But.. but... BUT it's June!!!

Coming from the Northern Hemisphere I always associated long days, sunshine, warmth, summer with June. I was happy to have two "summer babies" (although it wasn't really the best time of year to be pregnant.... well, on the other hand, at least I didn't have to squeeze my big belly in a big wintercoat). And now??? I AM FREEZING!!!! I think I wasn't as cold throughout the whole of the German winter just a couple of months back. The thing is, whereas in Germany you have warm houses thanks to central heating, here you don't. There you wrap up in zillions of layers once you head outside but once you come back home you peal them off again because it's nice and cosy inside. Well, we do have the blessing of a fire place in our present home, and oh how glad am I about this little fire place. It keeps the livingroom/kitchen/dinningroom area warm... but the rest of the house...brrrrrr. Our bedroom is at the other end and it is SO cold (and this is coming form the girl who slept with her windows open even in the middle of winter... okay, that was a crazy teenager phase of mine, but still). I also always wondered why there weren't any cloth rack stand things next to the door (which you'll find in every house in Europe, I'm sure), but I figured you don't need to have a cloth rack, because it's so cold inside so you keep your warm jacket on. I feel very odd wearing my all weather rain jacket inside, but that's what I do at times. Well, I'm not talking about minus temperatures, but sitting here with a wood fire in the same room and my fingers are pretty cold. And Winter only started, brrrrrrrr.... I dread the next couple of months.... brrrrrrr. And rain... I heard that they would love to have some rain in Germany, man we could ship you several loads full of rain. Last night the rainfall was so strong that I woke me up.

People also tent to wear normal shoes insides, whereas we are the kind of shoes-take-off-people. The other day Ben had a huge blob of dog poo on his shoes, and man was I glad that we take our shoes off inside. But even if it isn't dog poo, I have a little guy crawling around the floor, licking it, sticking all sorts of things in his mouth, and somehow adding streetwear to the equation doesn't sound to appealing to me... so I hope people aren't too offended if I make them take off their shoes when they visit us. So far I was too timid to do so though.... I guess it doesn't help that it's so cool inside. Well, I bought some nice warm slippers for myself.

My boys and the fireplace... and Hermie's watching as well, can you see her??

I finished memorizing chapter 1 of Ephesians and I'm as proud as can be. Some of it still doesn't make sense to me though, but at least I can ponder it now, because it's stored in my memory.

And I'm also very glad to report that I hardly miss diet coke at present. That almost shocks me, because I expected it to be so difficult, whereas it proofs to be quite achievable. I still haven't started doing exercise again though, I still have to get myself sorted out in this area, sigh... sometimes it is really hard to keep all your juggling balls up in the air to achieve a healthier lifestyle, but it is worth it, isn't it??

But besides me being constantly slightly cold, life is really good, and so is God. There were one or two occasions when I felt tempted to try out throwing a tantrum, but my better judgement won, and if God continues giving me a "WAIT" instead of a "YES" or a "NO", wait I patiently shall, without grumbling (okay, almost without grumbling... there was a tiny bit of grumbling... and said consideration of throwing a tantrum). Earlier in the evening I went for a little walk through the night (I just love going for walks/runs at night times) and I was amazed about the space. Somehow I feel I can "breath", I can't explain it, but everything seems wider and bigger... even the moon.

So, now I'll head of... maybe even to bed??? Who knows... 9:30pm IS a bit early to hit the sack :o)

I've had a headache for the last couple days, more than a week already. I guess it's the smaller amount of sugar intake of the last days as well as the lack of caffeine. And my human nature wants to go down the "self-pity" lane ("Poor me, can't have chocolate nor coke, everyone, have pity for me and treat me REALLY nice"). But the whole thing about this sacrifice is about filling the gap with God instead of something or someone else. Drinking water like a camel is also hard on me. Growing up we'd never just drink plain water, it was always bubbly water mixed with juice. But every time I pick up a glass of water and start grumbling in my mind those words Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman in John chapter4:

"but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Somehow thinking of Jesus and the living water makes me appreciate the water I have freely access to much more: the water Jesus speaks of as well as the plain old water out of my tap... whereas many people around the world have neither the living water nor access to the clean earthly water. So it makes me grateful to have it and drink it.

Well, what else is happening...

