What Do You Think?

To round up a term of study on the topic of Minibeasts, our big girl will be having a Bug Ball with the rest of the junior school tomorrow. To that end, they've been invited to dress up as their favourite bug. She's spent the last couple of days putting together her costume: a set of butterfly wings with matching accessories. She's taken the lead on this one, with me simply supervising and helping with some of the trickier bits (ie. sewing). She's extremely happy with the outcome and can't wait to put this on at school tomorrow.

This term, the lads in our big boy's class have developed a rather interesting obsession with the pigeon (pronounced "pee-zhon", a la faux French). They started a pigeon club, fed the pigeons at lunch time (with their food from their lunchbox, until they got told off by the teachers), and went to great lengths to extol the intelligence and greatness of these two-legged bird brains.

A few days ago, though, our big boy came home with this:

Him: The boys in my class have come up with a pigeon god. 

Me: Hmm. What do you think of that?

Him: I don't agree with it.

Me: Me too. What do they do with it?

Him: They praise it, and stuff. I think it's taking things a bit too far. Could you speak to A's mum about it?

Me: No, I don't think I can, but if you feel comfortable, you can always talk to your friends about it. 

Today:

Him: I asked my friends about why they came up with the pigeon god, and they told me that the pigeon god is just "God", because He made the pigeons. But then, I don't understand why they just don't say God.

Me: It's good you managed to talk to them. What do you think about all this?

Him: I still don't agree with it. 

Two things I've taken away from this little episode: 

• I'm proud of our big boy for having the wisdom to realise when fun and games crosses a line, and being able to take a step back from it. This, in spite of the fact that one of the boys that created said pigeon god was his best friend. 
• The question "What do you think?" is an incredibly handy tool! For one, it buys ME time to think and craft a response, but it also allows my child to process and lead the discussion with his perspective, not mine. I usually weigh in a little later, but it helps to hear him out first.

And oh yes! Happy Michaelmas, aka Feast of the Archangels! Our little man celebrates his feast day today, and we remembered the occasion with cake for dessert and a special prayer in the evening. 

Playdough & A Soul.

As an update on our punctured tyre: I fully expected to be a few hundred dollars out of pocket after changing the tyre(s), but lo and behold, the tyre experts opted to repair the tyre instead of changing it! Woohoo! So we're just $50 poorer today.

Dinosaur footprints were the least of the things they got up to today after we made some pretty silky playdough. The bigs got right into it when they got home too, testimony to our playdough making success today. The texture was great. 

It has been a sobering day after I found out yesterday that one of our RCIY friends is in the ICU for heart issues and we all don't know how much time she has left. We're definitely hoping for the best for her. What does it mean to live a life I won't regret on my deathbed? Does my lifestyle nurture my soul as much as it does my body, so I won't fear for my soul at the moment of death? Very existential sentiments on my mind and heart today.

Punctured.

I picked up a nail in our tyre on my travels this afternoon; we discovered the slow leak just before dinner. Yikes! The resourceful husband managed to figure out the puncture kit that was in Japanese and sort us out temporarily. (It doesn't involve a spare tyre.)

It's the Queen's memorial day tomorrow so fingers crossed the right shops will be open for us tomorrow to get the tyre changed. 

Life feels like it has been a little harder lately. A punctured tyre seems like one more hurdle in the mix. Our big boy has been living with a motor tic and that's flared up recently. He's in great spirits and incredibly resilient, which I'm grateful for. It's been a challenge thus far. Seeking the grace and wisdom to walk with him on this journey. 

36.

The husband turned 36 on Friday. It was a simple day, but the children made sure he knew he is loved.

Work in progress:

Making a photo mug for papa

All their effort paid off:

My instructions to the children: "Think of something that reminds you of dad and put it on the cake."

Happy 36th, love. 

Homemade Oat Crackers.

I tried my hand at making my own oat crackers today after we ran out of our store bought ones. Definitely cheaper to make at home, and they taste pretty good plain or with cheese too. I'm still working on getting the thickness right, but it was a promising attempt. 

The littlies and I went to check out camping equipment this morning. 

We really liked these camping bunks. We're gearing up for summer, but waiting for a good deal with summer discounts too. 

Helping Hand.

Our big boy wasn't feeling well yesterday and stayed home from school. He went with us to the supermarket and was a dream... Helping with groceries and looking after the little ones.

It was also good to see him getting hands on with prep for potato wedges this afternoon:

He jumped straight into the shower after this. Getting messy isn't his thing and there's only so much of it he can tolerate.. Something he has in common with our littlest!

This one is a work in progress but these little moments are encouraging to see. 

Moo.

Tonight's dinner conversation started with the little man:

Him: How do they get beef from the cow without killing it?

Um.... Actually.

