Garden Goings On

Here are some updates from the garden!

The compost without the bin.

In close up.

Washing the Wendy house.

Eli was very enthusiastic.

Especially about making the compost bin into a den.

My new gardening gloves didn't stay clean for very long.

Yay; the compost is gone and I now have a new bed to plant up.

Happy gardening!

Love Jo x

Planning to succeed; freedom from the curse of schedules

My little William, who is four, was recently asked to help his brothers to tidy the sitting room.  His reply made us all laugh: I think I'll draw a plan first, Mum.  It was a clever delaying tactic but it did make me think;  do we plan to succeed in our housekeeping?  We plan to succeed in other areas of life; we plan for exams, family celebrations, finances and holidays,... but do we have a plan to achieve a clean and tidy house???  I must admit that I don't.  I have tried Flylady, and made my own schedule of jobs to keep things on a rolling programme of improvement, as you will have seen in an earlier blog post.   I even have a Facebook group dedicated to organising and decluttering my house.  The problem is that when I make a plan I find it very difficult to stick to.  I guess it's human nature; we go on a diet but find it impossible to resist cakes; subscribe to a gym only to find ourselves lazing on the sofa.  But maybe it's more than that; maybe we overface ourselves.

If you make a schedule that is ongoing and therefore seemingly infinite, it is easy to feel overwhelmed.  If, however, you make it your goal to achieve one small improvement every day, and try to keep a track of what you have done and what you might do next,  I find that much more realistic and workable.

My garden was a terrible mess after the winter, and after my post-natal depression kept me indoors so much last year.  It was so bad that I didn't even take any photographs before I started the improvements.  Finally I decided that enough was enough.  Something had to be done.  I started on a weekend and dedicated a whole day to clearing mess from the floor, and pruning the Medusa like tendrils of my climbing plants.  It made a huge different and we had a barbeque to celebrate.  Next, I dug over and weeded the flowerbeds.  Then I spent an afternoon planting up some fruit bushes I bought from Home bargains very inexpensively.  And this morning I swept the patio and filled five garden bags with leaves and rubbish (yes, it really was that bad).  It looks SOOOO much better.  In my head I have a list of the other things that need doing:

1.  Wash and declutter the garden toys.  Think about suitable longterm storage.
2.  Get rid of the compost bin and replant the area where it has been; deal with the brambles that have       grown  up in that area.
3.  More planting.

I don't know which I'll do first; I don't want to be slavish about it.  But that plan is there, in my head, waiting to be executed.  I was thinking of writing it down in a notebook - a kind of ongoing plan of action.  I might try it, BUT if those words on the page begin to condemn me and overwhelm me I shall stop immediately.  Those of us who are schedule phobic can, I believe, plan to succeed without the lengthy and ongoing to do list.  It just takes a little bit of creativity to discover what works for you.

Happy cleaning, organising, decluttering, making life happy and sparkly and bright.

Love Jo x

This is the compost area that needs clearing.

The patio area is lovely now but I do need to paint that wall.

The rubbish I collected this morning.

A wider view of the garden.

The toy area that needs attention.

I took down some of the decking rails to make the garden appear more spacious; it really works.

Petunia plugs!!

Storm Clouds Gathering or Getting Rid of Toxic Fear

I wonder if it's because I'm British.... The tendency to watch the horizon for signs of impending bad weather is something akin to my tendency to look towards the future with a sense of foreboding.  Both might be seen as British characteristics.  Everyone knows we're obsessed with the weather,.. and you'd have to admit we're not the most optimistic of races.  Don't get me wrong, I love being British; we are stalwart and resilient, having fought off our (then) enemies in two world wars.  Ask Granny if there's cake for tea, though, and even when it's practically bursting out of the Silver Jubilee biscuit tin on the top shelf in the pantry cupboard, she'll look dour and reply: ooh, I don't know about that then.  Maybe there's a connection between our lack of optimism and our lack of sunshine; it wouldn't surprise me.

