On School Uniforms

...and the serious fun of Home Education.

A home schooling friend was telling us how her friends proudly display pics of the children's first day at school. Crisp, spiffy new school uniforms with sharp looking hats and shoes and unmarked new back packs. So, she lined her children up on the lounge, that first morning back, and photographed them in their pj's ~ all ready to tackle the academic year!

We have started back to our academic year. And quite happily I might add. There is always that feeling of getting back into routine which can be a relief if things have gotten a little chaotic.

However, a few of us thought we would celebrate the beginning of 2010 with a few hours at the pool. As you can see the place is desserted aside from us since all the other children in town should be back at school this week. A lot of how-to books talk about avoiding Home School burn out, but I think we have that licked.... and we handle the socialization critics at the same time!

Have a good week end all.

That's my Boy!

Last week I posted about my older son and the evidence of his approaching adolescence here.. While the days of his youth are sure to come it has been heartening to observe the small boy in him as well during this week.

There he stood. Back flat against the wall. "Gun" at the ready, speaking into his arm. (Rather his two way) - to his army buddy. Stalking his brother like the highly trained commando he is!Boys will be boys. Army games, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians are still in. (Sighs with relief)

The other thing which has touched me from this young man this week are his sweet compliments. After an ad on the Tennis for a TV show called "My Restaurant Rules" he gave me the thumbs up and said, "Mum's Restaurant Rules!". That made my day.

Recently he asked me when he would be too old for good night kisses? I acted in mock horror and told him NO ONE was ever too old for good night kisses!!! He seemed relieved. He sometimes comes out and tells me he can't get to sleep without me tucking him up.

Ah, it is a bitter, sweet time of life. Being cool and looking good are all very well, but there is something comforting about being a child. The cares and responsibilities of adult life will be upon him soon enough.

(The camouflage photograph is quite a few years old!)

Speak the Lingo?

Here is a post by a real bonza Aussie sheila, Jeanne, at A Peaceful Day.

If you can read this, you are True Blue.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...

Oi! Oi! Oi!

Collage of Australia

Slip, slop, slap and enjoy your day!

Stone the crows, I can never get them to publish the way they look in the draft.

But.... Mum-me is VERY clever! Thank you my dear friend for the beautiful collage.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Matthew 7:21 -23

These could be the most frightening words in the whole of scripture!

Many will say Lord, Lord, and call upon their good works in his name, yet only those who have done the will of the Father shall enter in.

As we pray, and go about our daily walk with the Lord, let us purpose to seek His will.

May the Lord bless each one this week, especially those of you getting back to school routine. I am reminded that I do not teach my children at home as some good work which will save them, or me. But in accordance to God's Word, to teach our children diligently and to raise them in the fear and nuture of the Lord.

Where did the baby go?

My older son was such a sweet miracle. He was born 10 weeks early and struggled for life. He grew into a fine healthy little man. He has never been too fussy about anything. He eats everything put in front of him, he usually does his jobs without too much drama, he would wear what ever clothes were clean and in the cupboard.....

Well , this week we went shopping and my now twelve year old prowled through the clothes racks. Too big for the kids clothes, checked out small mens (yikes!) I'll try this on, Mum. He NEVER used to want to try anything on in the shops. Yep, it fitted and he liked it.

So we get home and he is going through his pants to find a good match and a tee shirt to wear under and trying them on (again!) to see how the outfit looks. He goes to the mirror and has a full length look to see how his shoes go with the outfit!

{Sigh} It's all about being cool and saving for sunnies and high school now. Where did my baby go?

(Never too grown up to cuddle his nephew!)
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The Blogger's Love Language

I recently celebrated my first blog anniversary. It got me thinking about what it is about both writing my blog and reading others, that I find so engrossing? What is it that keeps you writing? Why do you visit or follow certain blogs.

One of the things I enjoy the most is to both write and receive comments! It is the Love Language of Bloggers, ♥ words of affirmation ♥.

When I read a blog, if I do not agree or perhaps even find the content offensive, I try to ignore it. I don't enjoy blogs that put other people down or who have the gift of criticism! Move on. I probably won't drop in there again. I see no point in arguments and debating back and forth over the net. In real life, I might try to do the same. Except of course if a soul is in jeopardy, a loved one is in danger, a friend needs my support.

