Random thoughts

Does it happen to you as well???

I have to go to the shops, just quickly... to get one particular item, lets say toothpaste. So I don't bother with a shopping trolley... I mean it's only toothpaste, right?? Well, while I'm on my way to the dental hygiene section I see the puffed pasty sheets in the frozen goods aisles. So I quickly grab one of them and proceed on just to see that my favourite apples are on sale so I better get a bag of those as well... I still haven't reached the tooth paste I came shopping for, but all of a sudden I remember that we area also almost out of toilet paper and while I'm here I better dump a package on the top of the pile in my arms. A couple minutes late two tins of tomatoes and 3 tins of corn join the toilet paper. Finally I reach the tooth paste aisle but going past the hair stuff I try to squeeze a bottle of shampoo and conditioner under each armpit. By now the frozen puff pasty slip away this way and that, the apples almost fall out of their bags, the shampoo just doesn't wanna stay under the armpit and the tins a bunch of unruly rebels.

And in sight of the toothpaste it happens. My not so carefully stacked but rather randomly dumped pile falls down with a loud clatter, I run after the apples, try to recapture the tin rebels and think to myself how stupid I am to go shopping for toothpaste without taking a trolley. So here I stand infront of the ruin of my shopping items and I start afresh, stacking and piling the goods carefully in my arms this time so that the same disaster won't happen again at the checkout.

So what is this all about you might wonder.

Well, I think that's how I'm feeling right now in life. There are different areas in life I needed and wanted to work on, where I needed to improve, but I did it without a plan, a system or order and everything just seemed to slip and slide. At one point I had one thing kinda under control but behold, another started to slide and slip. until the whole pile came crushing down with a big bang. I know I will never be perfect, never even come close to it but that shouldn't hinder me trying to do my best for the Lord. So now I'm trying to place my "life's pieces" carefully together, align it to God's word and get a balance. Some of those areas are "Exercise", "Healthy diet", "God's word", "Family time", "Ministry"... I don't know if it makes any sense what I'm babbling ...

...sometimes I even wonder if He wants me to dump my pile in His shopping cart so that I don't have to carry the load... that sounds pretty "holy" but is it easy to do??? ou well, just a random though

So what is happening in these parts of the world, apart from feeling deep frozen most of the time. (You know, living in Germany, I always kinda smiled at an Aussie winter, I mean, there isn't any snow or ice or minus degrees, but ou girl, was I wrong, I would swap an Aussie winter in Australia any time for a German winter in Germany). It is raining.... no actually not raining... it is BUCKETING a lot. It stops for a couple minutes for up to an hour just to start bucketing like crazy again. The kids are sick a lot. I'm cold a lot... but I've mentioned that one before I believe. But despite the odds we are settling in and down and enjoy living Down Under (but oooooooo how I LONG for that summer to come... and once it arrives I shall complain how hot it is, hehehehe). Our boxes are still unpacked outside in the shed (okay, frequently opened to revive one or two or twenty items of need) as we still don't have a more permanent place to stay.... so I'm still waiting patently on the Lord, and most of the time I really do have peace in heart that He WILL take care of us and provide for us... okay now and then a panic attack ruins this peace for a little period of time, but generally I'm calm and waiting and excited and expecting great things from the Lord for His Glory.

Ned started to use more and more English. Often he mixes the languages though, but we're getting there. Did you hear about this thing called "planking"... well, neither have I really... but it's this thing where people "plank" on the oddest and weirdest things, take pictures and upload it to some website. Ned seems to know more about it than me, as he was "planking" on top of our couch the other day.

He also turned into a true blue Aussie: we enrolled him for KINDY starting next school year (which will be February... there are many things which are VERY different from the German system and school system IS very different, I could fill whole pages of all the things that slightly confuse me). My little baby grows up, sigh... We registered him in "Bethels" which is a Christian school linked to our church, Albany Baptist Church. I think I'll share a bit more about our church another time, but they are truly a great bunch of people with solid teaching. Ben went to Bethel when he was a kid. Kindy is only 2 days a week, but I'm excited, not only because I will have some time on hand but because Ned likes kids and it's good for him to interact with others more frequently. Also, I'm not really a good teacher (I lack patience and teaching him how to put on his shoes brings me to my limits) and so I'm looking forward to the things he'll learn there. We also enrolled him in swimming school starting next term (that is the end of July... everything runs in terms here, also very different than in Germany). With so many lovely beaches around it is a MUST to learn to swim I think and it is a fun thing too. We haven't really done swimming a lot in the last year, so he isn't very confident. We actually took him to the pool yesterday and almost drowned on the way to the pool, thanks to those lovely rain bucket showers. Inside the pool though it was great fun. I think I will take him a couple more times for him to get more confident before swimming classes start. We'll see how it goes. I won't be with him in the water. And he seems to be very attached to me lately. And how will he respond to a stranger giving him instructions. Ou well, he gotta learn some day, so better earlier than later:o)))

We also discovered the joys of garage sales. Finding a bargain makes one VERY happy. So now we are not only the happy owners of a lovely fridge but also 2 queen beds, one king single bed, one single bed, crystal wine glasses, printer and many other (more or less) needed things. Now we only need a home to put them.

Cedric is such a monkey. He climbs everything, or attempts to. So far no nasty fall though. AND he just LOOOOOOVES boxes, where ever there is a box, for sure my giant baba is in it in no time. Giant baba also LOVES other babies. And he goes staight for the eyes. SO far he hasn't blinded anyone nor poked out an eye, thankfully. Unfortunately he continues being a bit of a picky eater. VERY frustrating, but survivable.

Well, and for me it is almost 4 weeks without diet coke and I feel great. No headaches, no cravings or even desire to drink it... in fact somehow I heard myself thinking that I never want to drink it again... and once I start drinking sodas again (in moderation) I will go for the real sugar stuff (hahaha), but time will tell. I'm a good girl and drink my water ratio of at least 2l a day and I haven't had chocolate neither nor do I miss it (much)

Ben's started studying about 4 weeks ago... and it took him a while to wrap his brain around sitting down and studying, but he's enjoying it.. kind of... as much as you can enjoy studying business.

And Hermie??? I don't dare to say that this is the best loved teddy bear in the whole world, but she comes pretty close. The other day when we were about to leave for a walk we had to tuck her in bed (I am NOT taking her outdoors; just think of the disaster if we lost her... brrrr) and give her a good night kiss...

and another time we had to sit her on the easy chair and give her a book to read... sigh.. he's a good teddy daddy.