Ned's gotten SOOOO much better since turning three, it's AMAZING!!! I almost dare to write that the horrible twos are finally over, YAY!! We might still have some more relapses, but so far, we haven't had any major situation and much better obedience and stuff. Ced on the other had turns out to be quite the rascal and acquits scolding with a cheeky grin. He's also learned how to stand by himself, so he might start walking soonish. I don't know if that's an event I'm looking forward to or not... he's so fast crawling... how much faster will he be walking???? He's also a bit of a bully. I guess he just doesn't realize how strong he is and he's just plain attracted to other babies (who are all smaller than him)... we call him "CEDzilla", the destroyer... ou well... he has to live with an older brother who loves sitting on him.

Ou, and by the way, who says that boys aren't particular with their shoes???? NEd is VERY particular with shoes, he always tells me which shoes he wants to wear. And when Aunty Jill showed us her new bridesmaid's shoes she's suppose to wear and not fall over, he insisted on having a try on as well:o)))

Challenges

Sometimes God challenges you with the little things in life... as well as with big things of course. But there is this one little thing he's challenging me about... it part of a bigger picture so I guess I have to start from the beginning.

Well, I shared before that I'm totally out of my own routines and disciplines. I AM slowly getting back on track, slowly but surely. I was challenged by Liezel's Blog. She's reading this book "Made to crave" by Lisa Terkeurst and was challenged herself about her eating habits. And I guess her blog was a bit of a wake up call for myself. So good girl that I am, I went straight to our one and only friendly Christian bookstore in town and got a copy. I felt a bit embarrassed as the lady at the counter was this gorgeous looking skinny girl and you don't really wanna buy a book about weight problems from a skinny girl, but ou well, Bob's your uncle.

And it really is a challenging book. It helps me to get back on track with a healthy lifestyle, not only physically but spiritually. I hadn't read my bible in over half a year or even longer. Stubborn pighead that I can be at times I didn't want to read it until God gave me a passion and love for it. I still struggle with the bible, but I am drawn to the book of Ephesians, always have been. I read it I don't know how many times, but it never got stuck up there or in my heart. You know... you read but after you read it you still don't have a clue what you just read. Rather frustrating. So when I finally opened my bible again last Friday for the first time in half a year to really read it, I opened Ephesians. And I started to memorize it. I'm sick of reading it and not knowing what I just read and if I'm a bit dumb that way I guess I have to read it the only way I can truly remember: veeeeeerrry slowly, verse by verse and memorize, memorize and memorize. I'm up to verse 12 I think. I want to engrave it into my heart and brain so that I will be able to understand God's word (Ned noticed that at times I'm staring blankly into the far distance and mutter to myself. He keeps telling me to stop talking:o))).

So that was a rather bigger challenge which was a result of reading this book.

The author points out that God designed us the way that we do crave... everyone craves something. And God wants to be the one to fill this craving but unfortunately us humans try to stuff the hole with many other things instead: love, friendship, career, marriage, kids, food, alcohol, drugs... you name it. And satisfying the craving with anything besides God is sin. She's got a point.

The last week I adjusted, thought, planned, read, prayed, memorized and got challenged again. I stopped eating chocolate. I cut down on my sweets or sugar intake. I started to drink at least 2l of plain water (which makes me feel like a camel as I really do NOT enjoy drinking water very much), but you know, when I wanted a little "kick" I'd turn to my dearly beloved diet coke. I LOVE that stuff!! I crave that stuff... I'm addicted to that stuff. And here we go... I got challenged by God to quit drinking it. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I certainly do NOT want to, because, hey, where's the fun in life without it, and without chocolate, gummibears and other lovelies it was a good a faithful friend... but still, here I go and tell all the word I quit drinking my addiction, my bubbly joy and refresher. I want God to be my addiction, my bubbly joy and the refresher of my heart, not a soft drink. You might think me VERY stupid or silly but it might be coffee for you or black tea or cigarettes. It almost makes me cry if I think about not having this little treat to look forward to every day, but it's the right thing to do. Unfortunately the right things often don't feel so good and rewarding in the short term, but in the long run it's quite a different story.

I don't say that I will never EVER again drink a coke, but only once it doesn't hold a power over me anymore. Just like with chocolate. Eating chocolate is just not safe for me. I hadn't eaten any chocolate in over 4 months but once I started again it wielded it's power over me and sooner than you can think I went down the slippery chocolate slope.

So this was my laaaast diet coke for now.... sigh

It's decisions I make but only the strength of God can actually achieve anything. If I do anything out of my own strength I'll end up sooner or later back at exactly the same spot I used to be before or even further down. It sounds a bit silly to think that not eating chocolate or not drinking diet coke will bring me closer to God... but I think it's a step in the right direction. I guess going to bed at a decent time would also be a good step... hmmm... but one can't get everything perfect in one go, right???

