My evolution...

This blogging journey has been interesting.  For me anyway.  Recently, I randomly selected some old posts and it's been interesting to read them and see what was going on in my life then.  Some made me laugh out loud.  Some made me a little sad.  Some made me smile, and some made me think "what the...?"!

I can see some patterns.  Some breakthroughs.  Some times when lessons were repeated, so maybe I didn't always "get" them to the degree that I thought that I did at the time.  Maybe life is just so full at times, that it's easy to get distracted from remembering to stay present, or to fill myself with love all of the time, or to write five things that I'm grateful for every single day.  Or whatever I think that I "should" be doing.

I had a poster of the following 'Ten Rules for Being Human' on my wall when I was a teenager.  It was near my 'Desiderata' poster.  Such wonderful inspiration to share my days with!   I have often remembered, and quoted, parts of both.  Mostly to myself.   It's number 10 on the Rules that always gets me though!

Argh!  Just when I think I've got it, Number 10 strikes again!!

It has taken repetition, and a gradual chipping away at some old patterns.  It has taken me forgetting on a conscious level, so that, when the lesson appears again, I can go deeper into remembering.

I think that all of the "big" lessons for me, have really how to incorporate all of those "little" lessons into my very Being.

Hmm, into my very Being.

That's it!   They become a part of the way that we are, the way that we live every moment.  So then we no longer have to consciously remember them.

Some lessons take longer to incorporate.  That chipping away at old patterns.
Some might hit us with full force after a sudden awareness, which may or may not be triggered by a major event in our life.

Remember to be gentle with the process. Because learning lessons does not end, as long as we are still breathing!

Remember that all that really matters, is love.

Love is our Soul Purpose.

And that you have all of the tools and resources and answers within you already to know how to live that!

Manifesting...

My entire life I've had the feeling that 'Everything I needed would be provided'.  Mostly as a kid I wanted freedom.  I valued time exploring and creating - building cubby houses and playing games in the bush near our house, feeling the freedom of playing in the water of the creek or lake or beach near us.  There were also some material things I wanted - candy / lollies which I always seemed to find a few coins for; a particular doll I wanted that I was given for Christmas; a pair of striped socks that I saw and loved and received soon after.  I can't think of any thing that I had wanted as a child, that I did not receive.  I think that is because my main focus was on feeling free and as long as I could fill myself up on that, which I did every day after school and most of the weekend, my life felt as though it was all it could be with the limitations I knew I had to live within at the time.

Looking back, I can see how my thoughts also attracted things I did not want.  At school when the head nun came into the room, I would slink down in my chair thinking "please don't pick on me today"..which of course she did because I was so focused on her picking on me, rather than my thoughts centered in being safe.

As I reached my teens, I had a new focus - boys.  When I set my sights on a guy, he would almost always become interested in me.  It was a very powerful feeling! 

Fast forward some years and I did start becoming much more aware of the connection between my thoughts and my reality.  From my late teens I started reading inspiring books that spoke about that, but it took some time to really 'get' it.  In recent years, the movie 'The Secret' has inspired a lot of people to learn about 'The Law of Attraction' (LOA).  Maybe I should say 'remember' about LOA because I feel that it is something we do already know, we just forgot, or it got covered over with mainstream conditionings.  You know...all of the rules and regulations that come with being a 'good' boy or girl. 

I've been able to manifest a lot of things and people and experiences that I have desired in my life...I had the desire, and then released my attachment to that desire and life has flowed to me.  Sometimes I've felt stuck and frustrated that something is not happening, or not happening quickly enough...then I've realised that I am too attached to that and maybe, there will be a more magnificent expression of that desire show up.  Like the time when we had packed up the house and were loading the truck to move to Sedona...yay, finally getting out of Las Vegas!...when suddenly the business deal we were moving there for, fell apart.  I felt sick and allowed myself to wallow in that for a couple of days before deciding that there must be a good reason.  Several months later we were packing to move to Australia!!

