Sunday, 28 December 2008
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
Merry Christmas!
Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
"Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Merry Christmas everyone!!
Today
Today, a fuse blew at home so half the house was without power for most of the day. Adam fixed it when he got home, but it was really the last straw for me today - I gave up trying to get everything done and watched a few episodes of Jane Eyre instead. Such a good story, and much more enjoyable than running around getting organised. I've managed to get most things done in the end anyway.
Oscar ran inside this evening with a mouse in his mouth - eewww. He was sent back outside straight away. Poor mouse.
Hamish was really grizzly whenever I put him down for a sleep today - I ended up giving him panadol because he seemed more distressed than usual. It's the first time I've given him panadol and it seemed to work. Perhaps he had a headache - if I'd been crying as much as he had, I would probably have a sore head! Plus he did bump his head a few times today but that's not unusual.
We opened our Christmas pressies this evening (as we'll be leaving early in the morning) and Adam got me an excellent, thoughtful present - a massage chair insert thingo that plays music from my ipod at the same time as giving me a back massage. Does that make sense? It's called the MP3 Cush massage seat. I love it!
Monday, 15 December 2008
In Defence of the Welcoming Wife
Out of Control
"The current obsession with control looks to me like a symptom of a deep unease in our society. The yearning for control is a cry for help. The most useful response to that cry is not to say, "Here's how to get your life under control" but to explain that the deepest sense of wellbeing springs not from mastery of our circumstances - let alone mastery of others - but from mastery of ourselves."
Lights Out
This year, we've discovered solar lights - such a great idea! You get a string of sparkly lights connected to a small solar panel (instead of having to plug them into a socket). Adam put some up along the side fence, and to our dismay someone cut the line in 3 places on Saturday night.
He was able to fix them up so some lights still work, but it's really disappointing. Adam's opinion on it includes quite a few swear words.
In happier Christmas news, today I put up the nativity scene inside.
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Sunday, 7 December 2008
Art vs Science
I've been getting very stressed about a plus b not equalling c. It's hard not to feel like a failure when you do everything you think you're meant to and the results aren't there - but then it's not about results really. A baby isn't a science experiment.
So what is it about? It's about growing a family, and sometimes, just about getting through the day. It's about taking two steps forward, one step back. It's about marvelling at this little person, made in God's image. It's about poo and spew and sleepless nights - desperately wishing they were over whilst not wanting to let go of the precious moments.
It's about the best of times and the worst of times - all rolled into one!
Rest
Tomorrow I could be back to exhaustion again, so I'm not getting too excited - just enjoying it for the moment.
Jessica Rowe
http://www.smh.com.au/news/lifeandstyle/people/jessica-rowes-scaryobessessive-ideas/2008/12/06/1228257377860.html
I was interested in her revelation that she had thoughts of harming her baby. I wonder how common this is - I've certainly had moments when thoughts like this have popped into my mind. I've never felt like acting on them at all - I've put them down to exhaustion and not worried. I guess if they were there all the time I'd be concerned.
I admire her for speaking out - the image the media and public figures normally give us of motherhood is far removed from the day to day reality.
Down Syndrome Screening
I reckon the idea that babies with down syndrome are better off being terminated before birth is based on the following assumptions:
1. It's up to the parents to decide if a baby gets to be born (the rights of the baby don't seem to come into it); and
2. A person with down syndrome would be better off never having been born.
I sometimes wonder if people who advocate the termination of downs babies have ever met someone with the syndrome. Yes, it's a disability and it brings many challenges to both the person affected and their family, but it's not the end of the world! I've met plenty of people with down syndrome and on the whole they're no different to others in their enjoyment and experience of life.
It is a tragedy for someone to be conceived with downs syndrome - but terminating a pregnancy because of the condition is merely creating one tragedy in the hope of avoiding another.
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Sleepy time
He has to be really tired to actually nod off - I try to strap him in with the sheet but he's too strong and wriggles out of it in the blink of an eye.
