A Modern Day Essene

I know how important it is to support Australian Businesses.I realize that real life happens and my order may not necessarily be the most important issue on the agenda. But, and I must be honest, It is absolutely annoying to offer express post options and to use it as an excuse for delayed posting. I paid for an item ten days ago. I used bank transfer so I allowed five days for funds to clear which is very generous because from my experience they usually take no longer than three days. I then allowed for three days postage but considering I used express it should have taken no longer than two days. Ten days and nothing. No email to apologise for any delay, nothing. It will probably be here next week but the point is that I could have ordered the same item from the book depository in the U.K and would have had it in my hands within five days! I also would have saved myself $6! I have never had to wait longer than seven days for any book I have ordered from them. Doesn't that say something? Am I going to be critisized for buying overseas when the reality is that nobody seems to be able to match that service in Australia?
I will think twice next time...........

Rach (15) Was invited to her first ball last week. The Pastor's son asked her to be his partner for the night at the local christian school's year 11 ball. Rach hates wearing dresses! she is my resident tom boy!! Her older sisters brought around a variety of dresses for her to choose which was such a blessing to us financially. It is very handy having older sisters! Rachel had her hair done at the hair dressers and her sister and best friend both took the day off work and school in order to pamper her!! ( I told Rebekah that we didn't agree with a day off work for that reason but who can argue with an 18 year old?)

I haven't been well all week. The kids got over a nasty flu virus and then when all seemed calm I came down with it! So after moping around the house all week feeling sorry for myself I decided to get out today and enjoy a beautiful Autumn day at the local park. 27 degrees! Is this country paradise or what? LOL

There isn't much information about this book, probably because it is so old! I bought it based purely on reputation and hearsay so was more than relieved when it arrived and I discovered such a beautiful treasure.
Here is the introduction from the book;

Here is something entirely new in juvenile literature, a strikingly original play book that, while telling a charming fairy story, gives small children a grasp of English grammar that would take years of dull lessons to teach. The story tells of the adventures of Linda and Barry among the quaint little people who lie at the roots of our language. Among the fairy folk there are Sir Pronoun, obliging standing in for busy little Miss Noun; critical Madam Adjective of infinitely changing moods; Master Verb, for ever being hauled over the coals in the Grammar court on the charge of irregularity; small boy Preposition, enlisting Miss Noun's help in the forming of adverbial and adjectival phrases when Lady Adverb and Madam Adjective are too busy or too lazy to appear in person; Wee Baby Conjunction, King Speech's favourite little handmaiden, who holds his hand and guides him smoothly over all the rocky places. The climax comes when Linda and Barry find themselves in the palace of King Speech and his exquisite Queen Poetry and are told by the gracious king of the life of "lifeless" things. THe delicacy and imagination that distinguished Nuri Mass's Australian Wild Flower Fairies makes the Little Grammar People a book for all children who have fairies in their hearts; and teachers will find it invaluable in helping young pupils to understand and respect their own language. Celeste Mass's illustrations, individual and finely drawn, are the book's perfect accompaniment. 1947

For a long time I haven't been able to even look at a pregnant women without feeling a sense of fear come over me. Sad, I know, but true. I just can't believe how my pregnancy with Joel affected me. From being an eterally clucky mum I turned into a women who feared the very word "pregnant". There was no clucky left! oh yes! I adore my beautiful baby boy (who started walking this week!) but any mention of babies just didn't stir any positive emotions within me.
Yesterday I was searching the internet for homeschool resources and came across Chariot Press website where the announcement was made about their newest arrival. For the first time in 14 months I sat and read it and felt.........HAPPY! It was a breakthrough for me. I could rejoice in the good news of someone else's new arrival without experiencing that tremendous sense of fear. I know it sounds strange. It is hard to explain. I am totally cured of my own desire for more children but I needed to break through that area of fear regarding pregnancy in general.

I haven't blogged much about Home schooling. To be honest with you it isn't something that I have been passionate about for a long time...........too long! It started before I had Joel, before I fell pregnant with him. Gosh, that is longer than 14 months~! A lot of it had to do with plain old exhaustion. It doesn't matter what people tell you, homeschooling a large family "IS" hard. I have always had toddlers and babies together with the school age children and one of the biggest battles is juggling the two. Then there is housework, and cooking, and cleaning. Anyway, Like I said, for a long long time I just haven't had any enthusiasm. The children have pretty much worked by themselves. Most of the time I have little involvement with them. I have thought a lot about school, especially this past year. Michael actually asked to go to school in term one. It shook me up! As much as I had thought along those lines it was still a shock to hear him tell us that he wasn't happy at home. Steve had a chat with him and discovered that Michael dislikes the stress at home. He finds the noise of the toddlers and baby very distracting. He gets upset when I am stressed. He was bored, with only a sister of similar age at home he spent a lot of time teasing her. I knew that a lot of his actions were typical boy behavior akin to boredom. We tried to sort things out in his bedroom so that he could work in private. It has helped...........slightly!
This past week I was forced out of my comfort zone to look for a Math curriculum for Michael and Rachel. I spent a couple of days browsing homeschool sites. It was strange but something clicked inside me, something familiar but long unseen or felt.................a passion! a passion for homeschooling! It felt good, strange but good! I feel more enthusiastic than I have in a very long time. I know that I need to take it slowly, not overdo things again. I feel like I am getting back on track................

The only way that we can save any money is to cut back on food shopping! Easier said than done! Everything seems to be getting smaller and yet going up in price. I have never really felt that our shopping budget was over the top. For a family of nine living at home and lots of visitors that join us for meals on the weekend, I was spending $600 per fortnight. Because of my silly spending spree and subsequent debt I now need to get us back on track financially and the only way I can do this is to save on food shopping. I have reduced our budget to $400 a fortnight. I don't know how I am going to go but this week was the start and I was really proud of myself because I finished my shopping at a total of $380.00. I must admit though that I spent another $200 at a large discount supermarket buying bulk items. These items should last at least a month if not six weeks. The things I bought were Dishwashing powder in bulk, Toilet paper bulk, shampoo and conditioner bulk, peanut butter bulk, vegemite bulk, mayonaise bulk, vegeta stock bulk (I couldn't live without that stuff!) Washing powder bulk, windex bulk, soap on tap bulk. I guess if you add this expense to the budget then my fortnightly shopping goes up to $500 but I have a feeling that the vegemite, soap on tap, washing powder and shampoo are going to last for two months............I'll let you know!
My trolley consisted of lots of mince! let's face it, it is the cheapest meat you can buy apart from sausages and it is so versatile. My menu plan looks like this for the next fortnight

Thursday; Home made pumpkin soup with home made rolls and jacket potatos on the side.
Friday; Chilli Con Carne with rice
Saturday; Chicken Stir Fry with Egg Noodles (lots of veg)
Sunday; Shepherds Pie with broccoli cheese
Monday; Home made meat pies with potato top and roasted oven vegetables
Tuesday; Lasagne with either salad or vegetables
Wednesday; Fettucini with zuchini and bacon (Jamie Oliver recipe)

Basically I double these recipes so that the following week we eat the same food as per the previous week.
I would like to eat better food for myself with dieting and everything but I am more focussed on the exercise to help me lose weight at the moment than struggling with strict diets.
I feel a sense of excitement about trying to achieve this. I really hope that I can succeed and see our savings go back up again.
Any ideas from frugal living experts?
For more ideas follow this link www.livingonadime.com