A day in our homeschool...

One thing I love to read on other homeschooling blogs is what a day looks like in their homeschooling world.

So I thought I would have a go...

5:30am Dd (4) hops into bed next to me and wakes me up by singing and talking.

6:00am Dd & I get up together and first thing now is to give our puppy Zac a BIG cuddle. We then make porridge which we have been having everyday this week with honey and bottled pears from Dave's parents orchard. This week I have done well by emptying the dishwasher first thing ready to put breakfast dishes in.

Between 6 and 7am I usually find quite time to read and maybe watch the headline news. Ds(8) tends to fall out of bed in this time, he gets dressed and then most mornings cooks himself poached eggs (from his chickens).

7am-8am Time to make a latte, the computer goes on and I begin checking and answering enquiries for our B&B http://www.thewaveoasis.com.au/ , read some blogs, check personal emails and spend a few minutes on face book, longer if I am chatting to family and friends.

8am-9am Both Dd and Ds sometimes watch 'Friends and Heroes and God Rocks' on Smile of a child, the Ds goes and lets the chickens out and usually stays outside until I call him for school.
I Put washing on, clean up breakfast mess and prepare the table for this mornings school lessons. I print off any work I need. Oh yeah, this is when Dh usually falls out of bed and we get some time together to chat about the day ahead.

9am-10am We start lessons! First thing the children have blank paper and their lyra pencils and begin drawing whatever they imagine.
First memory verse, which both children LOVE, then we discuss what the memory verse means and how we can apply the words to our lives. Devotions next - we have started Annie's book of Etiquette and good manners, so far so good and the children are enjoying it.

This term Ds has started MEP maths and truly this program is much, much better than what I even imagined and Joshua is really enjoying it (well so far anyhow). Dd loves maths and does any book or pages I print for her.

10-11am We have a 10-15 min break after maths where both children go outside, have a drink and something to eat, I make another coffee and prepare for our next lesson.

After break we start off with Poetry memorization and learn 'ooey, gooey'...the kids love it! We then start Language arts, both Ds & Dd work on their phonics page in Read, Write & Spell and most days we do art & craft afterwards.

11am Read Aloud and narration, today it was ~ The Adventures of Robin Hood (only 3Ch to go)
Ds has a five min stretch before we start Fitzroy spelling. Ds then does a page in his Cursive book while Dd is playing on the floor or coloring in.

12pm Around this time we have lunch, which today was left over vegetable lasagna (which was a break from for me for I normally have fruit and greek yoghurt) from tea the night before...YUMMY!

After lunch the children are outside making up games with sticks and stones and giving the chicken a walk and a scratch. After tidying up lunch dishes, today the children had a cooking lesson, and requested by Ds was shortbread. Ds, under my instruction made the dough and both Ds and Dd roll out the dough and have a lot of fun using the cutters to form biscuits.

During the time of making the shortbread we were listening to Johann Sebastian Bach.

After cooking Ds has violin practise just for 5 min and leaves me once again shocked in how well he can play.

2pm-4pm The children play and I check emails again and do an aerobics workout for 55 min.

4pm-5:30pm Prepare and make tea, the children have their bath/shower and Dd goes to bed between 6 and 6:30pm and we read her choice of book. Ds follows usually around 7pm!

Time for Dh and I to talk together about what he has been busy building up stairs and any other things.

This was just one day this week in our lives, as you would know everyday is different and I make sure I am flexible for any changes that may occur.

From Spring through to April when the B&B is very busy, I usually clean in the mornings with Dh and the school lessons start anytime between 11am - 1pm.

It's just one of those seasons!

Things this past week have been so full on, first week into 3rd term of school, choosing paints and floor for upstairs, plus your everyday cleaning, cooking and any spare time I read a few blogs, answer enquiries for accommodation and then try to get some time with my husband!

