Apologies for the Absence!

Hello again!

I don't know how long it has been since I last posted but the break was unintended! (Although thoroughly enjoyed).

A lot has happened around here since then, but the biggest contributor to my busy-ness of late is just one thing:

Mischief got legs!

Josiah actually turned 1 at the end of March, but he got walking at 10 months (my earliest walker by a few months) and all I have to say is goodness gracious! I forgot how much trouble a one year old can get into in a very short amount of time!

Further to that, I was previously unaware of how much mischief two small boys could get into together!

We are having a lot of fun ;)

Here are the six-monthly photos so you can see how much my bubba has grown.

4 hours old

6 months old

12 months old

Josiah is just the most delicious baby. He is still the easiest baby in the world I think.

He is the only obedient 12 month old I've ever met. (ie 'Jo-Jo- spit that out/sit on your bottom/don't touch!' and he obeys. Without being trained to! I think he just follows along with the older two.) I mean, I'm not deceived. I know he will turn two sometime, but boy am I enjoying this for the time being!

He also just went from- feeding to sleep and sleeping in my bed at night (with around 3-5 feeds per night) to- sleeping in his cot in Eli's room, putting himself to sleep AND sleeping through in just 4 days!

I used a modified version of the No Cry Sleep Solution sleep-training, and he just went along with it so fast I didn't implement more than the first few steps. There was no crying and he didn't resist at all. Honestly, I feel a little rejected! ;)

He is happy all day long and makes everyone laugh a lot. He is 11.5kg's of pure cheekiness.

I do have to share just one undesirable quirk however ;) My Jo-Jo has taken to putting things down the toilet. 

Now I know it's a bit of a cliche that babies throw things into the toilet, but my other little ones never did it, and Josiah does it any chance he can get!

The worst incident was when he threw our television remote control down the toilet whilst one of his siblings was ON the toilet. USING IT. Yes you needed to know that. (I am still mentally scarred from the clean-up).

Ahem. So back to blogging.

The other big shift in my routine has been the introduction of actually beginning to educate Cassandra in somewhat of an orderly fashion. I am pretty relaxed about early education myself, but Miss Cassandra is a child who still seems to rely pretty heavily on routine for comfort and doesn't like change or spontaneity very-much-at-all-thankyou! To help her, I've been incorporating some things into our regular daily rituals.

So that has been fun too :)

All in all, I am really enjoying the break from both blogging and spending time in front of screens. 

I am currently praying and waiting, and thinking and planning, (and praying some more), about what to do with this space in the future.

Thank you for your patience with me!

Oh The Cuteness of Jo

My sleepy little Josiah.

He is just so cute to me. He's been making me laugh lately about where he will fall asleep.

Here he is asleep on my back (he fell asleep in the sling while I was mopping and I've just unwrapped him here). I had to take the photo before I put him in his cot.

And here he is falling asleep at the dinner table. This is a pretty regular show, and rest assured, I only took this scant minute of footage before I snuggled him to sleep on my lap. Poor kid. :)

Both Eli and Josiah will fall asleep anywhere. Eli often passes out while I'm reading to him, or falls asleep in church, even during worship. 

They are definitely gifted like their father, who I have often found myself wondering about. I honestly did think he might be mildly narcoleptic earlier in our marriage. 

Poor Cassandra can only sleep in her own bed. I feel her pain, as she definitely takes after me in that; but sadly, she's all alone now that I've had a few kids. I've joined the ranks of the 'sleep-anywhere' tribe too!

My Handsome Boy is Three!

Master Elisha has turned three! As usual, this birthday post is almost two months late, but better late than never I suppose.

We have all safely and, I dare to say, successfully, navigated as a family The Year that Eli Turned Two. It has been a challenging and exciting year and I've thoroughly enjoyed being his Mama.

This was my first exposure however; in all of my life; to the strange creatures known as 'small boys'.

I have decided that I really like them :)

To celebrate we had a really big feed of lovely Italian food and a cake that Eli decorated himself.

Contrary to last year's shyness when everyone sang to him, this year he revelled in the attention.

I call this picture 'sheer glee'.

Young Josiah was also very excited by all of the singing.

Eli is such a lovely boy at the moment. He is still crazy energetic, but no longer so emotional and frustrated as he was last year.

Talking came slowly for him, which I think was the main source of frustration. Just like with his other endeavours, he threw himself into talking wholeheartedly, without mastering three word sentences before moving on etc- just babbling whole strings of things at us while we tried to catch words here and there. I still stare at him sometimes and have to get him to slooow down so I can understand. And I need to interpret for others.

