Let us rejoice!

Clouds, humidity and the threat of more rain did not deter the people from turning out to the Local Heritage Village for the Australia Day celebrations.  I'm proud to be an Aussie, especially on days like this when the seedy side of society is less obvious and families and fresh faced young, bronzed Aussies as well as the elderly join together to celebrate our nation.
We had prams, with babies and toddlers outnumbering big people so we didn't stay long today, but continuing in the spirit of the day here at home.  That is cricket on the TV and maybe a pie or a vegemite sandwich .  Too hot for much else :-(
(No, it is never too hot for a pie!)

So have a great Australia Day whether you are an Aussie or not.  Non - Australians may like to read some past "Australiana" posts to brush up on your Aussie general knowledge.

God bless Australia!

Take your mark!

Our supervising teacher called today, so I was very pleased I have got my head together   was able to appear half way ready for the school year.  Having worked out the year's book needs with him and the wonderful Learning Support teachers at Groves, I felt able to discuss our plans for the year ahead and explain my schedule and goals..

The disappointing news is that this very helpful and supportive teacher who has been the supervisor in our district for the past three years, is no longer with us :- (  Since he is taking on extra duties in the Groves Day School, he has to drop this area.  I am sure our new teacher will be great but we will miss Mr B. very much.

I read a little about Skwirk on the Aussie Homeschool forum and have found out we can access it through the school.  I would be interested if any of my readers have used this resource and how you used it to compliment school.  One of the difficulties that I have is neither of my boys is working at their "age level".  The Skwirk site looks good and interesting but it may take a little bit of shuffling around for folks like us as the lessons are in Grade Levels according to the National Curriculum.

Sometimes I feel so old!  And perhaps I've been home schooling too long.  Everything is changing. I still firmly believe in the principle of line upon line, and focusing on the basics, moving at the students own pace etc.  It just seems that so many great things might be passing me by.

 The Speech Pathologist was very pleased with the boys progress at the end of last year and basically told me to continue on as we have been, that she couldn't do much more with them. Oddly, or maybe not, they both progressed in reading in 2011 more noticably than ever before and we did very little formal school in comparison.  I think with all learning difficulties, time is the major factor and sadly one we don't always feel we have.  While we will still be using a learning support designed curriculum this year, I can see that, particularly with my younger son, he is getting closer to a mainstream level.

My older son is keen to finish at the end of this year.  It is a hard slog for him, but he has enjoyed a few hours work over the holiday break and is becoming more keen to go to TAFE perhaps do some pre - apprenticeship type course.  We are encouraging him to look at work which will one day provide for a wife and family, if necessary.  It is hard at fourteen to look beyond pocketmoney and a few Maccas meals .  :-)

I am feeling prepared but still apprehensive about the year ahead.  Praying for wisdom, strength in both mind and body and patience.

Isaiah 28:10
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:


Jeremiah 6:16
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.

The day started out so well....

I am just indulging in a strong cup of coffee, even though it is late afternoon and I rarely drink coffee after 3pm.  I have just had the unnerving experience of backing into someone :- (  Fortunately for me a gracious and mild manner lady who did not leap out of her car screaming.  If it has happened to you you'll sympathise, it is rather shattering.  Still waiting for Hubby to get home :- (

So, I was in Office Works purchasing supplies.  (They have an unusually small, tight, crowded car park, by the way)   Lovely crisp exercise books and spiffy new bits and pieces.  It always starts the year off nicely to have fresh utensils.

And...I've ordered books!  Not many as my number 3 & 4 students get to use lots of stuff we have used before with 1 & 2.  Enough for it to be exciting when the new stuff  arrives .  I am so pleased to have gotten my head around this chore....perhaps even in time to start school with the schools!

This week has turned very hot and very humid here.  Isn't Australia the most amazing place climate wise.  Last year most of the East was flooded during this time.  This year we get exceptional heat here but our friends in Canberra said it was 5 degrees C there yesterday and snow...SNOW! in the mountains.  Crazy!  We do not need to stress about Global Warming or a possible Ice Age coming.  Our God is in control "Even the wind and the waves obey him"!

I want to once again thank my prayerful friends.  This  break has been wonderful and I am feeling sooooo much better.  I am still easily tired and rather flaky but not to the extreme exhaustion I had late last year.  I will not admit to the exact rising time of decadently late sleep ins I've enjoyed.  Enough to say that I have been the last one up almost every day since school finished. 

I am actually beginning to get my head together for another school year.  My rough schedules are beginning to include some of the big household chores which have been so long neglected in "this 'ol house".  Haven't had a family conference yet but hope to do that next week and really hit the year head on.  It looks as though my daughter and the grandchildren will be here for a while.  We have loved it thus far  and we need to make things a little more organized so that we all go on loving it. 

Well, it's a waffly old post, which doesn't say much of anything but I have gotten rid of the shakes.  Thanks for listening.

2012

A brand new year begins! The year of Our Lord, 2012!

Like most people, I have found the beginning of a new year a good time to assess and re-evaluate some of my goals and priorities.  With the long illness I experienced in mid 2011, I had become very listless and unenthusiastic for many of my usual activities.

  My commitment for 2012 is

"But Godliness with contentment is great gain."

 1 Timothy 6:6

I have had to accept that it is not throwing the towel in, but rather being realistic about

what I am now able to do ... or not.

To be contented with limitations, I think can be equally as challenging as taking on big things.

What are your goals and plans for this sparkling new year?

Some of the things I am hoping for are:

A fresh outlook and more organised school day for my boys.

The chaos and many changes in our lives in the past year have been difficult to fit school around.

Good things have come of that but I do desire to make this year "better" in this department.

Return to daily quiet time.

While we have managed to keep some family worship and church routines going, it has suffered :- (  Our household is quite different now and it is challenging to be regular in reading of the Word and prayer.  Many Lord's Days have passed where either I have been too ill to attend, or some other chaos has interupted our day of rest.  We want to make it a priority to reclaim these important things. It is good and necessary for us but also very important for the younger members of the family to develop good habits.  My own spiritual life has suffered I know :-( so I have taken on a devotional book for the year called Day by Day in Prayer.  I hope to improve my own prayers and prayer life and do not feel up to long reading plans etc at present.  Thus far I have gleaned much from these short thoughtful passages.

I may not be able to attend every church or home schooling function but it should not stop me from drawing closer to God.  Excuses....excuses.

Diet and Exercise

Yes, both those :-)

The one big event

2012 is the long awaited year of our Family Reunion!

This is the 100 years anniversary of my paternal grandfather drawing his block in the Callide Valley.

It is very exciting for us especially as these days most family operations have been overtaken by big companies.  Two of my brothers and a cousins who now hold the properties will be hosting the event and quite a few of us locals are helping with plans.

I am so hyped!  I love family history.  You may remember we had a reunion on my mother's

 side in 2009.  We are so blessed to still have both Mum and Dad. Lord willing, my father
will make it to the reunion of his family, as well.

Linking to my Golden Childhood posts to remind you what this is all about.

"But Godliness with contentment is great gain"