Hey there,

I've just decided to start blogging at www.tryhardhomemaker.com for the moment. I can't promise I will or will not post here again at some point in the future. Hope to see you over there for now! :)

Update on this crazy home schooling thing :)

Hiya. :) I know I asked for prayers in an earlier post for my little home school, and as such I owe you all an update on how things are going. I am happy to report that, two weeks into the school year, we are doing really well. I am actually really loving it right now. I don't know how long that feeling will last (I have a way of being very swingy in moods and interests, but I am working on my self discipline and in being joyful, appreciative, and thankful in general, which seems to be helping) but right now I'm trying to soak it up.

Things are looking good for this year so far; my mom is now employed by the school where we have our children enrolled, and she will be leading music workshops and activities in my area, which means that we will be able to be plugged in to the larger home school community in which we have not, so far, been very active. This is meaningful because I've been somewhat concerned that my children do not have much interaction with non-sibling peers. LOL. It's also fantastic because my mother is probably the most talented and knowledgeable musician I know (and I know a few!), and she will be teaching my kids (although, to be fair, she has taught them piano lessons in the past and we hope to do that in the future, but we have not been very diligent about either lessons or practice thus far). :)

One very embarrassing thing did happen at the end of the first week of school. Somehow, I came to the realization that I was mentally behind by a full year on all of my kids. I am aware of their ages, but for some reason I thought my 8 year old was in year 3, my 7 year old in year 1, and my 5 year old in kindergarten. Some strange thought-stream led me to awaken to the fact that my 8 year old is actually in year 4, the year old is in year 2, and my 5 year old, who is nearly 6, is actually in year 1 and therefore needed to be enrolled this year! It doesn't really matter for the older two, because the work they are doing is at their own individual level and not based on an arbitrary grade level, but for my 5 year old it is a legal requirement that she be enrolled this year. I am thankful that I realized this a week into the school year and not any later down the track (like, when the gov finally caught on and sent me a cranky letter, for example)...but it made me feel some not-so-positive emotions about my parenting and educational skills! All is well now and sorted out, but boy did that throw me for a loop.

As a side note, our little tiny baby girl turned one last month! I am very happy to be blessed to have shared this year with her, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me a wee bit sad. It does all go by so quickly. She had a grand day, though, and she really is growing up, despite my best efforts. :)







Oh, happy birthday sweet baby girl! We're so happy that you are here with us. <3 <3 <3

www.repairpal.com

The world of auto repair can be a tricky one to navigate for the average person. If you, like I, are pretty clueless when it comes to your automobile, I am sure you have at times been put in the difficult situation of trying to figure out what is wrong with it, and what to do about that problem to get yourself back on the road again.

www.repairpal.com is a great resource when it comes to the mysteries of car repair. You can find out possible solutions to your car problems by looking them up in the encyclopedia. So your check engine light has come on? Find out what it could mean. Perhaps you need more info on your specific make and model? Simply look up your Toyota Camry, Dodge Neon, or whatever you have for specific information on that vehicle.

As well as the above functions, repairpal.com can also give you estimates on how much it should cost to get your repair job done, find a shop in your area that can help you, and help you keep track of all of your service and repair information. It's a really useful website and I don't hesitate to recommend it.

Random sentence of the day

The unbalanced discovery boosts the unseen blast.

I really struggle with my "job" at home. It is hard to see the forest for the trees here. I suppose it is true of many stay-at-home moms of many. Every five seconds there is a child needing a drink or a piece of fruit or to play with play dough or a reprimand or a hug. Three times a day there is a pile of dirty dishes that, if neglected, will still be there the next time around, but doubled. And the time after that, tripled. If you leave them until morning, you are greeted with tall towers of plastic IKEA cups, teetering stacks of multicolored plates, tangles of crusty cutlery, and NO COFFEE MUGS TO BE FOUND, ANYWHERE. And that is a recipe for a bad start to the day, let me tell you. Add in avalanching mountains of dirty laundry that threaten to block access to that most important room (the toilet) and you are in trouble. And it only took one day.

I have read blogs about housekeeping. I have read books and magazine articles. I have listened to self-help tapes and talked to my counselor. :P They all seem to assume that I have some inner desire (or ability) to follow routines. I do not. I think that certain people in my family of origin hogged all the routine-loving genes! I feel genuinely and severely routine-disabled, yet I know that in a family with six fun-loving and energetic young children, a routine is as necessary to smooth daily functioning as fiber (ahem). What about me then?!

