• Blog,  Blogging - Guest Appearances,  Home Education,  Home Education - Australia

    Australian Homeschool Summit 2021

    It’s time for our annual Australian Homeschool Summit! Always a highlight and a fantastic way to kick off the learning year. Once again I will be presenting at the Australian Homeschool Summit. What I’m Presenting This year I’m going to be sharing about How to Raise a Family of Readers. Raising a Family of Readers is something I’m passionate about and totally committed to. If raising your family in a reading culture is something you desire then I can assist you. During the Australian Homeschool Summit I’ll be sharing about our family’s journey. How our family have been raised to be readers and how reading is an integral part of…

  • Blog,  Book Reviews,  Books - Faith

    13 Favourite Bible Picture Books

    Sharing with you our favourite Bible picture books. Bible picture books are high on my list of must haves.. I have high standards as to what I deem worthwhile.  They must have beautiful illustrations and words close as possible to Bible text. The following authors are ones that came highly recommended from reviewers I value. I have deliberated about my selections, but feel comfortable about these recommendations. Check out the The Motherload of Excellent Catholic Picture Books. for even more suggestions. Ellie has a fantastic round up of her favourite Bible picture book recommendations. Her recommendations are always worthwhile to investigate.   Jonah Hard to Swallow Tale of Jonah and…

  • Blog,  Blogging,  Blogging - Guest Appearances,  Home Education,  Home Education - Australia

    Australian Homeschool Summit 2021 – Giveaways

    It’s time to kick off the year with our annual Australian Homeschool Summit! We have a number of tickets to give away! Give away ends tonight!!! So best click over fast for your opportunity. *We now have more than the original 3 Give Away Tickets available! Yes I’m running way behind getting out the news. Better late than never though. Give Away Tickets This year I’ll be talking about How to Raise a Family of Readers.  Obviously a pursuit near and dear to my heart. I’m excited to be sharing our journey and experience. Easily accessible online, so you can attend from the comfort of your home. We have 35…

  • Book Reviews,  Books - Australia,  Books - Database

    Launching My Online Database of Australian Books!

      The Journey to an Online Database of Australian Books I don’t recall ever a time I couldn’t read, a love of words led me to a love of books. Growing up in a home full of books, as a pre-teen it seemed only natural to set up a library.  I loved pasting envelopes and borrowing cards on family books and handing out library cards to the neighbourhood children. They were eager to join my lending library, at least that was my perception. This was laying the groundwork for my later dream of having an Online Database of Australian Books.   That childhood library fortunately gifted to me  and I…

  • Blog,  Blogging - Daybook

    My Daybook: 22nd June, 2020

    Outside my window… it’s totally dark, it’s night time, last night was the longest night of the year, it was the Winter Solstice I am thankful… for our home and property, only months ago we were on standby for threatening bushfires and then we’ve spent the past few months isolated at home, I’m extremely thankful for our beautiful home, albeit unfinished, and our picturesque property. We’ve made many sacrifices and much effort to arrive here and I’m extremely appreciative I am thinking… about the distractions of social media, I control it pretty tightly, I mainly use facebook for book loving groups and I’m extremely spasmodic with my instagram use, both…

  • Blog,  Book Reviews,  Books - Faith,  Faith,  Faith - Sacramental Preparation

    Preparing Younger Children for Confirmation

      In August 2018 Jem and Bass received the Sacrament of Confirmation, at the time the boys were 9 and 7 years old. This meant Bass was my youngest child I’d prepared to receive this Sacrament. Preparing Younger Children for Confirmation requires a different focus and resources. Previously Jelly Bean at 9 was my youngest child to prepare for Confirmation and I’d already adjusted previously used materials. With both boys being so young much of our previous resources no longer suited. So I sought and found new resources I was far happier with. Preparing our children for the reception of their Sacraments is amongst the most precious responsibilities as Catholic parents…

  • Blog,  Blogging - Daybook

    My Daybook: 20th May, 2020

    Outside my window… it’s early morning, the dew is still wet on the grass, the sun is shining, the horse and foal graze in the paddock nearby, it’s going to be a beautiful day I am thankful… that our adult children have had seasonal work for these past couple of months. The work is physically demanding and the hours long, and with an hour travel both ways some days they leave before 6am and don’t return until 7pm. In only three more weeks all the ponds will be empty and the prawns all boxed and gone I am thinking… it’s time I wrote a fresh A Day in Our House…

  • Blogging - Guest Appearances,  Blogging,  Home Education,  Home Education - Australia

    Home Education Help For You

    The Australian Homeschooling Summit begins tomorrow 4th May through to the 15th. If you haven’t yet got your ticket now is the time!! Quick Recaps I will be talking about Creating your own Booklists for a Literature Based Education. Excited to be sharing my passion and knowledge about this topic and stepping you through on just how to create your own booklists for your topic choice of interest. I can’t wait.  That presentation will be on Friday May 8th at 1pm.   I will also be facilitating a second presentation Home Ed Graduates – What Do They Think? wherein my five home educated children and daughter-in-law will chat about some common questions…

  • Blog,  Book Reviews,  Books - Australia,  Books - History

    3 Indigenous Children’s Books for Anzac Day

    Tomorrow is ANZAC Day. This year ANZAC Day will be observed in an entirely different way around the Nation than usual due to COVID19.  We will still commemorate our fallen, returned, and current Service men and women, remembering their sacrifices past and present. Included in their number are thousands of our First Peoples. Did you know that: Our First Peoples: At least 50 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people served in the Boer War (1899-1902) Over 1000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people served in World War I (1914-1918) and around 70 fought at Gallipoli At least 3000 Aboriginal and 850 Torres Strait Islander people served in World War II…