When being yourself equals trouble

Over the weekend I had a great chat with my daughter, quite possibly, the best so far. We had a two-hour road trip and we talked. And we talked. The. whole. time. I can't speak for Nat, but for me, that was so good for my soul. I feel like we totally connected and were both…

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Just put the screen down

I'm really starting to annoy myself. Do you constantly find yourself checking for new activity on your blogs, tweetbooks, facetags, instapins and hashmails? 😉 I do. I can hardly wander past my phone without checking the notifications some days. If I'm sitting "watching" the kids at sport, you'll probably find me on my screen a lot. Over at…

Break my heart for what breaks yours

Sometimes the amazing kids are labelled the trouble kids. I come across them a lot in my job, which I've written about before. Recently I had a chat with a young person who absolutely broke my heart. After they left my room the song 'Hosanna' from Hillsong came to mind, specifically: "Open up my eyes to the…

Not in jail

One simple sentence can change our world - the way we see it, what we think about. This happened to me at work. I work with teenagers who I happen to think are wonderful. Challenging sometimes, but I enjoy their company. They come to my room in the high school when they're either sent from…

Thankful Thursday (October 16)

So much to be thankful for. Always. But especially when I haven't written it here for a few weeks. So here goes, in no particular order, just bullet points today... Two weeks school holidays with my family, only a couple of days where I had all four kids to myself but we made the most…

Thankful Thursday (September 18)

It amazes me how complex we humans are - that I can feel so many conflicting emotions all at once but somehow, manage to compartmentalize, so that the bad does not overcome the good. I have so much to be thankful for, I'm walking in a state of perpetual gratitude at the moment. With that,…

Thankful Thursday (Sept 11)

I am super grateful that we have a faith-based radio station in New Zealand. Every morning in the car the kids and I listen to the hilarious hosts on the breakfast show of Lifefm. Funny as they are, everything is delivered under the umbrella of being inspiring and encouraging youth with faith on their journey.…

Seeing my little people smile

By 9am this morning I had already seen my two littlest people with the biggest smiles on their faces. And I know that happy vibe that will stay with them today. Seeing them happy, that's a great way for me to start a day for sure! Natty Nat asked me if I could write her a list of…

THANKFUL THURSDAY (August 28)

I give thanks to God every day - for His provision, endless love and grace. This week I am especially thankful that my children are healthy. That we are able to spend time as a family, especially in the great outdoors. That we live in an amazing country which is peaceful, safe and where one can…

RANDOM RANT: POLITICKING KIDS

I need to have a wee rant. It's about those blimen politicians. Oh I know they keep the country running and all that (well so they tell us!). But here in New Zealand we're in the weeks leading up to National elections. So yeah, we ALL know what that's like! I generally consider myself pretty…

Work? Optional!

Daily Prompt: If money were out of the equation, would you still work? If yes, why, and how much? If not, what would you do with your free time? Well this is a prompt I can really relate to. In fact it is an ongoing discussion between my husband and I right now. To set the scene,…

BOOK WEEK

Ooooh, much excitement in our house at the moment. Next week is book week at the primary school - aside from poster competitions and special visitors to school etc, anticipation is already building for the dress up parade on Friday. Sam is going as a Famous Five Character, Tom is going as Captain America (book/comic!)…

RANDOM RANT: GAMES NOT HELPING MATHS!

"Mama is one-five-oh-oh-oh bigger than two-two-oh-oh-oh?" A seemingly random question thrown from the backseat of the car set my brain into action and I need a place to vent. So hello! What my daughter is asking is 'I've got 15,000 Kibble so can I 'buy' something that is 22,000 Kibble'. She's playing a Pet Shop game on her…

TO INSULATE OR EXPOSE TO THE WORLD?

Those of you who know me, or who follow my blog, will know I have no problem stating things as I see them. I'm a pretty very open person and you'll pretty much always know where I stand on an issue. While blogging gives me time to think and articulate my thoughts (I've written about this before), when…

THANKFUL THURSDAY (July 31)

  The town library - my favourite quiet place. The 'thankful' posts that are going around Facebook. I make a point of doing this every day in my journal and know what a difference it makes to me. I love, that even if only for a few days, people are walking around actively looking for…

FOR MY CHILDREN

The other night while Nat was having one of her meltdowns (for lack of a better word) I REALLY felt the need to reassure her of my love. I KNOW she knows how much I love her, I'm pretty sure I say and show it daily in different ways. But sometimes I feel like she's…

HOLDING TO MY CHILDLIKE PERSPECTIVE

Daily writing prompt: Adult Visions I grew up knowing some things about my future. I was told/heard them often enough. "Oh Abbie, she's a good girl. She's so bright. She'll go to university." I mean I was your typical oldest child - reliable and conscientious. God blessed me with a good brain and I liked…

INTEGRITY

This term our three youngest will be focusing on the Core Value of Integrity at school. I think it can be defined in a lot of different ways and am really looking forward to our teatime round-the-table discussions as we get further into their learning. I would like to think I am a person of integrity in…

WATCHING HER HEALING HURT

Last night we had another gut wrenching evening with Nat. It came from nowhere, they always do, these intense waves of emotion that rise from nothing and in a moment consume her so completely. As a mama, I feel like my heart literally cracks each time I see her like that - my baby in…

LABELS: HIS HERS MINE YOURS OURS

Throughout life there are labels foisted upon us, we no doubt impose labels on ourselves as well. Some are necessary, it's how we categorise the world. To be honest, I think labels are all about perception, so what one person may label us is quite possibly the complete opposite of what society may label us. But that's a whole…