The Unexpected

During our wait for visas, I think I have been really very patient. I don't want a medal, because I don't deserve it after last week. It was the first week where I have let my frustration at the visa delays become anger. A close friend told me "His timing is perfect", I said, "yeah, yeah.", I wasn't in the mood for the reality of truth. I was peeved and getting peeved-er.

After the reality of this past weekend I am so grateful we hadn't had our visas approved. I can't imagine how different it would have been having emergency appendicectomy in a developing country.

Now it's time for mending and a good dose of humble pie, as I squirm up to God and give back the driver seat to Him who actually does know what he's doing.

CLTC in PNG

Here is a link to a less than 5 minute clip about CLTC (Christian Leaders Training College) in PNG.
This beautiful place is were we hope to travel to soon to be apart of this vibrant community and country.

https://vimeo.com/89066172

Enjoy.

Life Sized ME

Another home school Mum, whom I highly respect, gave me the idea of this life sized ME activity. My boys loved it.

Here is what we did:  First the boys lay down on a huge bit of paper and we drew around them.  Then we dithered around for about a month, with these huge bits of paper in our desk, getting in the way, I wouldn't recommend that bit.  

I finally got myself organised to fit this activity into a home school day, and this is what we did.  In different parts of our bodies I asked then the boys answered the following prompts;

Head:

3 things I want to learn this year are...

Heart: 

I love ...

Tummy: 

My favourite foods are ...

Arms:

1. My favourite things to do are...

2. I feel nervous when ...

    I feel relaxed when ...

Hands:

1. My favourite  (for each finger/thumb) colour, movie, Bible character, lollie/sweets, song

2. People I like spending time with are (a dash leading into each finger)

Legs:

My top 5 dreams for 2014  (physical, spiritual etc)

I then suggested they lay down on top of their outlines (carefully) and think about all the things they had written under them.  I then asked them if there was anything else that was important about who they were, they should write it on their feet.

Later in the day after reading a portion from a book called Boundaries with Kids, I decided to add a responsibility element to these life sized Me's.

We stood looking at our outlines, which I had hung on the wall, up high so they looked bigger than life.  I spoke with them about how God had given them these bodies, like machines (it's a boys world in our house), they need a driver, someone in control.  I asked them who was in control of their machine?  We talked about who makes their machine lift things or move things? Who makes their machine move their arm?  I asked if I could make their arm move, and we concluded, no, unless I forced them, I could direct them to move their arm, but they would have to comply and do the moving.  

This lesson has been a spring board to talking about self-control.  Controlling our machines is self control..