Gum Tree Kid & The Lone Musketeer

If you check out my right hand side bar you'll see.... Ta Da! Kangaroo and Kookaburra nagged me into submission and we have created their own blogs :D! Completely moderated, edited and controlled by Mumma Me, they are only little 'uns after all! Unbeknown to my little men they'll be learning a heck of a lot about computer skills, online safety, writing and communication skills. I know there will be a lot more to be gained from this exercise but most importantly, they want to do this. My boys want to know how to create and write a blog. They've seen me enjoying Iri'ni as my place to chronicle our family's happenings and homeschooling journey and inspired by this, they wanted to create their own online place for whatever they may want to blog about. Aah :D Internal motivation is becoming a key to unlocking learning in our home. Yeehaa! I'm pretty pleased. Our first years of homeschooling have been a bit of a hard slog but I do believe that this year we'll begin to reap the real rewards. Homeschooling is challenging but I think, just maybe, hopefully, we might be over that bump and if I'm clever enough (Ha! *says a quick prayer*) homeschooling should get easier from here on in.

Due to this bloggy creativeness Kookaburra has discovered that he would Really like to be able to type. Google one free typing program and we came up with BBC Schools Dance Mat Typing. One hour later Kookaburra had learnt his home row and probably more (I wasn't peaking over his shoulder, too much to do). Kookaburra has named his blog Gum Tree Kid Hideaway - too cool - and has produced his first drawing tutorial for other kids. This one is about World War I Bi-Planes.

So Kangaroo is looking to use his blog, The Lone Musketeer, to write fairytales and stories, with illustrations by him. He's a prolific producer of arts and bits so it'll be great to have a nice place for him to have it all after a year when the paper has been stored away in a scrapbook on top of the cupboard.

Well, I guess they've caught my addiction and somehow I need to dig down deep within to find my sharing powers because I know my boys will be wanting to blog more than I want them too. Sigh.

Well, asides from the me needing to share issue, they've happily caught the blogging bug for now, and I'm excited for them. I'm looking forward to seeing how far they'll go with it and what will be gained from their new hobby.

Happy Australia Day Cobber :D

On the 26th of January 1788, the First Fleet arrived from Great Britain led by Captain Arthur Philip. In total eleven ships loaded with convicts arrived on the shores of Sydney Cove. The raising of the British flag there was symbolic of the beginning of British occupation in Australia and the date 26th of January has since been commemorated as Landing Day or Foundation Day or as it's now celebrated, Australia Day.

Two hundred and twenty three years on, we have grown into a proud, strong, young nation whom we adore and love fervently.

So early Wednesday morning we got ourselves into town to enjoy our little city's festivities. In typical Aussie style there was a free sausage sizzle by Rotary (a brilliant volunteer organization), bush music and games galore. Egg and spoon races, sack races and thong (not the underwear people, shoes!) throwing were a few we caught but the highlight for our boys was the massive turn out of vintage cars.

These vehicles are so precious to their proud owners. Lovingly restored and an accountable amount of money spent on the process we're so lucky to be able to see them on display and on the very, very rare occasion hop inside. Don't touch anything kids!!! But the owners were so cool. They said not to worry mate, it's built like a tank.

I had such tingles of pride and happiness yesterday. Our little town has such a beautiful community spirit. Attested to by the Australia Day Awards Ceremony which recognizes outstanding contributors to our little community. These people were so inspiring.

And didn't our very own Mary Poppins come Mrs Australia look brilliant in her days of yore attire. My boys thought she looked like she was floating.

And this chap! A piper for forty years, he played a solo at the top of our town hall on a little balcony. What an image :) He and his wife were adorable and she said not to complement him so much as his cap wouldn't fit him anymore.

But before I go, I'd like to share one of my favourite poems. An iconic and stirring composition which I think strikes most Aussies with an Aah! of recognition.

My Country

by Dorothea Mackellar

The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded lanes.
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins,
Strong love of grey-blue distance
Brown streams and soft dim skies
I know but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

A stark white ring-barked forest
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon.
Green tangle of the brushes,
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops
And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When sick at heart, around us,
We see the cattle die-
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady, soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the Rainbow Gold,
For flood and fire and famine,
She pays us back threefold-
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze.

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land-
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand-
Though earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.

Oh how can I leave it at that! Here's my littlest mate with our very own swagman. What's a swagman? Watch the vid and you'll learn a whole lot of Aussie colloquialisms. This is one of my boys absolute favourite songs. Not exactly full of ideals but definitely illustrates the rascally, stubborn Aussie with a thick streak of defiance.

Add an Aussie flavour to your day by making some damper too cobbers.

