My Daybook: April 3rd, 2014

Outside my window…
silence, it is still dark out and I’m the only one yet awake.  I admit I do love early mornings all to myself.

I am thankful…

• for the new child dental benefits schedule.  Free $1000 worth of dental work over two years!
• discovering what has been causing my wrist agony.  Book strain. Yep, excessive reading, holding those hardcovers has done them in.
• to live in this land of peace and plenty.  I’ve just read Kisses from Katie, set in Uganda, we have so much in this country we take for granted.
• our College kids, so proud of them, learning and growing. They’ll be home for Easter, counting down:)
• our children at home, love ’em all to bits and their Daddy, my Prince Charming indeed.

I am thinking…
oh lots of thoughts stimulated by a couple of dear friends, Ruth & Margaret.  We’ve been enjoying a great email marathon, sharing lots of deep thoughts about all sorts of ideas, inspired by the links shared below.

Learning all the time…

• about the benefits of memorisation.  Poetry and catechism are big around here at present, wanting to add multiplication next term. 
• Reading Our Island Story by HE Marshall with Jelly Bean and Jack Jack. Our first introduction to Marshall and we’re firm fans now. 

Celebrating the liturgical year……

• went to Mass for St Patrick’s Day, baked some green iced cupcakes and read our books for Sts Patrick and Joseph last month. Rather happy with that as it’s more than we’ve managed for a long time.
• I’ve researched and written a list of all family nameday dates, baptismal, FHC & Confirmation dates.  Next job is to create a perpetual calendar of these dates and that’s where we’ll start with Celebrations.  By celebrating the namedays we’ll probably hit all the Saints we want to Celebrate anyhow.

Brand new soccer player

From the kitchen…
banana cake.  Yep I know it sounds like it’s the only cake I ever bake, and actually it pretty much is. Have finally found a cake that everyone loves! with icing too.  Have made two already this week. Considering that my family do not like cake this is major, I feel on top of the world.  I’m going to try my hand at gluten free next. Oh and slices, PC likes slices so I’ll see what skill I can develop there.

I am creating…
chaos, organised chaos.  Massive de-clutter going on here in preparation for Easter and those College kids coming home.  Nothing I enjoy more than a deep de-clutter:) nothing designed more to make our kids moan and groan, they fall in line though and do their share, they’re good like that.  Though they have got sidetracked with an old toy that hasn’t been used in years.  They’ve been busy setting up car tracks and researching where to buy slot cars to put the tracks to reuse.

I am working on…
finalising co-ordination plans for our local homeschool group.
Our local group has been in hiatus for a couple of years, so it’s wonderful to see movement happening.

I am going…
to visit our new $8 million dollar library, which opens next week!!!
Oh how we’ve longed for this new library; lots of light, space, new books, new furniture.  Most needed it has access for wheelchairs/prams and a toilet!
My sneaky husband heard a rumour this week that ‘there were people inside’, he snuck down at lunch, drove underneath and tried the doors, he couldn’t get in.  Aha, foiled in his attempts to get a jump on his wife and claim boasting rights over me! Oh I can’t wait!! Though I might be kind and go with PC;)

I am hoping…
my filling next week will not result in a further tooth being pulled.  I lost another tooth this week and I really can’t afford to lose too many more.  I highly recommend regular dental checks.  Though my grandmother always said, “have a baby, lose a tooth” pretty true that.

I am praying…

• for our College kids and their needs
• for wisdom as a parent to nurture and guide.  They grow all too quick, not enough time before they’re running out the door
• for anyone with suicidal thoughts, for the soul of L who did commit suicide and for her family left to mourn
• for a young man who lost his wife and was left with a newborn, and for the repose of her soul 

I am pondering….
communication and mediation.

I am reading…
well this is a problem.  Actual books are out for some time so I can give my wrists and thumbs time to heal from book strain.  However for a girl who reads the back of cereal packets this is a major hardship, so I’m going to see if I prop my ereader on my legs and manage to read something, anything… Actually I’m planning on downloading some GK Chesterton, I’m just hoping I can read these kindle books on my kobo, the files aren’t always compatible.

I am listening to……
Sarah’s line up of audio lectures, well that’s the plan.  I’m just not too sure who to start with, they all look promising. Suggestions?

I am hearing…
our three youngest boys and Jelly Bean, they’ve now awake and the day is beginning.  They’re in the study with me, on their computers watching an art youtube on Minecraft papercrafts.  I’m envisaging today will be all things paper.

I am struggling…
with just the usual, consistency with implementing some routines, namely anything outside of lessons. Lesson routines though are going fantastically:)

Clicking around…

• A Step Off the Bow – “A few years ago I dropped history as the spine of our homeschool…this is a controversial thing to do amongst classical homeschoolers”  Lots to ponder in this article, I’ve barely begun to scratch the surface.
• Quality Education is Not Rocket Science – Lots of sage wisdom here
• How to Simplify the Schedule – Allow margin
• First Thoughts on Next Year – “We aren’t talking about products off a factory line here, we’re talking about humans.” Do read
• Creating Homeschool Goals – “Goals should be specific and measurable, ..focus on behaviours and not outcomes.”
• Ancient Secrets for a Sharper Mind – the vice of curiositas
• more clicks gathered here

Around the house…
deep housecleaning happening.  Twice a year before Easter and Christmas we do a big clean. Washing windows and walls (please keep your feet off the walls children!), wiping door knobs and lights switches, removing cobwebs and wiping down every surface etc etc and of course along with that turning out every cupboard and doing the deep de-clutter.  Usually we do this in Holy Week but this year with a baby we’re spreading it out over a few weeks. When it’s all finished we are exhausted and the house sparkles.

Digging for diamonds

One of my favorite things…

• watching our children at play.  Jem decided to go diamond digging, he was convinced he would find diamonds on our front lawn if he dug deep enough.  One of the best things about having younger siblings is they believe what you believe too, so Bass also went mining.
• Also enjoying watching all the children, including the older three and PC setting up racing tracks and racing cars together.

A few plans for this week…
we’re in the midst of Mini Birthday Week, Bass turned 3 last Saturday and Einstein turns 17 tomorrow! Some last minute shopping today and we’ll be enjoying our boy’s delight tomorrow, he has the wonderful ability to enjoy the moment:)

A little peek at my day…

• well we’re back into the soccer season, so practices a couple of days a week, games on the weekend, some weeks in different directions. Three playing this year, one refereeing.
• Princess has begun ballet, and is loving it!:) Rather excited that she may have found her niche:)