I want my children to remember how powerful they are...how they can manifest things and people and experiences by the way they use their thoughts.  So we played with making Vision Boards.  (When you get a piece of cardboard or paper or a corkboard or some kind of flat surface, and attach pictures of things you want to have, do or be.)  We went to the op shop and got a big pile of assorted magazines and started tearing or cutting out anything that just spoke to us, we didn't have to figure out why.  We also used some catalogues from various stores that we had collected.  Once we had a big pile of pictures and words, we sorted through those to find the ones that spoke to us the most.  I thought this would be a pretty easy exercise, mostly for the kids...but I really got into it!  I immersed myself in it and enjoyed making a picture of what is important in my life.

Summer has a few pictures of places she'd like to travel to, a phone she'd like, some fashion items, a picture of some money and the words Harmony, Healing, Happiness, Confidence, Power, Sunshine and 'The Power of Positive Thinking'.  AJ is still working on his big pile.  Nicholas pasted several pictures of young boys in stylish clothes, boys shoes, some lego and a couple of other toys, and three pictures of guys surfing.  He has been saying for months that he wants a surfboard and wants to learn how to surf.  ...It's big clean-up time around here at the moment and people have been putting all of their big rubbish next to the gutters for collection.  Walking home from the beach the other day, we found TWO surfboards in a throw-out pile!  Powerful stuff!

My own vision board:   

Most things I already have, a few I'd like to add into my life - more yoga and gardening, a newer car and some places I'd like to travel to and to 'feel amazing'.  Looking at this many times a day (I taped it to my kitchen window), I know that I am already working on attracting those things into my life. Seeing the words of the things I already have, like Family and Magical Kids, just reminds of of how much I appreciate those things.  Seeing some of the other pictures and words like Play and Flowing help me to remember to maintain and grow those aspects of myself. The picture in the bottom right hand side is of a lady who had lost a leg in a car accident and had survived breast cancer.  Peggy Leggit sent over the trike and camper from the UK and came over here to travel around Australia, towing the tiny camper behind her.  To me, she symbolised courage and freedom and determination and living a full life. And for me, that's what it's all about!

life learning here and now

I just read a great post titled 'Unschooling Thoughts' at Fall Down To Fly. The author, my friend Miranda, describes so eloquently the style of learning we also live by. Recommended reading for anyone wanting to know more about unschooling. Thanks Miranda!

confirmation

I love it when the Universe confirms my direction with some kind of sign. In this case, it came after my recent ramblings on staying put in one place vs. moving around. I was at the library with the kids and a book caught my eye and drew me to it....it is called 'Raising Global Nomads' by Robin Pascoe.

Just as I had concluded, her advice on page 5, when she was talking to some teens at an international school in the UK about what she was going to tell their parents: "Make sure your children know you love them; make them feel safe; protect them without overprotecting them, so they can learn to stand on their own two feet." and, "despite all the moving around, they, as loving parents, are your true home and bedrock of support."

I admit to flicking around the book, not feeling the need to read the entire thing. I found this other gem on pg 204:

Travel writer, essayist, and global soul Pico Iyer has written that "global citizenship does not mean giving up a sense of roots so much as extending our sense of what roots involve." It is my belief that parents ground their children with roots made of love and respect. The family's values, beliefs, and traditions are like the branches of a tree; the enriched childhood produces colourful foliage. Some leaves may appear later than others, but that's fine, too. It takes a lot of trees to create a forest, just as so many unique cultures make up our world.

I know this, and it is very kind of the Universe to show me that I really am on the right path.

Our week..

Busy week last week -
Monday, Summer started back at drama class and then, as we were pretty close to Movie World from there, that's where we spent the rest of the day. AJ finally decided to go on the roller coaster and loved it! He went on the fairly mild one, not the super fast one, but still, this one is fast enough when you haven't ever been on one before. Then he and Summer went on it over and over and over. AJ would put his hands up as it went, something that Summer isn't ready to do yet. We also went on the big bumper cars...about 20 times. Nicholas loved driving them and I would sit next to him with my foot across on the pedal.

Tuesday we caught up on some things around here. I think that was the day I booked our flight to the USA after a huge amount of frustration that I will not bother you with.

