Brain-freeze?

My head is hurting this week from the reading that I've been doing.  I felt compelled to read the Big Issue and Amnesty magazine from cover-to-cover this week, as they often simply sit on the table and eventually end up in the recycling bin, or a child's craft project.

Taking time to read about how other's face life each day, whilst I sit here in the glorious sunshine that bathed Southsea today is quite mind boggling.  And sending emails, writing letters and sending up prayers often seem rather lame.  But I'd prefer to be informed than have my head in the sand, so maybe this is a week of finding richness in more?

Reading the Amnesty mag also gave me a bit of a window into the world that BBC news and our national newspapers just don't seem to think there is value (money?) in reporting.  What makes some conflicts newsworthy and others not?  What political power is involved?  What corporate power?  Or is it just that the public would tune out?  

A collegue rather depressingly stated the other day 'people simply aren't interested in things that don't directly effect them'.  Obviously it was somewhat of a sweeping statement, but how many people does that really apply to?  All of us at points in our lives?  Or the majority all the time?  I hope not, and it hasn't been my experience of talking with others.

My mind just seems to be in overdrive about all this, this week, and I think it started when I saw 15 mins of a DVD entitled 'Jesus, Bombs & Icecream'.  It's a film from a 90 minute variety show conceived by Shane Claiborne & Ben Cohen (of Ben & Jerry's).  15 mins was enough to get me angry about the state of our world.  We'll be having a showing at our house in the near future (icrecream will be a highlight of the event!), but before then I want to find the stats that relate to the UK in comparison to those of the US.  Should be an interesting, if not challenging night.

Amidst the joys of work, sick children, household chores and family life, I think I'm experiencing brain-freeze!

Parenting Advice and Garden Update

So my evening out for International Women's Day was a lovely evening of talking with girl friends, and not being interupted by little people...a rare treat!

 

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/womensday

One of the topics, sums up my prefered method of parenting advice.  I'm just not one of those people that is inclined to trawl through loads of parenting books, written by people who I don't know, some of whom don't have kids, and that always seem to be very long.  Give me some hands-on parent experience any day!  We had a great discussion about what words to use when kids start asking about their different body parts.  This is coming up lots in our house at the moment, as my eldest (girl) realises the differences between her and her little brother.  From the discussion I'm still not 100% sure on the way I want to go, although I've definitely eliminated some options and am not far off a decision.

Rob Bell in his book 'Love Wins' has a great quote about his and his wife's parenting ambition, along the lines of 'we want to bring our kids up with as little to unlearn in their futures as possible'.  I definitely want the best for my two, and prayer and muddling along with other parents thoughts/opinions/ideas and mistakes has done me well so far.  (Maybe I should write a book on group parenting ;-)

Garden Update

As to the garden, there has been great progress this week , thanks to a lovely warm weekend...hooray...spring!  After weeks of deliberation we've decided to get a shed to store the bikes at the expense of some of our garden sun spot, but being able to use and maintain our bikes really is very important.  (Amazingly the NI repayment has totally covered that...God's timing ;-)

Yesterday we spent a great morning relocating a big trough to our new growing area, and moving the compost bin, so the shed has space to be put in next week.  We've had to take out some bushes (currently up for grabs on Freegle), but if we get lots of fruit & veg from the same space, it will be well worth it.  Now I just need to find some time to get a plan going of what to plant when and where, and find somewhere for our apple trees.  And since this (other than the shed) this is all recycled things, how many of the seeds etc can we source creatively?!

The new blank canvas of our back yard

NI Story - March Episode

So back in January I started trying to pay a National Insurance contribution bill that HMRC had sent through, as I was short for a tax year.  

In February the amount bounced back to me, as the account details they've given me were out of date, and the account had been closed.  I ended up sending a cheque and thought that was the end of the matter.

Well it's now March and the story came back to life!  I received 3 little brown envelopes on Saturday and by fluke I opened them in this order:

• Thank you for paying your missing NI contribution, you now have a complete tax year (08/09) for pension consideration
• It has come to our attention that you have overpaid your NI contributions for tax year (07/08), due to an error on your employers part.  You are now due a refund, and you will receive a cheque within the next four weeks.
• The cheque!

I've almost got all the money back that I paid them for the following tax year...and how come they've found the error now?!?!?  A most random experience....is God having a bit of a laugh...and is it the end of it....

International Women's Day

As it's International Women's Day today I've been thinking about the amazing women that I know, and also about sisters who are less fortunate than me in a material sense.

When I cleaned the bathrooms in the house today, I spent time thinking about the blessing that we have in good sanitation and the fact that we even have the luxury of two toilets in the house, and a choice of a shower or a bath with constantly available running water.

How richly blessed we are!  (Now the challenge is to have that attitude every time I come to clean them ;-)

Just off out now to a friend's to chat and ponder some more.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/womensday?pscid=ps_clk_IWD+2012

Great fun making!

Gifts are definitely taking longer to make currently, but they're great fun to do.  

I was challenged on postable items, and this week came across a pattern for a mug cosy, which I've adapted slightly.  It took all of about 2 hours to make, and is heading out in the post tomorrow.  Don't think that's the last one of these that I'll be making.

I've also had fun melting LPs and adding some papier mache.  (I started the melting here: Melting LPs & Boiling Oranges ) They've been turned into gifts, and have definitely generated some conversation ;-)

One became a plant pot with an Aloe Vera cutting from our kitchen window ledge, and the other held a selection of homemade delights (marmalade, muesli & fudge).

I've won something!

http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/

So it feels like I never win anything, and I'm sure that's mainly down to the fact that I never enter anything...but on a whim a month or so ago, I entered a competition with Families SouthEast (a local magazine with info on stuff to do with kids) and I got an email this week to say I've won a family trip to Beaulieu!  Hubby gets to see James Bond cars and a Top Gear exhibition, and I'll get a day out in the fresh air with the kids.  Brilliant...and all for the cost of the petrol to get there (think it would take a bit too long on the bike ;-)

So that's added some joy in an otherwise mixed week.

And lots of people are asking how no TV is going, and so far evenings are passing with me getting lots of stuff done.  I'm listening to a bit of Radio 4 (my general knowledge is going to increase lots...especially after a 3 hour ironing fest, and just listening to what happened to be on!).  I'm definitely noticing how much I would out of habit, pop it on in the evening, even if it's background whilst I'm doing bits on the laptop.  So it's not an easy thing to give up, but I think it's good.

And this is an interesting site with ideas on things to do in Lent that are positive.

http://www.40acts.org.uk/

This is also the week that I first discovered Pinterest.  A great way to keep track of cool things you find online.  Very useful as I can never remember where I've seen stuff.