And here is the part of this little essay where I should have some solutions, a way to resolve the tension I just built up in the previous two paragraphs, but I don't. No sir. All I can do is get up and keep trying...fall down and keep praying...get up and keep trying...fall down and keep praying. What I'm really doing here is fighting a battle against myself; my wants, my attitudes, my sins. I have work that's been placed in front of me, and it is good work. At some point in my life I desired it more than anything else. I think that was some point before reality set in. Haha.

So, moms of many (or moms of any, for that matter), how do you do this work cheerfully, day in and day out? What are your solutions to my horrid problem of being routine-resistant? How do you cultivate self-discipline to do the work that has been given to you? How do you remember to take a step back and look at the big picture?

Getting ready for Christmas 2011 yet?!

Now that the Christmas season is behind us, I'm sure we're all more aware of the need to plan for gifts ahead of time? :P I'm writing my gift ideas and information for the year into a planner WAAAY in advance, because with a large family and even larger extended family, it sure does get have the potential to get crazy! And sometimes, with pregnancies and babes underfoot, toddlers and children climbing the walls, getting out of the house is difficult and we need all the help we can get.

That's where online shopping comes in really handy. http://www.become.com is a fantastic online comparison shopping site that allows you to search for that perfect gift. It brings together great, relevant search results for whatever you may be looking for, from websites all over the internet. With that comes valuable information like buying guides and consumer reviews, to further help you in making your decision. There are various ways to customize your search results to maximise your use of that elusive computer time. Become.com also uses a special interwebz technology that filters out irrelevant search results, further refining your searching process.

Lets say, for example, that I had it in my head that my friend-who-has-everything needs something in an aquamarine bahai pendant. Or perhaps I need to forward some ideas to my husband about the .40 micro pave platinum anniversary band I've been dreaming of (and will probably only ever be dreaming of, lol!). Maybe I want to order my dearest, hardworking friend a shiatsu elite footmassager fms 200h. Become.com comes to the rescue helping me to source relevant search results, giving me research and comparison capabilities, and doing it all for me from the comfort of my sofa. :)

Hello! I think an update is obviously way overdue. We've been busy, and life has a way of just keeping on going whether you want it to or not. :)

Sweet baby Evelyn turns one this month! :) That seems so wrong to me, but it is true. The calendar says so. She's a good girl, but she is also a stubborn girl. She doesn't take no for an answer! She has a little touch of temper, too, like a diluted version of her big sister Grace's legendary temper. Can you tell these things by looking at her? Probably not.



We had a very creative Christmas this year. I (Deb) made almost all of the gifts we gave to extended family -- the exceptions were the gifts for the menfolk, because I really couldn't think of anything to make for them. Last year I made them pies in jars, which was fun, but this year I just didn't have time to do that.



Yes, those were fun last year. This year, the boys got hardware store gift cards. I did, however, make pie. Sadly, I had too much pie over the holidays and I think I may be a little sick of pie! I feel horrible saying that. :P



I crocheted the majority of the children's gifts this year (in the extended family) but neglected to take photos before they all got handed out. I hope that they are being enjoyed! For my own kids, I made a variety of crocheted stuff including monkeys, cakes and pies (surprise!), and clothing items. I also did some sewing on the machine. The biggest piece we made this year, though, was a kitchen set for our little girls. The idea and inspiration for the larger piece came from this tutorial and the materials were recycled from things we no longer needed (or needed, but decided we could get by without, in the case of the pot that we used for the sink) plus a few key items from the local hardware store. The smaller piece we had already, but it really needed tightening up. A new coat of paint and a few new details really helped it along. This is what we ended up with:



I love it, and the girls love it too. I wish I was still young enough to see a kitchen and think of fun. :P The curtain is sitting a little weirdly in the photo from the girls playing with it; behind the curtain is a storage area where they can put their massive collection of food toys.

All in all, this year's handmade Christmas was a success and once my crochet burn-out passes, I hope that I'll feel re-energized and ready to start thinking about Christmas 2011. It would be good to get started in, say, March or April, so I'm not spending every last spare moment in December crocheting like a crazy person.

