Dashing through the Snow!!!

Well, there is definitely no snow... poor old Frosty is just a puddle here. But Kanga will insist on singing it anyway, as well as Jingle Bells. Our boys are so excited even though we have told them Santa only brings one present, maybe, and the other few are from Mumma and Dadda.

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So here we are on the glorious first day of December and for the first time in our family we are celebrating Advent (even though technically I think it began yesterday, I just wasn't ready yet, oops).

So we kicked it off with a homemade Advent calendar Kookaburra and I made together on Sunday.

We filled up a glass vase full of shells and stones we've collected on our many trips to the beach and procured a branch from the back yard and placed it in said vase. We then made 24 origami baskets and decorated the branches of the Advent tree (imaginatively named don't ya think, he he) with them and voila....

I had to split the images because the one image couldn't communicate what a great job our boys and I did.

Inside these sweet little baskets we've squirreled away tiny treasures, one for each day of Advent, they are things like bells or a candle etc . They all represent something for Advent and the birth of Christ, with a lovely bible verse to share. I wish I'd thought of this but my strength appears to be resourcing and these little gems came thankfully from www.teachingmom.com under the Heart of the Matter- Advent (unfortunately the site is under upgrades, so we can't access it at the moment :( .

I've also placed my own little notes for the day in the basket as well, ithese contain instructions for craft or cooking, or an outing. Today our note told the boys to decorate our tree and house, create an Advent candle wreath and make a prayer chain for all our friends and family. Whilst I'm still very uncertain about God and Christianity, I feel that giving our boys a thoughtful and studied approach to the celebration of Christs' birth, is far better for us than wallowing in commercialism and consumption.

I have enjoyed today and am so grateful for the chance to learn alongside tour boys. If anyone has been blessed, I feel its me.

I have always wanted to celebrate Christmas in a more organised fashion and thanks to the following websites and the numerous Christmas magazines I've bought over time, this year Ive done it! Woohoo!!!

Thanks to BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/bach/adventcalendar/index.shtml) we have a new piece of Bach to listen to when we explore our Advent pockets for the all of Advent.

Artcyclopedia has a brilliant piece of Art work to share with us everyday as well (http://www.artcyclopedia.com/feature-2003-12.html) which our boys are printing off a copy and placing in their Christmas scrapbook. Children are never to young for the Arts, it's only when we make it mysterious and unaccessable that it becomes out of their realm.

Child friendly devotionals (http://michaelshope.com//throughmychristmaswindow.html) are here.

Christmas Advent Story Colouring Book (http://www.dltk-bible.com/advent/index.htm) to fill in any spare time.

Teaching Mom has some awesome resources (http://www.teachingmom.com/features/advent.html) which I've borrowed loads from.

Belief net has a great interactive calendar (http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/Advent/Beliefnet-Interactive-Advent-Calendar.aspx)

Online Interactive World Calendar (http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/calendar/), these we also printed off and placed in the boys scrapbooks which I hope we will follow up, by reading about the respective countries in our home library.

I can't resist adding one more, this a very easy and simple advent site to follow (http://www.homeschooled-kids.com/advent.html)

Okay well, I hope somebody found the links useful.
And I'll keep posting the great things I'm sure the boys and I will be creating over Advent together.

Happy first day of Advent everybody.

Christian or not, this should touch you

what we learn that has nothing to do with 'school'

I know and almost everyone knows that we 'do school' through Distance ED School and I really use that term loosely but I tell you people, LIFE is education!!!!!

Yesterday (because I was in a state with our nearly week away looming, DH op to stress over, the boys cousins sleeping over and a tremendous sweet 16th birthday cake happening in stages to be ready by tonight and playgroup having finished and convinced Kanga he really needs a nap) I turned the TV on for Kookaburra and bless ABC, Kookaburra's show 'Naked Science' was on - BUT before changing to that channel the elections were on, with numerous crowds celebrating, crying, and going mental - duly so being that Obama had just won the American Presidency. Now politics aside, my curious little fella wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Well... I say, taking a big breath and in the ten minutes or so that followed we talked and discussed (in no particular order)
* the difference between a president and our prime minister
* who our prime minister is and who the last bloke was
* we then talked about the Labour and Liberal parties and very generally what it means to belong to a 'party', no cake and streamers Kookaburra : (
* the queen and the commonwealth, where the Lady lives
* history in the terms of American black slavery and civil rights, African Americans and women's right to vote
*what it means to vote
and therefore all of the above equalling why the American election is historically significant
and I know there was more but my crap memory and remembering verbatim doesn't work for me and Kanga has woken and needs me BUT my friends as you can see - we don't need school to learn what life is really about because we can live life instead and be the smarter for it.

