Related Posts with Thumbnails

Winner of SpellQuizzer Giveaway

I am pleased to announce that Katie Webb is the winner of the SpellQuizzer Giveaway. Katie, if you email me at sherrindrew@gmail.com I will give your details to SpellQuizzer so you can receive your free license!

Read more...

Baby Drew (by all signs, a girl-flavoured baby)

Read more...

Pre-school Montessori books for parents



I enjoyed reading Child's Play, Maja Pitamic's book for parents of 1 - 3 year olds. There were few activities for the under 2s, but it would be worth borrowing this book again when Elnathan is older. I loved the clear layout, simple materials, and outlines of child development. The book is divided into the topics Exploring Senses, Co-ordination, Arts & Crafts, Games & Movement, Language & Stories, Out & About. Each activity is given an age guideline. Teach Me to do it Myself is another lovely title from this author, but Deb Chitwood's review is so good that I don't need to write any more! I can't wait to borrow this again when I have a 3 year old child.

Read more...

What to expect when you're breastfeeding . . .



I had a hard time feeding Elnathan at first, so I wanted to read up a bit more this time. I enjoyed reading What to expect when you're breastfeeding . . . and what if you cant? by Clare Byam-Cook. It had some good advice about positioning the baby , although I always find this stressful when it actually comes to doing it with a new one. "Is this really right??" is a question I asked myself a lot last time! It also did a good job of defining breastfeeding on demand as feeding your baby whenever he/she is clearly hungry. Of course, you check for other reasons for crying as well (dirty nappy, wind, etc). It is important also to space feeds at least two hours apart, from beginning of one feed to beginning of the next, for good digestion. Clare gave lots of information about potential problems either the mother or baby may have. Her settling advice was practical, and she encouraged parents to be willing to leave a baby to cry for a while. The only advice I thought was inaccurate was related to introducing solids and the best age to stop breastfeeding.

Overall I preferred this book to Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo, the only other entire book I have read on the topic of feeding and settling babies. Ezzo needlessly and inaccurately denigrates other ideas about baby care. He wrongly defines feeding on demand as feeding whenever a baby cries without thought to other causes of distress, for example. He is also needlessly moralistic about baby care and places undue significance on babies sleeping through the night early. The truth is that families and babies thrive with a variety of choices about when to feed, how to settle a baby, etc. In comparison to What to expect little advice is given about positioning the baby or about physical problems you may encounter. However, if you are looking for a book that gives very clear ideas about scheduling a baby you will find it in Baby Wise! I know this book has helped many, and it is certainly worth a skim read. It is not popular for nothing! I plan to read it again before the arrival of Baby number 2.

Read more...

The winter flowers in our garden

I took these photos of the flowers in our garden so that I could participate in Blooming Tuesday for the first time!



We love our "strawberry planter" filled with pansies. In our experience, strawberries don't grow well in these and it is almost impossible to keep birds away from the fruit that do form. We have enjoyed it much more as a pansy planter!

These violas come up  of their own accord to adorn our lemon tree's pot after we planted an initial punnet. We enjoy seeing the new colour conbinations as they self seed.



Yes, I did take a photo of our potato vine! You can't see them well in this picture, but it has sweet white flowers with a yellow center. In the middle of winter, I'm grateful for any and all flowers.


This daisy bush was here when we arrived, and I love its cheery yellow.


This is one of my favourite plants at the moment. The small bed pictured used to be concrete, so I'm thrilled that I can now look out on some greenery and pretty flowers. The vine was marketed as "yellow jasmine" but I'm not sure it bears any relation to a jasmine plant, as it neither climbs well nor has a scent.

There are lots of bulbs poking their heads out of the soil, so I look forward to being able to post pictures of their blooms in the next few months. To me, the daffodil is one of the most wonderful of God's creations! They are extra special to me now because we had them at our wedding.

Read more...

Blue and yellow sampler quilt



I am very happy to have completed my blue and yellow sampler quilt. I love the traditional patterns! I learned the hand patchwork technique at a class in mid-2008, and completed most of the blocks then. It took me nearly two more years to complete the final three blocks, machine sew the strips between the blocks, and hand quilt it. Here is the back of the quilt:


You may be able to see that some of the fabric bled when I washed the quilt, even though I had pre-washed the dark fabrics many times and washed the finished quilt in cold water. The bleeding all occurred where dark blue fabric had been stitched. Maybe this is just the price you pay for using certain types of dark blue fabric? I was upset at first but realised after a few days that the finished product was still attractive. Now I have finished this project I am excited to be able to start designing a quilt for the new baby!

Read more...

Deb Girotti's homeschooling experiences

I have enjoyed reading the Girotti's blog, Mountain Musings, for many years now. One of the things I love about blogs is the encouragement I gain from catching a glimpse of how others live out their Christian commitment. It is fun to read about what is going on and the way God is shaping their lives into something beautiful! In April I enjoyed reading and sharing some of Hannah Girotti's thoughts on her homeschooling experiences. Now I am grateful to be able to share some thoughts from Deb, Hannah's Mum.