It reminds me of how he learned to walk. As soon as he was up on his feet, he started trying to run. He spent the next few months getting bloody smashed lips from trying before he was ready.

That's our Eli :)

Also, my snuggler came back :) Last year he was too busy for cuddles, but now my smoochy boy is back in the house. He is very tactile also. He always wants to run his hands over the smooth skin on my arms, or rub the hems of my clothes with his fingers.

After he spent a week sneakily stealing Stephen's satin pajama pants, I sewed him a little minky blanket with a thick satin border, a creation that we now call 'Smoochy'. Ie 'Mummy, I need my moochy to go to bed!'

I also get sweet-talked by him all the time. 

'Ohh Mummy, I'm just lub youu!!'

'Ilubyou, Ilubyou, Ilubyou, Ilubyou, ILUBYOU!' (whilst jumping up and down)

'Oh Mummy, I don't want to lost you.'

'Oh Mummy, you marry me?'

It's very cute. :) He also wants to smooch his sister all the time, which has taken her awhile to get used to. He spent a large portion of his life pushing her away when she wanted to cuddle him. 

He also wants to cuddle Jo, but Jo-Jo has just learned to walk and won't take cuddles from anyone, thankyouverymuch. (Unless he's sleepy or hurt or wants milk, then MUM ONLY PLEASE.)

I am really looking forward to this next year with Eli. From my experience with Cass, I loved 3-4 because it was the year that their speech seems to move beyond mostly mimicry, and you see even more of their personality.

So anyway, here are some photos from the year, with favourite Eli quotes. I hope you enjoy them!

Eli tells me out of nowhere: Mum, I BERY funny.

Me: Oh are you? (He is!)

Eli: Yeah. Adda (Cassandra) not funny AT ALL.

~~~

Eli: Me gib baby wine.

Me: Honey, baby's don't drink wine.

Eli: (thinking hard) Me gib him beer then.

~~~

I took a photo of Eli and showed it to him.

Eli: (in awe) Ohh...Me soo cute. Just SO cute.

Eli's very first song: 'I did a poooo! I did a poooo! In mah undeeees! It bery bery naughteeeee!'

I interrupt him: Oh Eli, it wasn't naughty! It was just an accident!

Eli: Oh. (resumes singing) It just a accideeeeent!

~~~

Me: Eli, you are my love.

Eli: No. I Daddy's wub.

~~~

Stephen: Eli, you are an adorable little boy.

Eli: No, I a ador-wab-oo weedoo kermuh da fog.

~~~

All is quiet in the car as we wait at the lights and Eli (still a fairly quiet non-talky 2 1/2 year old at this point) points out a man on the sidewalk with: 'Him wear lady shoes.' 

Eli's first articulated nightmare: Lizard! Eat!

~~~

Eli is a joker. He gets this look on his face when he's sitting on a joke and waiting for the right moment to come out with it.

The first time I recognised this was when we were all singing 'Elmo's song' to him, substituting 'Elmo' for 'Eli'. He sat there and got this funny little look on his face, and when we got to the line, 'He likes the music, he likes the words,' he interrupted with,

"But I DON'T wike dis song. It too noisy por me!" 

Then he has a little smile when everyone laughs at his joke.

~~~

Eli: (contemplatively to no one in particular) When I grow up I jump on couch.

I was trying to convince Eli to say "I love you too" when I tell him that I love him.

Eli: Oh Kermuh dah fog lub you BERY much Miss Piggy.

~~~

Stephen finishes dressing Eli after his shower and turns his attention to Josiah; while I dressed Cass.

After a moment we realise that Eli is gone. We find that in about the 90 seconds we missed him, he pushed a chair to the kitchen bench and tried to use a giant kitchen knife. He sliced his finger (a little cut, but bleeding a bit).

Stephen cleaned him up and said to him: So Eli, did you learn anything?