What children need whether they are part of the system or not is an inquiring mind, encouragement to be curious and to not have to WAIT the proper time to be TAUGHT things. They need family, friends and mentors who are willing to give enough of themselves to impart knowledge in the 'lighting of a fire' kind of way, not the 'filling of an empty bucket' method. Children (and adults) need active and honest, open discussions about things when they are ready whether it be later or earlier than the standards set by the powers that be. And I am PROUD to add that Kookaburra discussed these things with me, he was interested in what is happening and horrified that slavery had occurred - that is in his heart now, would it have been if it came from a dry text and a worn out, harangued school teacher?

ahhh... gotta go! Thanks to my DH from our boys and I. Homeschooling is an incredible gift and we thank you so much for it.

PS Kanga has been learning too!!! Kookaburra has been telling him about our flags, Aboriginal, Australian and the parts of. Thanks to Kookaburra, Kanga recognizes the Union Jack and the Southern Cross. Tell me which Childcare prep program would teach my littlest son that because he asked!!!! Kookaburra is a blessing : ) (I'm sure I'll be whinging and worrying again soon enough : )

Peace

If my thoughts in this ramble aren't cohesive, I'm sure if you read it a few times you'll get the drift, he he!!!

oh, and after all that Liam watched his 'cool' science show
: )

Things we do to our kiddos

Kanga was delightful as our little forest fairy

Kookaburra was something special as our water sprite

Hey, so I'm feeling nostalgic tonight and thought I'd share some pics from '06 when I dressed ours boys and myself up for the Mary Poppins parade. Just a bit biased but we think our little treasures are so precious... They were 5 and 1 at the time and reflecting on it now they were sooo patient : ) The little costumes they are wearing were actually recycled pillow cases... some scissors, glue (i looove glue!), sparkly thread and glitter spray later and a visit to the discount jewelery at Dimmeys and we have two little story book characters, a small bit of tangible fantasy in our home

BTW we did win a prize, yay! for us : )

Our little Aussie Bogans

Bogan Koala cooking

I have been lazy and have had the boys hair cut by the barber for months now but we decided the terrible do's had to end and visited my favourite hair salon where RJ charmed all the girls. Here we have our little Aussie Bogan with side burns and dodgy duck tail (Liam has been in bed ALL day and was not well enough for this expedition).....

Post Bogan!!!

*Sob* I have found my little sweetheart, my baby boy again... yay!

By the way RJ is NOT shy! The hairdresser was having a conversation with our little charmer when she asked him if he enjoyed looking at the books (the ones the hairdressers have out for you to peruse new styles whilst you wait). Well RJ had been looking at the fashionista runway hairstyles where the hair is BIG and CRAZY looking, so with this in mind Ronan said he enjoyed looking at the "Hair Monsters" a lot!!!!!

Our week in pictures, enjoy : )

RJ loves the little Polliwog and yes friends they really are tadpoles and NOT toads... *sigh*

Our big baby sleeping off his illness and has spent most of today asleep. Please pray for his good health, we really miss it!

Ronan is meticulously bathing their very muddy *figs* - that's what they've been calling their cars and I am clueless as to the why

Liam preparing paper daisies he has grown to be dried and turned into bookmarks and cards

Our clever and strong little boy rode his bike all the way around Ululah!!! Watch the video below. He ended up going so fast I was jogging beside him just in case but there was only once where he came close to falling. We are so proud and just a little bit excited about Ronan growing so independent.

Our boys and I love the horses that live at the end of the road here and the horses loooove the carrots the boys bring.

