some recent photos

Mmmmm, toilet paper! When we go into the bathroom for his bath, I have to shut the toilet lid and put the roll up on top of the loo, otherwise he tries to deposit it in the toilet.

A rainbow from this afternoon.

Looks like he's ready to head off to a footy match!

This toy is way too advanced for him but he enjoyed chewing on the cars.

Hard life for some...

Fish Face

Mum taught Hamish how to do a fish face today - too funny!

Licenced to Drive!

Yes, I finally have my provisional driving licence! It's been a looooong journey but I've made it. Yay!

Will be a little while before I actually take myself anywhere though because our car has a turbo, and P platers are not allowed to drive modified cars. We can apply for an exemption though so we'll see how that goes.

Doing the test this morning was very stressful, even though I've had plenty of practise around the area I did it in. Luckily I didn't do anything silly and still can't quite believe I've qualified.

It's been around 14 years since I first got my Learners Licence...and I've had the current version since 2004!

Massive thank you to UD for sponsoring my many hours of professional lessons...couldn't have done it without you!

Gipsy

The idea of giving up things for one great desire reminds me of this poem, by DH Lawrence (with thanks to KM for introducing me to it years ago!):

Gipsy
I, the man with the red scarf,
Will give thee what I have, this last week's earnings.
Take them, and buy thee a silver ring
And wed me, to ease my yearnings.

For the rest, when thou art wedded
I'll wet my brow for thee
With sweat, I'll enter a house for thy sake,
Thou shalt shut doors on me.

Sacrifice

Been thinking recently about an irony of motherhood - that when God generously gives you the desire of your heart - a child - one of the effects is the seemingly inevitable sacrifice of so many other desires. Eg sleep and rest, time to relax and pursue hobbies and friendships, serving in church etc.

Unless you are a 'Super Mum' (and our culture seems to be slowly realising what a myth that is!) it's just not possible to devote as much time to personal interests as it is without young kids.

So fulfilling one desire puts the rest on hold - because looking after a bub means consistently putting someone else's needs before your own - needs that take up most of the day and sometimes, half the night!

I don't think this is a bad thing - it's just the way it is. It can be tough going, but I know that it's in the challenges that God is at work, shaping us into people who reflect His character. And we've got the ultimate example in His son, who not only gave up his personal interests for us, but his life.

Sweet

We usually let the dogs inside after dinner, and Ruby spends the evening lying at my feet.

On Wednesdays however I'm out at bible study, and Adam tells me that Ruby plants herself right outside Hamish's bedroom door instead! We're not sure whether she thinks she has to look after him when I'm not here or whether she thinks I'm in the room and she's waiting for me to emerge, but either way, it's sweet of her.

Happy First Birthday Hamish!

Turn your speakers on, if you've got them...

'Important News'

I was given two bits of 'important news' today on my walk to the shops and back.

The first was from the lady serving me at the butchers* - she told me that Michael Jackson had died. It's interesting to see that she considered the news of the death worth passing on to a stranger (although I suppose they are used to making conversation with customers).

The second bit of 'news' came as I was walking home. A lady stopped me in the street and asked if she could tell me something really important. I had a hunch what was coming next: "God really loves you!"

I interrupted her at that point to explain that I had already heard that particular news and was in fact a Christian. She asked if I was a 'born-again' Christian, and I agreed that I was after checked her definition of born again! (Having received God's Holy Spirit).

We then went our separate ways. I've got to say, despite the fact that I suspect her and I would differ on a few theological points, I was impressed by her boldness in proclaiming the good news of God's love.

* Incidentally, it was quite funny at the butchers because I requested a lamb pie, and they thought I asked for lamb's fry! I noticed them bagging up a massive livery looking thing and realised the mistake. We had a bit of a chuckle about it...

My Dog is a Doofus

Saffy has a bone in her kennel (a prized possession that she guards very enthusiastically). I'm at my desk inside, with a closed door in between us.

She wants to come in, and waits at the door, but whenever I get up to let her in, she rushes off at great speed to the kennel, lest I or Ruby steal her bone!

I'm leaving the door open so she can make up her mind in her own time....now she's just tried to bring the bone inside - I don't think so!!!! She knows she's not allowed, so as soon as she sees me she slinks back off to the kennel. Poor thing - she's so conflicted lol.

Brief Update

Haven't been blogging much lately - a combination of not having anything interesting to say, and of managing my time differently so I'm not spending as much time on the computer.

There are a few things I'd like to write about, but can't get them clear in my head at the moment.

Stay tuned...

Who knew swatting flies was so funny!

He laughed so hard he actually threw up a few minutes after I stopped taping!

Hamish discovers the touch lamp

Unfortunately he worked it out before 'getting up time' this morning, so we all had an early start!

Growing Up

"When I grow up - I'll have matching furniture."

