green faces

This morning I had a bit of a pamper session - what? rush-around-and-don't -bother-much about-appearance-me... Just trying to keep my clothes free from evidence of runny nose, smears of food (from my own sloppy eating) and, well... those odd little nappy remnants that just can creep out when you think you've got it all... Yes, I, even I, had a facial! The Mums of Special needs kids from Owen's Prep were each spoilt by a consultant lady who pampered us. Was nice to be spoilt and come home smelling like a powder puff...until the next nappy change :)

I learned a couple of funny things this morning:

• Body lotions, etc. can have a definite heirachy;) of course the top product/s are always the ones consultants sell. All else pales into insignificance...
• I was absolutely amazed at how much could be said for such small tubes of cream! Ok, they smelled nice...
• I must say I almost fell off my prep-sized chair when I found out that the cheapest item is $95!!! Of course this only purchases half of what you really need, so you spend the same on the other half.

But you know, I enjoyed being pampered and enjoyed a good inward chuckle from it all,

And all that for not a cent!

what's more...

Joshua, with a smug look on his face peeked his head in the door when we ladies were all covered in green face mask and asked if it was mud on our face!

this time I could let out my inward chuckle!

friends and food

I have just come home from a cooking lesson! My friend, Rebecca from church agreed to teach me some Sudanese cooking. We made a dish called Dak with Semolina. I think semolina is a staple ingredient in their cooking. The white dish - which looks like mashed potato is semolina. It looked like quite a work out the way she stirred and stirred it (somewhat like playdough) !

The dish 'Dak' is made from some sort of vegetable (I am yet to find out the english name for) which looks a bit like spinach ... with onion, tomato and stock... Tasted great, a little salty but very yummy. Here is some she sent home for David. She also served it with some yummy lamb in a tomatoey sauce.

I really enjoyed myself, tasted some friendship and am looking forward to getting to know her more. Our discussion also helped me just to appreciate a little more what it is to be free of fear, living here in Australia. Heard about some of the terrible trauma and corruption in Africa. Makes my recent decision making issues (which sometimes seem huge) seem so insignificant...

Overall, a sprinkle of sweetness to my day!

Jazzed up Jaffas

Here are some little jars I jazzed up recently for gifts. Simple, inexpensive jars (I happened to pick mine up from Ikea) but have seen them various other places since (dollar shops, kmart perhaps..) I just filled with sweets (in this case Jaffas) and decorated the top using a stamp of a little girl & other of a flower... using double sided tape onto a large scallop punched out shape...
Then I tied some coordinated ribbon around neck of jar.


Helps to get together sometimes and share around stamps or punch out shapes (like I did) so you don't feel you need the whole collection of stamps or punches to do a craft like this (and saves $$)

Sorry - my camera doesn't do the close up shots well...



PS - sorry re. empty post on my blog for any who dropped by yesterday. I had something there before but decided I need to think through it a bit more and ended up deleting it... was some reflections on study of Romans... not sure I understood things well enough when commenting... maybe will post about it after I have studied more! ;)

choosing a school

It is easy to look back on a decision and see whether it was a good one or maybe not such a good one... but when you are making that decision it seems so hard to know...

We are praying through the decision of where to put Owen next year for grade 1 , whether to keep him home entirely or whether to put him part time in a Special School...

Prayer, decisions, decisions, visits to special schools, discussions together, discussions with others...

Special Schools are quite different from the ordinary school. Guess I have never really been to one before and not sure what I expected... There are children with all sorts of needs, phobias, intense hobbies, etc. etc... and usually (necessarily) very high fences and areas with bars, extra security, etc.... hmmm....

And then there is the smell of very strong dettol...

Of course there are other programs that encourage 'real life' skills like using a cash register, weighing fruit and veg. making sandwhiches, etc. There are rooms with bright lights, flashing lights, neon bubbles and calm music... There are lots of pictures and well-labelled boxes, hooks on the wall, etc. with the child's photograph on them so they know where to put things.

Curriculums are, of course, much less academic. The child may have as their goal to eat without making such a mess (I think that is a relevant goal around our house:) their goal might be to learn to point to pictures to show what they want, or to learn to ride a bike.