The little man took it pretty well as he chewed thoughtfully on his beef stew. The conversation looped around stories about vegetarian friends, what bone structure tells us about what an animal eats, the children asking what baby cows are called ("cowlets", the husband tells the children)... And finished rather ridiculously with the husband breaking into an enthusiastic rendition of "I Am Cow". If you know the song, you know. The children had a great laugh. As much as they begged, though, he told them he never does repeat performances. 

The husband did do a Spotify sing-along after bath time though, which was quite hilarious and a lot of fun. Haha! This one and his secret inner goofball. 

Crazy Scone.

Me, to the husband: Bacon/spinach scones or bacon/mushroom scones?

Him: How about mushroom/spinach scones?

Mushroom/spinach scones it was. 

Tada:

I topped it with some cheese, didn't bother with a box grater, hence the lava rock look. Pretty sure that's not something you're gonna find in any store around. Not sure how that's going to taste, but at the very least it will make for interesting eating for the husband at work!

That's usually how it works, and something I'm grateful for. He takes my ideas, adds his own perspective to them which often elevates the end product. The umami from the mushrooms mean they can replace the meat and the bacon can be saved for another meal. The spinach is fairly neutral so it should go with the mushrooms to make a hearty enough bite. Fun.

This chemistry definitely keeps life interesting. And hopefully scrumptious too, but that remains to be seen! 

Living & Serving.

It was such a blessing to have a friend come by for tea this morning and later offer to fold the laundry together. Over conversation, the laundry pile disappeared in no time at all.

Some time last week, over dinner, we talked a bit about family, and I asked the children who they think serves in a family. One said, "parents serve the children". Another, "parents serve the children, children serve the parents," in a nutshell, yes, that's roughly it. We all serve one another in big and small ways through the gift of family life. 

It was precisely this thought that crossed my mind as I watched our little lady, intent on her self-appointed task of squeezing toothpaste onto each of her siblings' toothbrushes this evening (she'd raced ahead of me to the bathroom!). Her siblings remarked that she prepared her older siblings' toothbrushes first. She saved hers for last, putting others before herself. A small gesture, but it was a poignant reminder of what we are called to be to each other as family.

A powerful reminder that the stories we tell our children of our failures and fears are just as, if not more powerful of the ones we tell of our triumphs. 

Sowing & Skating.

Our children were given a few seed pots as part of a supermarket initiative. The husband conducted a planting session after lunch. In two weeks, the children should be ready to transplant their seedlings. Fingers crossed! They've got rocket, swede, snow pea, spinach, daikon, beetroot and possibly more. The husband built a little garden bed for the children using wood from the big boy's old bed frame. It will be interesting to see which of the children has got their dada's green thumbs. 

Our little man had his first skating experience today when we all went to Skateland with the McVeys. He reminded me of a little duckling from the way he waddled carefully across the carpet. He was determined to make it off the practice area and onto the main rink were his siblings were. They were very encouraging and held his hand as he navigated the rink. Our little lady slept on my back the entire time. Now to get the little man his own skates!

Brothers.

Mid-autumn Festival.

中秋节快乐！This year's mid-autumn celebrations included our neighbours, too. We got together and had ice cream after dinner, enjoyed a lantern walk while admiring the full moon, sampled mooncake (thank you, Popo!) and finally caught a close up glimpse of the full moon through our neighbour's telescope.

Surprisingly, all lanterns made it to the end of the walk! Well done, children! 

Father's Day.

We celebrated Father's Day last Sunday.

Breakfast Chef

Our Little man's present. 😉

Thank you for being an amazing father to our children.

Sickness, life and a generally full plate this week have left me floundering a little bit. Blog posts have fallen by the wayside in favour of an early night's rest. Still getting there, but one step at a time.

Oh, and happy birthday, Mother Mary!

Passion.

Some children develop an insatiable appetite for facts about dinosaurs, diggers or spiders. For our big boy, he's found a passion in Birds of Prey. It began when he noticed the peregrine falcon for its incredible diving speed. He began to seek out more reading material about birds of prey, and wanted to visit parks with birds of prey. 

These comprise his current reading material from the library:

After realising that many native birds of prey are hunted, he said he didn't like people who hunt wildlife. He currently hopes to pursue a career protecting wildlife, either that or a career as a bird watcher with the National Geographic.

On a separate note, something he said at night prayer resonated with me:

If I could have anything I want, I would want to go to heaven. 

I admire his conviction and purity of heart, and am also grateful for it. 

This weekend's garden harvest.

Big girl having a blast at a birthday party this arvo.

Date night.

It's father's day here tomorrow, and the children are very excited to give papa the gifts they've made.  

Oobleck!

It was "oobleck day" and I'm so glad we decided to do it outside! 2 parts cornflour and 1 part water, this non-Newtonian substance kept us busy for awhile.

We also used a whole bottle of white vinegar on our "volcano" experiment, involving baking soda and vinegar. Our little lady enjoyed creating the reaction over and over, and over again. 

Now to go look for more sensory play ideas. And maybe the book "Bartholmew and the Oobleck" by Dr Seuss.