My heart goes out to those without siblings, or have some but are separated by geography (or worse).
The thing is, there's so many plusses to growing up with brothers & sisters, and then...raising your children alongside them. No comparison, it's pure bonding magic.
I was an only kid for almost 7 years. I pestered my parents for ages, "please give me a brother or sister, every one else at school has one". And hey presto, there she was. Not purely through my insistence, mind you. I guess mum & dad were finally ready to go round the baby wheel again. Anyhoo, I wouldn't trade my two gorgeous sisters for the world, and they happened to marry reasonably nice (hahaha) guys who are more than worthy of brother status. In addition, through my husband I gained 5 more sisters & 6 brothers. All incredible people. What a rich existence.
Am I in a perfect world bubble or is this just life as it was meant to be lived. In community. Whether or not the closest people to you are blood related or 'kindred spirits' as Anne of Green Gables would say - what remains is a basic human need - to know that there are people who accept you and choose to do life with you despite all they know...and vice versa.
Not sure if I've stayed on track with this blog, but I do know I remain forever grateful to family and friends who enrich my life. Enjoy your siblings & soul mates today. May your relationships resemble true community and fellow-ship and may the fellow's in your ship never tire of sailing the big blue ocean with you, and of course...vice versa.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Out of boredom comes...
My Kids: "I'm bored"
Me: "A bored brain is a lazy brain"
But today I've been advised that I don't need to continually stimulate my kids brains - if I just let them get bored enough, creativity will emerge.
Great thought coming into day one of the school holidays. I'll keep you posted with results. Who knows though, they might create the next hit board game or compose a no.1 track to out-sell justin bieber.
Still, I'm happy if Mum & Dad don't ask for their SKY box back - we've been 'taking care' of it since the NRL matches Saturday night. Disappointing the Tigers didn't win. Poor Benji & Lote, so close and yet so far.
Sky's Disney channel even keeps me entertained sometimes - I'm ashamed to say but I actually enjoy (in small doses) a bit of Zack & Cody's suite life. I normally let the kids watch one episode of something, then it's 'Mum's Turn' and it's Channel 9 - FOOD Channel. Oh yeaah! Love watching all those fancy schmancy recipes that I'll try perhaps 2% of...one day. But it's OK, all is not lost, the kids 'like' watching cooking shows too (in small doses), so we all win :D
Bring on Monday. I'm brave, I'm happy, I'm rested & I welcome boredom that will ultimately lead to productive creativity - unless of course we cop out on boredom and end up watching countless episodes of Phineas & Ferb (a house fave) & cooking shows.
Lord help us :D On a serious note, as I blog, I am sending up a prayer for all my mummy friends, for a safe, fun & blessed time over the next 2 weeks with their little 'angels' teehee.
Me: "A bored brain is a lazy brain"
But today I've been advised that I don't need to continually stimulate my kids brains - if I just let them get bored enough, creativity will emerge.
Great thought coming into day one of the school holidays. I'll keep you posted with results. Who knows though, they might create the next hit board game or compose a no.1 track to out-sell justin bieber.
Still, I'm happy if Mum & Dad don't ask for their SKY box back - we've been 'taking care' of it since the NRL matches Saturday night. Disappointing the Tigers didn't win. Poor Benji & Lote, so close and yet so far.
Sky's Disney channel even keeps me entertained sometimes - I'm ashamed to say but I actually enjoy (in small doses) a bit of Zack & Cody's suite life. I normally let the kids watch one episode of something, then it's 'Mum's Turn' and it's Channel 9 - FOOD Channel. Oh yeaah! Love watching all those fancy schmancy recipes that I'll try perhaps 2% of...one day. But it's OK, all is not lost, the kids 'like' watching cooking shows too (in small doses), so we all win :D
Bring on Monday. I'm brave, I'm happy, I'm rested & I welcome boredom that will ultimately lead to productive creativity - unless of course we cop out on boredom and end up watching countless episodes of Phineas & Ferb (a house fave) & cooking shows.
Lord help us :D On a serious note, as I blog, I am sending up a prayer for all my mummy friends, for a safe, fun & blessed time over the next 2 weeks with their little 'angels' teehee.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Main Man
Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war.
His eyes were like flames of fire, and on His head were many crowns. A name was written on Him that no one understood except Himself.
He wore a robe dipped in blood, and His title was the Word of God.
The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed Him on white horses.
From His mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On His robe at His thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
Plays like a scene out of upcoming Armageddon Expo - Labour Weekend. Yes, Sam wants to go.
True source: Revelation 19:11-16. Conclusion...
The God we serve is kinda huuuuge not to mention THE major player in this thing called life. Ahh, don't know how we could ever think He's not able to deliver!
Making a conscious effort to remind myself just who is big and what isn't. Not easy, given our earthly context but getting there.
His eyes were like flames of fire, and on His head were many crowns. A name was written on Him that no one understood except Himself.
He wore a robe dipped in blood, and His title was the Word of God.
The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed Him on white horses.
From His mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On His robe at His thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
True source: Revelation 19:11-16. Conclusion...
The God we serve is kinda huuuuge not to mention THE major player in this thing called life. Ahh, don't know how we could ever think He's not able to deliver!