This is the one concrete thing I can remember thinking, as a child, about life as a grown up. I imagined a fancy house where everything was new and fashionable. This was what being a grown up would mean - having the money to live in style!

Although I don't remember consciously considering it, at the same time I was absorbing more serious ideas about what being a grown up would be like.

I've had a few strange moments recently. The first was when I was walking down to the local shops, pushing Hamish in the stroller. I was vaguely looking around at the trees and houses, when it dawned on me - this is it. I am well and truly a grown up now. That time I used to imagine way in the future, when I was little - I've arrived there.

I think it struck me that the day was so similar to my childhood - with one massive difference - I was the adult in the picture now, not the kid. Very weird moment.

The second strange moment was just the other day, in the kitchen. I was wringing out the dishcloth after having wiped the bench with it. A picture sprang to mind of my mum doing exactly the same thing. And I realised - I will be doing this for a Very. Long. Time. It wasn't a bad thought, just a sobering realisation that the kitchen and I will be spending a lot of time together for the forseeable future. And that I am really, really a grown up now - just without the fancy furniture!

Ribbet, ribbet

On the topic of my bible verse for the week, Soph recently wrote a great post on this section of the bible.

Now that I spend most of my time at home, I've got a great opportunity to control what fills my mind, more so than when I was out and about and working every day.

There's so much noise out there, and if we don't take a critical look at it and try to filter it we can end up thinking some unhealthy and ungodly things, without even noticing. For example - we live in a culture that is constantly telling us we need things, it's all about us, 'we're worth it' and (at the moment) it's our duty to spend money and indulge a bit - for the sake of the economy! I stopped reading catalogues a few months back because all they were doing was making me want to spend money on things I don't need. For the first time in ages, I had a look through a pile of them recently- and guess what? I now think I need to go and buy some winter clothes, a slow cooker, an SLR camera and a sewing machine!

Another area that this relates to is the moral slant of what I watch on TV. One of the first things we were taught at uni was that everything in the media has a bias. There is no neutral - there is always an agenda and a worldview at work, even if it's not obvious. What can seem like mindless entertainment can and does influence us and when you stop and think about it, it's really quite unhealthy to be enjoying tales of murder, rape, adultery, and so on. I used to love racing home from work to watch Bold and the Beautiful, until I took a long hard look at what I was actually enjoying!

I do feel like the proverbial frog in the pot of water sometimes, slowly cooking to a worldly crisp without even realising it. So here's to discernment, and to dwelling on the good things!

Memory update

So far I've memorised two bits of the bible, following Aimee's lead:

Jesus answered: "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life".
John 4:13-14

"God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging."
Psalm 64: 1-3


I think my next one will be Philipians 4:8, which has been floating round in my head for a few weeks:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Is it worth it?

I quite liked this post on the Sola Panel about the new paid maternity leave scheme.

I'm not sure that the paid scheme is really all that great - it's not much more money than the baby bonus already available, and it does seem to have at heart the idea that a mother and baby only need 14 weeks together full time before the mother can get back to the office.

It's unfortunate that our society generally works on the principal that it's normal for mothers to go back to work when they have a baby, because I think that fundamentally, babies and paid work don't mix.

There are two main reasons for this - the first is that looking after a baby, especially a young baby, is a fluid, unpredictable, round the clock commitment. A job (usually) has set hours and responsibilities that require a level of performance that's hard to sustain on broken sleep and the stresses of looking after a baby.

The second reason is that it's not all that practical to work and have your baby in day care, because they get sick really regularly! This is what happens - you have to go back to work, so your baby goes into care for a day or two a week (if not more). Here they get exposed to germs and catch everything under the sun. This means you a) don't get enough sleep as they are restless and unwell overnight, and b) you have to take time off work to look after them. Not to mention the expense of doctors and medication!

So who does this benefit exactly? Not the mother, who is stressed at home and stressed at work, trying to juggle it all. Not the baby, who is unwell more often than not. Not the employer, whose employee is missing half the time and barely awake when they are at work. Not the husband, who has a sick baby and tired wife.

At least the mortgage gets paid.

Sun Shower

Captain Choko and the Flavourless Brigade

How Smart is Your Right Foot?

Give this a go:

1. While sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction. And there's nothing you can do about it! lol

What a Day

I took Hamish to the dr today, because he's been coughing and it was getting worse. He was wheezing a bit this morning. The doctor and nurse freaked out at his low oxygen levels and put him on oxygen and ventolin in a mad flurry of activity, totally freaking me out in the process!

He was ok after a little while, and they gave me a prescription for some strong anti-inflammatory drugs and I had to get him some ventolin as well. What he has is croup, which is a viral infection that can make breathing difficult.

To top things off, I left my wallet at the shops after going to the chemist! Luckily a lady found it and rang me, and we'll go and pick it up tonight. I didn't even realise it was missing when she rang.

I'm upset that Hamish is sick, but at the same time grateful that we can access medication so easily.