Things I've been learning about looking after babies
My Kitchen Calendar is still on September
I may turn it to December tomorrow. We'll see.
Friday, 21 November 2008
Damn Dams...
From the bus today, I saw a spray-painted sign someone has stuck up on a tree. It made me laugh, because this is what it said:
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Blowing Raspberries
Saturday, 8 November 2008
Interesting Find at the Beach
Paddington out and about
I hope he liked it - she certainly seemed to be enjoying herself!
What's Your Word?
Elizabeth eventually decides that her word is ANTEVASIN, a Sanskrit word meaning 'one who lives at the border', an in-betweener who belongs neither here not there.
This got me thinking - what's my word? After a bit of pondering, I think it's SAVED, because that's how I see myself. It resonates well with me and reflects the foundation of who I am, a child of God who's been saved by His grace.
What's your word?
Monday, 3 November 2008
Melb Cup
I love watching it and I get excited about who will win. And then promptly forget all details - couldn't tell you any past winners.
Can't beat a good national event! Like all top Australian events, this one is more about eating and drinking than anything else. Gotta love it.
More on Marketing
"Ads in Gmail are placed in the same way that ads are placed alongside Google search results and, through the Google AdSense program, on content pages across the web. The goal is to provide you with helpful ads, links and content relevant to your specific interests. Advertising and related information are displayed based on a completely automated process."
I still don't like it.
Targeted Marketing
Today, I notice that three out of the four ads down the side of the page are about getting babies to sleep. Here they are:
Sleep is ImportantLearn how to achieve quality sleep! Essential things you must know...www.WeNatex.com.au
Teach Your Baby To SleepStep-by-step program teaches any baby to sleep through the night!www.sleepsense.net
TOP Swaddle Blanket 2008Promotes Sleep & Motor Development Stretchy Cocoon, Easy IN/OUT Zipperwww.Thewoombie.com
That just seems like too much of a coincidence to me! I've noticed it before - whatever I'm writing about, ads seem to match it.
Creepy - I don't really like it.
Saturday, 1 November 2008
'How to Drive Your Mother Crazy' by Hamish McCann
Step 2: Finally go to sleep.
Step 3: Wake up and roll over onto your tummy. Try to do this just after midnight.
Step 4: Throw up.
Step 5: Scream hysterically.
Step 6: Wait till you've been put back in your place, then repeat from step 2.
It's important to look really cute at the same time so your mother doesn't know whether to laugh or cry, or both.
Note from Mum: even though I'm really tired, you've gotta love him - look how cute he is!
Friday, 31 October 2008
Mannerisms
If I spend a bit of time with someone (and it doesn't have to be very long), I often adopt one or two of their mannerisms or ways of speaking, without meaning to at all.
I mean, I know I sound and move like my mum and dad - for example, yesterday I dropped something and my immediate response was to say "Giddy Art!" exactly the same way mum does. I think it's derived from the phrase "Giddy Heart" but I've got no idea really.
That I can understand, but I don't even have to like someone, let alone be related to them, to start mimicking them.
It makes me wonder - what's me and what's not?? Spooky...
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Big Bed
He's very unsettled at the moment and having him in our bedroom doesn't seem to be working so it's on to Plan B.
Lets see how we go....I feel really sad about it but if it means we all get more sleep then it will be worth it.
Obsessed
Today, I saw the following on the vine:
2 different types of spiders
A baby cicada
A very small (like 5mm long) grasshopper
A baby ladybeetle
A native bee
A wasp
Tiny snails
Big snails
Plenty of normal bees
And that was in only say 5 mins of looking! God's creation is just so cool, I love having a garden where I can admire His work.
I've taken heaps of photos, but instead of posting them here I'm going to add them to the side bar one after another, so the picture will change every couple of days.
Sunday, 26 October 2008
So against the rules
Lusting after Stationery
The thing is, I really really enjoy the shopping bit, but always end up using the diary much, much less than I planned. I think I like the idea of one more than the reality.
