1 Our children have some big website plans under-way, they are very excited.  I can only give you a hint, what do you think of the name; Faith, Family & Fun? 2 So very proud of Jack Jack last weekend.  Despite being very overwhelmed and overcome with anxiousness he persevered with his soccer games.  By the conclusion he was staying on the field and even declared it fun.  So proud of big brother Michelangelo who was willing to take to the field with little brother, stay with him and coach him through his anxiety.  Jack Jack wouldn’t have made so much progress if it wasn’t for Michelangelo. 3 We ended up digging deeper…

1 Anzac Day is next Wednesday, I’ve gathered a few resources; Jeanne has a fantastic collection of picture books, we’re also re-reading some of our favourite picture and chapter books.  April has written an Anzac Day Unit, and if your wanting a longer study I did write an Australian unit on World War 1 awhile back. 2 I’m not certain how other blog writers plan their posts, but I have a couple of different techniques.  One method is; I keep an ongoing list of post ideas, many of these are ideas just begging to be written, whilst many  ideas are published, many are also scrapped.  The reality is writing can be hard work at…

1 Finally I stepped on the scales to weigh in.  I have lost over 5kg(11+lb) since New Year. It is so exciting to be able to fit back into size 10 jeans!!  Achieved by more vigilance in being grain free and sugar free.   My goal is to lose about another 5kgs.  I didn’t realise how much my weight was bothering me until I lost it,  I look good, I’m feeling great:) 2 Over the Easter Triduum we had all eleven of us at home, and now we have shrunk to only seven.  When Anna Maria travelled back to College the girls headed South with her to enjoy a holiday with Grandma.  Yesterday…

1 Time for an Anna Maria update as she has been away at College for a month now.  A-M is enjoying her studies immensely and loving the social life, within days of arriving in the ‘big smoke‘ she found part-time employment as a medical receptionist.   Our girl is happy and thriving:) I had written a longer post about how we all feel, missing our girl but PC declared it soppy and sappy so I decided not to subject you all;) 2 If you are interested in Grain and Sugar Free living and how it works in a large family, you really ought to head over to Gae’s. She’s sharing…

1 Jen’s Morning Basket post is rather inspirational, a great way to find time to share all those wonderful books we have with our children.  I’ve been giving thought to how? when?  we would have time as our morning is already a struggle.  So why not use our afternoon more constructively, we could ease into it by having an audio listening time supplementing with Basket choices.  2 Talking educational choices, re-reading Angela’s posts on Choice Time, resonates deeply with me as that is how our children often learn, and Princess in particular learns.  I’m planning on writing more about this approach, but for now I’ll share that watching your 10 year…

1 PC is in mourning, after 21years of faithful service our lawnmower has finally died.  A Victa that had seen hard years of service even before we purchased it.  Now a decision will be forced, do we buy a ride-on or buy another ‘pushie’.  Do spare a thought for PC as he buries his mower, he is extremely attached. 2 For the National Year of Reading our library is hosting a photo contest, the photo is to; capture individuals or groups reading books in “interesting’ places. Which photo should I enter?  One with a child hanging upside down on the lounge whilst I read to several children, the one of…

1 Last week I’m certain I totalled bored amused anyone who crossed my path with my Wonder Discovery!  Martha Stewart’s Tub Scrub removed scum and mold off my shower and any other surface I scrubbed.  The base of my shower looks brand new, every surface I applied the mixture too looks sparkling, I really can’t recommend this scrub highly enough!  Simply a mix of 1 cup of bi-carb, 1 teaspoon of liquid soap(detergent) and essential oil drops (I used eucalyptus) I’m wondering if my bachelor brothers have given it a shot as they politely assured me they would;) *Hat Tip: Dee 2 Finally I reached my breaking point with telemarketing calls, I…

1 We’ve just completed Week 2 of the beginning of the Australian school year.  Gone are the days that we start the term only to have me perpetually  re-writing our lesson plans every few days for the first few weeks.  I followed that script for many years but after years of home education I finally have a more balanced idea of what works and what doesn’t for our family.  Nowadays I only need to make small tweaks. 2 What is playing havoc with our daily rhythm this term are changes in family dynamics.  With our first about to leave home and another teen frequently working the lunch shift, which necessitates me tagging along as supervisory…

1 I have a sneaking suspicion I have perhaps been over-reading on my ereader (Kobo touch).  This occurred to me whilst I was reading a book, the old-fashioned kind with paper pages, I had been endeavouring for several seconds to turn the page, growing more frustrated when the page didn’t turn.  It took awhile to realise I had to manually turn the page, touching wasn’t going to work. 2 Pondering the purpose of education as we help guide our older children on their journey and visualise the upcoming year for our younger ones.  How do we select what is important to learn and what is not so relevant?  How do we decide the must have…