Recently I've been worrying a lot.  Little things have escalated in my mind to become big things which have the potential to destroy all the brightness in my life.  There were some clouds.  Tiny ones actually.  To me they looked brooding and dangerous.  I started to panic, to make plans in my mind about how I would deal with such an intense storm in my life; I started to lose control.  In the end they turned out to be nothing more than a few wispy cirrus, floating overhead with not even a speck of rain to dampen my day.  I breathed a sigh of relief, thanked God and began to think....

Fear is toxic.  If you've seen Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith you'll be familiar with Annakin Skywalker's seduction by the dark side.  If you're not familiar with the film you only need to know one thing about Annakin's demise as a Jedi Knight: it begins with fear.  He fears that he will lose his beloved wife, Padme, in childbirth.  This fear is so strong that it begins to control him and, furthermore, puts him at the mercy of those who would manipulate him for their own ends.  We all know what happens next; Padme dies anyway and Annakin loses himself to the dark side.  It's very much like the story of Othello by William Shakespeare.  Othello listens to the whispers of an enemy and he is rendered murderous with jealousy; death and destruction is his final end. 

Satan has a plan for our life.  It is the complete opposite of God's plan.  God has a plan to prosper us and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11) whereas Satan is a thief who comes in the night to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).  And how does he instigate this vile plan?  In 1 Peter 5:8 we are warned: 

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like 

a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. NIV

The devil has no real power over us if we belong to Jesus BUT he will prowl about us and roar like a lion.  And why does a lion roar?  To frighten his prey, who will either become immovable with that fear, or frenzied and confused.  Either way, they make a much easier object of prey.  Satan wants to make you fear; he wants to immobilise you or send you into a frenzied tailspin.  He has a plan for your destruction.  And his whispers,... those worries that haunt you in the middle of the night when rationality is sleeping; they are lies to entrap you.  

So what is the answer?  The answer is always faith and trust in our Lord, Jesus Christ.  It sounds trite.  Please don't switch off now; it isn't trite.  It isn't an easy answer or a fob off.  It's the truth.  The truth is that sometimes those dark and brooding storm clouds will pass over and sometimes they will send torrents hurtling down upon you when you least expect it.  Life is like that; but life is not about what happens to us,... it's about how we respond.  We can respond with fear, allowing Satan to have the upper hand, or we can respond with faith in God's promise that he will NEVER leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8 amongst others).  Scripture tells us not to fear over one hundred times and we need not fear because God is true to his promises and, even when it seems like life is falling apart, HIS plan for our good and HIS glory is being worked out.

When you see the storm clouds gathering what should you do?  Respond with faith; trust God and walk forward knowing that, whatever happens, He is with you.  It's not an easy thing to do; it will require stalwart resilience but it IS possible, for ALL things are possible in Him (Mark 9:23).

Love and prayers

Jo x

Celebrate Life: Passover 2013

In a new series, Celebrate Life, I want to look at why celebration and ritual are so enriching to our lives, and how we can incorporate them in ways which are meaningful but manageable.  This post is about how our family celebrates Passover.

In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.

Romans 9:8

Because we are Abraham's children we remember the slavery of God's people, and how He led them from Egypt into freedom.  In Easter week we remembered passover, setting the scene for the biggest 'pass over' of all, when the ultimate sacrificial lamb was given so that our sins might be 'passed over' and we too might be free from slavery.  I love the Passover Seder; the symbols, the candlelight, the readings.  It feels meaningful and important and exciting.  It puts us in touch with our need for a saviour, identifying with a people in slavery.  But how do we do it?  Isn't it just a massive hassle?  Where is the time to plan and prepare?