How long did you homeschool?

We homeschooled for 17 years beginning when our oldest son was 5 in 1987, and we completed our journey in 2004 when our youngest of four children graduated.

What motivated your decision to begin and to continue homeschooling?

We first heard about homeschooling when our oldest was only 3. It had never entered our minds to homeschool before meeting this family who was new to our church who homeschooled. "Now that is different," we thought.

One Sunday after church they asked if they could give a summary of what a day was like in their homeschool. Several families stayed to listen and find out more information. Many families began homeschooling as a result of that meeting, and I will always be thankful that the Lord used this family to open our eyes to the idea! This family motivated us to begin taking the first steps.

When we heard how schooling our own children could actually be possible, we started reading, praying, and checking into our state laws and what was required--this was two years before our oldest child would be ready for kindergarten. I began attending home school support group meetings and just listened to the moms talking and picked up lots of knowledge about curriculum and how families taught in their own homes. It was a great experience for me to get a slow start and a perfect introduction to the lifestyle we would end up choosing for our family.

What motivated us to continue to homeschool for 17 years? The results in both the academics and in our children's character training were only two of the benefits. Knowing that we were training our children as Scripture tells us was our biggest motivation. There was no question that we would definitely continue through the high school years.

Is there any advice that you would give to families who are beginning now?

One biggie help to the homeschool mom is to have dad (right from the beginning) take a couple of the subjects in the evenings when he's home from work. This gives your children a break from always having mom teach and gives them time with dad, and it helps develop a closer relationship with him. It also helps the children to see that both parents are in this together! My children loved science and math with dad!

Seek the Lord every day for strength to keep on going. The days of frustrations, sleepy students, science experiments, math problems, a new baby added to the household, grading papers, keeping records, and myriads of other things sometimes seem to drone on and on and could discourage a beginner. You'll think graduation day will never be in sight. Don't give up the race! It's worth every long school day and every effort when your children excel, love the Lord with all their heart, graduate at the end of their schooling, and thank you for all you've done for them.


You seem to have a close relationship with your children, three of whom still live at home. Are there any tips you would you like to pass onto others about fostering close relationships while homeschooling?

I'd say it would be almost impossible not to have a close relationship with your children when you're with them day in and day out. When your children see that both their parents want the very best for them as far as succeeding in their lessons, growing more in their faith and relationship with the Lord, and when they hear their parents praying for them daily, they are going to feel the love of mom and dad and of the Lord and that definitely fosters a close relationship within the family--at least in our family.

But also practical things like taking a special field trip that would interest a particular child or picking one child to take on an excursion alone and making him/her feel special will help foster a close relationship with each of your children.

Are there any mistakes you would like to encourage others to avoid?

Something that we avoided throughout our children's growing years were youth groups and seeking to always have our children around their peers. I know many homeschooling families have had lots of disappointment when their children have left the teachings of their parents because they've been influenced by their friends. Not that we didn't want our children to have friends, but we tried to make friends as families gathering together rather than children just with children or teens with teens.


How did you use homeschooling to teach your children about God and encourage them to seek Him?

The curriculum we used included Bible as a daily subject which we studied from K5 - 12th grade. We learned catechisms, memory verses, and basically used curriculum that focused on scripture and biblical principles in every subject that we taught.

Living a godly life in front of your children daily is a good instruction book, too. They will learn how to seek God as you as a parent seeks Him.

What are two of the challenges you faced as a homeschooling mother and how did you overcome these?

Probably my biggest challenge was feeling inadequate in teaching with not having gone to college and not having a degree. This feeling of inadequacy occurred mostly when homeschool moms would be talking together, and I would realize that everyone in the group was a college graduate but me. When my children began excelling and using their strengths to do a really good job, I realized that the Lord could use anyone (even me) to homeschool. At this stage in life with adult children who are well educated and serving the Lord, I wonder what I had to worry about long ago with being inadequate!

Are there any sources of encouragement that you drew from during your homeschooling years that you believe may be of benefit to others?

I don't have any specifics to answer this question. We attended annual state homeschool conferences and workshops, listened to a variety of homeschool experts on tape, read lots of books, and exchanged experiences with other homeschooling parents. We participated in our local home school support group and then led a support group for several years. All the contacts, education, and information we gained were sources of great encouragement for us.

If you had your time over again, is there anything you would do differently?

No, I really can't think of anything I would change--we took advantage of every learning experience that we could and enjoyed all the home education years.


What rewards have you reaped as a result of your decision to homeschool?

Adult children who are our friends and who are well-equipped to begin their families and to train their own children. They all say they plan to homeschool, too! Praise the Lord!

Read more...

Voices of the True Woman Movement: A Call to the Counter Revolution

Voices of the True Woman Movement

I have been blessed to receive a free copy of Voices of the True Woman Movement by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. When I put my name down to receive a copy to review, I didn't know if they would be willing to send it to Tasmania, Australia! So I received a pleasant surprise when it arrived in the mail. I look forward to reviewing each chapter of this book over the next few months.