The garden is going pretty well. We had some issues with sun, because we do live in a country where the sun is insanely bright. I wasn't expecting to have issues with it until maybe midway through December, so we were surprised when we found we needed to put up shades much earlier than planned. Now we have shades in place, and although our system is not perfect, it works okay. I would LOVE to have irrigation in place, but we haven't done it yet and are still hand-watering. Currently growing in the garden we have: lebanese zucchini, corn, beans, celery, cucumbers, lettuces, arugula, rhubarb, mystery vining plants (perhaps cantaloupe) that came from the compost, oregano, tomatoes, basil, garlic chives, spring onions, carrots, beets, peppers, parsley, coriander, cantaloupe (that we planted) and butternut squash (volunteer, from compost). Not all of it is doing great but mostly it's going pretty well. Our poor worms copped the heat pretty badly so we're going to have to start over with that, but I've got a few ideas of how we can protect them and keep them happy through the summer. The chickens are still laying pretty steadily; we may be adding to their number shortly by taking in another family's chooks as they move away soon.

We're on school holidays now until February 1st. Jonathan actually could stand to finish up a few more tests in the next week, but other than that we're just hanging out together, messing up and cleaning up the house over and over again, cooking, eating, being hot, fighting and playing with one another...you know the drill. Next year's schooling promises to be interesting. Jonathan and Mae are going full steam ahead with their textbook-based curriculum. We use that mainly to cover the bases educationally, and also with the government. Once textbooks are done, the rest of our school time is ours to do with as we wish. That doesn't mean we don't try hard with the textbooks though. Next year we are aiming to win awards from the head school with our work. :) With the three little kids (Grace, Ben, Seth), I'm planning on plodding through our tried-and-tested literature-based little kid curriculum. :) This involves a lot of reading, and a lot of drawing/painting/coloring/cutting/gluing, and a lot of playing. Hopefully little to no pulling out of hair. :)

Speaking of school, I covet your prayers for this coming year. Last year with me being pregnant, and then having a new little one, as well as physical problems AND postpartum depression, Larry graciously took over the homeschooling. This year things are evening out for me and I'm taking it up again, with more children than ever before (LOL). I have grand plans, but I already know I have a tendency to freak out and burn out. Please pray for me. We ARE open to putting the children in school if we have to, but we really really don't want to as we believe homeschooling is the best available option for our children and our family. :)

And finally, for those friends and family members to whom this may be of interest, Evelyn and I (Deb) will be in Cincinnati in April/May so if there's any possibility that I may be able to catch up with you, please get in contact with me. I'd love to see you.

I will leave you with a fairly recent set of photos of the children, along with all of our love and prayers for you.

--Love, Deb xox



P.S. I signed up with Blogsvertise.com so if something I write here sounds like an advertisement, it probably is. :) I apologize in advance if it is annoying! :P

Family Update

This is an edited version of a post I (Larry) put on my own blog, but Deb and I thought an update on the family here would be appropriate. It might be boring, so I promise I'll stick a baby picture in here to make up for it.

We're still home schooling. I've taken over most of the actual teaching. Why do we do home school? A co-worker asked me that recently. Then she seemed really, really startled when my answer was that we think it's best for our kids. Why else would we do it?

Something funny happened on the way to the library the other day. A trip to the library (or the Perth Zoo, or the Maritime Museum in Fremantle, or the Art Gallery) is school for my kids. It's educational, just as much as their math work or reading or handwriting practice. But as I was walking my kids to the library during school hours, some presumptuous person yelled out her car window as she drove past us, "Get those kids in school!"


We've picked up a lot of speed in our garden lately. We have four fruit trees, four chickens, composting bins, a worm farm, and a dozen or so boxes and old tyres in which we've planted radishes, beans, lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, several herbs, spinach, etc. We've got plans for expanding this little backyard garden into a true suburban farm. Our aim is to provide as much of our family's food as we can from our own yard.


We feel this is the kind of thing humankind was made to do. It's the kind of relationship with nature for which we and nature both were created. It's a responsible and harmonious exercise of authority over creation. We care for the land and it cares for us. A restored relationship between humankind and nature is part of the new life Jesus offers us. It's what we're headed toward in the new creation.


We've become vegan recently. You don't have to worry about our nutrition or the kids' nutrition. Yesteryear's dietary superstitions say you can't be healthy without meat products. But nutritional science is proving that to be nonsense. We get plenty of all the amino acids our bodies need for building our proteins. We get plenty of calcium and iron. We also get enough vitamin B12, and we get it from exactly the same source meat-eaters do: bacteria.

But why have we made this change? There are a few reasons. We think it's healthier. Human beings are designed for it. We think the meat industry is unnecessarily cruel to animals. We'd have far less objection to eating animal products if the animals were treated humanely. Veganism is a sustainable diet. If the whole world ate vegan, the whole world could eat. If everyone ate like the average Aussie (or American), we'd need several more planet Earths. God's only given us one. In fact, we already need several more planet Earths to feed the human race the way it's currently eating, even with the multitudes who are starving to death.

