Thoughts.

Turns out, I really miss writing.
Regularly writing.
Sitting down and nutting out thoughts and feelings and sharing.

I've had that enormous wrestling. You know the one?
Where you think about how you wrote a journal as a child and how private you wanted it to remain and how EVERYONE *including me* seemed to all of a sudden without much thought, start writing on a blog! Not that I wrote and shared every thought and feeling here (far from it) but I did share a lot about our life!

And part of me misses that I have not done that.

And part of me is glad I haven't.

Part of me hates that I can't be honest about the way I feel about things lest it upset or offend and another part of me doesn't give a rats.

Do you too have these struggles or is it just me?!
Well, in the midst of the wrestle, I've realized I really DO miss writing and the blogging community.

So....
Here I am, second post in 24 hours *first time that's happened since about 2012* lol

Is anyone else still blogging?

Lus x

Nominations for the Bloggies Awards!

 May I please ask you a favour?
I'm wondering if you might care to take a second to vote to nominate my blog for this year's BLOGGIES AWARDS.

Maybe you have enjoyed some of my posts over the past year (or more!) like the ones I did on MELTED CRAYON CANVAS ART...

...or on the BENEFITS OF KEEPING A CLEAN AND ORDERLY HOME FOR YOUR FAMILY.

Maybe you liked the post on PREPARING OURSELVES FOR OUR HOMEBIRTH...

or the one in which i SHARED THE SLIDESHOW OF EZEKIEL'S BIRTH {which the lovely Mell Mallin made for us}...

Perhaps the post I shared recently about THE 3 R'S OF HOMESCHOOLING; RHYTHMS, RELATIONSHIPS AND RESOURCES was helpful...

or the one on how WE ORGANISED OUR LEARNING ROOM FOR 2011. 

Maybe none of those blog posts tickled your fancy but you did enjoy reading about our family VEGIE GARDEN...

or OUR SHARED BEDROOM READY FOR BABY NUMBER 5...

or even the post on DECORATING OUR FAMILY HOME ON A BUDGET.

 

  You may have enjoyed the POST ON THE FUN THINGS TO DO PHOTO CHARTS

or the one about HOW WE SOMETIMES DO ART AROUND HERE WITH 4 MUNCHKINS!

Some of you said you liked the IDEAS SHARED IN THIS POST ABOUT OUR BOYS' ROOM MAKEOVER

and about OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH HEAD LICE & A NATURAL REMEDY TO HELP OVERCOME IT.

Maybe you joined in the FAMILY PLANNER CHALLENGES and now even have one to help your family stay a little more organised?

Perhaps you enjoyed reading about our FAMILY'S FAITH JOURNEY?

May be you too have a child on the Autism Spectrum and so could relate to THIS POST ABOUT HOW FAR ELIJAH HAS COME SINCE A DIAGNOSIS OF AUTISM DISORDER four years ago.

Or maybe the POSTS ON PRESCHOOL PLAY IDEAS helped you a little too at your place?

Well.
On the off chance that you did enjoy any of these posts, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking a moment to go across and nominate this blog FOR THE ANNUAL WEBLOG AWARDS IN THE CATEGORY OF THE BEST PARENTING OR FAMILY BLOG? Nominations close tomorrow the 15th January 2012.
If not, that's TOTALLY fine but if you do, I thank you in advance!
Well, more soon,
Love

I've got heaps to write about...

I want to share stuff on here like:

* how Liji was recently diagnosed with Irlens Syndrome and how HELPFUL that has been in understanding why he has difficulty often with his eyes

* the almost fully written up birth post ahem only 3 months later

* our yearly highlights post

* my getting-healthy-again-journey that I'm on and how much BETTER i am feeling already!

* how AWESOME breastfeeding is going with Zeeki (Praise Yah - all my prayers were answered and I've had the most wonderful experience this time round!)

* how challenging at times (and of course beautiful at times!) life can be with family members on the autism spectrum

* how we have a move coming up sometime in the new year

* the pancake recipe that I've promised to Lee for so long (so sorry lee!)

Anyway, the point is I want to share that stuff but haven't really got a lot of spare time at the mo.

I'm sure I'll get around to recording those things at some stage but in the meantime, there they are in point form for when I look back over this blog, my little journal of sorts! lol!

More to come another time.

What's in the Box?

Recently I received a great big box in the mail...

...and inside that was another box wrapped with a gorgeous red ribbon...