But when I read good articles, funny anecdotes, informative posts or just good family news, I love to comment. To encourage, to laugh along with the writer.

Best of all, when I have published a post, especially one that I have put some heart into I love to peek and see what visitors have to say. I do wish sometimes I had a more exciting blog {sigh}. One where there is a daily word of wisdom and encouragement or a side splitting story to share, but it is just me, the way I think and talk, sharing with you! and looking forward to my bloggy friends thoughts and responses.

You know, the long summer break is over but I am still in a very relaxed mode! I had thought about this love language topic weeks ago and could not even stir my grey matter enough to write about it. But in the absence of face to face contact, this is surely the most precious language to Bloggers. Don't you agree?

Hinds' Feet in High Places!

Habbakuk 3:17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 3:19 The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

If you are weary, lonely, heavy ladened then you will take comfort from these beautiful words written by the prophet Habbakuk, inspired by the Holy Spirit. How often do we doubt. We think things look hopeless, we cannot see a way of escape. But God....

I have been praying for some time, for years in fact , for wisdom and perhaps some practical help in teaching my sons. God has been gracious to give me grace and strength sufficient for each day. He has also provided outside help from time to time.

Yesterday, a lovely christian woman, offered to come and work with the boys one day each week! She will specifically spend time doing activities related to the Auditory Processing Delays which my boys have! This is the area which I find so hard to keep consistently plodding on with. This is an extra ordinarily generous offer of her time, energy and talents. Praise God!

What was seeming like a very high hurdle going into a new year, the Lord has provided a way of escape. I am like a hind today!

How Can it Be?

Is it really mid January, 2010 already?


How the past six weeks have flown. Some new books arrived today. Some of my Aussie bloggy friends are posting their educational plans for the year. The holidays are really drawing to a close.....

Queensland schools officially start back on 27th. I think our little Home School will start off at half pace next week. With our particular quirks and needs I find it a good idea to do a couple of weeks of revision before getting into a full work load. The kids need that. ( and so do I!)



I've figured the major subject areas which will follow on from last year. My older son is high school age and is changing his English program but sticking to Math-U-See. Although we are registered under Groves Christian College, we have a fair amount of lee way with the boys work, since they are both struggling with a learning disability. I wrote about APD last year. I am able to cover the History/ Geography/ Science areas as we are able .

Each year, each term in fact, I make resolutions, but I find that we often get bogged down in the very tedious drill work required to help the boys with reading. Then the fun and more interesting stuff gets put on the back burner.

So..... I need to pour a lot of effort into making the good stuff happen.

Art will continue with our group but in a more art/ crafts setting allowing for play time (read socialization :-) which is a happy Friday activity for all. The Lamb's Book of Art we will continue at home.

The one of my dear sisters who lives closest to me has graciously offered to come on a regular basis to read to the boys. I have been reading a lot of stuff to them over the years to try to keep them abreast with novels, poetry, geography, history and historical figures which kids who read well pick up as general knowledge. Unfortunately I am having some sight problems and so my sister is kindly taking up some slack there. She has been great in the past to play phonics games etc with them as well. Any one who is schooling a child with special needs will appreciate how much a fresh face and a helping hands boosts the day for everyone involved.

We will continue their fortnightly cooking with JJ which they love. Well, they love JJ but they especially love to eat the efforts of their cooking lessons! She and I like the fact that we have that scheduled get together time as well. ( She has a good hill for their skate boards near by, too)

My older son had a difficult time filling in some forms at the bank yesterday. I think the realities of not reading and writing in the big. bad word-oriented world are creeping in on him. I have been trying to introduce as many Life Skills as possible and bank forms etc will definately be on this terms list. Even writing our rather long surname is hard for him to remember let alone the b/d, n/r turn arounds etc.

My Planning for 2010 probably seems a little basic, but that is where we are at in our home.

It is strange how I have had such a wonderful holiday break, even enjoyed a break from blogging very much and the computer in general and now I am so rested and relaxed it is actually hard to find things to write about.

I'm sure I will recover!

Have a good week end.

The Narrow Way

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew7: 13, 14

Our Pastor recently used a good illustration when preaching on this passage.

