New year, fresh start.

This past year has been my biggest to date so far. Biggest because now I have 3 babies! All still while daddy is away flying. We are so thankful for a good job and lots of gained experience - though we hope for daddy to be home more real soon.

Our new place is lovely, the town is so pretty with less commotion from where we used to live. Lots of beautiful greenery and parks for exploring. I miss comforts of home and friends and "city" living - but know this is the right place for us right now.

My children prove to test me more and more each day. I'm tired, I'm cranky and fed up more then I'd like to be or even thought I'd ever be. I've been reading some good books, one in particular - Christlike Parenting. I can see it helping me in the daily grind of it all. 'Be of good cheer' is one lesson that is ringing in my ears at the moment from the book. Clearly our goal is to strive to learn and live as Christ - so all of my parenting challenges will become less of a burden as I keep that focus.

We have now given up TV for the most part for our kids! Can't believe I did it but it had been in my heart and mind to do for a long time. I thought it would be torture to not have it - seriously took about 3 days or less to kick the habit. We still have it there for family movie nights whenever it feels right...i can see a difference in the children wițhout its noise and nonsense. The thought that i was being mean to not let them have it or to not let them see their favourite characters/tv friends did cross my mind. I realised that its just a gimic, a lure and really just a false idea that those things are good for them. Me spending time with them is far better. The boys playing games together and imagining pretend stories is priceless and can't be beaten by a half hour tv show.

The boys don't touch a smart phone or ipad at all st any time of the day. I love that I've been able to maintain that as well.

We listen to lots of music, lots of 'read-along' books and play lots of games. The 2 year old messes up a lot of these games and it more often ends in tears but we're doing it. Our eldest loves memory card games and puzzles.. I'm talking serious puzzles. They are huge. I didn't think he could do them but man do I underestimate him. Probably we all do when we really think about it. There is so much more they could be doing that we just say they're too little. Our eldest is 4 and this morning unloaded the dishwasher and was seriously accurate and fast at it. He sets up 3 different kitchen timers we have when he has 'jobs' to do. They are a favourite motivation of his, those timers.

Anyway, although this all sounds amazing - no tv, puzzles, doing jobs around the house - reality is its hard and trying and draining every single day. I don't find any day cruisy or easy. I struggle. The baby is so much bigger now and needs even more. More food, more attention and having less sleep at nap time. She is delightful and so good to be around - the boys just can't stand that she takes up a lot of my time. It is teaching us all a lesson in patience.

We have had lots of outings and things going on over Christmas - here are some cute photos of it all.


Doing these fun things keeps me sane. Some mothers coping strategy is to stay at home - mine is getting out of those walls. Neither is right or wrong. I find i get lonely so going out makes me feel i have companionship... My eldest is like this too, has always loved being around and amongst people.

happy new year and hats off to mothering!

We heart Christmas!

Moving house to a whole new town has been challenging interesting lonely sad and fun all at the same time...I have had to slowly get things kicking into Christmas. I've loved decorating our new house as there are lots of cute corners and down lights that make everything pretty.

I love this season, its the best part of the year by far. I love how we talk and the Saviours birth almost everyday! I think how amazing would it have been to live during that time.

We have so much planned to make Christmas last all December long. Here's a few things we've done so far -

Lighting of the Christmas tree city concert
Made Christmas cards
Taken our annual Christmas photo
Chocolate a day Advent calendars
Special weekly devotional dinner
Christmas craft for decorating the tree
Hand made nativity blocks
Baby jesus rocking and singing a lullaby
Christmas stories - a new one to unwrap each day
Disney Christmas movies
Christmas pillow cases and fairy lights in bedrooms
New Christmas ornament for the tree
The boys baked cinnamon rolls
Christmas lights tour

and its still early in the month, so much more to do and look forward to.

We 💜 Christmas!

We're off again

We're yet again off on another adventure - not knowing what's ahead or how things will turn out. Leaving behind friends and loved ones and going to a place we've never been before. It does sound scary, some people have asked am I scared - probably the most asked question. I can honestly say scared, doesn't even come into my mind. Unsure yes, but defenitely  not scared. I like that we make plans together, John and I and we get to go off and do them. Its so cool that we've created this little family and we've got eachothers back.

Something which has been making me smile on the inside lately is how much these boys are liking eachother - they really enjoy getting up to mischief together, hiding and sneaking and giggling. I like it, I'm not ever going to get them into trouble if they are happily playing together but its past their nap time or food is going cold. I love to leave them just be and continue in the flow of their friendship.

The other day I complained to a friend how much the boys were fighting and now I've realised its probably not as much as i think, and really the more I step out of it and allow them to sort it out - they gravitate back to each other.

5 things I'm grateful for right now:
John just walked through the door
Two kids napping
Asher making me giggle
Warm comfy bed
That we move in to our new house tomorrow!

xx



Halloween 2014, usual traditions - Manly Harbour Street Parade and ward Trunk or Treat. Such a good weekend!

It all counts

I have not had any weekly at home themes for ages for the boys, which made me think I'm not doing so well. 

But then I stopped and thought what were all the things we did in this past week which could lead to learning....

Daily walks to the park/duck pond/library

Mothers group catch up

Mops group catch up with kindergarten set up

Asher practising writing letters

Listening to disney audio books

Lots of house chores

Pretend play under our house the construction site

Church attendance

Scripture reading and discussion

Listening to general conference throughout the day

Boys reading books to each other

Lots of stories read by mummy

Trip to southbank

Asher coming to saturday markets and paying for items

Visit to great grandparents

Asher learning to fix his own drinks/food

Loads more I'm sure...

I'm not missing out on anything if they are doing all of this. It's easy to forget that it all counts. 

