Signs and Wonders

Remove Pornography From Children

‘…Publications once considered ’soft porn’, have become more and more explicit.  Now they are placed right in front of children at their eye level in milkbars, service stations and newsagents across the country!  Who decided all of a sudden that it is OK for children to be exposed to pornography?…’

Please take two minutes to sign this Petition to protect our children from pornography at sayno4kids Online petition - Remove Pornography from Children's View

This Petition is part of a new campaign by the organisation "Say No 4 Kids"to legislate the removal of pornography from children's view and access. The petition is to be presented at the Ministerial Conference in Sydney November 5-6th.

We're Ready

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and we're ready!

 

We are ready to start the St.Andrew Christmas Novena tomorrow

 
The advent wreath is ready

The Advent calender is ready.

Our Advent tree is all dressed up in purple, this tree will come down on Christmas eve and be replaced by a large Christmas tree which will be lovingly decorated with Christmas ornaments 

The Jessi tree is ready and waiting

Immaculate Conception Novena and candle prepared
  

Our advent read aloud waiting and ready to go.

O Come,  O Come, Emmanuel
  
 
  

Our Fragile Emissary

 

 

With modern screening and such
they wonder why
you're here, on this earth
in our home
and in our arms,
after all, anyone
with any sense would have resolved
this problem of you
pre-birth, pre pain.

Blonde Beauty,
tiny as you are,
you catch their stares,
strangers' second glances
into tender baby blues.
And your young
sweet ears hear whisperings
("Down's," "defects")
words dropped loosely
at extra-chromosomed girls.

With such stinging receptions
how we long to shelter you,
surround you; keep your
gentle smiles to ourselves.
Instead, we hold you
up, for others to see;
let you, our fragile emissary
speak to an imperfect world.

Written by Nancy Tupper Ling

Our Birthday Girl

 

Happy Birthday 

To our sweet Anna

More cute boys

 

 

 
 
 

A Simple Woman's Day Book - November 23rd

Be sure to drop over to Peggy's for more day book entries.

Out side my window.... A light cloud cover has brought cooler temperatures today

I am thinking about.... Advent and Christmas plans, books to read, lessons to plan, food to cook and presents to buy.

From the learning rooms... This term we are concentrating on many of the basics, maths facts, times tables, literacy and spelling. I am also making plans for advent and Christmas

I am thankful for...   Healthy children, healthy daddy and a healthy mummy, we have had illness in the house since May and other then seasonal hay fever and a little residual cough from whooping cough we are otherwise well. This is momentous and I’m truly thankful.

 From the kitchen... Sausage, diced potato. beans, corn, and tomato and onion

I am going.... To try and get into some spring cleaning and some gardening with a large family there is always so much to do.

I am reading.... I’m between books at the moment.

 I am hoping....That the snake in the roof decides to leave and doesn’t make its way into the house.

I am hearing....  SNAKE, SNAKE, well not right now but as I sat down to start this post Erin called for some one to come help her as there was a carpet snake trying to get into the budgie cage. Said snake is now in our roof cavity!!

I am praying.... That as we make our way through advent we will draw closer to our Lord. As Christmas dawns we won’t only welcome the memory of the babe in Bethlehem but that Christ will truly be born into our hearts and souls and that our gift to him will be ourselves, our very lives, our hopes, our dreams, our joys and our sufferings.

A few plans for the rest of the week.. A quite week this week as swimming and sport have both been cancelled. Thursday I have a meeting with the board of studies to discuss and explain the new laws regarding the new age for school leaving and the new reporting requirements for home schoolers

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you....

Just because he's so cute!!

 
 

A Simple Woman's Day Book - November 16th

Be sure to drop over to Peggy's for more day book entries.

Out side my window.... It's hot, hot, hot, 36 degrees C and the children are in the pool trying to cool off.

I am thinking about....Sacramental grace, imparticular those graces bestowed upon spouses as they endeavour to bring children up in the ways of faith and as they persevere for better and for worse in sickness and in health all the days that they shall live until death do they part.

From the learning rooms...We are concentrating on literacy and spelling this term as well as times tables. So far we are doing well keeping to schedule and getting quite a bit done each day.

I am thankful for... For the blessing of family especially for my husband and beautiful children

From the kitchen... Chicken, potato salad, coleslaw and green salad.

I am going.... To try my best to get all 15 decades of the rosary said each day this week.

I am reading.... Lots of read alouds I'm working my way through the Rangers Apprentice books with Luke and Nick and the Caroline years of the little house books with Anna and Brigid. When I get the chance I'm making my way through Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality edited by Raymond Arroyo.

