Signs and Wonders

Swimming Lessons

This term our homeschool group is meeting each week at a local pool for a social afternoon of swimming. The pool manager is also a swimming instructor and has agreed to hold swimming lessons, stroke and squad sessions for any of the home schoolers who are interested. The benefit for me of coarse is that all my children can receive instruction on the same day and at their respective level of competence and the children get a fun afternoon out with their friends so everyone is happy.

A very frightened Paddy holds on tight, he wasn't at all sure of the whole swimming lesson thing.

Anthony had a great time and can't wait to go back next week, here he is learning to use the kick board

Brigid trying to get the hang of breathing and arm movements.

Anna using the kick board, she did very well and will next week be put into the squad group so she'll have to work very hard.

Amiee loves to swim but is usually on the bottom of the pool her teacher did a great job to keep her on top of the water.

Luke sits on the step waiting his turn, it was a cool  day and the poor boy was shivering quite a bit.

Nick and Luke doing a few laps with the kick board.

 
 
 
 
 
 

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.

A Simple Woman's Day Book - 19th October

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

Out side my window.... It's a hazy spring day here, Nick is swinging in the hammock and pippin (the dog) sleeps near by in the sun

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 been concentrating on X tables and maths facts for last two weeks and will continue this for the rest of the year. Our saints and virtues unit has been quite successful and with All Saints day just around the corner this will work in nicely.

I am thankful for... So, so, so thankful for my friend Beth who is coming to visit tomorrow and who will go home with our small flock of geese. Whoo hoo I can hardly wait to be a goose free family!

From the kitchen... It's monday and Erin is cooking some sort of marinated chicken and I'm not sure what else but it sure smells good.

I am going.... To get all the children's work boxes loaded tonight before I go to bed.

I am reading.... Mr Darcy's Daughterby Rebbecca Ann Collins

 I am hoping....That Sonja, Erin and Chris have a great time at the Christus Rex pilgrimage

I am hearing.... The little girls playing with Damian in the family room and Erin in the kitchen cooking dinner and by the sound of it Amiee is getting in the road trying to help. Pippin is barking at Anthony as he runs past the window.

I am praying....   For the children while their away at Christus Rex and for all the pilgrims

A few plans for the rest of the week...Lunch tomorrow with friends the least I can do is feed them before I send them out to catch and remove the geese. Swimming and music lessons on Wednesday, we will meet GrandBob at swimming and he will take Erin and Chris to Catch the plane on the first leg of their journey to Christus Rex and dr appointments on Friday.

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

 

Ten Commandments - Josh's version

In in a bid to restore some sort of order to our after dinner kitchen clean up Josh came up with the following.

 

It happened at that time that the land was in great need of cleansing, but each of the inhabitants said to the other “the mess is yours not mine”. Thus the mess remand. Upon seeing the mess the ruler at the time decreed that the eldest son should take the yoke upon his back and wash the mountains of dishes. In this way the cleansing was started. Now whilst the cleansing was in progress the amount of disobedient people surrounding him shocked the eldest son, so he appealed to the ruler who gave into his care a great red hammer to smite those who did not work. At first this worked however with time the people grumbled “Why should we listen to the hammer bearer?” and “What has he done but smite us?” Because of this the hammer bearer was greatly disheartened, and left the land to dwell upon the reason for the people’s dislike of the hammer. In his wanderings the hammer bearer received the ten commandments of the hammer which were only slightly plagiarised. Those commandments are as follows

1. You shall do jobs without hesitation.

2. You shall not yell.

3. You shall not whinge about your given task.

4. Each task will be completed in a timely manner.

5. You shall not murder your siblings.

6. You shall not scream like a banshee.

7. You shall not covert your siblings task.

8. You shall cooperate.

9 You shall not still be doing your task three hours after you start.

10. You shall not debate worthless pieces of trivia.              

Upon having these revealed to him the hammer bearer returned back to his home land issued the commandments. With the punishment for disobeying to the law being that the person shall by smote with the red hammer.  

Thursday Fun Day

We  have worked hard for most of the holiday's so yesterday we decided to take some time out and meet up with friends at a local nature reserve.