Eli: When cutting, use little knife.

~~~

A few weeks after the above incident (with one more knife misadventure in between where he was again slightly injured) I have given the kids some bread dough to knead.

When it is time to cut the vents into their little loaves I give Eli the little knife and guide his hand carefully.

He says in surprise: I not bleeding!

I am very much looking forward to what the next year holds!

May I Waste A Moment of Your Time?

Can I paint a picture for you?

Imagine that you are walking down along the shore at the beach. The sun is starting to go down and a beautiful scene is set before you.

If this is you, here's what you are probably not thinking.

"Well, here I am at the sea shore...wearing undies."

You wouldn't be thinking that because wearing underwear is (hopefully) comfortable and normal for you and besides, you have a scene of great beauty before you.

Now, what if I tell you that; earlier that afternoon; you were wrestling your three year old at the beach and you have sand in your underwear. Now you might be thinking about your undies.

And, if you were me, the newly uncomfortable awareness of your previously mentioned unmentionables will entirely ruin your appreciation of the beautiful scene in front of you.

So I write this long-winded analogy so you will fully feel my pain when I say,

I can't stand reading books or watching films with constant anachronisms.

Writers and film-makers of the world, please please cease and desist.

Sheltering Kids

This past weekend I gave a dear loved one a phone call and she informed me that my Dad had passed along a story of our Eli. The story went like this:

A few weeks ago we had a puppy living with us, a very little one.

As the children and he were playing out doors one day I found Eli repeatedly lifting a large plastic toy and swinging it down at the puppy, who was dodging it just fine.

Nonetheless alarmed I ran up to stop my boy in his frenzy and ask: 'Eli!! What are you doing??'

'I twying to kill da doggy.'

In shock I could only respond: 'Why??'

'He bite mah sister.'

At this I received a small amount of relief that my boy was at least showing protective instincts, rather than just being murderous. (We did go on to teach him more about puppies and how to look after them.)

I told that story to my father who found it highly amusing. He passed the story on to my loved one who found it.....horrifying.

On the phone she asked me, with no small amount of anxiety: 'Lauren, where would he have gotten that from??'

I laughed awkwardly whilst mentally scrambling.

He could have gotten it from any number of places, as I well know.

'Eli's favourite books involving killing...' I think to myself, not sure where to begin.

Which would be acceptable to list? The Jungle Book? Treasure Island? The Bible? (No definitely not the last one...she is already sensitive on that front after she observed me once, much to her distress at the time, reading the story of the martyring of Stephen to Cassandra.)

'I mean, "The Swiss Family Robinson" doesn't have killing in it does it?' she spoke into the silence, knowing that to be a story Eli has heard.

'Oh yes.' I answer breezily, glad to be thrown a bone, 'They fairly shoot and try to eat just about every animal they come across.'

The subject is changed and the conversation moves on, but I think about it for some time afterward.

I know that my beloved family member feels that I am not sheltering my children enough at times.

I also know that, within my family, some concerns about our decision to homeschool our children have been that they will be sheltered.

I think that in the future, when people voice this concern, I am going to be quite specific in my questions to them as to what constitutes 'sheltering' in their minds.

Sheltering children is no bad thing. Everyone does this to some degree.

Some parents shelter their children from horror movies. Some parents shelter their children from watching the evening news. Some parents shelter their children from the consequences of their failure. Everyone shelters their kids.

I have also noticed the things that parents don't shelter their children from. Many of these things are viewed as normal and good in our society.

Some of these I wish to shelter my own children from- for many years to come.

So I am starting to think through some of my parenting decisions, some of the ideas and concepts I am exposing my children to, and those which I am deliberately shielding them from.

It's making for many quiet moments of staring into space.

A Blessed Season!

I had a fantastic Christmas.

We had a great time! So thankful for a merciful God. So thankful for the Christ-child who became the saviour of us all.

Stephen and I don't give each other Christmas gifts anymore. What more could I want? God's grace is sufficient for me!

I am however, gifted with an incredible family.

I am so blessed by my own family, as well as the one I married into. I had a great time with everyone I got to see this year, and my husband is on holidays for 8 more days!

Now that Christmas is over, I am getting to work on my garden and on my house. I've been painting walls, digging, and having all manner of fun with the children, who are my best and most enthusiastic helpers.

The house is getting messier by the day and the laundry is piling up, but that is what holidays are for.

Eli's little face yesterday when he woke up from his nap and saw the wall had changed colour was great too. 'Wow!! Owange!'

Jo is 9 months old and doing something new every day. Yesterday it was having a little frustrated cry because he couldn't stand on his own (he only started pulling up on furniture a week ago and now he thinks he should be able to let go and stay standing.) A determined little man.

Here is a picture taken moments before he pulled up for the first time. I put the camera down and turned back just in time to see him pull up, then catch him as he toppled over the side. Death-defying stuff. That crazy Y chromosome again.



I hope that you and yours had a great Christmas too, and that, if you do not know Him who sent the precious babe; that you earnestly seek Him!

