For the Life of us

As a mother I have never shied away from big conversations. There are some things, given, that need to be repackaged for little hearts and minds to digest and absorb. Most things can be simplified. Race is one of those things. This week our news-feeds have been inundated with posts of unified outrage at the murder of an innocent man at the hands of the delegated authority who was meant to protect and serve him. Haunting videos footage of a suffocating man under the literal weight of racism and police brutality have impacted us all deeply. We are moved and reminded of the depths of depravity in the human soul. How do we translate this to our kids? As parents wants to protect our kids from the reality of evil. I for one don't want to taint there simplistic, naive view of people and the world by introducing the warped, wrong ways by which some people see others. But how do we adequately prepare our kids to live in a world where this evil exists if we don't open up conversati...

I think things are hitting home as I go through my online calendar and delete things like our Easter services run-through, community Easter fun days.... When we first went into isolation I didn't even think about Easter falling in the middle of it. Easter for me, aside from Christmas, is my absolute favourite celebration of the year.  There is something about specifically focusing on the events of 2000 years ago that takes the story of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection and brings it into reality. I remember being a little girl and being deeply touched by the services we attended, the plays that were put on and the movies I watched about it. One thing I pray is that my kids also really connect with the reality of Easter and what it means, in a really personal, life-changing way. This will be the first year ever, that we won't be heading to a church service early or heading to the Easter egg sales on Easter Monday, or fitting in lunches and celebrations with family. L...

Hi family and friends. As promised, here is my plan for what we will probably do each day.  I find that one of my coping mechanisms is to plan. It doesn't mean that we will meticulously follow each plan and mostly they're loose plans. What it does mean, is the headspace needed for thinking up at least one fun activity, is spared because I sat down and thought it out beforehand. Let's me honest mums, a month (at least), is a long time to not be able to drive the kids out, play with friends and change the scenery. I hope and pray that as we all share resources (as I myself have copied and adapted other clever mums ideas), that we will have exactly what we need day to day, to ride this thing out. Daily routine for school holidays (this will look different in 2 weeks time when we switch to online school) 7 - 8am (Bible, breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth, make beds)  (I find if I allow the kids to wake up and watch TV in PJ's they wake up at the crack of dawn and...

Wow, can anyone actually believe this is happening? A few weeks ago, self isolation wasn't even a concept I was familiar with. Now it's a buzzword meaning so many different things for different people. For us, it means working from home while simultaneously keeping 3 kids healthy, educated and not killing each other in confinement. I absolutely LOVE school holidays so naturally, the idea of having 4 weeks to hang out with the kids excites me! However the reality of our situation changes our normal school holiday adventures and means we will have to be more thoughtful and creative in how we approach this time at home. Firstly, I am so reminded (by my 5 year old's sudden outburst of tears at the fact that Burger King is closed for a few weeks), that the kids sense something is going on. They don't have any context for the scale of this pandemic, the fact that it's worldwide and that for many people, this means loss of income or worse, loss of a loved one. They d...