...and inside THAT box was a FABULOUS prize pack full of organic and fair-trade goodies!

I had won a competition over at one of my favourite sites CHILDHOOD 101.
Thanks so much to Christie and also to Mitsubishi Motors Australia who SPONSORED THE COMPETITION.
Here's a list of what was in the pack:

CODE: FT – Fair Trade, CO – Certified Organic, AUS – Australian made and/or owned, PF – Palm Oil Free, O – Organic, V – Vegan Friendly, PA – Planet Ark approved

Tielka Tea: Earl Grey Royale and China Breakfast (FT, CO, AUS, PA)

Gunbower Creek: Extra Virgin Olive Oil (O, AUS, PF)
Heavenly Delights: Lemon Shortbread (O, AUS, PF)
Port Willunga Fine Foods: Gourmet Snack Pack (O, AUS, PF)
Lindsay & Edmunds: Sweet Tooth Gift Pack (FT, CO, AUS, PF)
Sleep Sanctuary: Relaxing Bath Soak (O, AUS, PF)
Siham Craftlink: Hemp Loufah (O, AUS, PF)
Mokosh Organic and Fairtrade skin care: 2x bath bombs (FT, CO, AUS, PF)
Gunbower Creek: Olive handmade packaged soaps (O, AUS, PF)
Pure and Green Organics: Citrus with Coffee Exfoliate (CO, V, PA, AUS, PF)
Gunbower Creek: Body Butter (O, AUS, PF)

Talk about a prize pack!

To win you had to leave a comment about how you are helping your children to become more environmentally aware.

Here was my answer:

Our kiddos (9,8,6 and 2) learn how to sort garbage around here at a young age. They learn what goes into the ‘normal’ waste bin, what goes into recycling and then what goes into the ‘chooks’ bin for composting. They love to watch our chickens devour the recyclable things we put in there. We’ve switched to making our own spray (vinegar and water) to wipe countertops and the glass doors/mirrors and because it is so safe for them and the environment, they are able to use these sprays to help without us worrying about toxic harmful fumes. We’ve also begun to make the switch to homemade shampoo and conditioner since it is more environmentally friendly. The kids mostly shower to a timer too.
I think it is really important for our children to learn about these things from a young age! Great post
Lusi x
What a great giveaway!

 Now, I don't have anything to offer you for playing along BUT I am keen to hear what you do at your place to help your children become more environmentally aware. Please share!

More soon.
Much love,

Memories...

I found THIS POST FROM 2009 when I was still pregnant with Zippi. I clicked on it and realised how much I love my blog. Without these photos, I would have forgotten going to the park and sliding down the cardboard box sides on the grassy slope.

I can't believe I'd forgotten that.

Am glad I took the time to blog it.

Life flies by so quickly, doesn't it?

More to come soon,

OMGoodness! Time Really Does Fly!!!

Seriously.

It's like the last fortnight grew some kind of wings and flew away from me!

It has been great though - filled to the brim with joy, reflection, prayer and new ideas. I've been tired, sore (pulled/torn hip flexor) and yet energised by Yah.

Anyway, I have ALOT to share - all in good time!

So that I don't forget all the bits that make up our life that I want to share here, I've decided to post several little posts rather than one big one.

So fair warning....the next few days may be jam packed with posts (if I get time) depending of course on how much time I get spare!

Hope all is well your way!

Love,

New Directions :)

Hi everyone!
How are you all?

Just grabbing a couple of quick seconds to update here with some random thoughts.

1. My blog will be getting a makeover soon! A new name, a new design and new posts about some of the new directions we have been going in as a family...more on this to come! Just feeling like a change! For those who've known me for a while, you'll know this is about my 6th blog and that I enjoy changing things up about once a year or so! I think it's about time!

2. This bubba boy of ours has been very colicky as I mentioned in my previous post...and so (thanks to Channi, Elisa Enid, Donna and Hazel for all their suggestions and support) I have been doing the following to help him:

* PRAYER!!!!

* taking a probiotic daily (Ethical Nutrients Inner Health Plus)

* eating lacto-fermented sauerkraut that I made, daily

* not eating any wheat/grains

* not eating any dairy

* getting Zeeki adjusted at the chiropractor

* doing a regular baby massage tummy time routine with Ezekiel

* giving the chamomille and catnip glycerite tinctures

* giving Zeek lovely warm showers with Brett when he is really distressed (he LOVES his showers with daddy!)

