visit...

2010-08-15T03:57:00.000-07:00

Just browsing and found this.... precious memories of a visit from our very special friends. xx

I have an 8 year old.

2010-08-15T03:55:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday was April's 8th birthday. So beautiful to have know this little being for 8 years now. she is so much a part of me.

My baby is 3

2010-08-15T03:50:00.000-07:00

Our busy week began with Maurie's birthday last Sunday. Hard to believe this boy of mine is 3. Hard to believe that 3 years ago I held his tiny head in my hands as he slid blissfully from me. Happy birthday little boy...you give me so much. xx

Maybe we aren't unschoolers after all?

2010-07-26T02:38:00.000-07:00

After a long bout of illness in the house this winter I began to fantasise about school and how my life would be if the kids went, just a little too much.
As we all got well again, the fights began, the bickering, the shouting, the boredom... and boy was I frustrated, despondant even.

It all got me thinking, maybe we need a little more structure? Maybe all this free time is the reason why the kids are fighting?

So experiment.... go with a LOT more structure, that is me, working with the kids, every morning, from when we have had breakfast, for as long as we can manage.

The first Monday we tried it we went long into the day, punctuated by a short visit to our friend and neighbor to pick lemons from her tree. I have a distance ed curriculum for both my girls (ages 6 and 8) and we worked from that in the morning first up. Then when we got back from our visit, the girls made a batch of muffins, as much by themselves as they could, while Maurie (aged 3) and I made a banana cake. By this time in the day (about 3pm) they were looking to get away from me... and played together beautifully.

Next day, we did it all again. And again. And again x 4.

So here we are and the second Monday. Today again we worked together in the morning. My older one is learning times tables but the little ones had fun listening to the time tables CD and trying to sing along. My 6 y/o learned to count by twos and tens as a result. We had some fruit. We tried for the first time a meditation together. The big ones loved it! Maurice lasted about 20 seconds then got loud. We only attempted a minute.... baby steps. Then we read a chapter of our current book, "Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls wilder. It lead us to a few discussions. The last of which was "where is New York?". Atlas out, there it is. Where does daddy go when he goes to America... San diego... and where is Guam.... Done.
Now can we get away from YOU MUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!
And it was only 12:15.
The kids set up a shop on our front verandah selling rainbow chard and capsicums from the garden. They wrote signs for the fence. (This is the unschooling part of the day!) April wrote birthday invitations. Ivy wrote a list of things she wants to look up the next time she goes on the computer. April wrote a shopping list for her birthday party. They played.
I had a friend over and chatted for almost 2 hours.... with minimal visits from the children.
What I am supposing is this....
That a little bit of scheduled activity has reignited our families love of being together. It has sparked my love for learning with them again and it has given us harmony (well as much as you can have) in their sibling relationships.
So maybe we have to give up our label... Natural Learner, or unschoolers, but to be honest, that doesn't bother me.
As we go through our own seasons, we resonate to more structure, less structure, total structure, no structure, labels or not.
And if all this helps us to appreciate and love our time learning together, then I'm happy with that.

Maurie and his potions

2010-07-24T03:40:00.000-07:00

Maurie loves to make 'potions' as he calls them. Here he is hard at work.

Drawing on the whiteboard

2010-07-24T03:38:00.000-07:00

I just love this! April at work on the whiteboard.

My ispiration and a wee fingerless glove...

2010-07-16T04:15:00.000-07:00

Here is my inspiration for knitting up a storm lately!
Thanks so much Gill for your beautiful gift.... this knitting needle roll.
And this little fingerless glove was my first attempt at following a real pattern, other than a hat! so happy they worked out and great for early morning piano playing.

My hat!

2010-07-16T04:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, here it is.... the blue hat I made for April! Ivy is the reluctant model who only agreed to a photo if her face wasn't in it???