Wednesday we had an excellent time with the Northern Rivers homeschoolers. We had a 'mathematican' come along for a presentation on 'the magic square of 3'. I loved it and when Summer realised that she was learning how to draw mandalas, she was excited. AJ has continued to draw the pattern we learned there since he's come home and I know we'll be doing more with this. After the presentation, the kids ran and played while the mums chatted for hours.

Thursday was the library and grocery shopping and playing with the neighbours.

Friday was Sea World all day. We got there just after it opened and were pleased to see that it was much less crowded than the last time we went there. We went on the skyway first and enjoyed the aerial view of the park and looking over the dolphin pools. Then to some rides. I was feeling very brave and decided that this was the day to conquer my fear of the "corkscrew" roller coaster. The one that goes up really high, around a fast bend, then way down and around in a loop and then around a bend and through the sideways corkscrew part before another bend and back in. I went straight up to the ride, no line to wait, got in, sat down and strapped in before I could even think about it. As it started to go I thought "uh oh...what have I done?!" I closed my eyes for a moment to center myself as we were climbing up the big steep hill and I heard someone say "oh..it's sooo beautiful!". I looked around and to my right I saw the ocean and to my left I saw the mountains. It really was beautiful. I felt fantastic and thrilled and, instead of screaming as we went down and around, I was laughing with absolute delight. My comment when we pulled in - "that was just too short - I'm going to do it again!". And I did. Three more times. Couldn't talk the kids into going on it with me, but they're thinking about it for next time. Nicholas did go on the flume ride where you sit in a canoe kind of boat on a water track, go around and up and around and then down a steep drop and get sprayed with water. He loved it and went on that three times. Surprised me. And of course we spent time in the underwater viewing area, just admiring all of the fish. The day flew by it was such fun.

Saturday we got up early and went to some garage sales, got two ladies bikes for $10 (total). They just need a couple of minor adjustments but can be ridden as they are. We have bikes, but Summer needs a bigger one and it will be good to have a spare in case of visitors. We also found a few other treasures. Then we went to the farmers market and Amy, my niece who moved to Brisbane to go to Uni this year, came down for lunch and to play for the afternoon.

So now it's Sunday. I woke up entirely too early (again). I think french toast for the kids for breakfast and a bike ride to the creek will fill up this morning. Then a trip into the mall for AJ to spend some birthday money. We'll probably end up at the game store I think. AJ likes to think everything through very well before making a purchase so we could be there for a while.

It's another beautiful day. The mornings are getting a little cool, but the days have been just lovely. (big sigh of contentment)

Always growing

Thanks for the "happy birthdays"!

In the photo taken from the lookout on the hike, our house is in amongst those on the right. It takes us about 10 minutes to walk up to that lovely long beach.

In the '44' post, I wrote that I was both calm and excited. Later I thought that they may seem like opposites. But I feel them both. I feel an inner calm - a peace and Knowing that, whatever happens on the outside, I can handle it and deal with it coming from a place of that calm and holding my own Truth.

This state is becoming more and more my usual state. For so long, it would be something that I would only catch glimpses of every now and again. Now it is something that I experience daily. Sometimes I slip out of it for a while. But those slips are becoming less frequent. The most significant slip happened a few days ago. I had let things stack up - I was really tired, I had not been drinking enough water and therefore I had a headache, I had not been eating enough. And, my Mum was here. The last time I saw my Mum, we had a major disagreement. That was almost a year ago, and in the meantime, phone calls have been very good as we had worked through that. But actually seeing her, I became aware that I was holding some tension, just waiting for some kind of negativity to come from her. Well, ...the negativity came, but not from her. I attracted it, but it came from a stranger. It came when I had all the other things (tired, dehydrated, hungry) happening. What did I do? I just walked away. I chose not to get into an ego battle with that person, I chose to just do what was best for my spirit. As soon as it happened, I realised what had happened and why. It did not take me hours to figure it all out. I knew straight away the mental process behind it all, and the fact that my physical state had also contributed. Within seconds of walking away, I had realised this and felt good that I was walking away from the negativity. I said to myself "I'm better than I used to be". Instead of beating myself up for what I "should have" done to prevent that situation, I was proud of myself for choosing the way that gave me back my own strength and clarity and truth. I was not upset with the stranger, in my mind, I actually thanked them for giving me the chance to handle this in a new way.