So veganism is better for us, better for other people, better for the animals, better for the whole environment. It's a win-win-win-win situation, and it's better stewardship over the creation God put under our care. The short answer to why we're vegan is: because we're Christian.

Another major change happening in our life is bicycle transportation. I bought a bike to ride to work instead of driving. I bought a trailer bike so I can take Jonathan to karate by bike instead of by car. I bought a folding bike so I can ride to places where I might not be able to lock up, or ride to a bus stop and take my bike with me. I bought a kids' trailer so I can take one or two of the little ones with me somewhere. Or I can put it behind Jonathan's trailer bike and haul three of my kids with me. Or I can put zero or one kid in it and use the extra space for cargo, like produce from the markets.


We have lots of other plans for bike transport. It's costing some money to buy bikes, trailers, tools, equipment, but it's costing FAR, FAR less than car payments, registration, insurance, petrol, repairs, and the general headache of driving. I hate driving.


And it really doesn't cost more time. Although it takes a little longer to get some places (e.g., getting to work is a 17 minute ride instead of a 10 minute drive), I'm multitasking. I'm commuting and exercising at the same time. Instead of (10 minute commute by car) + (20 minute exercise) = 30 minutes, I get (20 minute commute by bike) + (20 minute exercise) = 20 minutes. It actually saves time.

It's also costing the environment less. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, ditching the cars is a stewardship issue. A bike ride consumes zero non-renewable resources, and produces zero pollution. Multiply that by ten trips to and from work, a trip to and from the markets, two trips to Jonathan's karate class and two trips back, two trips to my Muay Thai and two trips back, and miscellaneous trips to shops and other places through the week. We're saving ourselves a lot of money, and Earth a lot of damage.


Bicycle commuting is better for the environment, better for us (saving money and getting exercise), better for people around us (bicycle accidents are less common and less dangerous than car accidents!), and in all these ways we consider it part of our obedience to God. It's a win all around.

Alright, here's the promised baby picture. She's five months old now.


And here's a shot of all the kids.


- Larry

There and about

Today we took the kids to the museum. It is the first time I've ever been to the Perth museum, unbelievably (only unbelievable because I personally have lived in Perth for a total of --a lot-- of years). Considering we took a bus and train to get there, and then a bus home, with a fair bit of walking from hither to thither as well, with 6 young children, only four of whom can walk reliably, and an esky-full of vegan tofu sushi that I woke up at 7am to make, and the fact that about 35% of us have a mild head cold...it was fun. Ish. My favorite part of the museum, however, was the building itself. I like architecture (looking at, not participating in). The museum has a lot of it, and it's old. Happy. :)

I can't wait until the Pompeii Exhibition opens up. I am strangely enthralled by the story of Pompeii and I'm pretty much deathly jealous of my sister who got to go see the ruins of this ancient Roman city during a trip to Europe. I'm excited about the exhibition, being probably as close to visiting the actual site as I'll ever get. And, I'm going ALONE. :-D

We didn't get many photos of our trip today because I'm absolutely terrible at remembering to take photos of stuff. This is just one problem with having dual personalities who are at odds with one another. One doesn't think that taking photos of moments are as important as living the moments, and the other wants to kick the first one's butt for thinking that. *sigh* I managed to get myselves to agree on at least taking photos of the children, since they are The Things That Really Matter anyway. :-) So I give you a Travis Family Exhibition:


Miss Evelyn, 11 weeks old. She's going through a pain-in-the-butt phase. Thankfully, her cuteness does quite a bit to make up for her less-than-easygoing nature. I'm assured that fussiness peaks at 12 weeks...I'm holding my breath, is my face turning blue?

You wouldn't know she's a demanding little grizzlepot by looking at these photos, though, would you? :-) (Incidentally, you probably wouldn't guess that she's sitting on a diaper that will, minutes later, mess up her pants, her shirt, and the seat of the stroller, nor would you suppose that she will shortly spend 15 minutes screaming her head off inside the *otherwise almost silent* museum while her frantic mother tries to breastfeed her without providing another display -- I'm not a museum exhibit, people, move along!).


This is Seth, who just turned two. He was a very, very good boy today. He even ate sushi (and this child doesn't eat!). Other than being a bit hot-and-cold, and understandably territorial, he's an awesomely behaved little kid. If you give him what he wants, he's happy all the time. Love him. :)

Only downside of Seth that I can see, at this moment, is the fact that he's not exactly easy to take a photo of. ;)


Still pretty dang cute though!