Winter Rhythms

2010-06-12T03:10:00.000-07:00

Gee it is amazing how the ryhthm of our days have changed with the onset of wintry weather. The kids always spent so much time outside and the last week or so it has been raining. We have begun to bake again. we have also begun piano lessons and the practise each day is occupying a lovely chunk of our time, not to mention the regular playing of chopstix and other lovely tunes.
We have also taken up reading a chaper of a novel in the afternoon. We are in our second book of the Laura Ingalls Wilder series and loving it.
We have spent way more time at home and beginning to enjoy the indoor life... well making the most of it at least. That's not to say I am not already dreaming of summery days.... but trying to make the most of the winter ones right now.
Maybe we will make some breas this week and enjoy the left over spoils of sumer apricot jam. :)
Enjoy your Winter Warmth!

Happy Birthday my Ivy

2010-06-07T03:41:00.000-07:00

My dear Ivy turned 6 today. We celebrated with a jumping castle yesterday and a small group of friends. Today, her real birthday her goal was to wear her new jarmies, uggies and fluffy dressing gown, and watch T.V! This was interspersed with the odd jump on the jumping castle (they offered to leave it over night) and a visit to the park. Off to our favorite indian restaurant for dinner and we can all go back to our normal lives tomorrow.
Bless her she is such a fabulous person, I adore her.

Beautiful Ivy and her beautiful sewing

2010-05-24T03:18:00.000-07:00

This is Ivy's first effort at sewing.
I helped with the hair and chris helped with the buttons, and she did the rest. Bless her! It turned out so well!

Getting ready for a new winter activity

2010-05-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

we discovered the joy of camp fires on our recent trip to bright. We loved it so much we brought the tradition home and have enjoyed toasted marshmellows a few times since returning. What a lovely way to enjoy the cooler nights!

Bumper Capsicum crop!

2010-05-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

We haven't grown capsicums before but it has been so easy! Give them a go, we have cheerfully neglected them and they have grown despite our best efforts. :)

Autumn Gardening

2010-05-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

We had a beautiful afternoon in the garden last week, taking full advantage of the afternoon Autmn sun. First we had to weed and then break up the soil a bit. we had spring onion and brown onion seeds to plant. I always feel a bit worried with seeds that they wont come up, but we will try hey! Even if they don't come up, we had such a lovely afternoon digging and toiling that it wont matter.

Enjoying the Wandiligong Nut Festival

2010-05-15T04:23:00.000-07:00

We chanced upon the Wandi Nut Festival. It was such a beautiful country gathering of harvest, baking, wine and cheese. The little talent show was a highlight. The local kids got up on stage and sung, played guitar, violin and generally entertained the market goers. it was priceless. Maurie particularly enjoyed the gourmet sausage roll.

Happiness is....

2010-05-15T04:18:00.000-07:00

Happiness is definitely a big big push on a swing.... I love the smile that comes over a childs face when they are on a swing. it is just a look of perfect happiness. I have always wanted to capture it.

Another slow day

2010-05-03T03:21:00.000-07:00

Another lovely, slow unbusy day. :)
Kids played, waited for a lull in the playing to do a bit of 'school work', checked out our map to Bright and wrote down the names of some of the major towns on the way, lunch, playing, piano, Autumn sunshine,tree climbing, laundry, kids next door home from school, more playing, cleaning pantry..... dinner.... Ahhhhhhhh.
I'm getting used to this.

Part bear?

2010-05-01T03:50:00.000-07:00

Lately I can't help wondering if we could be less busy.
Perhaps I am part bear, and just preparing to slumber for the winter. I love the idea of it! Not so much slumber, but to be at home more, just stay in and see where the day takes us..... paint, draw, cook, play games, read.
I am reflecting a lot lately on the busyness in peoples lives and how that impacts our time with the ones we love. I know I find it hard to not be busy! But sometimes slowing down meens facing up... facing up to what ever it is that you are trying to avoid by being busy. Hmmmmmmmmmm....
So friday we tried a slow day... I avoided the temptation to run to the supermarket, or pop to the shops... we stayed in... until just one pre-arranged birthday gathering at 2pm. Now some might think that is normal! But usually i would struggle to stay at home all day... even until 2pm!
I hope to get less busy.
And to be present more.