...of course this is all from a Mum's perspective... my insights as a parent. Special Schools are just different.

A letter is written from a guidance officer to the school you wish to enrol your child in. The letter, intended for the staff is rather... well honest... about your child, telling in full detail their various disabilities or health concerns, stating their summary on the child's intellectual level, their need for help... probably more honest like the report cards which were all the norm before suing and political correctness issues came in.... Ok, ok, we opened our 'confidential' letter...

And so all the feelings, thoughts and swaying of views tangles in my mind. I know that decisions like this are hard to make. Hard to keep emotions, and 'gut feelings' (which can also be wrong) about things out of the way.

Humbly, back to our knees...

magnet gift ideas part 2

Here are the other fabric covered magnets for my crafty friends out there

I covered a matchbox (larger size) in pretty paper with some ribbon, an embelishment and a little tag (tag from newsagent)

Then put the fabric covered magnets inside

Here is a picture of button from the back showing the magnet

Cloning teddies

I have been cloning white teddies! I made one and then another and kept going.

After the Teddy Bear Picnic at Owen's Prep, thought it might be fun to put the teddy mould to work and make some plaster teddies for the children to paint. The teddy mould had been sitting dormant in my cupboard for some time... so nice to put it to work.







A few plaster moulding tips:

• Lightly spray mould with spray oil to help shape to come out. Plaster seems to later absorb any oil so doesn't interfere with painting later
• Ideally use a flexible mould - makes it much easier to remove when plaster is dry (my mould is very hard plastic so each clone took some convincing to come out!
• Don't try using household plaster (like I did with no success) leftover from house jobs - only use Plaster of Paris which sets quickly and for some reason seems to not break as easily. Bunnings sells 1kg of Plaster of Paris for about $4.95 (can probably find it cheaper if you buy in bulk) 1 kg made about 5-6 teddies - so works out fairly inexpensive for children's craft idea for creche/playgroup, etc... Would pay to have a couple of moulds though to make job quicker.

Red Paw Paw - just because

I just love RED paw paw. Thanks to my mother-in-law who introduced me to this higher rank of fruit!

I personally don't know why farmers bother with the other type... this is simply the best!

Yummo!!

Wish I could put a little sample here for you to try...

(actually - the truth is, it is all gone!)

crunch

Fun with cousins. The boys made patterns with cherios and sultanas on a kebab stick. The rule was you had to fill the entire stick with the pattern before you got to eat them. Nice quiet few minutes for Aunties to chat ;) and they seemed to enjoy themselves. Didn't really work for Rosa... no sooner had the cherios hit the bowl then we all burst out laughing at the "crunch, crunch" noise!

Pray for me, too

... Been thinking about this after Bible Study

In the Gospel of Luke Jesus is about to be crucified. He is praying to the Father, He is in anguish, He is extremely sorrowful. He knows what he is to face. He already described it to his disciples before hand in some detail. If that wouldn't consume your thoughts and feelings and dread enough...

BUT

The Lord prays for Peter. I just find that incredible.

And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!" Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. "But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and that when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren."

Luke 22 v 31 & 32

That the Son of Man should even give any care to others in his own time of such agony...

What is more... Peter even goes on to boast that he,(emphasis on the he- if you didn't catch that!) indeed would do anything for his Lord, even to prison and to death... He even compares himself to the other disciples in other Gospels, saying that even if all fall away, he won't.
The heroic Peter even forgets where his ability to resist temptation comes from...

...and yet, Jesus, knowing all this, prays for him!

Isn't that enough to lift your Spirit?

If you go out to the woods today...

This is the day the teddy bears have their picnic. Owen's Prep class invited us to join them for their teddy bear picnic outside today. Poor Josh had to stay home this time and do some catch up work while Mummy had some special time with the two younger ones.

This poor nameless teddy has been Owen's favourite ... has even been where Mummy hasn't... through the big hospital doors where Owen had heart surgery... He has quite a story to tell, I am sure...

The children were asked to bring along two pieces of fruit and they even chopped it up and made some yummy fruit salad to share around. My hungry young uns' managed to scoff quite a bit down...