So from that came a deeper commitment to take care of myself - to drink enough water, to keep my body nourished with enough food, to get more rest.
Even though we are spiritual beings having a human experience, we can't live too much in either dimension while we are here. We need to take care of this physical body and we need to take care of the spirit as well. Maybe it's that balance that I'm getting better at.

So I also feel excited that, through this Peace and awareness, I am always growing, I am feeling both deeper within and more expansive as that energy radiates out. I am excited that, with all of the travelling and moving around that I've done, this journey within still holds a beautiful feeling of adventure. I am excited as the more I go deeper, the more I love what I find and the way that helps me BE.

I am in love with this life.

Picnic at the Dam

A few weeks ago, we met my Aunt & Uncle for a picnic at a local Dam. We didn't end up going to see the actual dam, we just hung out in the picnic area. It was so quiet and peaceful and the kids were having a great time exploring around some water there.

Showing off their recently painted shirts.

Exploring..

What's that you found?

A frogpole! Summer and AJ both found dozens of tadpoles at various stages and lots of tiny frogs too. AJ has a huge amount of patience to watch and catch tiny critters for a closer inspection.

These Morton Bay Fig Trees are excellent for climbing! I started up this one but it had a ton of ants all over it so I jumped off. These were nasty looking biting ants. Usually they don't have ants and are super fun.

Beautiful and fun days

The chilly weather I wrote about recently didn't last long at all. We got back into the upper 20'sC / low -mid 80'sF which has been lovely. We've had some beautiful soaking rain too - sometimes all night long which is great to lull us to sleep and to have those negative ions coming through the open windows.

It is getting lighter later so the kids are sleeping in a bit more which is good for them. I keep waking really early though.

We had a state election here yesterday. Voting is compulsory in Australia for all aged 18 and over. I went to vote at the local public school. As usual, there were lots of people standing out the front handing out pamphlets showing you how to vote for their candidate. We walked up to the big shed where the cardboard booths were set up. As we approached, I asked the greeter if the children could come in with me. He was very friendly and enthusiastic and said "Certainly - show them how the electoral process works!". Wow, I hadn't been able to bring the kids in with me in other places I've voted. They saw the big roll for our area that has everyones name on it and helped the lady find my name and make sure it was checked off so that I did not get a fine for not voting. They came with me to the booth and I told them why I was voting the way I was. And then the workers there were fine with the fact that Nicholas helped me "cast my vote" by popping it in the box. The kids did feel more involved with the process and now have a little more understanding of how that works.

We love living in this state - "the sunshine state". It's currently celebrating its 150th birthday. One really great thing about that is that 3 of the big theme parks near us are doing a special deal - for the price of entry into one of them for a day, we can get a special pass that will allow us unlimited entry into all 3 of them anytime until the end of June. Too good to pass on that! Last week we went to WB Movie World and Wet'n'Wild Water World. Oh we had so much fun - and one of the best things was that we didn't feel rushed to get around and try and see everything in one day. At Movie World, we mainly hung out in the area where the kids rides are though we did see some shows. The car stunt show was very good. Nicholas didn't like the Batman street show, thought the Scooby street show was ok (the ghost guy running around was a bit scary) and after being a bit nervous at first in the 4D theater, he quite liked the Shrek show. I went on a roller coaster by myself. Not the super fast one that goes up really high and then very steeply down at about 60mph. no no no no! Not yet anyway. Compared to that one, I went on the tame one. It was still a blast!

Another day we met some homeschoolers at an ambulance station for a tour and then on to a playground. Seeing as we were only 10 minutes away from Wet n wild, we decided to go there afterwards. We hung out at the wave pool for about an hour, floated along the lazy river for another hour then played at the big kids playground with climbing and squirting things and slides and big fun. Until Summer was told she was too old to go down the slides there, it was meant to be for the little kids. She was really sad. Growing up and not ready. So we looked at some of the big long water slides for the "big kids" (yeah that's me too) and she picked out some she wants to try 'next time', that don't look too fast or scary.

