I turn 30!

AS most people around me know I was not exactly counting down the days till my 30th birthday, holding onto every last minute till midday(when I was born) to be 29. I was excited to be celebrating and spending time with family and friends but not that excited about what was the occasion of turning 30.
Don't get me wrong, I am happy to be alive, well and healthy and feel very blessed at where I am at this stage of my life.




Some achievements of the past decade:(definitely not all of them)

• Marriage-I married the love of my life ten years ago next month, an absolutely amazing man, who I couldn't imagine doing this journey of life without.
• The birth of my 3 children-my eldest is 8.5 and youngest is 17 months
• Career-as a Group Leader in my area of qualification(childrens services), then I moved on to be an assistant coordinator and then coordinator of an outside of school hours care service in a private school, which I resigned from nearly 4 years ago.
• Purchase and sale of first house
• Began our dream of seeing Australia-can tick of NSW(most of it) and Tasmania(as we spent a very memorable month there) We still have a lot more to go so this one will definitely continue into the next decade.
• Began and continue homeschooling my children and never looked back, been one of the best decisions for our family.

I am now a stay at home mum who loves my job! I feel very blessed to be in the position to spend time with my children who show me everyday that they grow up very fast and I treasure each moment.

Now back to why I am not happy about turning 30. Most people I have run into say "I just started knowing who I was when I was 30" and "I did so much when I was 30"  No discredit to them but I feel I already know who I am and I already have done so much!!! SO I guess I wander what it is I will "feel" like being 30 and what I can "achieve" when I am 30?

I quite enjoyed being in my 20's and I am sure that as I get my head around the fact that I am getting older I will enjoy being in my 30's also. After all, like I said I have a lot in my life to be thankful to God for and a lot to look forward to!

Life is a journey and I suppose turning 30 will make me look and reflect on my life so far and seek God as to what he will have for me in this next decade.

Happy 30th to me!!!!

"...For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future..." Jeremiah 29:11

Rail Museum (Build it)

The last time we went to the train museum at Ipswich was for J's 2nd birthday. J was Thomas the Tank mad!!! The Thomas exhibit was on at the time so we braved a HOT January day and took him for a day filled with trains. We thought the place was a good day out back then, over 6 years ago!

Our home school group had an excursion and workshop booked last week for the Build It exhibit. I had booked us in to go but had second thoughts when it fell on a particularly busy week. However I decided to go and I am glad I made the effort.

The workshop itself was OK but not the highlight of the day.

There was lots of other things going on for the children to do and look at. There was a whole room dedicated to "construction" the kids big and small loved this room.

Dressing up, large and small blocks, connector straws, stencilling amongst many other things.

The children also enjoyed the play area where there was lots of ride on toys, tracks and role play areas including more dress ups.

There are lots of trains and displays to look at of course, well it is a museum. The older kids both had a turn of driving the train on a simulator and enjoyed exploring the carriage.

We were on our way out after being at the museum for 3 hours and noticed a whole section we had missed. There were all these work stations set up with different activities to try. The children got a certificate which they stamped as they completed each activity. There was plumbing, painting, welding, building, rope tying amongst a few other trades.

 At 3pm we had to leave as R had dance class that we had to be at in an hour! If we had more time we would have spent at least double the time just at these work stations. It was great for the children to have a go at different skills and a good point for discussion on the way home about various occupations.

Our family had a fabulous day and will definitely make the effort to attend the rail museum when they have their special exhibits!

Why I love camping

My new found love.....camping!

Most people who know me find it hard to believe I have taken to camping. I have always liked my holidays that's for sure and till recently have enjoyed many a holidays in resorts, apartments, cabins, houses and cottages.

We decided that we would like to go away more often and knew that the budget wouldn't allow so we decided to invest in camping gear and set ourselves up. Last weekend was our 4th camping trip within 3 months and we had a great time. The kids had loads of friends to play with as we had a few families camping with us and another family come and visit for the day.

The reasons I LOVE CAMPING!

• The kids have an absolute ball! It's so lovely watching them play without TV, computer games and other technology that can distract. They play in the creeks and in the dirt. They enjoy games like spot light, hide n seek and collecting firewood is now their favourite past time.
• Being in the fresh air! so good for the soul. This past week has been a very busy one and particularly stressful for the husband at work, the minute we arrived at our camp site and took a breath of the cool mountain air-we were relaxed!
• NO HOUSEWORK! no washing, minimal dishes, minimal cooking(as I said previously, husband does most of this on the camp fire or gas mate), no washing(well at least till we get back)
• Spending quality time together. Enjoying simple things like talking around the campfire while toasting marshmallows and going to explore the creek and cooking a simple meal are all the more enjoyable when done together as a family away from life's distractions.
• Chilling with other like minded friends. We have been blessed with friends who also like to camp and we love spending time getting to know each other more talking till late at night and sharing a glass or two of red around the camp fire just after the kids crash for the night!
• MY TENT and MY AIR BED-yes I LOVE my new home! It truly is our 2nd home,it doesn't cost much, it requires little maintenance and just asks for a little sweep now and then. I feel so cosy and comfortable in our tent. It really does feel like home. My air bed, much to my surprise gives me a comfortable nights sleep and welcomes me every night when I lay my head down for another night under the stars in the great outdoors. I wake up well rested and ready for another day.
• THE CAMPFIRE-so versatile-you can sit by it, stare at its ever changing beauty for hours, you can cook on it, keep warm by it and cook on it! LOVE LOVE LOVE the campfire!
• TIME-seems when you camp, you have all the time in the world. You can throw your watch out the window and time really doesn't matter. Eat when your hungry, go for  a walk if you feel the need, sleep when your tired, sit when you need to rest....can life get any better than this???

I'm sure Ill think of more reasons but for now this is a good reflection and insight into my new found passion for camping.



God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.
Genesis 1 vs 31

The big "phew" moment in a homeschool mum's life!

He CAN READ!!!

Those who homeschool would know exactly what I mean. It is definitely a big "phew" moment when your first child learns to read.

As I was sitting with my eldest who is 8 this morning doing our daily reading time I had a moment to reflect. "I can do this",  "I am a teacher". Not that I ever doubted myself, No who does that? no homeschooling parent I know : )

It is such a relief when your children learn to read but when you are in the midst of teaching it and waiting for it to happen as I am with my second child who has just turned 7, it can be scary and daunting and all those thoughts and doubts come flooding back! It can definitely be a challenge and just as you think you are making progress, she forgets another one of her letters or sounds!

I know it will happen and listening to my son read everyday reminds me of this....surely it gets easier with each child??? Guess what? I don't think it does!

I'm sure there will be many more posts like this one along the way.....

 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus
Romans 15:4-5