John and I attended our annual church ball amongst it all. So nice to get dressed up and hold hands and dance to slow songs :) It was like everything was left behind...it was special. 

Don't be fooled, it all hits the fan daily in this place. I'm always feeling like I'm not doing enough, and constantly feeling overwhelmed. This is a season i know, I'm learning to not focus so much on the rubbish. Each of us have struggles. It's all perspective. 

Today has been a good day, I'm thankful to say. 

x

Frozen Ball

Asher has  "frozen" themed ball at his little childcare group over the weekend. They are amazing - run by the Salvation army - everything they do and why they decide to do it is always from the value they have of knowing children are a gift from God. They are so kind and thoughtful and hard working.

These are just a snippet of our fun time together....it was so special just to take Asher on my own, he was a lovely gentlemen as my date for the night :)

Don't mind the lousy background, a quick photo in our front yard before we rushed off was all the little guy could manage -

A dragon fly a jet plane and a gaze.

It has been 3 months since checking in here....

So much has happened.

So many experiences, my mind is blown and I wish i could document every second because it all seems so important. My days have been full to the brim, and becoming busier as the time goes on. Sariah is now eating food, jet is now using the toilet and Asher is almost writing. Sounds like the sml stuff but really these are HUGE milestones. I've read some interesting books these past few months. One on the montessori method which actually changed me. Literally. Read some things before but the book changed what I now do each day.

I read another book on behaviour. It is incredible - by a doctor call Dr Shefali Tsabary - she has incredible TED talk you should check out.

Life has been flowing and the boys have been becoming harder, speaking silly words and fighting! Oh my word with the fighting. As the eldest learns more and acts kinder it is slowly becoming managable.

I took them to my favourite playgroup today. We are the loudest and worst behaved it always seems and i get paranoia about the other mums, but overall today was nice. The playgroup co ordinator is kind and supportive so i enjoy talking with her and hearing her insights.

Above all i have most enjoyed, stopping and sharing tiny moments....i have to work hard to make sure they are frequent in each day....asher wanted me to see a dragon fly, jet showed me his favourite jet plane and as i put sariah down for a nap we stared at each other for a lovely long time and with her smiling back at me i could tell she trusted me, wanted me and needed me. It was a strong emotion to feel in a 60 second period. All seperate instances have improved my view on my children for today. The next tantrum fight or time out will be bareable as i can draw strength from the moments that were good and know that the next good moment is about to come.

So much in my mind I want to write down and share....for now this is all I can. Until a new day i have a spare moment to get back on here.

x

Play group South Bank tafe runs monday to friday 9:30-11am. It is AMAZING. Organised by the education faculty for those studying to work in childcare - painting, costumes, sand, play doh, creative toys, musical instruments....forever more good stuff!

Where we're at....

Baby girl is now 8 weeks old and I had been reflecting on how would I be coping and managing still wanting to have meaniful time with each child. I had been focussing pretty hard on not turning the TV on during pregnancy and doing learning activities with the boys and I thought how is this going to happen when there is a new baby?

Now that we're two months in I've still been going strong and happy to say activities are still happening and TV is still not going to be turned on. Sometimes I feel i need to chill more with that, but I think if I get relaxed it will send the wrong message. Yesterday after the nagging for it for so long I remember how much Asher loves to be told how strong he is, all the time, he just loves hearing it. So I said to him if you watch it too much you won't be strong, you have to be moving doing things to be strong.  I think it will require a bit more then just me saying that as I don't think he was buying it. It is true though so I will elaborate some more on it over time.

I decided last night I would make a list of all the things that I could remember we have done for the past week and see how I going, as I think I was pressuring myself to do more but when looking at it, I realised I'm doing just as much as before. (Not every week is like this, my house is still messy, food isn't elaborate and I don't look as top notch as I could, just saying so there's nothing to hide)

Acting out what's happening in story books
Pretend play: kitchen, daddy's headset, lawn mower, diggers
Vinegar and baking soda
Baking: brownies
Dress ups as a workman
Visit to see farm animals at expo
Visit grandparents
Playing with grandpas tools (the collection is huge!)
Walk to the construction site
Out of the box festival at south bank ( children's education through play)
Play under the house (workmen's area)
Dinner at two different friends houses
Puzzles
Reading of new library books
House chores:
vacuuming
tidying toy room
Putting away laundry

Obviously there are many more things that occur each day but these are some things that I had intentionally done this pst week and I think for myself with 3 alone doing these things is an achievement. I toot my own horn because if I don't I will continue in a spiral of negative thinking as I have in the past and it's not going to inspire me to do more.

I have also had a strong influential feeling to better incorporate gospel learning on a daily basis. I decided to google ideas as this was lacking. Sure Asher knows the first article of faith but I wanted more consistent teaching and more intentional then just a random scripture at bedtime. So I have started bringing out the children's scriptures with pictures and easier to read wording. The boys are seriously keen to see the pictures and ask questions. Now I just have to convince myself to slow down and not be pressured to a schedule to rush everything. For example Asher wanted to keep looking through the picture scripture book and kept asking questions after I had finished reading it to him, then I said "just go and brush your teeth" as it was getting close to head out the door. Even as the words came out of my mouth I realised how I had clearly got it wrong, the focus is the gospel learning, not the importance of rushing to the next thing to do. This is what I have to remember and also allow room for in my day.

3 kids in less then 4 years is hectic though. Every morning getting ready is crazy and all the while it's predominantly me alone doing it. In all the nappy changes, fights, lost shoes, wiping noses, making meals and time outs - I have to go back to the calm of stopping and thinking of the Saviour. For me it is so hard to do and I'm hoping that by making this a priority it will become a habit that will then become something that will stick in mine and my children's minds for a lifetime, therefore keeping them safe and helping me realise it is all worth.