Energy
Body always wins, in the end.
This week
Monday - driving lesson, dog and rabbit getting desexed, bible study
Tuesday - Hamish gets his 4 month vaccinations
Wednesday - Mothers Group
Thursday - probably grocery shopping
Friday - Going to a tupperware party!
I've never been to a tupperware party before, and I have to say I'm a bit excited about it.
Behind the wheel
So if you're on the streets of the Central Coast between 10.30am - 11.30am, watch out!
Paradox
I'm tending to get really, really stressed out in the early hours of the morning when Hamish decides to wake up, and if I'm not careful the stress sort of spills over into the rest of the day even if the day itself is running ok. So I've been spending a lot of time feeling exhausted and frustrated.
But - at the same time I'm really ridiculously happy with life. Just have to remind myself of that fact instead of focusing on the stress!
Things I'm enjoying at the moment are:
- Hamish (of course!)
- The garden - I keep taking photos of it and they all look exactly the same as the ones I took last year, I can't help it though - I keep running inside to grab the camera!
- Adam enjoying his job
- Sitting at the kitchen table, getting work done, with a lovely view over the pool and backyard. Not a bad office!
- Feeling Christmas in the air
- Seeing my grandparents every couple of weeks
- The warmer weather
Friday, 24 October 2008
Lunchtime for Spider
Thursday, 23 October 2008
What is with the weather?
Monday, 20 October 2008
Sunday, 19 October 2008
More from the garden
Thursday, 16 October 2008
In the Garden
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
hello good lookin'!
Monday, 13 October 2008
Bunny Maintenance
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Fluffy Mail
Esther not so pure?
This is often the case in the bible - the people God chooses to do His work usually display a few glaring faults. They are all reassuringly human!
I might download the study notes and take a closer look at Esther...
Saturday, 11 October 2008
Another classic moment in my life (not)
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I decided that the best thing to do to help me sleep, would be to get rid of some of the excess energy that the stress had generated.
So I started wildly waving my arms around like a lunatic. Crazy looking, but therapeutic. Seemed like a very good idea at the time.
Unfortunately for me, in my tired state I forgot that I was holding an open tub of moisturiser. As I flung my arms around, the tub went too, sending streams of thick, white moisturiser into the air. Some landed on me, some landed on the floor, some landed on the sink...in fact some of it is still on the floor because I couldn't be bothered doing anything about it. I possibly now have the best moisturised bathroom on the Central Coast.
I had to laugh - it reduced my stress - just not exactly in the way I'd planned!
Oh well
To my great delight, they did fit - in fact, they weren't even tight! Well done me - as you can imagine, this was Doing Good Things for my post-baby self esteem (as far as clothes are concerned anyway).
Then, today, I discovered something previously overlooked - they are maternity pants!! No wonder they are so loose...
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Go Esther!
I recently re-read the book, and it is a cracking good story.
Wedding vows
This means that the actual vows are really important - these are the promises we make and the core of the relationship! I wonder sometimes about modern wedding vows, whether the promises made are in keeping with what marriages need to survive and thrive. For example, some vows include sections about helping the other person reach their potential, or fulfill their life dreams, or become all they can be. This, in a subtle way, to me seems to be promoting the individual as more important than the marriage.
Of course there is plenty of room within the marriage relationship for people to achieve their own goals and develop as individuals, but when this becomes more important than the marriage things are in trouble.
If times are tough I try to ask not what do I need, but rather what does my marriage need. Why? Because I promised to. Here's what I said to Adam on 24 March 2001:
"I Alison, in the presence of God, take you Adam, to be my husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to submit to all the time, as long as we both shall live. This is my solemn vow and promise."
Now, I love Adam very much. But if those feelings weren't there, the promises would be. That's why vows are important to the health of a marriage - and why we depend on them!