* We've also started to 'use' EC - ELIMINATION COMMUNICATION with him like we did with Zippi. I think it has really begun to help him!

The past two days have been really great! He is screaming alot less and is not in pain like before for as long so that is really excellent!

Thank you Yah!

3. A very special thank you for the lovely gifts I've received from my blog friends recently...Sarndra, Leah, Donna and Andrew (for the gorgeous outfits and pressies for the older kids - so thoughtful of you!) and Jessy -  Thanks so much for the nappy cake Jess - it was so sweet! Wow you should REALLY CHECK OUT JESSY'S SUPER COOL NAPPY CAKES as gifts for friends! Thanks to you all for your thoughts and kind words that you leave on this blog for me to read :)

4. Congrats to my friend Kathy and her hubby Jay on the birth of their sweet daughter Ezaria; their 7th blessing!

5. The rest of our fam(except me and Stass) have been battling a really nasty gastro bug so we have been laying low. That has afforded me some much needed rest and reading time. I'll be sharing about some of the books down the track.

6. Breastfeeding has been going SO well! Praise YHVH!

7. Zippi is so gentle with Zeeki which is so lovely and quite unexpected to be honest and of course the older kids adore him to bits!

8. It was one month this week since little Sebastian Mardon passed away. He will not be forgotten Nat. Love you x

9. Stassi has been knitting again and doing a great job!

10. Zippi is SO into water colour painting and the bigger kids are LOVING their lego creations.

Um, I'm sure there was more to share but that's about all the time I've got right now! LOL :)

Love to you all my friends,

I Won!

Remember THIS POST in which I mentioned that Heidi Cooper was giving away a copy of her new book called 'The Ketubah Project'?

Well I won it! How exciting!!!!

Thanks Heidi and Doug so much! Can't wait to read it!

If you too are keen to read more, then check out THIS SAMPLE POST FROM THE BOOK and be sure to pop back over to Heidi's blog on Sept 4th for the official launch.

Shabbat Shalom to everyone!

Hope you have a lovely restful Shabbat.

Love,

Free Book Giveaway!

My online friend (and sister in YHVH!) HEIDI COOPER has written an ebook called 'The Children's Ketubah Project'.

If you'd like to win yourself a copy, go check out THIS POST on her blog.

While you are there, check out THE LINK TO THE COOPER'S NEW WEBSITE CALLED 'TORAH FAMILY LIVING'.

There are links on that site to FREE PRINTABLES, to the TORAH FAMILY E-MAGAZINE (which I really enjoyed reading) and A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT HEIDI AND HER FAMILY.

Congrats Heidi!

Keep up all the great encouraging work you do to share insights about Yah and His Ways!

More to come.

Love,

Places to Check-Out for the Mum to Be!

Disclaimer: None of these places/people have asked me to plug them BUT I want to! I am recommending to you these places which have been a blessing to me during my pregnancy and I pass them on in the hope that others might also find these places helpful :)

Here are some of the places that I would HIGHLY recommend you visit if you are expecting or you know a mama who is and want to purchase something for her or bubba! A couple are also more information based but have been incredibly helpful too!

{Note all images come directly from these lovely ladies' websites}

The first I want to mention is FRANGIPANI BABY. This is a beautiful, easy to navigate website that the lovely Meredith (a local) owns and operates. She has beautiful slings, carriers and everything you need for babywearing. You MUST check out what she has in her online store. We bought our NEW CABOO CARRIER (FORMERLY KNOWN AS A CLOSE CARRIER) (thanks to all the beautiful donations from the pre-birth celebration I had) through this lovely website. Meredith is so sweet and happy to help you in anyway. Need an Ergo? She's got them too! She's dropping our Caboo off tomorrow - thanks Meredith!

The next is ONLY THE BEGINNING. This is a lovely website which stocks all kind of cute-bubba and mumma goodness! I recently purchased two pairs of LANAcare woollen breast pads from this website and had them delivered promptly! The owner of this website was so helpful and kept me up to date with when my package was being sent, etc. Lovely service, reasonable prices and great quality products found here!

If you are in the market for some beautifully soothing teas or baths, then check out MELBOURNE DOULA JULIE BELL'S RANGE OF BLISSFUL HERBS. My lovely friend Donna kindly gave me as a gift at the beginning of this pregnancy, some teas and bath sachets that I have been enjoying throughout the pregnancy. This is such a gift to a mama-to-be (thanks Donna!) and I recently used my bath sachet (twice!) and it was SO refreshing and relaxing. Julie also kindly chatted with me early on about her experiences with feeding and recommended the woollen breast pads of some kind so thank you Julie for sharing your experience and knowledge.

