"No reading at the breakfast table"

Recently I've been spending a lot of time thinking about what I'd like to be doing more of if I had more time. What I'd like to be doing ... Cooking and baking more from scratch Sewing quilts Knitting Making kid's presents Taking photos of all the above and putting them into a beautiful blog Developing photos and putting them in an album Practicing the piano Having long conversations with friends Decluttering my house properly What I'm actually doing ... Going to work Tidying my house so we can move through it and not contract serious diseases Picking up stuff off floors Meeting up with some of the uni staff girls Washing clothes Cooking meals that are essential for existence Leading my Bible study group Food shopping at speed Studying (yes, back at uni this semester) Helping children practice the piano Taking the children places - many, many places Writing cheques to pay for the 'many, many places' that my children visit Havi...

So we randomly chose a winner for the earlier competition using our 'sophisticated' system. All the names in a bowl. She closed her eyes ... and ... drum roll We have a winner ... PIP! Since I know the lovely Pip personally, I will be getting her prize to her in the mail this week. ENJOY :) And thank you for all your inspiring contributions.  

I got given Lisa McCune's book 'Hopscotch and Honey Joys' for free last year, but it is a recipe book and I have no more space in my kitchen for recipe books (however pretty).  The book includes lots of kid friendly recipes (these cute bear car racers are an example, it also has the instructions for the marshmallow/freckle teacup thingeys). So I thought I'd share it with one of my readers. You need to work for this giveaway though. What's the healthiest family dinner you can produce in 30 minutes? On Mondays I get home from work at 5:30 and we need to eat at 6 because music lessons start at 6:15.  Eeekkk.  Gets a bit tight. Oh and we can't eat eggs or nuts because of the allergy child. Join the challenge and WIN!

This was my coffee table the other night after the children had all gone to bed.  These are the books they're reading now, have read and will read.  All jumbled into one.  It warms my heart this picture.  It is also a mess ... but I'll focus on the warming the heart bit! Oh, and there's also the brush, coffee cup, homework and a shoe (what?) in the mix.

Starting to decorate the grey I've been a bit quiet here because I haven't got anything much to share that can be tied together into something coherent. We've got over the initial hump of the start of the year - starting a new school, getting into the routine of a new timetable for myself, Rowan going away a lot during January and February, kids mostly sorted with their extra curricular mayhem. This week I've felt quite tired.  I woke up this morning and couldn't believe it was only Wednesday - yawn.  So weary.  And a very long term still ahead... Term time is just powering through from week to the next.  At the moment my head is feeling a bit sore as we try to work out how to incorporate the use of iPads into our teaching.  It is interesting and challenging but like all things new, can start to make your head hurt after a while.  I do enjoy pushing myself with using new technology in teaching (certainly doesn't come naturally) and I think it is ...

A few weeks ago my friend Katie came over and took some gorgeous photos of our family.  We like send our supporters a prayer card for their fridges every few years. One of the more sensible photos. Then it descended into 'silly' photo time. Yes, I have large mouth ...! And here's the photo that I am providing for you specially my blog friends, to see what my hair looks like from the side with my grey/brown stripy thing going.

My friend & I are planning a couple of child free days to visit Venice (and it's flooded ...) Been a bit quiet here recently as I'm madly trying to get both organised for my trip overseas and have everything done for Christmas before I leave. I'm going to Florence, Italy to visit some dear friends of mine who are missionaries, working with university students.  They've lived there for 10 years with their four children and I've always wanted to go and visit but many years of small children and limited income have meant that wasn't possible. So when my friend suggested that I should now come and I thought about it, and thought why not?  All a bit spur of the moment, but I felt that there would always be reasons why I couldn't do it, so I decided to just go for it. It's meant creating a long list of things to do, like get a passport, decent luggage, some thermals - I don't know why but the list seems long!  I really always believed it was...

Last time I was there, we had a room with a view Guess where I'm going for an adventure?  On my own.  For two weeks. It will be cold.  I will be on a plane (for a loonnng time).  Obviously, I will need a passport. More to come ...