Almost Winter

2010-04-27T03:39:00.000-07:00

The lawn is covered with leaves and the big tree is starting to let a little more light through. Hard to believe it will be bare soon.

Blessingway beads in retrospect

2010-04-27T03:33:00.000-07:00

On the weekend I finally made some birthing beads for my first born. By the time I had my third I had a beautiful circle of supportive women friends. I was given a blessingway and gifted beads to make up a beautiful birthing necklace. The necklace was to remind me of their love and support and wishes of strength and power when I birthed my baby. This was so powerful!
I have enjoyed wearing this beads to others blessingways.
It also made me think that I would like to have a necklace for all my children, and to wear them proudly on their birthdays and to any other special occaisions.
My first born thoroughly enjoyed threading her own after we had arranged them in a lovely pattern. We loved the result.
I also look forward next to making a string for my Ivy.

Discovering raw organic cacao..........

2010-04-13T04:15:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been drawn to look into raw foods and super foods. I have been busitng to try to make some of these yummy chocolate truffle type balls I have been tasting at gatherings!
Yesterday I got my first batch of raw cacao powder from our local health food shop and WOW! We made our first batch of truffles based on this recipe:

200g raw nuts (we used cashews)
200g dates
3 table spoons tahini
30g cacao powder
sweetener to taste (used agave but have read some stuff saying it is far from healthy and still researching that!)

They had an amazing rich texture and yummy dark chocolate taste.
We finished them off today and I went out tonight and bought some more dates and nuts to make up a new batch for tomorrow.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

More from the Otways....

2010-04-07T04:17:00.000-07:00

Such a beautiful day.... had to share a few more snaps

My beautiful kids enjoying nature

2010-04-06T04:09:00.000-07:00

Nature is wonderful!
We had such a rejuvinating and uplifting day at Stevensons Falls on Easter Monday. It was way warmer than anticipated... hence the undies and gumboots.
REflecting on this day I came to the conclusion that this kind of day is the BEST kind of day a family can have. No whinging for stuff (there are no shops), no merchandise to buy, a simple pic nic and just being in nature. I came to think of all the people going to theme parks to give their kids a great day and thought, wow, if they only knew how much simpler, cheaper and absolutely better, it could be.
I hope for many more of these kind of days to come

My little boy and the big trees

2010-04-06T04:05:00.000-07:00

The otways... my little boy and some very big trees

Images of Easter at our house

2010-04-04T02:45:00.000-07:00

This has been a lovely quiet, but very special Easter for our family.
The girls gave up chocolate for lent, so were extra specially excited to reach today. I was so proud of the way they handled their lack of chocolate for those 40 days. It took great strength on their part.
We had a lovely meal of prawn and rocket pasta for Good friday. Saturday we made hot cross buns. And today, well, that was all about chocolate. :) The bounty was pooled after the big hunt.

Learning to knit

2010-04-01T04:08:00.000-07:00

This is a hat I am knitting for Ivy. It is going well and I'm nearly finished!

a special moment

2010-03-11T01:50:00.000-08:00

An everyday special and precious moment, reading a new book to my children. These moments are both ordinary and extraordinary and make up the tapestry of our days. Lovely.

Who says you can't do it all...

2010-03-05T01:39:00.000-08:00

Hahahaha I snatched a few moments of knitting while Maurie took a nap on my knee this afternoon. It was so nice to combine to of my favorite things. :)

How I love Tomatoe Season

2010-03-05T01:36:00.000-08:00

This years tomato crop has been stunning! We have an absolute abundance and have beenn enjoying them every which way. I think the tomato relish is calling...

Kangaroo Watching at Inverloch

2010-03-05T01:15:00.000-08:00

We stayed at the most beautiful place in Inverloch last Monday and Tuesday just gone. The kangaroos came up at dusk to check us out.

