Blessings on the Soccer Field

In a small town, choices for sports available for our children can be limited, and even more so once you add home-schooling into the equation. For the past few years we have signed up an made our way to the local soccer field to give the kids a reason to get fit, and a glimpse into playing as part of a team.

Each year we start the season wondering what teams we would be in, what friends we can enjoy the season with, what new friends are there for the making, whether the coach will share our goals of positive fun, or just want to win... we have seen both.

Yet recently the teams have been positive, and the memories good. This year we have enjoyed all three kids playing in good teams with positive coaches. But this team building exercise has to be the icing on the cake...

Distractions

We've had the kittens home for nearly two weeks now, and after thier initial this is big, and new, and scary ...they started to make themselves very much at home.

They discovered beds were good for sleeping in ( and wrestling on)

They found the toys, and people to play with them

And when they were too tired to lift a paw in play, lots of sunny places to crash out and sleep again.

Good-Bye Zeke

There has been a lot of sorrow in the family... our 10 year old Burmese vanished in the middle of Sept. The cat who always waited for me when we went out, sitting at the front of the drive, waited, slid silver round
the trees that mark our drive and disappeared.

Its been a long few weeks getting used to the silence and adjusting to the realization that he wasn't coming back.The question of what happened, the fears, and slowly saying goodbye.

 

He left a gap, a huge gap in the family. OK we realize that he was an incurable chicken bone thief, and well umm other dainties on the kitchen bench that tempted him, but in his eyes, and to an extent we appreciated him for it, he as our protector, and encourager. He tried his best to keep the neighborhood toms out, and yet  let the local family pets come and drink from his pond.

He knew whenever anyone was sick, curling up on their bed while they slept or simply cuddled him. He found our laps for nearly every story-time, and discussion, complained that he wanted in or out throughout the school day, sat on the table while we worked, or on the keyboard, or curled up in his basket with our other cat - his "girlfriend."

We miss him, soft gentle, loving, ok sometimes downright annoying, but very much and always a member of the family. We miss you Zeke, and seriously pray that heaven lets in cats...because we all want to see you again.

And then there was a snowboarder

Every year since my youngest was 5 we've been able to head up the mountain for a few days of skiing, thanks to an amazing package that they put together for the local school kids. I think the highlight of my winter is to enjoy a beautiful blue-sky day on the mountain, and the co-0rdinator of the group is good at waiting for those blue-sky days.

Over time we left the beginner slopes behind and found that we could enjoy racing each other through the snow. Well, they can enjoy, I can hope to catch up with them at the bottom.

But along the way one child has consistently wanted to add snowboarding to his options. To board rather than glide down the mountain. So this year we left him behind in the beginner slopes, and with a little bit of help and a few lessons...

He made it top to bottom of the mountain. Not fast, and totally exhausted each day, but he made it.

Snow in the Backyard

Normally snow doesn't fall here. An hour south can be blanketed, half an hour to the east and the roads close on cold winter nights but here snow was unheard of until Monday morning. But this time we had one really really cold snap, and for the first hour of the day enjoyed snow in the backyard...

We got to make a snowman on the drive ..even if it is only 12 inches high!

Please don't take out the trash....

because we love our Zeke

I guess it was really too cold to sleep on the floor in front of the heater this morning.

Swimming

It might be crazy, but having finally got order in our home-school days for the first time in months ... we have two weeks of swimming. I see Chaos looming, although this time at least we are prepared,

Routine sorted,
Marking pile up to date
Muffins baked,
Togs in the dryer...


Ready for the week...

Breathing Space

It's been a while since I've been here. Summer has gone, the Autumn leaves have turned golden and dropped, they've even been picked up, the winter vegetable garden is in, soccer started, and well maybe we are starting to get a handle on how this year will work.

 So hopefully I'm back to the blog again.

Summer Wanderings

We've been back for a while but the holiday rest and relaxation have continued as far as the blog was concerned... while we kept getting caught up with less than ideal weather the Summer break was just what we needed to set up the new year.

We wandered around the East Cape of the North Island. We found long beaches - we really should have camped at this one!



We Explored rock pools - lots of rock pools!









We walked and discovered.



Occasionally the weather allowed us to enjoy the surf...I did say occasionally?



Enjoyed the sunsets.



We Camped,

And finally we gave into the elements and headed for home - looking forward to returning later in the year for more fun.

The end of a long day

Last week, at the end of a very long day of tired kids, slow schoolwork, and wondering if I had the energy to see out the term. I curled up with my youngest and noticed the twilight.

Sometimes God uses something so simple to reset our priorities.

Exam's pending

Amongst the nerves and negotiations. My girl really wants a distinction, she hasn't gotten there since here first exam, but each year she tries, this year she's worked really hard ...the negotiation, I get a block of chocolate if she gets her distinction, if she doesn't one mini bar for each mark under..I think she still wants a good mark.

Truth, Beauty, Virtue

Yesterday we left the house just as dawn rose and headed for the mountains....Petra's "War and Remembrance" on the tape deck  for a day of refreshment.

Drinking deeply,

trusting, laughing, flying...

Heading home as the clouds came in

Enjoying what fills our souls and refreshes

The soccer teams are up.

Each year the kids look forward to playing another season of soccer. We've had our ups and downs. Last year hubby coached my eldest son's team. It was meant to be good and it meant my daughter could also play. But the team we had was definitely made up of more parents than kids - parents with very strong views about well everything. It was a rough year for all of us.

This year the teams have been split so that the 12 and 13 year olds can play a combined grade. Yes. The longstanding friends are still in the team, but there are lots of other experienced players as well. Lots of scope for a fun year, and best of all we just have to turn up, watch and support! Doesn't that sound like fun.

Should I be worried....

Its started off as a fairly strange week...

Sunday morning at Church we had the 6 monthly fire drill...a bit of a nuisance but its a fire drill, we all presume they aren't real and obediently head outside.

This afternoon in a picture postcard day on the mountain. blue sky, lots of snow, no wind, great skiing, a mum, three kids one of which has just panicked at the new slope ... and a volcanic lahar warning, sirens, instructions, very helpful mountain medics... a lahar drill.

When we got home we had an answer phone message that we have an appointment at the kids dental clinic..for tomorrow... should I be worried at what she will find,

Or is their some other more serious drill for planned for tomorrow. After all this is some coincidence.

Maybe I should spend more time this week drilling the kids Latin, or math or spelling words.

A Quiet House

Sat night and I'm home alone. The house is quiet, apart from music in the background. No demands, nothing that has to be done. My kids thought I was missing out when they went to the car rally with the junior youth group tonight. (Dad's driving) They were lovingly concerned about Mum being left behind.

Um,

A cup of orange red bush,

and a good book....

It must have been a good day!

My husband commented tonight that I couldn't be feeling well....

Why

I didn't manage to burn the rice!

Its been a long time since I have had the leisure time to enjoy cooking without being sidetracked.

Blackberries

Yesterday we headed off for a walk to the nearest piece of native bush only to discover a mass of blackberries along the edge of the reserve. When we finished our walk we returned to the car for bags and spent the afternoon braving thorns to pick blackberries - it was fun! At present they are simmering with some green apples, when they are done I'll strain them and add sugar and look forward to enjoying blackberry jelly and fresh bread tomorrow.