Read more...

Our winter garden

I enjoyed Hannah Griotti's photos of their summer garden so much that I decided to post some pictures of our winter garden.


As you can see, our winter garden looks quite different from our summer one! We only plant in certain parts of it due to lack of sun in some beds.


Elnathan inspects the garlic shoots. We loved our garlic crop last year, and want much more this year! We have found that organic garlic cloves sprout much better. I planted lots more last week.


 Sprouting broccoli is delicious!


Ruby chard can be used in lots of dishes. Ours is looking a lot sparser since this photo was taken only about five days ago!


Elnathan received his own little trowel and fork for his birthday, which help to keep him distracted from pulling out plants and other destructive endeavours! As well as the crops pictured we have celery, parsley, coriander, mini cauliflower, turnips, and some sad looking carrots! We also continue to enjoy perennial herbs, and loved our first crop of lemons in April. We used lots of our lemons to make Elnathan a lemon, orange and coconut cake for his birthday.

We got a lot of our crops in late this year. This is only our second cold weather garden, and it would have been better to start our crops in early February. The trouble is that our garden was so full of summer crops we had no room! Next year we hope to start them in pots earlier, to be put in as the summer crops come out of the ground. We also need to be more ruthless in removing plants that are decreasing production.

Read more...

Giveaway: SpellQuizzer spelling software


I have been blessed with a complimentary copy of the SpellQuizzer spelling program to review, and I also have one license to give away. SpellQuizzer is designed to make reviewing spelling words easy. The SpellQuizzer website contains a page specifically for homeschoolers, detailing its potential benefits to them. No spelling program can substitute for one-on-one explanations of the structures of words and the reasons for mistakes, but it is useful as a tool for review. Children enjoy being able to practice on their own and yet receive feedback, as this program allows them to do. They can even create their own spelling lists as the program alerts them to errors in lists. This program would be great for busy parents. I would like to use it in five or so years time with our children, or if I teach in a classroom again. I have found that SpellQuizzer is easy to use. Here are a few of its helpful features.

* SpellQuizzer allows you to create spelling lists that are customised to your needs, so it is ideal for use with any curriculum. It could also be used for words a child (or adult) particularly struggles with.
* The menu is easy to navigate, and is child-friendly.
* The website contains video demonstrations of how to use the spelling software. This is great for technologically challenged people like me!
* You can import and export spelling lists to share with others, so if more than one family or class is using the same lists you can save time.
* Both US and UK spellings are recognised, so the program is suitable for Australian users.

To operate SpellQuizzer you will need to have a Windows operating system and a microphone in or attached to your computer. Most computers have microphones, but they can also be purchased inexpensively. If you would like to receive a free SpellQuizzer license please leave a comment by June 29. The giveaway will be drawn on June 30th.



Read more...

Elnathan's cot Bible time



I love to start my day with prayer. Even a few minutes goes a long way! I was getting up before baby for a while, but that has become more difficult since he has started believing that day beings at 5.30 or 5.50am. Now Elnathan has his own little Bible time with his Bible story books and a recording of one of the gospels, while I pray. After his morning breastfeed I place him in his cot, give him the books, put on the CD, and off I go for 10 - 15 minutes. He is quite used to it now and is generally happy there. What about you? Do you have any creative Mummy solutions for personal prayer?


I tried to get cute pictures of Elnathan reading his books, but he was too quick for me! He spied the camera and wanted to look. I will continue the habit of morning Bible time with Natey even if I find another time for personal prayer, as it will be a good start for him in having quiet times with God.

Read more...

ABC Sampler



Since discovering we are expecting a second baby I have been extra motivated to complete projects. I began this ABC sampler when pregnant with Elnathan, and hoped to finish it before his birth. Well, it was finished much closer to his first birthday! Now it is framed on the wall of his room. Next week I hope to be able to post a picture of my completed sampler quilt. I only have one side of the binding to finish!

My goal is to have a maximum of two major projects and two minor projects on the go at once. This may seem a lot to those who are not crafty, but those who are always inspired to start something new will understand! I am hoping this "rule" will simplify my life and reduce clutter. I want to start a big project of a quilt for the new baby, so I need to finish other major projects. What about you? Do you have many (or any) projects on the go at the moment?

Read more...

My latest way to dry cloth nappies


I bought this handy air dryer from our local home and garden store. I was attracted to it because it is so compact that it can fit into a corner of a room.We do not own an electric dryer, so it is important for us to be able to dry things inside easily. Last week I came up with a new reason why this is a great system - I can take it out the front door and let my nappies have some sun on the porch! This is excellent for those days when the weather is uncertain and it is difficult to decide whether or not to dry nappies inside or outside. I can take it in and out quickly and they also gain some shelter from the veranda. This is just one more idea that may also be of use to others! The down side to this system is that the wheels don't have locks, so baby can be tempted to play with it. However, so far we have been blessed to be able to teach Elnathan not to play with it.

Read more...

  © Blogger template Shush by Ourblogtemplates.com 2009

Back to TOP