This week....Sea World. I have a feeling we'll be riding the monorail for at least a few laps of the place. Maybe Wet n Wild again too while the weather is still so good for it.

round and round..

A week ago there was a funeral for a 9 month old baby girl. A little girl that I had held and played with.

A few days ago we received news that Cary's brother has died, two months before his 60th birthday.

Cary and his brother spoke at least once a week on the phone. They enjoyed sharing opinions on the state of the world, finances and unique humour. So sad, and unexpected.

Cary will still leave here on Tuesday, but will fly to Indiana instead of Nevada. I wish we were all going so that I could be with him at this time. Thankfully though, he will meet his sister and stepdad there so he won't be alone.

When I heard about the baby, I felt incredibly sad. I wondered about the fairness in life. Cary's brother had at least had some time to live life though it still seemed too soon for him to go.

But then I was reminded of the incredible joy too. How looking at one extreme can give a much greater appreciation for the other side of the coin.

It is in touching the depths and feeling the darkness in life that we can really know and really live the highs and feel the lightness of Being that comes when we choose not to stay in those depths.

I am not saying to ignore the depths. I've been there and I can say that with every breakdown, there came a breakthrough. There is a purpose for everything, though at times, it is very hard to understand that. Gratitude for the things we do have helps to lift me up. I have found Trusting God to be a huge lesson too.

Although death, or any deep loss, can be painful, and a period of grief is necessary, it can also inspire us to live - really live each moment. To live our own lives fully and deeply. To love freely - ourselves and others. To speak our own truths with confidence. To not put things off. To live in joy.

Last week

Another busy week. We spent more time exploring this new area. We got our library cards and spent some time enjoying the new library. This one has a playstation, computers in the kids section complete with internet access and large-button keyboards, lots of DVD's - and books! - to choose from, self check out, friendly staff and a nice feel.

In other news:
* We looked at some possible houses to rent. I actually spent a lot of time on this - online, looking at newspapers and flyers from real estate agents, the street directory and driving around. I was starting to get annoyed about the whole process. It wasn't feeling 'right'. Of course I received another great quote from Abraham:

When you feel enthusiasm to do something, it means you've lined up the Energy, and you are being inspired to take action from that point of alignment. When you don't feel like doing it, don't push yourself, because your effort is not worth it. But, when you line up the Energy, the feeling of procrastination goes away.
Excerpted from a workshop in San Rafael, CA on Sunday, July 31st, 2005 All Is Well

I felt like I was spending too much time "do-ing" and not enough time "be-ing". I love this exact area. I realised I do not want to move to a house - yet. I'm enjoying our new camper, this park with tons of kids - even homeschooled and traveling kids!, being right on the water and minutes away from a national park with fabulous trails just right for the kids. I had no enthusiasm for looking for a house so I let it go. We did find one place, right on the water and already furnished that we like. The agents have not returned any of our calls on it though. So I'm not looking anymore. If they call us on that one place, we'll see what happens. Right now, I'm enjoying the moments right here, right now. The freedom that comes with this life is not something I'm going to give up lightly.

* AJ was out playing with some friends who were riding their bikes around. AJ has never shown interest in riding a bike. He's been riding a razor scooter since he was 2 or 3 and seemed happy with that. But a few days ago, Cary noticed him watching his friends closely on their bikes. Cary casually suggested to one of them "why don't you teach AJ how to ride that?". Several friends got involved in the initial stages of instruction then just left him alone. Within 20 minutes, AJ was riding around the block confidently, like he'd been doing it for years.

* Nicholas seemed to grow about 2 inches this past week. His legs look longer and his PJ pants have gotten a lot shorter. He sometimes says "look at my long legs!". He is so outgoing. He often gets up in the morning and announces that he's going out to look for his friends. Quite sure of himself in all matters, he has an opinion on everything and freely expresses it. Usually at top volume too!

* Sami returned from the bathroom one day happily telling me that she had made a new friend. It turns out that her new friend is a grandmother from New Zealand. Got to love homeschooling and the fact that she is not limited to the mindset of only having friends her own age.