A cat, a mouse and a lesson in the classroom of life

2010-03-05T00:52:00.000-08:00

Last night as I sat down on the couch I realised there was someone joining me in the loungeroom. A little grey mouse ran accross the floor, towards me, and down through the hole in the floor. Gotta love this renovators delight. I noticed that the mouse seemed large.... either a baby rat, or a very big mouse. Hmmmmm.

As we all buzz around in the morning, I realise Zenny, our cat, has something. Ergh, I hope it isn't a bird. The kids go out to look and we realise he has a mouse. Not just any mouse, but my little friend the very large mouse or small baby rat that I had seen the night before.

The immediate decision was to simply leave him to it and go inside. I figured he is a cat, it's what cats do. Apart from that mice are germy and filthy and I hate them in my house. But for some reason, this one was kind of cute.

As we turned to head inside, I saw my ivy head for the cat with a vengeance. she grabbed him and commanded him to let go of the wee creature. he hung on for dear life. The battle of wills began, and i too began to feel for my wee one and admire her courage and compassion for the mouse. So I decided to join her and help her try to free the mouse, as the tears flowed freely down her face. She punded poor Zenny on the head! "Let go if it!" She bellowed. Bless her. Zenny is her pride and joy and she loves him so dearly. He has never scratched or bitten her in her life, and she has never hurt him. They are bonded in love, but there they were, at war.

We got the creature free and it ran for its life. Ivy grabbed Zen as I yelled out to take him inside. The poor creature was disoriented, but able to run. Though running up the slide was not a particularly good use of energy, so I steered him towards the mess of tomatoe bushes. Ivy screamed, Zenny bolted. she had not made it to the door when he tried to bite her and wriggled free from her sleeper hold. Poor mousey was in his jaws again in a few seconds. This time the grip looked solid, and I feared he was already dead.

I realised here that it was the only fair thing to do, to show compassion to this creature, and try to save him from such a terrible fate. That abandoning him to be eaten alive was not right, and was surely not right for Ivy. She needed to help him.

I pried Zenny's jaws loose, with three wide eyed onlookers, with a little stick. Out dropped mousey, dead, eyes open. Ivy was red with sadness. My little Maurice was concerned that the mouse needed to find his mummy. "Where's his mummy?" he kept asking.
We shooed Zenny away. He seemed unconcerned with consuming his catch and went back to sunbathing.
The little mouse was given a fitting burial under the lemon tree. We placed him in gently and Ivy covered him. "He might find his mummy in there" said Maurice. Ivy needed lots of cuddles and some tea and honey toast to cheer her up. She forgave Zenny for his acts, but not before she said she wanted to trade him in for a guinea pig.
Life and death, little ones who need their mummies and a girl with a commpassionate heart.... and all before breakfast.

The colors of Pako Festa

2010-02-28T02:32:00.000-08:00

The kids were so excited about Pako Festa this weekend. The parade was as colorful as always with lots of beautiful costumes and lively music. Reminds me too that Penny has been in Guam for almost 3 years now!

Zingy Zuccini Pickles Recipe

2010-02-27T14:12:00.000-08:00

Zingy Zuccici Pickles Recipe

1kg zuccini finely chopped
2 large onions finely chopped
1 red capsicum finely chopped
2 TBS salt
2 1/4 cups of sugar
2 cups white or cider vinegar
2tsp mustard powder
2tsp ground turmeric
2tsp corn flour
2TBS white or cider vinegar extra

Place 2 onions and a capsicum in a bowl, add salt and mix well, leave to stand for at least 3 hours. Drain well. Combine sugar, vinegar, mustard pdr. and turmeric in a saucepan and boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add veg. and boil for 25 minutes. Mix cornflour to a paste with extra vinegar and stir through.
Cook for 2-3 minutes more or until thickened.
Spoon into warm sterilized jars and seal.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello, Can I help you?

2010-02-26T02:33:00.000-08:00

Maurie is wired for sound! Chris just got this headset to use Skype

Yummy Breakfast

2010-02-26T02:27:00.000-08:00

One of the many benefits of home educating I find is that you can have a weekend style breakfast any day of the week. This was last monday... and no one flet like toast, so we had some beautiful spelt pikelets with berries, home made jam and yummy yoghurt. Heaven.

