New Beginings

It's been nearly a month since I first started this new venture.  I am pleased to be back.  I have been surfing some encouraging bloggers and discovered a new challenge for this month that fits in really well with another challenge I have take on for home and self.

Today is a new start for me.  Last year I had a serious moment of "The grass is greener" and decided to look for a part time position.  I have spent the last year working 12 hours a week in the evenings as a Store Recovery associate at Big W.  Well as my year progressed I found that I have become more and more exhausted and have been neglecting both my family and my home.  I finally reached breaking point last month and had a chat with Paul and together we talked about my goals and priorities.  He was very supportive of me resigning and being once again a full time SAHM (Stay At Home Mother).  I feel as though this HUGE weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

Now here I am feeling as though so much is spinning out of control and all I want to do is step of the planet and stand still !  I have found a few helps in the blogging sphere that I feel will help me gain control in a number of areas of my life.  I would like to share them here with you and invite you to join me on the journey.

First on my list is:

I have purchased this and had every intention of starting this on the 1 October but unfortunately life happened and it was not to be.  How ever I intend to start on Monday and will be blogging about this journey over here.  I invite anyone out there to join me on the journey.

The title of the eBook is 31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha house the Mary way. This book has been written by Sarah Mae. Sarah has graciously provided a sample day (Day 1). 
I have had some time to look over this resource and it is something that provides baby steps and heaps of encouragement.  I have decided rather than work on clean for 31 days straight I will be working my way through the book/challenges from Monday to Friday.

Once you have purchased the book there is also a reader only download page containing a wonderful page of video's to encourage you on your journey (Sample). These video's have been created by Jennifer Ross from Renewing Housewives. The book costs US $4-99 and can be purchased on line. There is also a table of contents for you to look over.

Secondly

Today I discovered Courtney's blog called Women Living Well.  I am so pleased I stumbled across her little place in cyber space.  I have come away encouraged and inspired. Today I was reading about her 31 Day Fall Challenge - Making Your Home a Haven (for me it will be a spring challenge!)  

This challenge is NOT a daily challenge but rather a weekly challenge. 

• Week One's challenge: Purchase a candle. Each time the candle catches your eye, say a prayer for peace in your home, I highly recommend her post:  Are you Distant or Engaged ?
• Week Two's challenge: Play soft music everyday Sing Dance Smile and Swoon and Making Your Home a Haven
• Week Three challenge: List a few of the spots in your home that make you visually stressed because of all the clutter. An unplanned video of my clutter making your home a haven
• Week four challenge: Keep the candle going, the music playing, and add some tender moments with your family. Creating Family Nights
• Week five challenge: Focus on the kitchen, the heart of the home.  Cook things with pleasant aromas

As Courtney Blogs her way through her challenges I will share the links here and update regularly.

Third but definitely not last !

Last weekend along with some beautiful women from Suburban Baptist Church we started Healthy Lifestyle by Careforce Lifekeys. This is a ten week course which we have started a bit late in the year so in order to complete it before the Christmas break we did session one, two and three last weekend.  I came home refreshed and encouraged to take ownership of my health, what I eat and what form of exercise I choose to do. 

• Session one was one which encouraged us to embrace life.
• Session two was all about Getting into Physical Activity. Part of this challenge is to choose to do a little more activity each day.  For me I would like to start walking and build up my endurance and speed.  I need to have a look at my schedule and see what will work without detracting from the time my family needs.  Any ideas would be appreciated.
• Session three looked at nutrition.  This is one in which there is nothing new but it was good to be reminded.    We also did a core training session using nothing but an exercise mat and a balance ball.  Really good workout.  I am sorry to report that no I have not repeated any of them this past week but this is something I am hoping to do at least twice a week.  However Sir N and I did get out and about on my bicycle and his tag along.
• Tomorrow will be session four:  Introduction to weight training. 