* Cary went to some car auctions in Brisbane with a new car dealer friend he has made here. It felt good to him to kind of get back into things and is absorbing a lot of new information on rules and regs here. A little frustrating at times for him, but he's loving the area and I'm sure it won't be long before he has it all figured out. An exciting part about this is the new (second-hand) Mercedes station wagon he brought home on Friday as an early birthday present for me. It's beautiful - white, with a grey interior, CD player and 7 seats. In excellent condition too. I'm a lucky gal!

* I've felt a bit down at times this past week. There are some changes I need to make in how I take care of myself and how I listen to my body and spirit. I need to remember to take time for me and just BE. At one low point, I thought about deleting this blog and removing myself from a whole bunch of email groups. But I didn't get a chance to get online, and I got over myself pretty quickly. I don't know why I can't remember all of the great lessons I've learned recently in books like Conversations with God and Abraham books. If I'm not currently reading something like that, I tend to slip into old patterns too easily. Perhaps it's the recently move and trying to get settled here. ....You know what? I cannot blame any external factor - it's me. I am the one who sabotages myself. Why? Just when I think I'm going along so well, here comes the old me, not willing to be forgotten. Looking back, I have changed a lot - in a positive way. My periods of negativity are a lot less and last shorter periods of time. I'm getting to where I feel calm contentment most of the time. And maybe those periods of dark just serve to remind me of how great the light is.

I'm not going to delete this blog. It's therapy for me. Writing has always helped me figure things out. I don't care if I'm not the most eloquent or even if no one reads this. Funny thing is, just when I think this blog is boring or too whiny, a friend emails me to say they've been reading it. I treasure all of those gold friends who, despite time, distance and changes in circumstances, still keep in touch. Thanks and love to you.

* One afternoon this past week, we went for a stroll along the creek to the breakwall where the creek meets the sea. On the opposite shore of the creek, at the base of a bushy-rainforest hill that is a National Park, there was a young man playing his trumpet. Deep, soulful melodies that fitted the sunset mood of the place perfectly. An unexpected gift to a beautiful moment.

* AJ is so excited about his birthday and talks about it every single day. We still have 38 days to go. Looks like he might be getting a new bike for his birthday!

* One day when we went swimming in the enclosure at the creek, I paddled on boogy boards with Sami out to the deepest edge. She had been wanting to go out that far, but was a bit nervous. After going there one time with me, she later happily went out there by herself telling me that she had told herself "I am confident....I can do this". That's a big step for her and I'm glad that she figured this out.

And that's about it for the main highlights of the week, in words. I will now attempt to post some photos.

Life - learning

I was going to blog about "our unschooling trip to the laundry"...talking about how many $1 coins we would need for 3 loads of washing and 2 loads in the huge dryers, then rounding up $1 coins within the family, figuring out how many each of the children lent us and discussed when they would be repaid and with how much interest. The spiders, moths and bugs we stopped to look at on our way to the laundry. While I took care of loading the machines, the kids were fascinated with watching the happenings of a building site right next to the laundry where a new cabin is being put in. It's at the beginning stages and they were preparing the driveway for concreting. The weather was alternating sun and rain as the weather systems circled above us and we attempted to predict when the sun would come out again. AJ sat on a step outside doing some crochet. A fellow traveller remarked "what a clever Mum you are - teaching him that!". I refused to take any credit and said "no, he wanted to learn, so he did".

Anyway, I was going to blog about all that, but decided instead to blog about unschooling and what that means to us. I actually prefer the terms 'natural learning', 'life learning', or more appropriately, just 'life' and 'living'. We see the whole world as our 'classroom' and life and all of it's wonderful opportunities as our potential curriculum. We see learning happening all the time and there is no distinction between a trip to the museum or playing cards or doing puzzles or reading a comic book or running around or going shopping or just lazing about in the pool.

This is a lifestyle, based on respect for each other. A lot of Trust that life is unfolding as it should for each of us. A lot of communication and connecting with each other so that we stay aware of the needs and desires of all members of the family. And just getting out and doing a lot of interesting things. En-Joy-ing all the moments.