Imagine a great mass of people, packed into the street, surging forward.... In the excitement many are carried along. The street is filled, everyone is caught up in the frenzy. Who knows what the final destination is?

But then, imagine a solitary explorer, in a tunnel. The path is narrow. the cliffs rise up on either side. There is darkness all around and only one way out. Just one possible destination.

I've been thinking more on this. Last year we visited the local caves. The guide turned off the lights and the darkness was a deep "felt" blackness. But what made the tour possible for us? The light! "I am the Light of the world" .

These have been good thoughts to begin a new year. It is usually a time when we make resolutions, re-schedule, re consider our commitments. As I think about 2010, I am purposing anew to follow the straight path. It is the narrow path, the path less travelled. But it is the path that leads unto life! If we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, read, study and put into practice his Word, we have that assurance that we are on the right path. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."

Big Boys, Little Boys!!

I have run out of words but this sums up my Summer so far!

Ruth

Here is a link to a write up on the Desiring God blog about John Piper's newest book "A Sweet and Bitter Providence". A book about the biblical Book of Ruth. It piqued my interest and I thought it might yours, though I have not ordered it and will refrain from doing so for a while as I have a PILE of books in the reading queue at present.

You would think being holidays I would be doing heaps of reading, but there is just so much to do, so many places to go, people to see, babies to googaa at .... :-)

Hopefully one day, I shall manage to read this highly recommended book on the noble Ruth. If you happen to read it - let us know what you think.

A Special Anniversary Award

I was sent this nifty Blog Award by Carol to mark my anniversary.

Thank you, Carol (NewKidontheBlogg), for the award and for your lovely comments and encouragements since you have been reading here. Words of Affirmation, the Bloggers Love language.

I would like to pass this award on to all and any of my followers because you are all "superior scribblers".

I would especially like to bestow it on Jeana Marie at her Notebook blog, as she has recently confessed that she is a bone fide scribbler! I am envious as Jeana's scribbles actually come out looking like something ~ not just anything, mind, but the object she was actually sketching!

Sisters in Faith

This lovely Sisters in the Faith Award was given to me by Jillian at Homeschooling4Christ. Thank you Jillian for this gesture of Christian Friendship. I appreciate both your uplifting and encouraging blog posts and your comments, which often contain little pearls of scripture.

Mumma's Journal

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It was the best of years, it was the worst of years...

It was 2009, the year I started blogging.

Well, today marks a year since I first began to blog regularly. I had opened a blog in June of 2008 so I could comment at other places where I used to read and have a profile. There was one sketchy post later in the year and then nothing.

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My first commenter was Rev Blackwood, an Australian Presbyterian minister who had seen my comment on a Psalm singing post else where. Then, in December/ January Bethany from Grace in Bloom responded to one of my comments and encouraged me to start posting occasionally. (Bethany now blogs at Covered by His Hand) On 5 January I began by writing about my parents. I figured I could only write about stuff I knew about and where better to begin. And the rest, as they say, is history.......

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Bethany was my lone faithful commenter for a while and then a couple of ladies began to comment back from my comments (as you do in bloggy land, it's cyber conversation). Then in March I got involved with a blog party hosted by 5 minutes for Mom. Now, I won't be doing that again. It was VERY time consuming! But I read and started following a number of great blogs and a few of the visitors I received have been commenting here ever since. Thank you ladies!

My first official follower was La Donna from Just Our Thoughts. A busy Canadian Mum whose blog I still enjoy to read. Thanks for that vote of confidence, La Donna. I try not to take a lot of notice of statistics and followers etc but I admit to encouraging a couple of friends to join my followers :-) I have had a number of people follow and then remove their support. Not sure what that means but I don't read too much into it. I see today that I have 24 public followers, I have posted 299 times, recorded 990 profile views and 4.830 visits to Mumma's Place.