What became of the Giant Zuccini??!!

2010-02-21T00:22:00.000-08:00

Today the Giant Zuccini became Zingy Zuccini Relish. MMMmmmmmmmm can't wait to get it onto a dry biscuit with a cup of tea.

Bruschetta

2010-02-21T00:12:00.000-08:00

Wow we have had so many tomatoes this year! It has been my best crop yet as a tomato grower and I think my third year. After the blue berry farm we had beautiful bruschetta dinner followed by blueberry pancakes. what a day!

The Blueberry Farm

2010-02-21T00:07:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday we had a ball at the local blueberry farm. It is a pick your own arrangment. We set off armed with a bucket each and our nimble picking fingers. The girls were looking for the biggest berries and Maurice was mostly interested in sliding down the bark hills around the bushes. We were very impressed with our harvest... and all for $6.40!

Maurie doing what he does best

2010-02-17T02:40:00.000-08:00

This is Maurie 'brooming up' as he calls it with 'the processor'. He just loves cooking so much! I can't touch the food processor or the bamix without him helping me. He is grating mozarella for pizzas here... one of his favorite dinners.

pasta making... our first try!

2010-02-13T02:15:00.000-08:00

With all those beautiful tomatoes in the garden we simply had to make fresh pasta. A friend recently gave us a beautiful italian made pasta machine and Maurie has been dying to use it. We were doing our best when Melissa arrived and showed us how it's done! I was so glad she arrived. Maurie just loved it. We all loved the taste and look forward to getting that beautiful machine out again. In fact, Maurie asked to do it again this morning!!!

Finger painting

2010-02-12T02:10:00.000-08:00

WE finally got out the finger paints and it started to rain... so we picked up the table and moved it into the garage!

My little artists are all so different... have a look at the artists impression of a storm... 2 very different interpretations.

Maurice really enjoyed playing in the water which was for hand cleaning!

The giant zuccini

2010-02-12T02:08:00.000-08:00

Our giant zuccini weighed in at 1.4 kg. I decided to pick it so we can make zingy zuccini pickles with it!

Maurie harvesting...

2010-02-12T02:05:00.000-08:00

Our first decent batch of tomatoes.... Maurie enjoyed picking them and so patiently waited for them to turn red.

The tomato harvest begins in earnest

2010-02-07T03:24:00.000-08:00

After nurturing these tomato plants since November we are finally starting to pick real live big red

tomatoes! Now if we can just get to the basil under there.... bruschetta!!!!

My Babywearing Boy

2010-01-30T03:32:00.000-08:00

Darling Maurie loves to wear his babies too...

Learning is FUN!

2009-10-30T03:29:00.000-07:00

Who said learning can't be fun... sticking rude words on your dads forehead has to

be the best way to learn to read.

Fun in Canberra

2009-09-24T04:06:00.000-07:00

These are my gorgeous kids on our little boat trip in Canberra. Gee

We had fun in our few days in our capital city!

And yes we wore our rainbow thermals everywhere.

Home Birth rally Canberra Sept. '09

2009-09-10T04:26:00.000-07:00

This is us getting ready at the hotel to walk down to old parliament house. There were heaps of us in the hotel and I had one man ask me what was happening. It was an amazing feeling to be part of this event with so many families. I was so proud of my kids who really embraced the whole event.

Almost Spring!

2009-08-31T04:05:00.001-07:00

Sunday we all got out in the garden and got our next veggie patch ready. I dug over the soil,

April made the brick border, Ivy found worms and Maurice just buzzed around. Chris was

making a retaining wall to stop the neighbors backyard from washing into ours (another story!).

We mucked out the chook house for compost, then let the girls out to check it out. They had a

good scratch around the new bed. we had some lovely rain in the afternoon which watered it in

beautifully. now we wait a week or two... then plant away.

Those were the days....