This is not a complaint, it's just one of those seasons, when life all of a sudden is happening very quickly and it is completely out of your hands. It's one of those seasons when you know you are really being held by the potter, you are not just sitting on the shelf, He has picked you up and has once again began to shape and mould you and you can feel every stretch and pull as He is pressing!

Isn't it wonderful how the Lord teaches, councils and instructs, a beautiful sign of His love for us.

From darkness to light

"As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so continue to live in him.

Keep your roots deep in him and have your lives built on him.

Be strong in the faith, just as your were taught,

and always be thankful"

~ Colossians 2:6

This scripture is penetrating my heart this morning, for in an instance I am reminded of that very day when I stepped over from darkness into light and received Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life.

Just a few nights before I received Jesus I was babysitting my 2 nieces and nephew on my own and I was having a ciggy and a beer and just watching TV (I was 16 at the time). A christian ad came on TV and I remember thinking how lame the ad was in representing God and right at that moment, the Holy Spirit came into the room, everything became brighter (at the time I didn't know it was the Lord, I just knew it was good, for I had seen and experienced many of times an evil presence) and He spoke to me and said these very words ~

"If Jesus returned right now would you go to heaven"?

These words convicted my heart, soul and mind immediately and I was so afraid, I looked at the beer and cigarette and instantly felt so unclean, and I ran to the phone to call my beautiful Godly mother and began asking her "when is Jesus coming, is He coming?" Mum reassured me what was going on and gently encouraged me to go to a youth service.

So a couple of days later I arrived at 'Teen Rock', which was an awesome youth church at the time. When the music started I was shocked at how cool it sounded and how the teenagers around me were so into it and fully singing to their God.

At the end a young lady was out the front talking about Jesus and what the cross means for us all and I remember thinking "there is no way I am going down the front', next thing I knew was I was out the front, crying and weeping. All I said was "Jesus, I don't know you, I don't trust you, but I give you this heart" and right then I just could not stop crying, His love was so overwhelming and I felt like their was a water fall inside of me washing all the filth and addictions away.

Just like that in 1 second I was in darkness, the next second I was in the light!

I don't ever want to forget where I was when I met Jesus and I don't ever want to go away from my first love.

I love the Lord more today for once again gently guiding me to keep Jesus at the centre of my everyday activities. Teaching me to be strong in the faith when I feel weak and to simply be thankful!

On your marks, get set, and organise

Our library at the start...

Half way...

Time out for a play with Zac...

..and a good latte

Finished after about 4 hours


It is such a relief to get our books sorted and categorized and ready for our 3rd term.

When a broken heart heals - The Isaacs

A few days ago I was listening to The Isaacs album and just felt really moved to share this song. If you can spare a few minutes of your precious time, I believe this song will truly touch your heart and soul like it has mine.

Going BANANAS...

Q. Why did the banana go to the doctors?

A. Because he wasn't 'peeling' well...

Seventeen years ago my husband David brought a few baby banana plants from Coffs Harbour, NSW. Last year was the first time they flowered and produced fruit, but it was our neighbours who benefited from the fruit for we were away for a few months.

Late last year my son Joshua was the first to spot a new bell (which is the flower part of the banana plant) and a few days later there were banana's. Then not too long after that another flower sprung forth, then another and then another. So all together we had four bunches of bananas and we just could not believe it.

The picture above I took this morning in our courtyard and you can see three bunches with black bags. Now just so you know we live in Victoria, that's right my friend Victoria which is mostly thought of as the cold state of Australia, but we do live in a more mild part of the state.

Anyway we have just started eating our bananas in the last three weeks and we are all just so delighted to be eating them, especailly Dave as you could imagine, they're sweet and delicious.

Praise God for His wonderful provision of great foods.

A Whole New World

During dinner the other night David (my handsome husband) and I were just having a general chat about different things, but amongst that chat I began to tell David about the blogosphere and all the wonderful Woman I am meeting through this incredible network. Now as I was speaking I had a revelation, 'a suddenly moment' that gave me insight into my heart and soul.