Now if you've been reading this blog for a while, you will know the person I am going to introduce and it is of course my beautiful MIDWIFE HAZEL. If you are a Sydney mama and are looking for a kind and nurturing midwife who will support you all the way from pregnancy through to birth AND beyond, then may I encourage you to have a chat with Hazel? She is just gorgeous as a person and professionally caring  as a midwife.

And the final plug I want to give is to a line that Hazel put me onto which is called MotherSafe. It is a line where you can call to ask about which medications and dosages are safe, etc during pregnancy and post-birth. I found them very helpful and informative.

MotherSafe: NSW Medications in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Service

Phone: 9382 6539 (Sydney Metropolitan Area)

Phone: 1800 647 848 (Non-Metropolitan Area)

Monday–Friday 9am-4pm (excluding public holidays)   

In the market for some professional shots of your pregnancy, birth or family? Then you can't go past the work of my beautiful friend MELL MALLIN. Mell took my pregnancy shots when I was expecting Zippi and they were just gorgeous! Check out her portfolio and you'll see lovely family shots, beautiful portraits and weddings that capture that something extra! We are so thrilled that Mell will be coming (hopefully- time permitting lol!) to photograph our homebirth :)

Have you any sites to recommend for the mum-to-be?

Feel free to list them in the comments!

Much love,

Family Planner Folder Challenge # 3 {Decorate!}

So our first challenge with our Family Planner (or recipe planner or whatever-tickles-your-fancy-kind-planner) was to PRIORITISE. Next up came the challenge to ORGANISE what you had going into your folders. I popped up the EMERGENCY CONTACT SHEETS for people to download and print off into their folders if they wanted to. The last little post I did on this was just an aside on PASSING ON THE LEGACY of planning which may help our little ones when they grow up and have a home of their own.
This brings us to the third challenge...DECORATE!

Now please feel free if you are not this way inclined at all, but if you are, now's the time to go ahead and decorate your folder!
Here's how mine is looking...

I made up some party bunting (out of scrapbooking papers of course!) which actually matches the birthing banner I made recently. I really like these colours and patterns so that's what I did! It matches some of the decor in our backroom where this folder lives. Hmmmm slightly embarrased to admit that but anyhoo, I obviously like these kinds of colours and patterns right now.
Apart from decorating your front cover, if you have tabs that you are doing you, you could add some stickers or ribbons or whatever you like to separate out your sections. My tags are handmade red and cream card with little lettering stickers on them.
Are you keen to join in?
Just share what you are working on to decorate your folder and fill in the linky box below with your blog post deets. Would totally love to see what you are working on!
More another time,
Happy decorating!

Back on track!

Well after blogger shut down for a couple of days, we are back on track with being able to post again and connect. Sorry to some who left comments which have now been lost (Michelle + Phyllis, sorry - lost your ones into the blogosphere somewhere). I came back online to find that MY DEAR BLOGGING FRIEND AND 'SISTER' HEIDI, HAD GIVEN BIRTH TO HER PRECIOUS SON NOAH. Praise Yah for His safe arrival and congrats to Heidi and her family.

I also had posts to share about our family's first ever encounter with nits and also a lesson on the brain which involved disecting a sheep's brain! Will post on these some other time. I also want to post on how things are progressing for us at 25 weeks (only 15 or so weeks to go! Woohoooo!)

Shabbat Shalom Mishpocha!

More to come very soon.

Love to you all my blogging friends,



Make Your Own Hula Hoop Tute!

"So, um...I thought you were having a blog break?!" I hear you say.

lol.

Yes.

I am.

Kinda.

I'm enjoying culling, reorganising, visiting, baking, sewing + just being.

But I am also enjoying reading some new blogs too!

I found this great tute linked from MEL GOODSELL'S BLOG by a blogger named ALETA ON HER BLOG CALLED HINTERLAND MAMA.

The link to this tutorial is RIGHT HERE.

('cause you know otherwise I'll forget it and be racking my brain trying to work out where I saw that cool post on how to make hula hoops!)

I think this will make for a great homeschooling project this week :)

More to come another time.
Hope you are all well in blogland.