And then it was off for a walk in the woods... Quite a feat with a some of the children wanting to race off, others bolting in every direction and some lagging behind to smell the flowers. They enjoyed themselves thoroughly though and Rosa had a huge 3hour sleep when we came home!

Owen doing his old man impersonation... honestly if anyone ever needs an old man in a drama presentation, Owen has it down to a T!

And a re-play of the picnic at home...

paper doll link

Here is a cute link to a printable paper doll or another- for any blog readers out there who have a little girl who might enjoy this.

Another cute one (this one can be coloured in) here

Could also put pictures onto magnetic sheet and put small magnets (those ones you pick up free from the hairdressers ... that clutter the fridge:) on back of clothing items for smaller children who couldn't fold over tabs.

Or could simply be used for some cutting (requires fine scissor skills) and pasting

Either way the pictures are adorable even for big girls like me!

Fridge magnet gift idea

If you're wanting a little gift for a friend or teacher here's an idea I have tried recently.

Using self covered buttons (strangely they seem cheaper at quilting shops than craft stores...) Choose some coordinated fabrics (only need a small circle so it is perfect for those scraps of fabric you have lying around) Follow the directions on back of packet to cover the button.

Remove the back of the button... I used metal buttons so with a little pair of pliers I squeezed the wire at the back and it came out easily. I have also tried plastic buttons but it is a little trickier to make the back of the button flush after you cut the stem off.

Attach the flat back of the button. Superglue a magnet on the back.

I chose an Asian theme for Joshua's music teacher because she loves all things Asian.
I have done other styles which may come up in future blog postings...

Package nicely by sticking double sided tape to the back of the magnets and attach to pre cut piece of card. Cover in celophane bag, staple a strip of cardboard over the top and decorate (my little sister was my inspiration here!

Put a note on the back of the card letting the person know how much you appreciate them...

Wa - La !

birthday

Joshua sharing his birthday with friends from Bible study

Goody bags for friends... kind of lumpy with a tennis ball inside:)



How Josh spent his day:

• Opening a few gifts from Dad and Mum and a few cards from others he had faithfully saved to open on his much awaited day.


• Snuggles and family breakfast of pancakes, maple syrup and coconut cream (yummy.. thanks Aunty Angela for this inspiration - tastes fantastic!)


• Chatting to his cousin, Aunt and Uncle and Grandparents on the phone.


• At a 'My Time' group (gov. organised group for parents of Spec. needs kids) doing school work, playing with a few little tots and


• then off to RE (Religious Education) with Grandma, where the teachers were very nice to him. One classroom teacher let him pick out a book from the prize box for his Birthday. He chose a book of mazes and was thrilled about that...


• Then Grandma indulged him with a yummy malted milk and a trip to the swimming pool for a splash together.


• Back home for a dinner together as a family


• Cake (chocolate cheesecake was the request) with Bible study friends. Heard a little of celebration traditions in Sudan


• Off to bed, showered with kisses!

Joshua

Joshua - our firstborn son turns a huge 8 years old tomorrow! He is currently tucked in and sleeping soundly in the room with Owen. He tosses over on the bed, he settles himself into a comfortable position and dreams away... whatever 7 year olds dream of when they are anticipating their birthday.

My mind travels back to the journey we have had with our first... the joy of his arrival, the knee-knocking experience of being a Mum who wants to be confident as a Mum but hasn't a clue! The gorgeous smiles, the joy he brings to the extended family, the challenges and battles over various things, some of which I later learn were battles not worth fighting for, others are worth every effort you can give them. Learning, growing, seeking the Lord...

Here you are Joshua - the long awaited day. You are constantly a vibrant ray of sunshine. Full of life, full of questions (as your music teacher aptly pointed out today) and full of insight, curiosity and oozing enthusiasm.

It still makes us smile to think how much you keep us all organised - making sure we know how many minutes it is until we must be going, remembering exact dates and times or writing yourself little notes to make sure you remember. I recently hung a little calendar on the bulletin board on the back of the toilet door and smiled each time I saw you had written in various activities and events and then crossed them out if plans changed. You certainly know what is going on or soon will...