 I am hoping....That GrandBob and Helen have a wonderful two weeks away.

I am hearing.... Lots of noise from the pool, squeals of laughter and happiness.

I am praying....   For the wisdom to mother each child in a way that will encourage them to be the very best that they can be and to do all they do for the honour and glory of God.

A few plans for the rest of the week...Swimming on Wednesday, music lessons Thursday, sport and Mass on Friday. A general tidy up the yard to discourage snakes, we had an unwelcome visitor last weekend of the red bellied black kind.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you....

To Love Again.

This past weekend my father re-married please join me in wishing the happy couple every happiness and blessing as they embark on their life together.

 

Prayer for Marriage from the Book of Common Prayer

Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life.

We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his Name.

By the power of your Holy Spirit, pour out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this
woman.

Defend them from every enemy.

Lead them into all peace.

Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads.

Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death.

Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.
~~~~~~

 

 

A Simple Woman's Day Book - November 3rd

Be sure to drop over to Peggy's for more day book entries.

Out side my window....The sun is setting and the cooler evening air is very welcome after what has been an incredibly hot day.

I am thinking about.... Time management, money management and the most cost effective and water efficient ways to provide as much of our own food as possible.

From the learning rooms...We have had a great start back to fourth term concentrating on our saints and virtues unit for November. lots of literacy activities and continuing with our maths facts and drills games,all good fun. I have stream lined our work box's some what in a bid to make it easier for me to load the box's and to see what each child has achieved each day.I have been finding it more then a little over whelming each night trying to load all the file folders for the next day. Trying to remember just what I wanted in each folder for each child each night despite the fact that it was all written on the computer was a trial. Running between work boxes and computer making sure I had it just the way I planned took far longer then it needed to.

So I have made up these task grids and have placed them on the wall near our work boxes now I can see what I want in each box and what lessons and activities I need to load for each child. These grids also provide the children with accountability for their schoolwork. When each subject/activity is completed the child takes a "done" button and places it on the appropriate subject on the laminated grid.This allows me to see at a glance what subject/activity each child needs to complete before they are finished their school work for the day. So far it is working well, everyone is enthusiastic about filling their individual grids and completing their work. They enjoy the visual prompts and it has made keeping up with everyone so much easier.

I am thankful for...  For the rain we had last week, our tanks are full and the paddocks have been transformed from dusty brown to a lovely green colour.

From the kitchen... Meals are over for another day and the kitchen is closed. Breakfast was cereal and milk, lunch left over chicken and salad and tea was meant to be lasagna but I didn't manage to get it all done so ended up being mince cooked as for a lasagna and vegetables.

I am going.... To make an extra effort to get to a daily Mass each Friday it's a 50min car trip but we are in town any way. I just need to leave earlier in order to get to Mass before our sporting commitments. A few children ago this wasn't hard but these days ... well... it's not so easy.

I am reading....  The little flowers of St Francis

 I am hoping....That no one else gets sick, we have a few down with some sort of bug. 

I am hearing....  "Gregorian masters of chant" and the children fighting helping one another clean the kitchen 

I am praying.... For two very special people as they prepare to spend the rest of their life together. 

A few plans for the rest of the week...Swimming on Wednesday, Mass, tennis and sport with our homeschool group on friday. Dropping the little girls off to GranBob and Helen so they can go dress shopping, they are very, very excited about this. A picnic after Mass on Sunday.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you....

The Gecko

The Gecko lying on his stone
Is always very much alone,
Nor is the reason hard to trace
By those who've seen its form and face
It's hard to realise a mite
Can be so venomous a sight,
Or in its little frame compress
Such concentrated ugliness.
No wonder other creatures fly
Each time a Gecko ambles by.
No wonder that its chosen mate
Recoils from the connubial state.
Yet underneath its skin, we're told,
There beats a heart of purest gold.
Its children do not know neglect;
It treats its mother with respect.
It never, ever beats its wife,
And lives a most unblemished life.
Its aspect is its sole defence
Against the world's malevolence.
So when you see a Gecko stay
Uncharitable thoughts and say:-
"The gruesome are not always gross-
even a reptile bears its cross!"

by Leon Gellert

The other night we had a visit from this cute little fellow, don't you love it when your nature study comes to you? The leaf tailed gecko named for it's distinctive broad leaf-shaped tail is quite common around here but is usually found in the bushland on our property. The children have enjoyed having him or her for a visit although Anna wasn't really happy when she found it on the wall next to her bed. While she was happy drawing him she wasn't about to share her bedroom and really who could blame her.

Anna's attempt to draw our little visitor