Love,

Don't mind me...

If you see the blog changing over the next few days...don't mind me.
I'm just playing with the look of it :)
Just so you know, in case anyone is wondering.
Lus x

Comment Moderation....

...has temporarily been switched off.
Today there were 3 comments in the moderation section where I click on them to approve them. Instead, I couldn't read them + when I did click on them they disappeared.
So sorry to those 3 commentors.
Thank you for taking the time to comment + if you feel like you want to again, you can and it will just show up straight away.
Sorry!
Back to your regular programming now :)
Lus x

Losing + Finding + Eternity Matters...

Sometimes I feel like a real misfit. Like I don't quite fit anywhere.

Too passionate for some. Too compromising for others.
Too positive for some. Too honest for others.

I feel like I've lost some good friends because, well....I am a bit different.
I always have been - I just share with more courage now I think.

But in other ways, we don't fit in another circle because we are not different enough.
It's a tricky place to be.
It can be a lonely place too.

BUT...

It also makes me more thankful for the Friend I have who walks through everything with me; my awesome Saviour God. I am also extra thankful for my best earthly mate Brett + our kiddos. I am VERY thankful too for the precious friends that I do have who love me for who I am. They don't agree with everything I say or do (how awful if they did!) and I don't always agree with what they say or do. We don't always see each other, or chat regularly on the phone, but the depth of relationship is always there whenever we do reconnect and that is really precious to me.

We love each other.
"Love must be sincere" - Romans 12:9
"A friend loves at all times..." - Proverbs 17:17

We understand that each of us is on a journey; an earthly + spiritual one.

Sometimes, that earthly one will lead us on different paths.

It might lead one family to homeschool and another to not.
It might lead one family to immunise and another to not.
It might lead one family to embrace co-sleeping and another to not.

Our spiritual journey will also lead us on different paths.

It might lead one family to celebrate the feasts of God and another to not.
It might lead one family to express worship in a particular way and another not in the same.
It might lead one family to be passionate about End Times and another not so.

However, I believe our paths are all heading for the same destination; towards the One who is the Beginning and the End of all things... Jesus my all in all.

The Bible tells me about the multifaceted nature of a God who is just in judgement, yet gracious in saving, a God who is strong in power, yet came humbly riding on a donkey. A God who said that, 'Blessed are the peacemakers for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven' and yet had such righteous holy anger that He cleared out the temple from the traders who had turned His Father's house into a 'den of thieves'.

These are not contradictions - these are ALL parts of WHO HE IS at different times.

I am made in His image.

Therefore, I too am multifaceted.

I am strong in my convictions about who I am in Christ; yet at times I need affirmation and encouragement.
I love to decorate my home with creativity; yet at times desire to sell it all and give away all I have to the poor.
I love to be with my husband and children; yet there are times I feel like if I don't take myself away somewhere for an hour or two I will go bonkers!!!
I am an organised person in some areas; yet in others there are procrastinated piles that have been hiding away in a bag/basket/corner that I haven't gone through in nearly 2 years.
I am happy to not share things like this; yet feel like if I don't get it out, I'll just burst.

I am multifaceted.

But the one constant thing in my life is God.
Him.
His presence.
His Word.
His Truth.
His Spirit.
His love.
His impression of Eternity on my heart.

And that's why I've decided to rename my blog (yes again! I know!) to
'Eternity Matters'.

Because everything I do + say, it is all a reflection of my heart which is that eternity matters.
My family life. My passions. My discussions. My fears.
Even the seemingly 'non spiritual pursuits' like the sports I love are still eternity matters to me.
God who created me gave me the ability to freely choose to enjoy these things.
He gave me taste buds to enjoy yummy foods. He gave me eyes to soak in beautiful art works.
He gave me feelings to enjoy different textures. He gave me ears to take in beautiful symphonies + a deep subwoofer bass sound. He gave me movement to enjoy breakin it down in my expression of worship to Him (give me some Toby Mac or Trip Lee turn up that bass and I am a happy gal!)
I am always reminded that He is with me + that eternity matters.

It all comes back to the one things that I know - Him and that eternity matters.

5 things I am thankful for today:

1. Early morning starts with Him and my Brett
2. Changes
3. My senses
4. The teachable moments when our kids are sick; teaching them how to pray, how to be content even when the circumstances bite, teaching them that a 'cheerful heart is good medicine' (prov 17:22)
5. Eternity Matters

Lus x