While this was Mikes first visit to the nature reserve the children and I have been there a number of times before. A few of our children have walked to the waterfalls that lie within the reserves boundary but I have never done it myself. This however changed yesterday and with Damian in the sling and Mike there to help we all set off up the track to the falls.

A little monkeying around

Luke decides to just hang around for a bit

We haven't had much rain lately so the waterfall it's self was a little disappointing. Mike and the children climbed over the rocks right up to the base of the falls.

 

 but the children did have a great time exploring the rock pools

Paddy and daddy share a quite moment

 
 
 
 
 

A Simple Woman's Day Book - October 12

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

Out side my window.... The soft hazy grey light of early morning fog shows holds the promise of a fine day ahead.

I am thinking about.... "The formation of the moral conscience takes place in concert with the development of the person—the development of moral emotions, the development of self-control, the development of empathy for their peers, the development of an appreciation and understanding of the role of authority in their lives. When parents are connected likewise with the moral teachings of the Church on truth and morality then the children learn the virtues—the moral virtues of chastity, and charity, and honesty, and integrity, and these are picked up almost automatically by the child, and they thus live the rules of the Church without any difficulty or any kind of distress about those rules." Bishop Robert Vasa

From the learning rooms...Even though it's school holidays here have continued to work. Maths, copy work, reading and spelling have all been completed each day much to the children's disgust, daddy's home and they want to play.

I am thankful for... So many things, a roof over my head, good food to eat, a wonderful husband and beautiful children, I am blessed and I am thankful.

From the kitchen...Our chest freezer died and we spent the weekend cooking up the defrosted meat and premaking meals so today we have a number of choices.

I am going....  To finish deep cleaning Brigid's and Anna's bedroom 

I am reading.... The Ladies of Longbourn by Rebbecca Ann Collins

 I am hoping.... To have a week without dr appointments

I am hearing.... The early morning bird song as the many birds that live in this area greet a new day.

I am praying....   For Heidi the daughter of a friend who is in hospital suffering from complication of swine flu.

A few plans for the rest of the week...Michael is on holidays and while we are still doing school each day we will take some time out for a family picnic planned for later this week. As well as school I hope to get outside into the garden we have lots of baby tomato plants to get into the ground  and hopefully I can find some time for a little horsing around with our four legged friends.

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

More for Sonja!

A few weeks ago I promised my eldest daughter that I would do a weekly run down of our activities in a bid to help her feel apart of our lives. she misses us and of course we miss her now that she is living so far away. She is feeling a little disconnected and the following post is for her and other family members living in far away places.

Last week we had our new septic system installed GranBob sent up an excavator and we got to work.

First we had to take down fences and clear some old wire and tree stumps. This area will house the new round yard and be a feed yard for the goats

We decided to enlarge the house yard so this whole fence came down.

Prince wasn't happy at having his paddock invaded by the big yellow monster and I had to sent Erin over to calm him down.

Digging the pit for the septic tank the ground became quite hard and excavator performed all sorts of acrobatics to get the job done.

The cement tank is lowered into the pit.

The riser and lid are added and didn't fit properly so the plumber had to cement the holes up.

The children loved playing on the pile of dirt left from the pit excavation there was lots of clay and they had fun making clay creations. 
  
  

The finished job and the children have a much larger yard to play in.

This photo is taken from the other side of the yard looking back toward the house. We still have old fences posts and wire to remove but it's looking quite good. Now we just need the grass to grow back.

Our new round yard with Milly trying hard to hide behind the post. The round yard is nice and shady and I can work with the horses while keeping an eye on the children in the back yard.We also use this area to chain up the goats and feed them each morning.

Paddy helps daddy dig a hole for the strainer post.

Anthony finds digging to hard and has a rest

And just because their cute ... Amiee and Damian.

   
   

For Sonja

 

 

 

Hail Storm

On Monday afternoon we watched with some concern the sky and the computer screen. As this storm gradually grew and moved closer to home.

 

The rain starts and with it comes hail lots and lots of hail.

 

You can see the hail backing up in the gutters and onto the roof

 

Hail coming off the roof and piling up in the garden

 

Josh decides to make a hail angel

The completed hail Angel