We are all learning, all the time. Lessons of all shapes and sizes. Lessons in life that cannot be graded. Lessons that are constant and therefore, life itself. It's full of flavour and challenges and incredible joys and love and connection.
And I wouldn't have it any other way!

An unschooling trip to the mall

That restless feeling is creeping back. Yesterday the kids and I went to the library and then played at the mall as the weather was threatening rain and was a bit cool at times. What's going on? It's still officially summer until the end of the month. Last night was definitely an autumn night. But today is beautiful, warm and sunny.

When we went to the mall yesterday, I did not like the boxed in feeling and was longing for a nice long hike. But we made the most of it. As usual, interesting conversations came about regarding the people we saw. There was a lady in full Chinese dress promoting some Chinese extravaganza so we chatted with her for a while. A lady with a white cane prompted questions from AJ about how it might feel to be blind, or even deaf or both. Followed by his own experiment about how he might cope. The usual parade of women dressed in robes and veils led to further Sami's observations and curiosity about different religions and cultures. We will follow that up next time we go to the library.

The kids also spent some time going up and down the escalators. We looked at all of the different food available at the food court and took time to watch the preparation of different kinds of Indian and Greek food and talked about that and again, about different cultures. We went to the game arcade and AJ checked every machine to see if there were any coins in the coin return. Often he is lucky in this but there was nothing yesterday. There were however, a large number of teenagers there, considering it was school time. We watched some teens on the dance machine and they were really good. AJ has especially become interested in hip-hop kind of dance after watching "So You Think You Can Dance" on TV. He's asked to do a class in that so I've started looking for one in the new area we're going to.

A trip to the mall would not be complete without a stop at the game store to play Guitar Hero. We've been thinking of getting a gaming system and spent a while chatting to one of the assistants at the store who was very helpful. And patient with this techno newbie. He suggested the Nintendo Wii over the X-box 360 or Playstation 2 or 3. But then realising we'll probably get Cary to buy games when he's in the US as they're cheaper there, he suggested the PS3 as it's 'region free'. I managed to keep up with all the lingo as he was talking about the different systems. He was very curious about life in the USA and dreamily rolled his eyes when I told him we used to live in Las Vegas.

Sami looked at different fashions and talked about different styles of dresses. She looked at some of the other girly things as well. We spent a while in the newsagents looking at magazines and Nicholas played on a coin-operated tractor, without any coins being put in it. He loves that tractor and I know it's a minimum of a 10 minute stop every time we go past it.

As it was Valentines Day, we looked at all of the people walking around with bunches of flowers and big soft teddy bears. We talked about the idea of the holiday and why we don't get into all of the fuss surrounding the day. We don't believe in being extra loving on one particular day because the culture says we "should". And buying unnecessary gifts because someone made up the idea that we are supposed to. We aim to live with the Valentine spirit every day. That goes for Santa and the Easter Bunny too.

That was the main parts of our little excursion. Other things happened like stopping to watch the donuts coming out of the machine, and just so many other interesting little conversations and observations. I love this! I love watching my kids put things together in their minds. Yeah.

Loving Life - rain and all

We are so lucky! Living like this, with all the different weather and situations. What a grand adventure! What a blessed life! We woke up this morning to heavy rain. Surrendering to Mother Nature made me joyous and very happy. I put on a raincoat, Cary and Nicky got umbrellas and we walked barefoot through the little river running around the campground, chatting to other campers as we went. When we got back inside we stayed warm and dry and close.

We'll go out later to the library that we recently discovered and joined. The kids love it because they all got their own library cards and can check out themselves scanning their own books and things. Oh, and it has an x-box, the internet, dvds and even some books! The kids area has a bunch of cushions for people to sit on and look at books. My boys thought it was much more fun to put all of the cushions in a big pile and take a running jump into them. At least the kids area is way down in the back corner. I think the favourite find all round was a Doctor Who DVD. We are all fans and we hadn't seen the episodes on this one. The library is located within the huge mall up the road so when we go there, the kids can also have fun going up and down in the elevator and on the escalators. Good stuff to do on a rainy day!