Watching this new gem from Ray Comfort may be a blessing as you search.

How I Do Survival Mode

From time to time every mother ends up there.

Maybe you've just had a new baby; perhaps you are struggling with morning sickness or other pregnancy ailments. It could be something unexpected and terrible that hits you out of nowhere, or perhaps it is the relentlessness of extreme sleep deprivation. You could go there for a weekend trip, or you may end up having a rather long stay.

Regardless, we have all been there: survival mode.

I've been living in that space for the past two months for a variety of reasons, although I am hoping that a few of those pressures will soon ease, but in the mean-time- how do you live with it?

And more importantly, how can you thrive through it?

First things first.

Keep your priorities in mind.

I am talking of practicalities here. Every mother on a day to day basis needs to prioritise her relationship with her children over a clean house, or an orderly schedule. She needs to prioritise parenting over house-keeping. She needs to prioritise her spiritual needs over her fleshly wants.

However, for the times when you watch you husband head out the door to work, or wake up in the morning and wonder, 'Am I going to drown today? Will dinner get made? Will we have clean underwear tomorrow? Etc etc'.

The place I start is to discuss my husband's priorities with him. I may find that he doesn't care if he has to wash his own socks for awhile. Or he may not mind bulk cooking and simple meals. Perhaps he cares about those things, but doesn't mind general untidiness for a season. I find out.

Then I make sure I don't ever get stuck on 'auto-pilot'. In stressful times I default to robo-house-cleaner Mum. If the kids come and talk to me, I can get completely tunnel-visioned: 'I can't talk now Sweetie,  this floor NEEDS CLEANING OR THE SKY WILL FALL.'

Always- people before things.

Of course, that's a principle we all know, but it's the one I always forget when I am brutally tired.


Have a plan.

Do not allow yourself to be at the mercy of your feelings and passing whims.

This will of course be different for everyone. My plan goes like this:

-Do a family tidy after breakfast. Corral the littlies and have everyone actively participating and out of mischief.
-Then play. Put laundry on if it seems achievable, but if not, just be with the little ones and don't worry about anything else.

I have an actual list of meals I can make in 5 minutes that I always keep ingredients on hand for. This is a written list, just in case my brain is too dead to think of those meals.

I have several very easy lunches and breakfasts that I keep ingredients for also.

I always have disposable nappies around just in case laundry is getting out of hand and I can't manage cloth (although my cloth nappy washing routine is so ingrained in me I haven't had to use the disposables often, but I excuse myself from using them if I need to.)

I always rotate toys and books as a habit, but some I keep hidden away for longer. These I keep especially for times when I really really need a sit down.

As a rule for normal times, my children do not watch television, but for survival mode, I have a few dvd's we approve of ready on a shelf for us to sit down to if needed.

And finally, if I am so tired I can't stand up, here is my emergency plan: When Josiah has a nap, I shut myself and the big kids into our spare room with a few special toys and ask them to play quietly while mama has a quick nap on the floor. I have only needed to do this once, but they were happy with it and I was very refreshed.


Junk-in, junk-out.

When you are depleted and struggling, you must make good choices about what you are consuming.

You may think I am talking about food here, but I am not.

Of course, we all need to be good stewards of our bodies, and when you have many demands of you, you need to be equal to them. (I myself am trying to resolve some ongoing health issues through diet at the moment.)

However, more important than this (and usually way more neglected) is what we consume mentally.

If I am in a season of serious stretching, I know (and this is the first time I've been in survival mode and having actually been hitting the target) that I cannot be in front of a screen.

Television and aimless net-surfing are OUT. For me, they do not relax and give back, they add burdens. I don't think I am alone there either.

I can't tell you how many mothers I have spoken to who have complained of how little sleep they are getting due to baby's sleep issues, then later reveal that they are staying up late every night watching this or that television show or hanging about in front of the computer.

I need to feed my brain on good things. If I manage to finish basic chores before 8pm (my curfew is 8.30 as Josiah wakes frequently at the moment and my day begins at 4.30-5am) that half an hour of down time is much better invested in prayer, or talking with my husband or even knitting and listening to a sermon from my computer. Real activities that actually reap peace.

Whatever benefits television and net-surfing may otherwise boast (and I of course, do not condemn them outright), peace-giving is not really among their virtues.


Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

Of course, I would be nothing, even on my good days, without the faithful care of Almighty God.

Ceaseless prayer is a habit I am cultivating generally, but it is even more important at these times.

One other thing I have invested a small amount of time in is learning old hymns to sing. (I have not grown up in traditions that use hymns)

The hymnal that I have been learning from even has an entire section devoted to hymns for times of spiritual battles etc.

Just singing all day long has a tremendous effect on my attitude! The added bonus is that Cassandra has been picking them up, and often either sings them, or requests for me to sing, which always lifts my heart.



And that is it!

That is how I am quite successfully managed being in survival mode in this season of motherhood. I've been tired and pressed on all sides, but cheerfully managing my house and enjoying my children.

So share with me please- how do YOU do it?