Heart Reflections Live

Zara, aged 5, has been very interested in learning about money lately- how to count our Australian coins, how many you need to buy certain catalogue items like food and clothes... So for her math in homeschool, we've been counting coins and looking at catalogues, while Talitha does her workbook activity.

Both of our girls get a small amount of pocket money, which they have to save in their money boxes, and at the end of the year we give them a designated amount- like $20, that they can spend on something they want, that we approve of. Last year, Zara spent all her $20 at once on the "Andre Reieu Live in Australia" DVD- good taste eh?- She definately went for quality over quantity!

Talitha on the other hand wanted to get as much as she could for her dollars, and bought a vintage Little Golden book, an historic sticker book and a cheap pair of shoes- both girls were commended for they really thought about their purchases.

Of course, leaning about money is a great opportunity to teach that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil, and how to save and spend wisely AND how catalogues are designed to make you WANT things... good life lessons.

The girls have been helping hubby clean up downstairs for a garage sale (US- Yard sale!) Wanting to earn a few dollars themselves, the girls started doing some "very intersting" things outside. Inspired by the Amish Rachel Yoder books we're reading, Talitha started painting rocks to sell- unfortunately she used waterpaints, so they weren't exactly Amish masterpieces.

Zara cracked me up big time announcing she was going to sell "her Moss". Having heard Daddy saying how good moss was for the garden, she took it upon herself to start tearing it down and putting it in a box to sell, figuring if it was good for OUR garden, people would spend good money to put it in Theirs!

I was hiding doubled up in the pantry, while she explained that one to her Daddy. I think Poppy will be very proud of her enterprising nature!- That's my laugh for the week!

Labels: everyday life lessons, family fun, funny things, homeschooling

When your hardworking husband rises in the morning, and says, "What's for breakfast, Darling?", how do you reply?

Do you point to the pantry, smile and say, " There's cereal in there. Help yourself, honey!", or do you really honour him by cooking him a breakfast you know he loves?

My husband nearly always orders a ham, cheese and herb omelete (Occasionally bacon and eggs), a cup of "Ecco" ( he can't have coffee anymore), 1/2 an aspirin ( for his heart), a glass of water, and freshly squeezed orange juice, when we have oranges available. He also likes his toast with various toppings to choose from.

What do you cook YOUR man for breakfast?

By the way, can you guess, I'm eagerly bucking that nasty trend called FEMINISM.

Labels: godly living, godly wives, homemaking, staying home

My Reaction to the news coverage of Queensland's Doom and Gloom State budget was to thank the Good Lord for our free water, herbs, and the fruit and veges to come, glory in the happy, healthy, smiling faces of our four children, turn off the TV, put on my Smoky Mountain Hymns DVD, and do a happy dance! :-)

I think I'll relax with a Tasha Tudor book tonight and choose joy...

Labels: testing times

I always look forward to getting the book and media catalogues from our Christian Book Store, Koorong in the mail. I think it's great that there are so many avenues God uses to get His Word out there, indeed I long for the day when more of these products will be found in the mainstream stores and not just the Christian ones. Now, don't get me wrong here, I have nothing against Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber as such- the same goes for Max Lucado's Hermie and Friends. They provide clean, moral entertainment for Christian children, with a child level faith message from the Bible (Though I feel compelled to add that these entertainments should never be relied upon to teach the gospel or the Bible accurately, and they Should never take the place of plain, old-fashioned family devotions). But I believe that products such as The Veggietales Bible and The Hermie Bible go too far.
The Holy Bible is SACRED. It is to be esteemed above ALL OTHER BOOKS, and should never be filled with cartoon type characters to make it more relevant or appealing to children. It is timeless- it transcends age or time. It is as relevant to a child as it is to the elderly. If YOU love and read the Bible AND READ IT TO YOUR CHILDREN, then they will come to love it too. We only use the King James Version in our home and Church, and our children have no trouble with it. They get used to the language very quickly. We Do use Bible Story Books with reverent pictures in them, but explain the difference between Stories and The Bible itself.

I guess I hoped on my soapbox a bit, but I really think they've gone TOO far. What do you think?

Labels: Bible, commercialism