Benjamin, 3.5 years of age, is spectacular. However, his behaviour is a little lacking in general, which I put down to his age, increasing sense of self, and need for independence vs. dependence conflict issues. That'd be enough to make anyone a little iffy. He handles it all pretty well, and will usually behave himself, eventually, but with a wee twinkle in his eye. :-)


These girls are something else. Mae is a 6.5yo, witty (smart-mouthed?), funny, pouty, ratty little thing who likes to take control of the situation at hand (especially when it involves taking control of her siblings). Although sometimes she is blatantly insensitive, she can be moved to tears at times when others are hurting. Grace, who once had a quick, hot temper, has mellowed considerably, and is now (mostly) a soft and sensitive girl who seems to think rather abstractly. I think she might be a fair bit like me. Both girls can do the splits. I tell you this because I'm 100% sure they would want me to.


Jonathan turned 8 in February. This is a solid, steady young man with a very sensitive and empathic personality (he is the first to ask me if I'm okay if I seem upset, etc.). He often doubts his strengths and abilities, and he is not comfortable with making mistakes, so one of my biggest prayers for him is that the Lord let him see what he is capable of, without allowing him to become conceited. This child...he could become conceited, justifiably.


Larry. My husband is almost 35, a strong and capable man who is also gentle and nurturing. Although we, as a family, mostly conform to traditional roles, with me taking on more of the household duties and him bringing in the money, he is very supportive of me in my other outside endeavours. He also prides himself on and enjoys learning, growing, and improving. This makes him an inspiration to me. I love him.

FYI, this entry was cross-posted on both of my blogs. Yes, I am really that boring.

More random photos and other tidbits.

For those of you who might care about such things, my other blog at http://www.homesteadblogger.com/tryhardhomemaker/, which had been sorely neglected for almost a year, is now active again. It's more craft-and food-related, and less family- and kid-related, than this one. Larry also has a blog at http://going-to-the-ant.blogspot.com/, although he has trouble finding time to post on it. I know he has things in mind to post though, and as soon as I give him some time to do it, he will.

In other news, Larry's garden outside is coming along. He's been planting boxes of lettuce, beans, marigolds, peas, and perhaps other things that I can't remember right now. I'm loving this; growing some of our own food is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but a) I don't know how and b) I am scared. LOL. Well he's not scared, and he's doing great.

I was supposed to have surgery yesterday, but the surgery was postponed by the hospital at the last minute. Now it's scheduled for next Tuesday, so if you could pray for me that would be appreciated. Even without surgery, yesterday was eventful as we had to take Evelyn to the ER. She had a hair wrapped around her toe so tightly that we couldn't tell, after we'd tried to remove it, whether we'd been successful or not. We took her in to be on the safe side. She is fine now, after a bit of a rough night. I'm guessing her toe is kinda sore, and she was sad about that and looking for reassurance. Poor lil baby. :(

My work with the pregnancy support center is going well. I have finished rewriting and editing the main part of the curriculum -- that was the largest and most intense part of my work, I think. Now I have a bunch of admin stuff to do to wrap that up, and then I can work on expanding the curriculum to cover more topics. It's been interesting so far, and I've learned a fair bit about a few different things, so although it's voluntary work, there are definitely benefits for me as well.

The children are doing really well, except for Evelyn's little toe issue yesterday. They are generally very healthy, although we have a few skin-related issues with Seth and Evelyn. No surprise given the sensitivity of both parents' skin...

Jonathan and Mae continue to excel in homeschool. They are each at the head of their grade. :P They are also taking piano lessons, thanks to their beloved Mammam. We have yet to succeed in practicing regularly but we'll get there. The other kids are quite a handful, but only because there are so many of them. Separately, they are quiet and well-behaved children. LOL. We were stopped twice in one shopping trip recently by mothers telling us how they don't know how we do it; they each only had two children and couldn't control them, and our six kids were so well-behaved. We get that a lot -- it's not really because we're awesome parents but we do have some awesome kids!! Plus we have an awesome God and He certainly helps us every step of the way.

Anyway, here are some photos, as promised. I don't have one of Jonathan from the last week or so but I'll try to remember to snap one soon. :) Also, I can't remember why Mae was so cranky in her photo but it's a genuine representation of who she is right now so I'm gonna post it anyway. :P