This is a picture of the bag for Year 6 camp that I didn't pack.  I love not packing bags.  It brings me much joy.  After many years of packing for all the kids it feels SO liberating. I used to hate going away because of the packing.  But over the last few years the kids have pretty much packed themselves.  They ask me what to pack and they pack it.  If they're going away on a camp by themselves they print off the list and pack it.  It is so glorious. Sure, it can have downfalls. I optimistically (and probably quite lazily) let the 5yo pack her own bag for a church weekend away earlier in the year.  Yeah, ok.  So we could have done with another pair of undies and something warm for her to wear (the flouncy pink party dress probably wasn't the ideal camping gear).  Oh yes, and a towel would have been handy, as would have a pair of socks (it rained the whole weekend). But we did have a Zhu Zhu pet (that awoke during various poi...

Actually made afternoon tea for the children today.  Haven't cooked much other than evening meals for a few weeks so they will be a little surprised. I would like to think this is what I would be doing everyday if I wasn't working, but I know this is a fantasy.  I wasn't spending hours at home cooking before.  I only had time today because I have no car and a sick child so I was forced to do something useful at home.  I think I even cleaned the shower I was that desperate for things to do! Back to my book.   Don't want the house to look too good.  The children will wonder if they've returned to the right house if I change it too much.  ;)

This is not far off where our bedroom is headed - this is just a lot more organised!

Last month the Christian blogger Tim Challies wrote an interesting piece on competitive mothering (in many ways so correct, but just quietly I wondered if it's not all bad if occasionally we celebrate our successes as mothers - not much about what we do is all that noteworthy).  Anyway, in the spirit of sharing my success (of course, incidentally, I guess it will make you all feel like failures - try and overlook this for a moment, it will be short lived), let me brag about my quilt. It is for my youngest child.  I have made quilts for the other children, but I had totally run out of puff, time, energy, interest by the time it was No. 5's turn.  I do love her.  I don't love so much the standard I set with the older kids (photos albums, scrapbooks, quilts, cross stitch) that I now feel I have to maintain so the younger ones don't feel ripped off.  This is a good contraceptive btw (TMI?? apologies).  The thought of doing all this for more children (who I w...

I had a party last weekend to celebrate my birthday.  The 5 year old kept herself busy by taking photos.  But she wouldn't take photos of people she didn't know (just their backsides).  So there are a lot (A LOT ie. 250) of photos of grandparents, herself, food, random items from around the house.  It is quite funny, but glad I'm not that bothered by the fact that most of the people who came were not photographed.  Here's a sample. Started off OK with a photo of me and my siblings Hmm ... Photographer's foot? At the end of hard night's work

In case I ever think that perhaps I have wizardry type powers - I can just look at my mug and be reminded of my ordinariness!

When I was a proper mother this is the type of afternoon tea I used to produce.  It is reassuring to know I can still pull it off.  Now the kids just make themselves toast and eat an apple.  And if we're feeling kind, piklets get made too.

My evening is looking good.  It's girl's night at our place (the boys are all out at different things) so I'm going to get started on my new Anne Tyler that arrived today. Yay - finally I'm getting to read a book that is not aimed at either 10 or 15 year olds (although I will regale with you stories of my 'fun' holiday reading another time - yawn ...)

I might have the answer!  My 9 year old has been designing ads for a play she's writing for her Scripture class at school.  They made me laugh.

Ahh, there's always one.  The perfect view (we decided that it would be a great spot for a marriage proposal), yet not all five were in the mood to cooperate for the photo.  This is from our trip to the zoo a few weekends ago.  No. 4 child hadn't eaten enough lunch at this point in time.  It shows!

Some kind of Moonie type wedding at our place.  Rapunzel barbie up the front is either the celebrant or more likely the organiser telling everyone what to do.  Bizarre times!

Another culinary masterpiece.  The well-known 'Puffy Sticks'.  Oh, you've never heard of them?  Cooked puff pastry (plain or the fancy alternative, with cheese) is all the rage at our place this year.  They are a big hit in the lunch boxes or warmed in the microwave for afternoon tea. And I can hear you wondering - 'Wow, where did she get such a creative name from?'  Why, from my very own creative head, I have to admit.  Ahh - such brilliance ...