Making a conscious effort to remind myself just who is big and what isn't. Not easy, given our earthly context but getting there.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
I'm seeing stars Mum
Liana & Micah with Jemimah & Nathy visit the Auckland Stardome and ponder life as astronauts. The 'moon trip' was looked forward to for days so we finally retire the regular check from Liana "Is it close to when we go to the moon now?"How is it my kids are more travelled than me in a place I have lived in for 30 something years?
My turn to visit the moon will come soon I suppose.
Speaking of things lunar, I was once a fan of the TV series that launched Bruce Willis. Very fun & a little bit flighty & flirty - Moonlighting was great viewing for a high school senior who was meant to be finishing homework, but blobbing out & telling Mum/Dad that the late hours were all absolutely necessary for school.
Those were the days. Man I am old. Bwahahaha. But I don't mind, yay for a healthy ego. Muwahahaha (evil for no good reason). Hey...blogging is just soliloquies online. I'm as crazy as Hamlet, but nowhere near as famous LOL.
Why I like Super Heroes
General Hero formula: power+passion+desire to help mankind+vulnerability=hero.
Isn't that exactly what we 'extensions of Jesus' are? Isn't Jesus the ultimate super hero, without the vulnerability...but then. He makes himself vulnerable by giving us the freedom to choose him or not. Incredible. Who could not love this guy!? He's crazy attractive and I'm in love for the long haul.
So here's to being the best we can be. Whether you are superman soaring on eagles wings, spiderman climbing up the towers of challenge, the thing-clobbering the enemy's head - be loud and proud of who you are in Jesus and while you're at it, try saving the world!
Pruning is too cool!
Joh 15:1 "I am the true grapevine, and My Father is the gardener.
Joh 15:2 He cuts off every branch of Mine that doesn't produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
Joh 15:3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.
Joh 15:4 Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me.
There is something so cool about reading Jesus teaching and then studying the concepts he used. Jesus was the meanest communicator. I guess he was probably talking to a lot of 'planty' people who understood his illustrations. just buzzing after I read all of John 15 and then looked up pruning in wikipaedia. you might not have time to read it but it's here if you do.
Key verse if you want the inspirational bit...
Joh 15:7 But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!
it's a kind of a 'if that, then this' statement and it all means heaps more if you read the whole chapter.
Read the following in light of our lives and God's careful attention to every part that makes us who we are.
Pruning is a horticultural practice involving the selective removal of parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. Reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping (by controlling or directing growth), improving or maintaining health, reducing risk from falling branches, preparing nursery specimens for transplanting, and both harvesting and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits. The practice entails targeted removal of diseased, damaged, dead, non-productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted tissue from crop and landscape plants. Specialized pruning practices may be applied to certain plants, such as roses, fruit trees, and grapevines. Different pruning techniques may be deployed on herbaceous plants than those used on perennial woody plants. Hedges, by design, are usually (but not exclusively) maintained by hedge trimming, rather than by pruning.
Arborists, orchardists, and gardeners use various garden tools and tree cutting tools designed for the purpose, such as hand pruners, loppers, or chainsaws. In nature, meteorological conditions such as wind, ice and snow, and seawater mist can cause plants to self-prune. This natural shedding is called abscission.
In general, the smaller the branch that is cut, the easier it is for a woody plant to compartmentalize the wound and thus limit the potential for pathogen intrusion and decay. It is therefore preferable to make any necessary formative structural pruning cuts to young plants, when possible, rather than removing large, poorly placed branches from mature plants.
He loves us, of this I am convinced.
Here We Go!
What does one say at the outset, other than to muse that perhaps this phase too will pass.
A regular diet of child-appropriate 'educational' entertainment, everything literary from JR Tolkien to Geronimo Stilton to Karen Kingsbury to Jesse Toailoa (lol) and the occasional stroll through NZ Herald and Facebook makes my head an interesting place to visit. What makes my head an inspiring place is the Bible, and feeding on the latter does plenty more besides.
Just thinking while Flushed Away is playing for my niece, that Hugh Jackman doesn't quite sound like himself as an animated voice. He seems more english than ever, hmm. The animated mouse bears no resemblance. I feel like watching Australia or The Prestige, but my resident 1 & 2 yr olds will not have a bar of it. X-Men anyone?
Ahh, my musings are interrupted by a certain aroma from a certain toddler. I shall leave you now laptop, although your company is far cleaner. I did choose this path of Motherhood and I do concede that the poo phase will one day be a distant memory. See time fly.
Peace and sweet scents :D and Let God be God!!
A regular diet of child-appropriate 'educational' entertainment, everything literary from JR Tolkien to Geronimo Stilton to Karen Kingsbury to Jesse Toailoa (lol) and the occasional stroll through NZ Herald and Facebook makes my head an interesting place to visit. What makes my head an inspiring place is the Bible, and feeding on the latter does plenty more besides.
Just thinking while Flushed Away is playing for my niece, that Hugh Jackman doesn't quite sound like himself as an animated voice. He seems more english than ever, hmm. The animated mouse bears no resemblance. I feel like watching Australia or The Prestige, but my resident 1 & 2 yr olds will not have a bar of it. X-Men anyone?
Ahh, my musings are interrupted by a certain aroma from a certain toddler. I shall leave you now laptop, although your company is far cleaner. I did choose this path of Motherhood and I do concede that the poo phase will one day be a distant memory. See time fly.
Peace and sweet scents :D and Let God be God!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)