I'll let you into a secret; it wasn't as fancy as it sounds.  Our meal was roast lamb and salad followed by healthy chocolate brownies.  Not that different than we might ordinarily have.  And the seder is a very short one that is written with especially wiggly children in mind.  You can find it in the book, Homespun Memories for the Heart by Karen Ehman.  It only lasts about twenty minutes but does not leave out the most significant symbolism.  The most problematic aspect of the whole affair is sending  dh out to buy Matzoh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you celebrate Passover?  Did you blog about it?  I'd love you to share your links via the comments section if you did. 

God bless

Jo x

  

Lego Duplo Busy Bag - Free Printables

I have recently been investing some time in creating busy bags for my almost three year old.  He is particularly fond of Duplo so I thought I would make him a set of Duplo patterns like the ones featured on this blog  http://allourdays.com/2012/10/legoduplo-building-inspiration-busy-bag-activity-bag.html .  I didn't quite have the pieces needed for the featured patterns so I made my own with the bricks that I had available.  We have LOTS of Duplo so I decided to keep the pieces and patterns together in a bag, separate from the main haul.  If you'd like to download my patterns., you can access the pdfs here: http://www.scribd.com/jo_child_1/documents .  Have fun!!

Duplo at Amazon

The Many Handed Serpent

http://amothersheart.blogspot.co.uk/

I read this post on my friend Sarah's blog and it really struck a chord.  I've been meaning to blog on 1 Corinthians 12:12-26  for quite some time now.  Some of you will know that, having previouusly been of a mind to leave our fertility to God, my husband and I have recently made the very difficult decision not to have any more children.  I've posted before http://joc4jesus.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/coming-out-of-darkness.html about my journey to and from the edge of despair.  I am sure I don't need to further explain how we came to make our decision.

Regardless of our circumstances, there are some who think we should carry on having children in the name of being obedient to God.  I beg to differ.  I don't believe that being obedient to God comes down to a single interpretation of scripture.  I believe that some women are called and convicted to make the very courageous step to become mothers of many blessings.  I admire them greatly.  I also KNOW that some women are scarred and broken, drug addicted and depressed, needy and dependent,... or maybe they are just single and childless.  Are those women any less in the eyes of God?  Are they less because motherhood is not for them, or because they can only physically or mentally cope with a smaller number of children.  I would say, most definitely, NO.  I have searched the heart of God on this issue so much recently.  And this is what he says to me:

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by^[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

We women are all different.  We are not all hands.  We should not promote feminity in one particular vein.  I am all for promoting motherhood and wifedom,... but I also think that we need to accept that some women will tread a different path.  And that is OK.  In fact it's more than OK; to be the person that God made you to be in all your fullness is marvellous,.. whether you are the mother of many, few or none.  BE the you God created you to be,... whoever that is.  A body with many hands would be a monstrous creature.  We need diversity,... and God needs YOU!!!

Jeremiah 29:11

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

The Adventures of a Technology Native

Eli is almost three.  One of his favourite things to do in the whole world is play on http://www.starfall.com/.  If you haven't come across it before it's a US phonics site aimed at preschoolers.  We actually pay a subscription to access the additional features of MoreStarfall, which has maths activities, nursery rhymes and stories.  All of the three youngest children use it so it is very good value for us as homeschoolers.

Eli, despite not being able to talk very well yet, can access Starfall completely by himself.  He turns on the computer and accesses the internet.  When the search box appears he types in ST; from there he chooses starfall from the drop down box.  Voila, he's on to his favourite site.  And because of the content of the site, he is able to count and recognise letters, completely untaught by me.

It is so bizarre to think that I learned to read with Peter and Jane, from a book, with the help of my teachers. Here he is, at not yet three, becoming a self-directed learner.  I know that there are dangers on the internet, and we are always vigilant to supervise him.  BUT, there is also great potential.  I think the key is to suspend fear and allow children supervised access within a safe framework.  You could set up their own home page with shortcuts on to specific sites that you are happy with.  Google and ask on places like http://www.mumsnet.com/ which sites other parents recommend,... and then sit back and watch.  You might even learn a thing or two.

Jo x