Gold Coast Day 1

Well not quite the GC just yet but today we set off on our journey. As I am a very poor traveller and we would have had to be up very early in the morning we decided to stay the night at a motel close to the airport. Matt finished school at lunchtime and once ready we headed off. Along with all our luggage and Lucy's wheelchair we travelled by train to the city and then caught a connecting bus to our motel. I was very surprised as to how easy it was and am so glad we did it this way.

We are staying at the Comfort Hostel in Belmont which to say the least is very basic - not even a window to look out of !!!! Oh well, it is serving a purpose.

We had tea at the Hungry Jacks across the road and am now settling down for the evening. We have played cards and are just hanging out  before catching an early bedtime. We will be up early, have breakfast and then be on our way. I cannot wait to see the Gold Coast!!!

Is my holiday here yet?

This is what I have been asking myself every day for the past month or so. We are heading to the Gold Coast at the end of the month and I seriously

 CAN NOT WAIT.....

I am sooo ready for a break and change of scenery. My hotel awaits!!!

Oh the sunshine, sea, shopping, eating and the theme parks. I am counting the days.

September 11 - 10 Years on

I think just about every adult and even some children can recall where they were when the awful events of New York city unfolded. 

I was a thirty something mum with three young kids so I had headed off to bed early (it was nightime here in Australia) the next morning I woke up and could hear James watching the news and I heard a plane had flown into a building in New York. My first reaction was how awful but thought it was a small two seater plane or something that has lost control. Boy was I wrong!!!!

As I came into the family room I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the TV screen. Jess was nearly 11 years of age and home from school sick that day- we just sat and watched all day in utter disbelief.

I know lots of Aussies had still been awake the night before and saw it as breaking news and they said they just sat up all night watching everything unfold.

No - one could believe what they were seeing. How could this happen to a country like the U.S.? Could this happen to us here in Australia?

The pain of loved ones soon became apparent as they searched for family and friends. The heroics of the fire department and other emergency agencies just absorbed us. The looks of victims faces said it all......... How could this be?????

10 years on, those families remember their loved ones and are probably still in disbelief. I hope they know that the world is with them and praying that their grief will never have to be felt by any other human being on this planet at the hands of terrorists.

The world got changed forever, but America and it's allies will never give up and are stronger than ever.

Thanks to god my children get to live in a safe place with democracy.  

Picnik Fun

I have been having so much fun with Picnik lately. If you haven't tried it you really must. It helps to make an OK photo great. There are lots of editing, cropping, framing and effects options to choose from.

So far I have only used the free version but am seriously thinking about paying for the upgrade. 

This picture was taken on the weekend. Mikey turned 20 on Sunday- yes 9/11 is his birthday.....

Both him and Jess have been unwell this past week. They were hoping to have a party for Mikey but it wasn't to be this year.

Anyway he got to spend the day with his family and they called by us late in the afternoon.

Father's Day 2011

We had the most lovely father's day. It was quiet but just what we needed. It started out with us cooking a full breakfast for James and present opening.

Last year when James and Jess were holidaying in Melbourne they visited the zoo and James managed to get this great photo of a tree kangaroo with her baby in her pouch. I decided it would be a great picture for our home and so had it put onto a canvas for father's day.

We just hung around home for the day doing bits and bobs and I managed a small amount of time in my sewing room tracing a pattern for a top.

As we are off on holidays at the end of the month we decided not to go out for dinner on this father's day.

Lucy had fun just jumping in the garden while the sun shined. The hint of spring is upon us and the days feel a little warmer. I think I need to get some sun on my body before we head off on holidays as my skin is so white after winter. I don't want to blind all the Queenslanders with my white as white skin- ha !!!

I love this  photo of my sweetie.

 Jess  and Mikey came over for dinner and we enjoyed KFC and  a lovely glass or two of wine together. It was so nice us all being together and having fun.  They gave James some money for him to purchase his favourite thing - some DVD's.

I hope everyone else had a great Father's Day !!

Hockey 2011

This is what James has been doing all through winter. He hasn't played for 10 years what with raising young kids and their weekend activities etc. Now the kids are a little older he decided he wanted to play again.

He has enjoyed it even though he has had numerous injuries and got very friendly with the physio team at Woodbridge physio.

Lucy and I went along one Saturday to watch and it was mighty  cold and not something we did again this season. We find something a lot warmer to do on a Saturday afternoon.

I am glad he gets some male bonding time even though the physio bill is increasing by the week!!!

Home Schooling - How do you do that?

That is the question that gets asked of me every time someone learns that Lucy is homeschooled. The first thing people assume is that we are hippies or that I hate the school system. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have done it all. Our Kids were in the public system successfully and then we found private schooling which I love and prefer to public school. My eldest went through private secondary school and my son is now there.

And here we are now with Lucy doing distance education. Would I prefer her to be at  school? Yes and no !!!   I would love her to be healthy enough to go to private school and be with friends and hence give me some free time, but I am glad she is not in public school.   The negative about home schooling is that I have no free time - in the beginning that was hard but now we have a routine and it works fine. The positives of home schooling is that Lucy has a personalized program and one of the things I sure don't miss about public school is the politics and a child coming home being upset about one thing or another. 

Homeschooling is a huge committment and I look at it as my job. I have friends that work and they can't do stuff because of work and neither can I because this is my job.  That's not to say we don't have the occassional day off or if James is available I don't meet friends for lunch or whatever. We have a pretty strict routine but we do break it now and then.

The biggest thing to establish is a good routine and have the kids know what is expected of them. The aim is to produce independent learners for life. Lucy has gained so many skills doing distance education that I don't think she would have learnt being in the public school system.

Here is what our classroom looks like. It is in the corner of our dining room which is open plan with our family room and kitchen. I could have put the classroom in our spare bedroom or office but I find it works better here. I can do things in the kitchen and still have Lucy ask questions etc.

Home schooling has always been popular in the U.S. but not so in Australia. The only kids that used to do it were those that lived in the outback and were isolated. I am finding it is becoming more of an option now here too which is great. If someone had asked me five years ago if I would home school my child I would have said "HELL NO" but I am glad to say it is a great option for our family right now.