Happy Australia Day!!!

Dear Mum,

She's taking pretty good care of me.

Love
Your #1 Son

For more beautiful Wordless Wednesday pics,
please hop on over to

Faith, Hope & a whole lotta Love :D

And to all our Aussie mates out there,
have a beaut Australia Day!

Easing into Lessons

Well, the truth really is, that I planned to ease my boys back into lessons ever so gently this week but thus far very little formal work has been done. In fact I've pressed pause on my plans, and have instead given my boys room to unfold into their own learning which is blissful but leaves me feeling slightly neglectful because they have needed very little from me. So that mountain of housework I neglected to do on Sunday, I was able to wade through over a good part of today.

Unfortunately life with pets means that the couch covers have to be washed every other week, I need to dust weekly, floors need to be vacuumed almost every second or third day and washed almost as often. The furry kids need bathing weekly too. Bird cage scrubbed clean. So all this and the verandahs were swept, the washing folded and put away and boys taken to swimming lessons this afternoon too. I love it when my home is so clean but I can already feel a little grit under foot from feet and paws from this evening, by tomorrow night I'll be itching to get the vacuum cleaner out again.

How I miss screened doors!

Kookaburra has been reading a Biggles comic book and has naturally fallen for the Spitfire aircraft. So now he's begun drawing again, which is fantastic, as he seemed to loose interest for a long while preferring instead to build incessantly with his lego and knex. Talk of his own blog has come up again and now that Kookaburra has more definite plans for the purpose of this blog, he has become pretty keen to get it up and running asap. He spent the morning snapping photo's of his drawings so that he can put together a stage by stage tutorial for other kids who would like to draw a spitfire. Cool idea!

When I downloaded photos tonight there must have been a dozen pictures of each subject Kookaburra focused on. In the picture below Kookaburra has created a photo set to show his plane off with only a white background. Very clever, I thought :)

Always an opportunist, I took advantage of my boys absorbed quite and popped on the Cat of Bubastes audiobook which sent Kangaroo running from his Christmas Story Alphabet colouring in, to snatch up Kookaburra's Egyptian book and settled himself onto the couch to draw hieroglyphics.

After a page of these, Kangaroo headed outside with a spoon and an old paintbrush to play archaeologists. I always know when my boys are learning - it enters into their play.

Okay, so maybe I'll bend them to my will on Thursday. After all, tomorrow is Australia Day and that does mean we're obliged to celebrate and have fun. Like I've said before, such a tough life.

One last thing. Kangaroo has decided on possible work when he's grown. So far he has narrowed it down to the potential three of 'horse-racer, cow rider or a lasso-er'. Whichever it turns out to be, I think close proximity to a hospital will definitely be the go.

'Secret Beach'

We found paradise.


A long stretch of beach emerging from a vine forest


dotted rarely with a few other souls.


Our family enjoyed this amazing tranquility


together.


Exuding peace,


calm,


and Joy!


We went out for cuttlefish and shell collecting


but came back wrapped in


so much Happiness.


The day led us and we followed.

Thank God for our world.

It's outrageously marvelous!

Chillin' With My Crew

There was no sleeping in for me this morning. Four fifty am my alarm rocks it out with Pink singing 'Funhouse' at top notch and if I ignore her she'll only be back in five minutes. This is the fourth week of my new get fit lifestyle change and four fifty am is rapidly becoming my new rising time. Rising early is perfect for getting to the gym or going for a run (read that as walk/ slow run - but I'm building up to it!) and I'm finding that I can even ride to the gym and be home a little after half six in plenty of time to say 'Hi Mr E!', before he leaves for work. Unfortunately if I skip out and think I'll go to the gym in the evening it rarely happens, so morning is best.

So with an exercise regime once more becoming a good part of my lifestyle, I'm feeling pretty positive about lessons starting up again this week. Healthy body, healthy mind definitely goes hand in hand for me. I'm less likely to get down, be moody and grumpy and pick fights with Mr E - he does Muay Thai so it's not like I'm even getting an equal opponent really.

I guess the only other big things happening for us are the beginning of music lessons for me again and our boys should be starting Scouts sometime soon (broke anybody? Kinda!). This year we have swimming and Scouts for both our boys and Kids Muay Thai for Kookaburra, and we hope to begin volunteering at the Sanctuary in the next few weeks. Oh and the occasional morning in the park for Tai Chi. I've been worried about over-scheduling because I also want our local homeschoolers to get together once a month for a play, craft and games with plans for an eventual co-op (maybe) and get Kookaburra and his mate together one morning a week to work on a project together.

Oh well, one day at a time and there is always the option of pulling out if something becomes too much.