2009-08-02T04:05:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this gorgeous little baby in the shower will be 7 in a mtter of days?????

I am browsing old photos on the computer and oooooooooooooooooooooo the memories. :)

Our trip to Merimbula

2009-07-18T03:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pic.s of our trip to Meriblula NSW. We were so fortunate to have some beautiful sunshine. The kids enjoyed a change of scenery and a change of climate that's for sure!

Making stuff

2009-07-02T04:41:00.000-07:00

We have made heaps of stuff since beginning home ed. The kids love craft and often make things spontaneo

usly. These wands came from a book and the girls wanted to copy them exactly.

2009-07-02T04:36:00.000-07:00

Maurie has discovered dressing up. He is a big fan of this old 1960's Kangol hat that I found at an op shop. We were making muffins with a drop of jam in the middle. They turned out really well.

Maurie also discovered the great joy of licking the bowl (his first time) and now knows what all the fuss is about!

Happy Birthday Ivy!

2009-06-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

Our darling Ive is five!!! We had the traditional Parkinson party.... yes, the jumping castle. :)

WE are enjoying it....

2009-05-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

Home educating is really agreeing with us. This is a picture of the kids at the Collingwood Children's Farm. We went there a few weeeks ago and the kids enjoyed checking out the animals and the beautiful vege gardens.

The home ed lifestyle is really agreeing with us. I am seeing the rhythm of our days change gradually and I am seeing the stress disappear from my kids. For me there is no more racing around to school and kinder pick ups and drop offs. the upside of that is that I have more time to actually BE with my kids. For those who wondered how I would manage being with them all the time, I am managing WAY better than I was when they did school and kinder.

We are beginning to meet some other families and that to me is also a great eye opener... that is seeing how their kids are... relaxed mostly and kind to us as new comers.

There are so far many upsides to home educating.

My Ivy is madly teaching herself to read by copying words out of books (she borrows Mauries spot books to do it) and constantly asking me how to spell things.

April has just started a ballet and tap class and is loving the 'typing tutor' programme on the computer. Her imagination is also returning as I see her play with her sister and enjoy just being a kid. :)

taking a break from the formal education system

2009-05-09T03:44:00.000-07:00

I have always been intrigued by home education. I have had the goal for a long time to home educate at some part in my kids 'school' life. As it turns out that has happened sooner rather than later and we have just finished our first week of home ed. The kids LOVE it and I love the peace and relaxation of not racing out to school every morning. Maurie loves it too because he is with his big sisters! It really has been a lovely week and a wonderful chance to re-connect with my beautiful kids, and not be racing around like a mad thing to a million time comittments. So far, we like home ed. :)

Making Muffins

2009-04-26T03:57:00.000-07:00

Finally my laptop is fixed and I am back! Here is gorgeous Maurie stirring and mixing our banana and lemon muffins. He and Ivy did a great job. They were really beautiful.

Here

2009-01-31T19:24:00.000-08:00

O Boy that Ivy gets up to some mischief. I gave her a burrito to eat and this is what happened. :) she is a funny girl.

2009-01-31T19:18:00.000-08:00

Australia day - we are making a pavlova!

2009-01-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

Above is Ivy's last day of 3 year old kinder party, Dec. '08. And here are my beautiful hidies... grown from a tiny little snippet I found in the garden. I just love them.

2009-01-18T12:33:00.000-08:00

The girls just being themselves

2009-01-18T12:30:00.000-08:00

Chris and Maurie making a cuppa

Maurie in the garden

2009-01-10T03:13:00.000-08:00

Maurie just loves being outside. Here is in front of my veggie garden.

The Big Bed

2008-10-23T03:45:00.000-07:00

Lucky we have such a big bed. :) Plenty of room for morning snuggles.

Fun in the graden

2008-09-28T04:35:00.000-07:00

Maurie found his way to one of the large pots that chris had just watered.... mud....'Slap, Slap, Splash, Splash' Boy was it fun. Though I think the T-shirt is stained for life - oops.