Gift of Friends

 This little guy has grown a lot lately. I can really see how much he loves music and learns so much through them. He started making up his own songs and sometimes even does a whole concert for me to enjoy. On the other hand, Hazzy is also a cautious little fellow and finds it very difficult to try new things. It takes so much effort for me to motivate him and convince him to try something new. But once he finds a friend that he likes, well, he becomes a whole new kid.

 Recently, we've been frequently visiting a close friend of ours and our children really hit it off together. It is especially nice when Hazzy makes friends with someone much more physically active than he is because that means he will be stimulated to be more active, as well. Suddenly, Hazzy was climbing up trees, sliding down slopes on the bike, touching snails, and jumping around everywhere! It's such a joy to see Hazzy learning and growing through this relationship.

 This reminded me of how great it is that we can have friends to enjoy life together with. Sometimes, with small children, it's easy to get caught up in the busyness of family life and neglect other relationships. Although family is a very important aspect of my life, I need to remember that God uses friends to help me learn about myself and become a better person, too. I am thankful for so many relationships that has shaped me to be the person I am today. And this motivates me to get out more and be proactive in forming relationships. Because I know that even when relationships get hard and tiring, it is all worth it at the end. To all my friends out there, thank you! Hope to see more of you this year.

First Day of School for our First Child

This happened today.

It's a week early from the official NSW school term, and we are away from home. Both baby and I are a bit unwell and we don't have all our regular craft supplies. But I decided to start anyway because with home education, you can! It's beneficial to start school earlier than beginning of term because that means you can ease into school without the pressure to finish everything from the first day, and you can make changes according to what works and what doesn't. It's good to start while we are on holidays because the kids will be busy with their work instead of constantly asking me what they can do. It's possible to start even when I am unwell because I can teach them while sitting on the couch and we can let poor baby rest since we don't have to go out for drop-off and pick-up.

I haven't been able to plan out the whole year yet, but these are the things I will be using for the two weeks we are away from home:

• Beginning with God: We will begin the week with a chapter from this book and then supplement with related crafts, activities, and books each school day.

• The Beginners Bible: We will use this bible and the activity sheets on this website to supplement above book.

• R.E.A.D. Curriculum Notebook: We will learn one word family per week and practice writing with this curriculum.

• A Year of Playing Skillfully: We will try to do two activities from this curriculum each school day.

This was the plan for today:

Morning  

• Bible story - Creation
• Morning tea activity - make creations with snack
• English - learn word family '-am' and practice writing

Afternoon

• Free play: craft
• Math worksheet
• Read 15 minutes

Here are some reflections from today:
- Hazzy is excited to start work but gets easily distracted and needs lots of motivation to finish his work. I will need to think about ways to encourage him to finish his work.
- I need to plan better for other children to keep them occupied.

I am so excited that I can be actively involved in my children's education and feel so blessed to be part of this journey. More progress reports to come!

Looking Back, Looking Forward

 It's the last day of the year 2016. This day will never happen again, which has always been true, but it feels more real today. In order to grow, I need to reflect on the year that's past. So that's how I choose to spend this moment, two hours before we enter the new year.

I am thankful for...

... the safe arrival of baby Hope. To think only last year we weren't even sure if we would get to enjoy a newborn in our arms, and now to see her smiling and shouting and reaching for anything and everything just fills me with gratitude. God is gracious.

I learned that...

... relationships, especially the closest ones, can get messy and difficult, but it's still worth working on. We are all broken and hurting, some way or another, but when we reveal these wounds, though ugly and painful, they give us opportunity to heal and grow.

I am proud of...

... participating in new things, and not giving excuses about having a newborn or three kids. My word for 2016 was 'Determined' and I think I tried to stay true to that. I am especially proud of starting evening classes, even though my brain has turned to mush and I can't concentrate for more than an hour. 

I need to work on...

... being other-centred. I have a tendency to talk about myself too much. I need to work on listening more and being more concerned for others. I need to be more patient and remember that relationships are more important than efficiency or my pride.

In 2017, I look forward to...

... a new chapter in my life as we settle into a family of five, with the oldest officially 

starting home schooling. I look forward to learning and growing together with my children and making more meaningful memories as a family. I hope to be more adventurous, open to more relationships, and intentional in the way I spend my time and money.

 Thank you everyone who supported our family through prayers, finances, services and words of encouragement. You are all blessings from God and we appreciate each and every one of you.