Ou well, I started drinking tea again, not back tea, bless me, but my old friend, the peppermint tea, not as thrilling and exciting as coke, but it gives plain water a better flavour, not that I like tea much... sigh... ou well, I'm off to bed, way too late yet once again.

Australian wildlife

Well, so far I've only seen a kangaroo in the animal park we visited the other day. And as koalas aren't native to Western Australia I haven't seen one roaming around either. Neither has an emu crossed my path in the wild yet. So in that aspect Australia has been a bit of a disappointment so far. On the other hand I also haven't encountered too many poisonous things, only one redback so far, so I should be grateful that the Aussie wildlife stays were it's suppose to stay: out, in the wild.

But well, there is some Aussie wildlife I actually think quite cute: Geckos. I wouldn't even mind having one in the shower, but my little gecko friend was a good little guy and actually lived where he was suppose to live: OUTSIDE. Anyway, so I found this little guy yesterday when I was sweeping the veranda. I was head over heels. He was pretty frightened. But I managed to grab the camera and get a shot which wasn't too blurry .

I thought him sooooo cute, but life can be SOOOO cruel. Today I was sweeping the carport and there is this pile of fridge cardboard boxes (yepp, you guessed it, the once from the labyrinth). I moved them out of my way and when I got ready to sweep, I found my little friend again. Dead. Killed by me. With a cardboard box. I felt so bad. He was such a cute little guy. But what could I do??? I've never heard of doing CPR to a gecko, so I told him R.I.P.

While continuing sweeping I thought about how weird human beings can be, I mean, getting upset about killing accidentally a little gecko whereas IF a spider came my way I'd gladly kill it without consideration. Not 2 minutes later said spider did come my way. It was a "baby" huntsmen and only around 5 or 6cm in diameter (I am told that they get so big up North that you can hear them walking over your vinyl floors), but that was big enough for me and BANG it got hit on its head with my broom and now it R.I.P.'s very close to the cute gecko.

Spiders just freak me, especially huntsmen as they take up their "defence" position and and lift up their front legs in defence (or attack???), it ain't no pretty sight and it gives me the creep and goosebumps all down my back. I am not arachnophobic, but I can't stand them. But here I am, dealing out death to God's wonderful and not so wonderful creation. If I like it or nor, He delights in geckos AND spiders... but I hope that doesn't mean that I have to start being delighted by spiders... and I also hope that the mama of the baby huntsmen doesn't lurk around somewhere close.

Celebrating a simple life

You know, I remember that day three years ago like it was yesterday. I got up around eight in the morning, Ben still sleeping, and went to buy some strawberries, not knowing that the second of June would change my life as I knew it. 6h later I held a little screaming bundle in my arms and big brown eyes stared back at me.

Last night I tucked in a very happy bundle in his bed after a day celebrating his birthday. It wasn't the healthiest day and all our sugar levels must have been sky high, but oh what a day.

We're not really "party people" and at first I didn't even want to organize a small party, but then we moved in this nice place with lots of space and a huuuuuge garden and I though "Ou well, have a couple of kids over." Which we had. The original plan was for the kids to run wild in the garden while us mums could have a good chat. But then a little idea rooted in my mind. You see, one of our friends works in a fridge retailer shop and they have these HUGE cardboard boxes, LOTS of HUGE cardboard boxes. Well, we ended up having a little tunnel maze around the living room and dining room.... I guess I don't need to tell ya how much fun the kids had :o)))

Happy birthday

One of his presents

The boys and the tools

Ned and his birthday-jelly-rabbit

The cardboard box underneath the table is part of the tunnel maze

I tried my hand on cake pops... they look cute but they are too much a pain in the neck for me to make them again (but if you fancy them here's the how:

http://www.bakerella.com/hope-these-put-a-smile-on-your-face/

He doesn't look it, BUT he enjoyed them

New friends: Jesse and Charlie popping their heads out of the maze

Katie's having a rest inside the tunnels

Ced also thought those tunnels great fun

Happy Birthday Ned!!!

I'm so unspeakably thankful to our Lord and Creator that He has put YOU in our lives

All the laughs, the cries, the cuddles, the kisses, the tantrums.... I would NOT want to miss any of it.

I love you little pumkin!!!

P.S. And I love the other pumpkin as much

It is THE time again....

... what time???