Life is sometimes a mystery for you to be solved. I love the way you just have to find out why something is the way it is. Recently you discovered a hose had been dumped in our yard. Some time later you discovered another.... to you, a mystery was in the making... and a note I found in the kitchen...

We are all anticipating the discovery you make...

Another note I spotted this evening:

You have had extra responsibility being eldest - not only being eldest but being big brother to one who needs/needed extra help and time in waiting rooms, dedicated time to learn to speak, to walk or to get his muscles working harder. You watched with compassion as he went through heart surgery, and were delighted to see him recover. You were so excited to see him walk - albeit a very delayed learning to walk - that meant nothing to you. You proudly told almost all you met that he could stand unaided, then learn to pull himself up...

Daddy and I sometimes wish that we could free you a little more from some of these extra burdens you bear. We look to the Lord because we know he cares for you and understands your frustrations from time to time... we also know that he is already using you and has used these situations to make you more understanding of others, to make you more accepting of those a little 'different' and to make you into the very outgoing, lovable boy you are. We thank Him for this.

You are so precious to us. As you grow taller, eat more and more slices of bread to fill up those hollow spaces - we thank the Lord. We thank him that you are learning more about Him, that you are learning what it means to follow the Saviour and that the Lord is gracious and compassionate and loves you deeply.

Your Dad and Mum are over the moon that the Lord has blessed us with you!

MWAH!

XOXOX

...but wait, there's more!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX (which means you have a sloppy wet face from all the kisses!)

More family pickkies

More of family - precious ones...

Nanny and Grampy (my parents)

Happy Nappies

Happy nappies... and other funny moods we find ourselves in...

Links below

Scroll to bottom of page to see links to various sites...

Have just fixed them so hopefully you can access them now all who have been keen to take a peek;)

Well I never

I am still chuckling to myself...

Ever been serenaded by Jehovah's Witnesses at your door?

I still find it comical to think the guy managed to get through some JW training and then feel free to break into song on his umpteenth visit...

"I just called to say I love you!"

Poor David was the recipient of such a serenade. I was in our bedroom upstairs and assumed it must be a relative... though I couldn't place the voice.

I can only imagine my poor husband's face when greeted in this way!!

I am still chuckling to myself.

(I don't know if the 2nd JW he was with (more trained guy) appreciated his introduction... perhaps he had words to him afterwards)

It really made my day and tickled my funny bone!

Help from blog readers needed

This week David began a Bible study in our home. He decided to use a DVD - the Gospel of John which is acted out, using word for word Scripture (Good News Bible). After we watch a small section of DVD we stop, open to the book of John and are challenged with questions relating to that passage of Scripture.

It was encouraging to see some of our neighbours (who have started coming to church) come and join in the study. Was great to have a study in our home again, too...

After the study I had an opportunity to get to know one lady - a Sudanese Mum who has started coming along to church. It became apparent through the study, when she was called on to read the Scripture, that she couldn't read at all. After apologising for her having been embarrassed at not being able to read - I privately asked about her background and was astounded to find that she had not learned to read in Sudanese either. She said it was typical for Sudanese women to have about 1 year (for a few more fortunate ones up to 6 years) of education. The things I take for granted... My heart goes out to her, and many like her who have active minds and not the opportunity... and then add an entirely different culture to that struggle...

I have agreed to help her learn to read..

I am praying about this and doing some research but would also like to invite you to join in praying with me.

I would also like to ask...

Do any of my blog reading friends know, or have heard of a program for teaching adults to read?

I have great materials for children but want to be careful to avoid anything that might look childish or might seem a little goofy to a very capable Mum...

Ideas/insights please??

Family

Nice to just hang out with family - letting cousins giggle, play in the park, build things from lego and enjoy some time at the beach ...

Nice to see cousins getting to know each other again, Uncle playing shop with Owen (in a comical way only Uncle can...), Auntie playing on the sand, chatting and catching up.... Pleasures of the family God has blessed us with.

Never been unloved

Our family has really enjoyed this little music video clip.

Great reminder that though we have been many things (unapproachable, unteachable, unwilling...etc.) and yet...

we have never been unloved!

enjoy