Sovreignty of the Individual
It was very interesting, and there were a few ideas I found particularly striking. One of them was that our culture practices the sovreignty of the individual, which by its very nature is diametrically opposed to marriage and families. For families to be healthy, individuals need to submit to and serve one another, and in a culture where individual is king, this poses some challenges!
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Relief
Funnily enough, realising this made me relax, so I don't feel all that stressed anymore. What a relief!
Monday, 29 September 2008
Funny sounds
I know what it is - Hamish sucking his hand with great enthusiasm!
Sunday, 28 September 2008
Saturday, 27 September 2008
Oscar helping me plan my week
More on being busy
Being Busy
I've read a few posts today about dealing with busy times at home. You can find them here, here and here.
Anyone who knows me and has been to my house over the past 7 or 8 years would know that I am not exactly Martha Stewart. In our place at Leichhardt, it was a constant challenge to find somewhere to sit down because of all the mess in the way! The carpet, which started out sort of blue, was more brown and grey, not to mention hairy, by the time we moved out. And in our place now, you can walk through without touching anything and you'll still come out covered in pet hair.
Clearly I don't have a huge desire for cleanliness. But I do have a desire for order and since being home full time, my standards have risen to a perhaps unrealistic level. Being on top of the housework makes me feel like I've achieved something, and gives me a sense of being in control. Unfortunately the price I pay is exhaustion and an increase in stress.
The challenge for me, from the posts I linked to above, is to decide what's really necessary to get done, and what isn't.
The answer isn't to do nothing, because that would be unhelpful too - but to do enough so that the house runs relatively smoothly and our basic needs are met.
So my new plan of attack is to carefully consider what needs doing, and to try to get it done in the mornings, leaving the afternoons free for rest. And to not feel guilty for the things I don't get done!
New laptop
I love new gadgets - I'm not hugely into technology but I do have a tendency to get excited about shiny new things. This laptop is definitely shiny. Much more exciting than a desktop PC!
One of the rather useless but very exciting things about it is that it has a fingerprint reader on it. To login when I switch the laptop on, I don't have to type a password - I just swipe my finger over a little panel! This is probably old news to anyone who knows about laptops, but I hadn't seen it before and it makes me feel like I am living in "the future" (George Jetson style).
In fact, a lot of things that were futuristic in cartoons when I was a kid are now a part of everyday life. I remember in particular how the characters in Inspector Gadget had wristwatches they could communicate through - just like mobile phones today.
I do find, however, that new gadgets are a bit like hotel rooms - exciting to get to but after you've opened all the cupboards and checked out the mini-bar, there's not much to do and you sit there twiddling your thumbs! Perhaps it's the thrill of something new, which by definition must wear off sooner or later.
I'm not at the twiddling stage with this laptop yet though...
Thursday, 25 September 2008
Being thankful
She tells of how they were moved to a new camp, and their living space was totally crawling with fleas. For her, it felt like the last straw in what was an already horrific experience. Her sister however was determined to trust God in the midst of it all and convinced Corrie to thank God for the fleas. So they prayed, despite Corrie's reluctance.
To her surprise, they later discovered that the reason the guards left them alone so often, was because of the fleas - they didn't want to go near them! So God blessed them in this unexpected way.
This story has been on my mind lately, as there is so much I can grumble about - getting woken up 3 times a night when I'm already exhausted, dealing with lots of poopy nappies, dogs who howl when they hear the baby monitor making noises! I've been making a conscious effort to thank God for these things, even though I'm not enjoying them at all.
I realised today that God is blessing me through these things - for example, I realised that Saffy can hear the monitor when I can't (eg if I'm outside) and so if Hamish starts crying, so will Saffy, alerting me that Hamish is awake! Without her, I could be happily hanging out the washing or something without realising Hamish needs attention.
And when he wakes up and cries, although it means more work for me, it is so reassuring to hear him and know he's alive.
Reminds me of one of my favourite bible verses: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
Interruptions
Although yesterday, for the first time in ages, I had more than say half an hour to do whatever I wanted in, and I was at a bit of a loss as to how to spend it!