Okay so your saying "hurry up already and spit it out". Blogging and meeting all you amazing, incredible and fantastic woman has opened up 'A whole new world', a world that carries me away from the world that doesn't agree with homeschooling, from negative seeds that have been planted by loved ones and from being the only Mother in this community who home schools.

This whole new world has lifted me to a new place, has brought new encouragement that goes deep into my soul, for the first time I really have a deep deep sense that I am not alone in this journey of homeschooling. In my mind I know there have been thousands of families who have gone before me and there are families who are on the same journey now, but that has now dropped into my heart and soul which has given me a new strength as a woman who home schools.

There are experiences we have as children that we will never forget, they were moments that went deep into our hearts. One for me was that enchanting song 'A Whole New World' in the Walt Disney movie 'Aladdin', as a young girl, I was carried away with that song to a new place and when the Lord gave me insight into how much impact the blogoshere world has had on my life I was taken back to how I felt when I heard that song from Aladdin for the first time.

So I just want to take this time to say a HUGE thank you to you Jeanne, you were the first one I met here through cyberspace and you have brought so much encouragement to me through your incredible blog. A HUGE thank you to my cousin Jenny who was one of the first to comment on my thoughts and your opinion means so much to me. Thank you to 'you' who have taken a moment out of your time to stop here and read my thoughts and comment, I absolutely love it when you come by, you greatly bless me and carry me away to a whole new world.

I look forward to getting to know you beautiful people more and more. xxx

A new week..

This past weekend was a really restful one and I feel refreshed for the week ahead. For some reason their is excitement stirring within my spirit and I love it when this happens.

I feel as though a 'suddenly' is about to take place, you know, one of those moments when the Lord suddenly shows up, He answers one of those long awaited prayers, an old friend calls out of the blue, or something completely unexpected happens.


This morning I am pondering on thoughts of how this is a new week, a new day, one that has never been lived before and the great opportunity to live this week to the full. To serve my family better, to write that letter to my Nana, to take some soup to my neighbour who is suffering and to be a better me.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new' ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

Red, White & Blue ~ Carmen

God Bless America...

Today for our American friends is like our Anzac Day. I appreciate the American Spirit that God has bestowed upon this nation. A spirit of passion for their own country, a spirit of confidence in the foundations and principles the country has been built upon.

Independence is America's Heritage:~

“The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.” (The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784, Harvard University Press, 1975, 142).

~John Adams' famous letter of July 3, 1776, to his wife Abigail

This morning I have been blessed to read some blogs proving the true American Spirit in how they remember and celebrate Independence Day. It widens my world to appreciate what others have endured.

"By the rude bridge that arched the flood,Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,Here once the embattled farmers stood,And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,We set today a votive stone;That memory may their deed redeem,When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit that made those heroes dare To die, and leave their children free,Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raise to them and thee."

~ The Concord Hymn by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Also today in my inbox the word for today by Joel Osteen is truly an inspirational word~

TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria

"This weekend, we celebrate Independence Day in America. July 4, 1776 was the day America declared Independence from Britain, but the battle for freedom went on until 1783—seven years later. Even though the people declared their freedom in 1776, they had to stand and fight for many years before the British would accept and recognized the United States of America.
In the same way, we have to declare our freedom and determine to stand against the opposing forces in our lives. We have to declare our freedom from addiction, poverty, sickness, and lack. We have to stand and fight until we fully experience that freedom and peace that God has promised.
I love what the early colonists did once they signed the Declaration of Independence. They read it out loud in public. They published it in the newspaper. They spread the word. They continued to declare and celebrate even though they were in the midst of the battle.
Whatever battle you may be facing today, declare that you are free. Declare that you are an over comer. Celebrate the victory that is on its way! As you stand strong and celebrate your freedom, you will experience His victory and true freedom all the days of your life!"