My Daybook: 2nd May, 2022 – Seven Little Australians & Counting

Outside my window…

It is totally dark, it’s a country night with no moon

I am thankful…

for our home, we are extremely grateful to have one, there are so many in our region who are now homeless since the floods. Two months ago nearby towns were decimated by ‘once in a lifetime’ floods, a month later the flood waters returned! Much of our region is classed as a natural disaster, in one city alone 34,000 people are now homeless, many living with friends and family

I am thinking…

about the upcoming Federal Elections at the end of May. This is an incredibly important election, I have so much to research and learn before I cast my vote. All hopes and emotions aside I think the results will be rather fascinating, we could well make political history

Learning all the time…

we began Term 2 this week with high hopes for a solid term of learning. We’re also experiencing major changes in the learning room with Jelly Bean turning 18 in two months and transitioning from her Grade 12 studies to the next step. She is focusing on finishing up and polishing targeted areas of learning, taking on more hours with her casual job, and working towards her goals. Practically speaking this means Jelly Bean’s study hours don’t often line up with ours, the majority of the time I only have four in the learning room, not five, it feels so strange

Celebrating the liturgical year……

last Sunday on Divine Mercy Sunday we celebrated our niece’s baptism, PC and I were honoured to be her godparents. Such a special day and so exciting to actually be present after missing so many important life events leading up to this day. We had missed so many of my little sister’s major life events due to Covid’s border closures; her Wedding, her first home, her pregnancy, the birth of her baby, the baby’s first months, so to be finally present for a major event was extra special. Six out of eight of our siblings were together, one brother flew in to Brisbane from Sydney, another drove all that way, we finally crossed the border into Qld and spent the weekend with family. She is a precious, precious baby, love her to bits

From the kitchen…

earlier in the year we purchased a deep freezer with the intent of purchasing our meat in bulk, as there were predictions of upcoming food shortages including meat. Also we loved the idea of buying from a local farmer, and the costs were substantially lower than the supermarket or butchers. We first bought a quarter of a cow, then a half cow. It turned out to be a great decision, I found myself pushing my shopping trolley past mostly bare supermarket shelves relieved that we had meat at home

I am creating…

Princess(20) and indirectly Bella(8) were gifted tubs of fabric from their Aunty, lots of exciting possibilities lie amongst all this fabric. Bella who is talented in all things craft is keen to dive in and chop and sew. I’ve talked her into waiting so I can introduce her to patterns and we’ll make her small cousin a birthday skirt or dress

I am working on…

Always adding new literature based units, booklists and videos over at Wattle Gum Education. This month I released videos I have given centering around various aspects of literacy and previously hosted at the Australian Homeschool Summit! I also launched a Consultation service creating a personalised plan or giving individual assistance

I am going…

dancing! We’ve taken up Ballroom Dancing as a family and it’s so much fun and includes lots of fitness building, or more accurately muscle burning. Last Term we learnt the Cha Cha, this term we’re working on the Samba. The children are picking up the dances rather quickly, PC and I feel like we’re the most uncoordinated couple in the class

I am hoping…

Jack Jack (15) has a positive experience with his first time reading at Mass on Sunday. I’m praying he copes with his nerves and is happy with himself, he has been reading really well practicing at home but in front of a congregation is vastly different. He is so nervous….

Update: So proud of him, he did it!! Pushed through extreme anxiousness but he survived and did a great job too!

I am praying…

for our nephew and his wife who are expecting their first baby in a few weeks
for my brother and his wife who are expecting their fourth baby later this year
for our niece and her husband who are expecting their first baby later in the year
for a few marriages/relationships in our family circle who need our prayers
for a family member who nearly died last week in ICU, and who has ongoing health challenges
for my stepfather who has torn his rotor cuff and has now done further damage and for other health challenges he faces
my cousin and her family whose home was totally engulfed in the flood waters, twice!!!

I am pondering….

how our region is decimated by the recent floods. My cousin’s house in Woodburn is now completely gutted, the majority of their possessions gone, and the huge pile of rubble outside their home, which is on the main street, was only collected this week, 2 months later! Nearby Lismore and surrounds resemble a war zone. The CBD won’t be functioning for another 6-9 months, the wait for tradies is that long. The Police, Ambulance, Banks, many schools are all operating up at the Uni and the Uni students are all online. Everyone has to travel to Ballina for anything beyond groceries, and Ballina all of a sudden has to deal with an influx of an extra 30,000 coming in to use their shops and restaurants. I struggle to comprehend how the region will recover

I am reading…

we have begun Term 2 and the children have selected their books for their various subjects, though I have yet to decide on their read alouds, there are so many great ones to select from and only so much time. I’m also undecided as to how to break up the target groups for our read alouds. When Jelly Bean joined us it was easier to break, the three teens had one read aloud and the two younger ones another, I could just keep it as a teen and younger group. But now with the age spread not so wide, with a nearly 16 year old to an 8 year old I could select one book, or I could target the three boys 11-16 and have another book for Bella, or I could keep it as two read alouds, undecided

I am listening to……

every so often I consider the idea of hosting my own podcast to talk about all things Australian literature and Australian homeschooling. Then I worry that committing regularly to producing might take away my joy, that the learning curve involved and time commitment might be too much. I then ponder if short, informal video chats that I host on my site would be a better option. If anyone has any thoughts, experience, direction to share I’m all ears

I am hearing…

the children shouting excitedly at one another, it’s gaming night, I sit in the study surrounded by all eight as they enjoy each other’s company. The noise level is rather loud, I try putting on headphones to block the noise, no success, I take out my hearing aids, that improves my concentration somewhat, I give up to come back and continue in the morning. Reality is daybook posts are often written over a few days, first up ideas are roughly jotted down, then fleshed out and polished

I am struggling…

sometimes I’m sad that I no longer have the ‘beginning homeschool’ enthusiasm I used to have, I’ve been at this gig for a long time and the shine’s not quite the same. Now I know how important it is to put in the hard work; essay writing, handwriting and spelling are not learnt by osmosis in our house. We still find plenty of joy though in the readings and conversations.

Clicking around…

not really clicking at all. Though if you have any must read homeschooling or book blogs or instagrams to recommend I’ve love to hear, extra bonus if they are Australian

Around the house…

prior to Easter our home underwent ‘Operation Easter Clean’ and we moved many items on, it’s such a great feeling to ‘let go’ and the house ‘feels lighter’. Our home sure was sparkling for Easter and it’s still looking terrific. I’m now seeking a cupboard with shelves to put the toys in, and doors for our linen cupboard, I’m over visual clutter

One of my favorite things…

family. At our niece’s Baptism we took the opportunity to grab a photo depicting three generations, three sets of sisters, the sisters of each sister set who are 20 years apart! From right to left: Generation 1 – My Mum and her youngest sister. My aunt is only 3 years older than me. Didn’t I love calling her Auntie in the school playground. Generation 2- My youngest sister and I. Love her to bits, so proud of the young woman she is. There is only 18 months between my sister and my eldest daughter. Generation 3 – My eldest and youngest daughters, they have such a beautiful bond