This is what my term is currently shaping up to look like...

Back to work

I couldn't sleep last night & only got about 4 hours sleep. Not worried about anything in particular, but just thought & thought & thought...going to have a hot milk tonight & do some meditations to help me...

Anyway, I managed to wake up & JUST made it into work for the whole staff meeting day. My brain was only processing about 70%, but I am so thrilled that I was able to go. A fascinating & insightful speaker, Trevor Cooling, was sharing thoughts on Christian teaching & what that looks like...

How wonderful for staff to have a day to hear some great ideas, to toss around some questions & consider how they might revise some teaching strategies for this term. Refreshing...

I liked his ideas about "What-If Teaching"
* Is there something to see anew?
* Is there a learning strategy which communicates that?
* Are there "habits of the classroom" that encourage seeing anew?

And I got teary hearing the line "Dare to be a Daniel" - my Dad used to say that to me...how wonderful to hear it again & consider seeking the best of the situation I'm in, like Daniel was asked to do. God didn't remove him from the difficult place...I have some difficult classes, I have some things I don't like about teaching p/t (but I don't feel that I have the health to return to f/t work anymore) yet there are disadvantages in only being there a day or so. Yet, I am encouraged to do the best I can, & seek excellence in planning, presenting & evaluating lessons - even though I'm finding it hard & wondering about work. I can't hold up those 10 years in the 90s, that is a distant memory now. On a practical level it has helped me, but I can't hold up those memories for current student because they are still getting to know me - they don't know the Mrs Stonestreet of those days...anyway, even on FOUR hours sleep it was good to consider teaching & education & chat with the staff around me, & pray & get our heads in a good place for the term ahead...

It will be super busy. There is so much happening, starting with parent teacher interviews Week 2, closely followed by Trial Music HSC. My kids are teetering on the brink of illness, & I have so much to do. I need to get back to school to do some more things, but I need to keep them warm & dry. These are the things I never experience before having kids - like being able to give so much time to work (perhaps that's not always healthy). Now I feel torn between two worlds. I'm learning about the whole work/family balance still & it's harder than I thought it would be. Having gone through the loss of children & being incredibly blessed to have Drama Queen & the Melon, it's hard learning to stretch myself. I don't want to take them for granted, I don't want to forget the fact that they are two living blessings for us, I don't want to forget the tears & all we went through to have them. Some women manage it all amazingly well, yet I think the line that women can have it all is from a fairytale. You can't because both worlds need you & there is always a compromise...anyway...

Just throwing all of this exhausted rambling out there into the Blog world before I fall into bed.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Pray

Praying in church Sunday morning...so love the community at Gymea. I am just keeping the flu at bay, so am so hoping to go...

There is something quite moving about meeting with God at the start of a new week...gets my head in the right space & helps me focus on what is ahead. And what is ahead this week is another week with kids & getting back into a work frame-of-mind. Don't know if D will be up to working or not. Hmmmm, poor guy.

His BMT anniversary passed us all by...we sat at the dinner table as a family last night & realised that it was FOUR years since his transplant! How wonderful to have him here with us...so grateful! The kids have loved hanging out with him so much this week!!

Hooray for a God who loves & helps us through such horror, for holidays, friendships, family & each other. For work, for food to eat & a house to live in - keeping us warm on these cold winter nights. For gifts we can use & share. For being able to do hard things & growing having experienced them. For music, for art, for good films, for books, for freedom here in Australia, for education...

We are blessed.

I don't want to take any of this for granted because I know that life is so short...

Seeking warmth

Doesn't this look delightful?

It's a cold day here. D is still fighting off his dreadful cold, & I am just managing to keep it at bay. The kids are enjoying their school holidays. So feeling cold & shaky, but the day is full of blessings - I've been to pilates, I've borrowed from the library, hugs from the kids warms up my body & my heart...just about to make some toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch :-) A peaceful day...good books, snuggles & a DVD for the kids.

Sigh...roll on spring. My old bones are cold...

Reading Reading Reading...

Love sitting with the kids, nuzzling up to read a good book...

Pocket Money...

Pocket money has been saved & today I promised the kids they could buy something special they wanted with their money...

The Drama Queen returned to the Build-A-Bear shop & bought herself another cheap bear (white) & named her "Stephanie" [rhymes with Bethany, the other bear's name!].

The Melon bought himself a remote control spider...oh joy.

P.S. Did I say money they had saved? I meant that they had "nearly" saved up & I kicked in the diff as a special holiday treat! I hope that they remember I'm not such a pathetic mum in the future...

I teach...

Been hunting lots of dust bunnies...

I emptied out about 10 vacuum containers FULL of them after cleaning up my Music Room today...& there's STILL more to do...

Thinking about my classroom

Wanting to make it more cosy, but I have very limited time & resources so have been on the internet looking at amazing room displays etc. I bought an old armchair for the room which has been great. Have lots of ideas...I am going in tomorrow to put up fresh posters & freshen up the room & vacuum up the MAJOR AMOUNT OF DUST in everything in there!

Singing along to the 80s mix on in the lounge room...ahhhh, the 80s - weren't they great!?

The man I love...

School holidays

Bonnie went for a late bike ride with D this afternoon. She is such a fit little thing. She crashed tonight though ;-)  [Not the bike, I mean fell fast asleep before she'd had a chance to ask me to read!]

So nice not to have to make lunches & to just have a BREAK from the business of term. I love the holidays. To sit with a book, to do some planning for the next term, to consider topics & what I could do better, to just hug the kids & have a sleep in etc. It's awesome...

*still praying*

for Japan...what an amazing effort to clean up what must have seemed totally overwhelming! Go to the link - it makes me feel so whiney after complaining about the kids mess in my house.

Feel so compelled to pray for these people...it breaks my heart to read that many are turning to suicide. I can't begin to imagine the heartbreak  of being the only surviving member of your family - but I wish I could hug them & encourage them to not give up! There is hope...

Careful...

...saw this on a Blog the other day...watch out for those cliffs hey!?

Remembering childhood with a theme...