Time for living

G'day.  I've been a silent blogger for a while ... only just finding time to read blogs.  For all the blogs you write, many of which I haven't left comments for recently ... thanks for writing them, I enjoy reading them immensely!

We're finally all better (after a minor but prolonged virus), hooray!  Our holiday in Coffs Harbour was brilliant, so good that I couldn't blog about it, because I wanted to stay there forever.  The weather was perfect and so deliciously warm, and in every direction there were adventures to have and places to explore ... but I feared to write that would make me sound ungrateful for our pretty terrific home life.  Which isn't the case, I really love my home and family and lifestyle.  Thankfully after a few days back at home I regained my contentment and got stuck into LIFE again.

My problem then was winter ... it always gets to me, and I end up wishing we could move somewhere warm for just a few months each year (and perhaps one day we will).  But after a week of grumbling about being so cold it hurt, I decided to embrace it.  Life's been easier since making that choice, with the help of some long cosy jumpers, fur lined boots, a hot water bottle and plans for our first trip to the snow.

So back to LIFE.  May and June have been (and will be) busy in a good way, with lots of excursions, kids competing with me for computer time, play dates, creative projects, FBI co-op, sports, coordinating childcare for our church's state conference (next weekend) and celebrating our children's birthdays (which are later this month but that hasn't stopped us getting in early!)

What's happening with school you may ask?  I asked myself that too.  It sometimes seems like the last item on the agenda, so I've returned a routine.  I've scheduled in our outside activities and TV times which are fairly predictable, plenty of free time and even meal times (mainly because Jasi gets remarkably tired and grumpy when her blood sugar drops).  I can already see it is helping.  All term the kids have been a bit unsettled, arguing and attention seeking, but today they asked to do 'schooling' and got stuck into their work and have played more happily together too.  That's not to say we'll keep to the routine ... a sunny day will always entice us outside!  Our recent home ed. recipe has been perhaps 50% natural learning, and 50% eclectic homeschool ... shared books, unit studies, posters, craft, games, excursions, workbooks, computer, conversation, TV, music, storytelling.  Having said that I'm not as hung up about what to call our method of education.  Learning is happening and life is good!

I hope to get back into more frequent writing in July.  I like a record of what's been happening, so I don't think back and wonder where all the days went.  Also it's nice to look back on the fun we've had, changes, triumphs, adventures, decisions, challenges etc.  Writing helps me make sense of things.

Well for a short post, this has ended up pretty long!!  It's fun to be back.  I might be a bit more random in the topics I write about when I get around to it, because whilst home schooling is a HUGE and wonderful part of my life and is often the easiest thing to share, I didn't intend for it to be the only thing I write about.  There'll probably be a few out of order snapshots to catch up on too.

See you round!