I think it was around the end of March that I came across the Aussie Homeschool Site and joined the Aussie Homeschool Bloggers. This opened up a whole smorgasbord of interesting, inspiring, encouraging blogs and many new internet friendships. I am very blessed to live in an area where there are heaps of in-the-flesh homeschooling families to meet for activities and "socialization". That is irreplaceable. But this little community is very special and I really have loved being a part of this circle of bloggers. Big hug and thankds to the Aussie Homeschool Bloggers♥♥

My other favourite blogs are mostly like minded Christians and friends I have made through participation on the Puritan Board and other Reformed sites. I also enjoy a couple of sites/ blogs of folk who post biblical and theological quotes and articles. I sometimes link to Tony Reinke at Miscellanies, and enjoy Andrew Myers great quotes at Virginia is for Huguenots. I have been blessed and thrilled to join the wonderful girls at "keeping house" as an author. And on and on and on.

Hey, if you read here and haven't left a comment please do so. If you comment here and I have been slack and haven't added you to the links in the side bar, let me know and I will.

My favourite posts to write have definitely been My Golden Childhood ones! I wrote them while also writing some material for a real life Family Book. They made me appreciate a happy, stable Aussie childhood in the 60s. I still hope to write about my later childhood years one day.

My post which received the most traffic and comments? My mother's 80th birthday which had a photograph that readers tried to guess which sister was me!! And I think the surprising second was my first recipe ! Salmon Casserole! So much for all my deep ponerings, eh?

I have been thrilled to be the recipient of a number of Awards and even a couple of prizes. All sweet bonuses to this entertaining and enlightening little pass time!

I certainly plan to continue blogging, and frankly, I don't want to miss reading any of the great blogs I visit. But, as we all acknowledge, it is time consuming. So again, I am considering my schedule and trying to be moderate in all things. Perhaps I will post a little less, read God's Word a little more, be of more edification to others.

To conclude, I shall link to that first post in '09 "Aging Parents". My dear parents have aged a lot in that one year. They are very precious and dear to me. I still think relationships are what makes life go round and I have shared a lot about my own relationships as well as building lots of new ones this year.

Turns out there wasn't too much in the worst category t0 document any way. Thankyou Lord.

Happy blogging for 2010!

A New Look for a New Year

You know what? I liked my old blog. I'm not one of those who regularly moves the furniture around. I don't change my hairstyle very often. I don't tend to change my style of clothing, shoes or anything very often. But, I thought I'd try a new blog template. In fact I have tried a heap and I am not all that thrilled with the result so do not be surprised if you visit one day and my old one is back!

In the meanwhile, I am using this beloved old family photograph as my new header for Mumma's Place. It is the very rough little pioneer hut that my dad grew up in. This photo is taken in 1928 when dad was four. He is on the sulky with his dad and three brothers while his mother looks on from the steps.

ooOoo

While we saw the New Year in and had a happy day together, we also lost our beloved family pet yesterday. Bella came to us as a puppy in 2000. She was a lovely brindle cattle dog cross (okay she was a Bitsa). A great guard dog and faithful pet. Unfortunely, she was hit by a car about five years ago and has limped on one of her front legs ever since. Recently she has become very frail and not interested in food. She has suffered for many years in the heat from a Brigalow Itch type skin condition. This week she looked sad and miserable and we were discussing having her put down.

Last night, with most of the family here for tea (dinner) my eldest daughter opened the back door to greet the beloved old girl, and there she lay, dead at her post on the back steps.

While we are sad to loose a family pet of so many years, we can remember her fondly and she was certainly ready to go.

Good bye faithful friend.

Rusty, it's Goodbye

By a lonely railroad station a dog sits patiently,
And as each train rolls down the track he watches eagerly,
But the one that he is waitin' for does not come off the train,
And when the crowds have gone their way, he drops his head again.

But he doesn't know his master lay,
On the battle field to die;
He didn't hear the soldier say,
"Rusty it's goodbye."

It's many months now since the day he saw his master go,
A figure clad in khaki is one he'll always know,
But the lonely dog keeps waiting for each long day's the same,
He longs to see his masters face and hear him call his name.

But he doesn't know his master lay,
On the battle field to die;
He didn't hear the soldier say,
"Rusty it's goodbye."

Rusty he'll not see again the pal he's waiting for,
Their happy days together, are gone forever more,
The station master sees him there and knows why he's alone,
Although he can't replace his loss he treats him as his own.

But he doesn't know his master lay,
On the battle field to die;
He didn't hear the soldier say,
"Rusty it's goodbye."

Lyrics by Slim Dusty

A little tribute for our faithful Bella, who waited for us on the third step whenever we were out.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010