Blessings

Treasured Moments - 7

Do you find yourself falling into a pattern of daily grind, skipping the 'fun' activities because you don't have time or lack energy?Do creative arts, nature walks, drama, read aloud or spontaneous acts seem only a distant dream in your life?
Yet these Treasured Moments shared with loved ones uplift us, nurture our soul, remind us of the beauty and joy in our lives.
We want Treasured Moments for ourselves, for our children, for our families but how can we make it happen?
... Commitment ... Encouragement ... Support ... Ideas ... Plans.

I invite you to join us every Saturday and share your plans and ideas, your targets and goals and your stories ... your 'Treasured Moments'. In this way we may inspire one another, encourage ourselves and start achieving our dreams. Hosted by Erin at Seven Little Australians and Counting

My Treasured Moments this week are:

1.
Today is a treasured moment.  Today I am once again a full time SAHM (Stay At Home Mother)  Last year I suffered a really bad "The grass is always greener" moment and applied for an evening position at Big W as a Store Recovery Associate.  I have since been working 12 hours a week.  As the year wore on I became more and more exhausted and started neglecting so many things that needed to be done around here.  Final straw for me was once I started home schooling Sir N and found I was not giving him 100% that I had a chat with Paul.  I am pleased for the experience has taught me the full value of the priviledge I have of staying home full time with my treasures.

2.
Seeing Sir N climb up his first mountain. We went to Hanging Rock yesterday.

3.
Seeing Sir N jump up and down in delight when I said we can take the tag along out and go for a cycle together. My goal now that I am home is to go out daily together and enjoy the outdoors.

4.
Seeing Sir N land his first Rainbow trout when he went fishing with Paul at Hanging Rock yesterday.

5.
Yay I finally found a moment to work on GEMS 2 TOTS today and am really looking forward to investing in this blog.  Pop on over and share some of your thoughts.

To join in you are welcome to add your post on Seven Little Australians and Counting using the Mr. Linky form (please link to the individual post) and include a link back to Erins post. If you haven't a blog we would still love to hear your voice, just leave your stories in the comments.

Blessings

Making a Volacano

In our home school we have been reading about Volcano's and decided to make one out of plaster of Paris from a kit I purchased from ALDI.

Sir N and our kit.

Contents of our kit. Great easy to follow instructions.

Putting the elastics on to hold the pieces together.

Plaster of Paris ready to mix.

Poured the mixture into the mold.

I got a little bit of a start as it started pouring out the sides but no fear there was enough and it soon stopped oozing.  I am grateful Paul was home when we did this as I would have waited too long before pouring the mix into the mold.  If you wait too long then you get a lot of bubbles in the mix you can't get out, it needs to be runny when you pour it in.  I also thought I had used too much water but that was not the case. We left it on the bench for about four hours and then ....

One volcano we had!

We waited for about a week before we attempted to paint it. This step was more time consuming than I had anticipated so I helped Sir N.  I think in hind sight I should have taken out the poster paint and thicker brushes.  Older sister came to the rescue and provided us with glitter glue pens which Sir N thoroughly enjoyed applying to this volcano.

The instructions say to mix paint, vinegar and dish liquid for red coloured eruption.  I was disappointed with the chemical reaction this had. (I have since learned that you need to mix food colouring, dish liquid and baking soda then add vinegar for a red eruption, we had mixed the paint, dish liquid and vinegar) So we tried again this time with baking soda and vinegar and that was much better. You could hear the bubbles forming and popping.  It was so much fun.

Baking Soda, poster paint (it's better to use food colouring)
dish liquid and vinegar.

Sir N's volcano and city.

Adding vinegar to the baking soda.

1*2*3 Success

We had lots of fun doing this.  You do not need a kit to do the same with your children.  You can accomplish the same thing using a water tight jar of some kind (plastic, metal or glass).  Put it down build up some soil around it, make your city etc then add baking soda, food colouring and dish liquid and mix in the jar.  Slowly add vinegar and watch the eruption. 

Blessings