THE time to move yet once more. Ou how I love it (not). It has been great to live in this place for the last couple weeks. To get to the playground took us 2min (okay with Ned walking it was 3min) and there is a lovely bike path along the coast where Ned practised his biking skills a bit more.

Unfortunately we seem to cry out "HERE" whenever a bug makes its appearance so my normally so healthy boys were sick for the last couple of weeks, sigh.

Our next move will takes us back more into town. The house is only 5min walking distance from my in-laws as well as from church. Unfortunately there isn't anything like a playground close by I think, BUT the garden is BIG. I think Ned will have LOTS of diggin' fun in there.

We'll also have people coming over for the first time... it's Ned's birthday next week and I thought as it's a rather big place were we'll be staying we'd have a little party for him (but pssssst... don't tell him!!).

I don't have anything deep to share right now... so I suppose I'd better get going.... just one last thing... you know, I'm SO extremely thankful for our church, for the pastors and the people in general, it has been great getting to know people from all sorts of backgrounds and seasons in life. Naturally I meet lots of mums with young kids but there are others as well... like the lady how loves photography and I hope I might get to know her a bit more in order to learn from her... or the wives of two of your pastors (I wanted to write "our pastors' wives", but somehow that would draw a wrong picture, eh??). But I think I will write an entire post about church...

deadlines and routines

I always prided myself thinking I'm kind of a free thinking, arty person... but the older I get the more I realize I'm actually very much a box-thinking person... a person which absolutely HATES deadlines and greatly dislikes routines, BUT STILL NEEDS THE ROTTEN THINGS NONETHELESS!!!!!

When we were packing up our flat in Germany to leave for Australia I noticed again that I NEED deadlines. I don't function without them, but HATE them the same time. While the deadline is comfortably far away, I slack and dawdle away, well ...until the deadline looms right before me and all of a sudden I'm as busy and productive as a bee.

And routines... living a routine life does not sound attractive nor adventurous... but I've noticed again and again, once I get thrown out of a normal routine I limp like a three-legged dog, totally off balance... I'm not even talking about a strict routine ( I could NEVER EVER handle living like that) but just a flexible normal day-to-day routine... but be it a holiday, an injury or moving to the other side of the globe, it throws me out of balance and the limping starts.

More often than not it starts with my spiritual life, next to be affected is my exercise life closely follow by my eating habits. And sooner than you think I don't even limp no more, but just lay flat on my face, or rather sit lazily on a comfy couch, munch a bag of chips, and bar upon bar of chocolate and am bored. I've fallen in the same trap again and again, you'd think I would have learned by now, but nopp, I find myself at the bottom again, I stopped my running, I stopped not eating chocolate, I stopped making wise food choices, I stopped being productive, I stopped being creative, I stopped being a good, mother, a good wife, a good Christian.

So here I am again, picking up the pieces and starting afresh with establishing my own routines. Thankfully God is such a patient and loving God that He will help me once again to pick them up, piece by piece to make a beautiful mosaic picture which is my life.

I did start running again last week after a almost 2 months break... my breathing was all over the place, I was back to being really slow again and the next days I was in pain all over... but at least it is a start.

Tomorrow I will start with a 8 weeks "peacemaker" course at church, how to solve conflicts in a biblical way. The lady in charge called me yesterday and asked me if I'd like to do it. There is also a "book club" which I'd like to join. It isn't really a bible study, but studying a Christian book together with a couple of other mums from church, and it's on an evening which is nice. And there is bible study for mums with small kids on Wednesday mornings at church which I'm also interested to join. So that's a start. We'll go from there... luckily there isn't any chocolate around presently so I can't be tempted to eat it, so I haven't eaten chocolate in like 5 days or so, which is a start as well in making wise food choices... so we're getting there....

But life just goes on and doesn't mind my stuggles whatsoever... which is good thing I suppose. Well, we have moved yet another time and live now in a 70s style house VERY close to the beach. Ben has started on a part-time job (he's a painter now) and in the evenings when he come back from work we go for walks long the sea, Ned on his "motorbike.

He stops now and then all of a sudden, hops off his bike and collects a random stone and throws it in his "boot"... we have a whole collection of random rocks and stones by now.

We also have a bit of a garden presently which the boys enjoy a lot; Ned enjoys playing in it and Cedric enjoys eating it... whatever crosses his path goes straight in the mouth, no matter if it is a rock, grass or insect (brrrrr). Talking about Ced, he finally learnt to crawl properly... see???

seeeee??????

Ced also likes Ned's bobby car

Somehow the boys get much dirtier here than back in Germany