Whilst our little town is busy filling out the last of their school lists I got to pick up a few needed supplies for our little homeschool. The most exciting purchases have been two age targeted tennis rackets, high vis tennis balls, hula hoops, markers, Frisbees and a little rounder cricket set. These are all to get us out of the house for our new Physical Education program. We'll be using Anne Elliot's Homeschool P.E. (...for the P.E. Challenged Mom) and The Ultimate Homeschool Physical Education Game Book. If this all goes well I'll begin to incorporate Cross Fit Kids which is wonderfully completely free.

As always our boys have been carrying out their own little plans here at home. Here's a glimpse....

Apparently it's never too early on a Saturday morning to play the clarinet.

And when one begins the other must follow. So loud!!! Then they went out to a Bunnings Kids Workshop for some Dadda time and came home with cool little flags for Australia Day on Wednesday. The rest of the day was passed in their experimental ice bath (what didn't they freeze! and the mess in my chest freezer will need defrosting and cleaning :) I think two little boys will be giving me a hand) bike rides, and a chillin' arvo watching TV with Dadda taking in Charley Boorman's 'Right to the Edge: Sydney to Tokyo by any Means'. Absolutely recommend but as always, watching with a parent is best so we can skip anything not appropriate which was very little.

Only a sampling of what they froze :D!

The State Emergency Services Lego vehicle was ready in case anybody needed rescuing. Judging by all the cars frozen at the bottom of the bath tub, they may need to improve on picking up distress cues.

Today my house is a disaster zone but I'm willing to ignore it in the name of fun and family. Hard life hey?! I'm sure I'll get to it soon and the thing is, housework will always be there but my family as they are, right now, at this moment, won't be. So I'm going to catch this precious time with all my men and take in a trip to a little out of the way beach to collect cuttlefish for Hermes and refresh our shell supplies.

And it's a beautiful day out there so I'll say see ya later and whatever you do I hope you and yours have an awesome Sunday chillin' with your crew :D!

Parrot Painting

Last week we borrowed a great crafty book from the library which is something to write about in itself because normally I loathe them. Unlike most of the other's we've experienced (which nurtured the loathing) this books instructions are clear and the projects are actually do-able with the kiddo's. Here we tried our hand at the 'Parrot Painting'. I'm finding that if we can, and if I can get them to sit still for a short moment craft works best if I demonstrate first. It helps set the project clear in their heads of the how to and what their finished creation may be like.

* First draw the rounded, plump body of your bird with the little head in profile. Add a little eye, a beak and a crest. Draw a branch running beneath the parrot and then add two toes for each foot holding onto your branch.

It's funny that I followed the instructions and began with the body but all the kids started with the branch :) I think that makes sense, they know how far down the page they need to draw for the bottom of their parrot.

* Don't worry about wings, we'll be using handprints for that. But if you know kids they'll probably draw the wings anyway :D Four out of five here did and one didn't want the handprints at all because his wings were already great!

* Start painting.

* The kids were really interesting to observe. Kookaburra naturally wanted to paint Hermes, Kangaroo wanted a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo like his mate Ray's at the Wildlife Sanctuary, Danger Mouse then wanted the same, whilst Princess Cupcake and Princess Calamity wanted the same as the picture in the craft book which was very beautiful and colourful.

I noticed something a little alarming. Poor little Calamity wanted hers exactly like the picture in the book. She wanted to erase and correct and the poor little cricket was starting to become upset. Meany that I am, I wouldn't let her change because I felt that by trying to be so exact and when the end product isn't concerned with having the project 'correct', it was better for her to relax into her creation and accept it for it's imperfections. I reminded her that the book s images were computer created so they lacked personality which is what she would give it. My little Calam' seemed really tense, uncertain and hesitant. Was it her mood today, perhaps it's personality or is this the product of schooling that I've been reading so much about? Even here, at home, in a safe place, Calamity is so wrapped up in getting it right and having a product that pleases that she was having trouble moving forward and embracing her own creation. My wish for my niece is to get her into this art space I'm dreaming about at Iri'ni where I can encourage her to go nuts, make art works as big as the ceiling and just cover a wall in a riot of colour with no form. or purpose other than the joy of the movement and colour. Not only loads of fun but I believe it would help unlock her personal creative expression. I dream about getting all the kiddo's to create without fear of getting it wrong. I know I'm going to love it too ;)!

* Adding tail feathers.


* The inspiration.


* Kangaroo's very cool Cockatoo :D

* And after having so much trouble last week with trying to draw Hermes exactly as he see's him, Kookaburra felt pretty pleased with his painting of his pet bird. I love them so much that over the weekend (hopefully) we'll get to making some frames for these beauty's.