Look Mummy!!!! Strawberries!!! Ronan is unbelievably good at sharing these tasty treats and loves them as much as the occasional mulberry he gets from our minuscule mulberry tree. Can hardly wait for them to turn black and has been known to eat them green! yuk!

A bit of art and craft for RJ. He turned this little box into a car, complete with wheels and lights in the correct colours.

Go Baby, Go!

I'm sick of being sick : (

Well, I'm a terrible blogger. Every time I start something happens lots of little "emergencies" or I just run out of time!

Our bigger, small one has been so sick this week with a middle ear infection, such a common childhood illness yet we've never experienced this. Its awful to have a child crying 'OWwww!' and feeling so frustrated because not much is helping to sooth him. But he went to the Doc's yesterday and he is, I'm glad to say, well on the mend : )

I feel like I've forgotten how it is for us all to be 100% well and every year, friends and I all seem to be bemoaning how the illnesses are worse than the year before. Does anyone else experience this or is it just those of us with munchkins?

Well, I hope everyone is well and if not... mend soon

Peace and love
JM

All boy

Liam is off hunting and RJ is fishing. The wonder of string and sticks!

July 2008 Our Boys bouncing off each other : )

August sunrise

Liam, Liam, Liam - August pics

How can I count the ways in which we love thee......

beautiful, funny, stubborn, outrageous, artistic, reflective, soulful, needy, sweet, amazing memory, lovable, so incredibly intelligent, quick, original and inventive, huge attention to detail, and argumentative - because you've got to have some fire, baby!!!

Peace and Love
JM

Why Jane is a bad influence on children

Seriously beautiful

The blokey blokes talking blokey stuff

RJ just wanted to read his book and that was final.

'

Our nieces Caitlyn, Tanika and nephew Daniel. My brother Jo's babies. We went out 4WDing in the pines back in August near Tuan. The scenary was beautiful - even the kiddos!!!

Liam shows us his take.

I think our boys would like some chooks Daddy

Last Thursday Liam and Ronan went adventuring to a friends home a little ways out of town where the lucky little fellas watched sheep being shorn by a fair dinkum shearer (after they were chased down by four men!), fed chickens, collected eggs and ate loads of mulberrys from an enormous mulberry tree (apparently at this time of year they would have earned themselves a little protein meal too : )!!

After all this wholesomeness we took the Magna up some dirt roads to watch a harvester working in the cane fields where a farmer bloke pulled up on his tractor (thought we were lost - not this time : ) and offered Liam a ride. He politely refused, as would have I!

That was a great day!

My favourite Ronanism quote of the moment is if I'm sad or hurt he says "I open my heart to you Mummy" gotta love that sweet talk.

Here is a vid of RJ and I playing one afternoon by ourselves. Two things 1. Man he can talk and I love his vocabulary (all that hanging out with his big bro) and 2. Wow, he has an awesome imagination

Peace and Love
JM

PS (WARNING: life is not always like this, I am very good at ignoring our kids or as my friend so lovingly puts it 'benevolent negligence' which is valuable to
; )

So here I am holding a picture done in water colour ink and just good old ordinary water colour for a friends birthday present.

She's called 'Summer' and the story belonging to her are the Applebee family. The Applebee family are our great friends who love their children and love, love having babies.

Here we have the Apple Tree with its thick family roots strongly growing and on our Apple tree are the fruits of the family, their beautiful babies. Summer represents the fertlity of women (my beautiful and talented friend) and that which is natural -hence shes green : ). And lastly but very importantly is our good old Bee, our king pollinater because as we all know the blokes are vital in this game!!!!

I hope you like it, if not thats cool because beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this is the first time I've tried since high school. Thanks Matty for ALWAYS encouraging and giving me hope and ideas.

Peace and love
JM

Testing

Okay, well here goes my first blog! So I know I'm gonna stuff this up so please giggle in silence and reassure me openly. I've ignored our boys for almost all of the day just basically messing around on the internet and so I suppose I'd best go feed them, being a huge slacker. Well, I guess this is our test, so here goes.

Peace
JM