A Backward Generation

A few months ago, a friend asked me,
"what's it like to have backward kids?"
(I was a little taken a back)
Looking at it now, I do have backward kids!

There seems to be a move toward simplicity and in this moving forward,
its teaching us skills and activities that were practiced back in the day.
Home schooled and fully equipped with a wonderful curriculum ...hmmm.
That's what I thought they needed right? In the spirit of growth, our days are wildly interrupted by snack making, wanting to read books that are NOT on the reading lists,
questions that have nothing to do with the appointed work,
a deep desire to knock in MORE nails in their treehouse (proudly built by an older cousin),
an urge to look for more worms to put into our veggie patch.
Looking for berries and all sorts of leaves that we could possibly put into our salad!
They are now on a new path and have to catch a bird!
I have on my hands a pair of hunter gatherers!
A backward generation, see what I mean!
My reason for homeschool is to create a desire for others in my boys lives.
To lessen the me factor in their hearts.
We have chosen to be servants a peculiar bunch, chosen to help Humans, the Earth, All God's creatures; and in doing that I pray that God will honor my children like He promises that He will.
I will continue to listen to their hearts and even though the industrialised, tertiary educated me screams NO!!! I will press on and LEARN to teach them what they want to. I hear CS Lewis was educated in a similar way. "wink"
 Our days in captures...

This was taken a while back soon after we arrived back in South Africa. Its something that the Boys do often, gumbooted and having a jol in the veld!

We joined a farming project at our church. It is to help people live healthier and provide food parcels for those in need/hunger.

Last week we decided to make our own...for the boys it was a stuffed Robot.

We chatted about the design and they sewed on their own buttons!

And this was my attempt at piecing it together!

A typical day of homeschooling, well that's when we have a typical day.

Jacques & Lijie cutting up wood that we salvaged!

And some fun...

Its always wonderful to share. I'm trying to break out of myself and feel comfortable with where I'm at. In so doing I'm trying to write more!
Love and Light
>i<.

Here in SA for His Love

It has been a wonderful time here.
We have been away for two years and back now for 6 months.
It has been joyful.

God has showered us with love, community, family and friends.
The boys are growing like little Mealie plants.

Jacques and I feel that God has placed a deep desire to be true to His Word.
We have been challenged to live in a Kingdom conscience way.
Its one thing to know how to do this but to do it is a whole different veggie patch.

In South Africa Poverty is real!
Its at every traffic light, in every home across our veld.
Its so close but such a foreign concept to my mind.

"Give us THIS day our DAILY bread," not more than we need and help us to share equally.

I am so challenged, not only by the poverty, but by our reluctance to pray for animals,
especially those close to extinction. I am challenged by what I take out of this earth vs. what I put in.
I am thinking about the clothes I buy and those that sit in my cupboard,
waiting for someone who has no choice but to wear the same thing.
I am challenged by the fact that I have resources that I can actually share.
I have water, there are those in my country that do not.
There are public toilets that my government have put in informal settlements
so that perhaps 10 families can share this ONE facility.
Most of them with the walls broken.
An average household of 4 family members has two full bathrooms.

I AM CHALLENGED.
My heart and my God tells me to do something.




This slideshow is from the past six months.
FIlled with joy, I want to share it with you. The joy that comes from it I want to share with the world.

unProcrastinate

So many days and nights have gone by since my last post!
Time! I tell you...is no friend of mine.
Procrastination, however, is!

Over the past 6, 7 or 8 months things have happened,
not happened and are in the process of happening.

The move back to the RSA was...well eventful, but all in all a great success.
I love trekking! (not with luggage though)
Next time, a nudist colony!

We came back planted, sewed, made new friends (I lie!),
after 4 months got Rosebud out of Quarantine, ate, got fat,
stopped running, stopped yoga, ate way too much,
went back to church, english church, started been kind to the environment,
had too many SA puddings, wanting to know what God wants from me,
went to the sea, my sister visited from OZ, ate too much again,
teaching sunday school, met old friends, played with their new babies, enjoying time...

Now its time to play, work, write and teach Joshy and Lijie.
We have not started school as most kids have in RSA, due to Procrastination!
She has visited often!

Not sure if you know but we homeschool the boys.
Last year we (I mean I) milked it and made our (my) own curriculum,
which worked out very well! (We assessed Joshy and he is on par).
We did cheat a little... for the Math part we used the Singapore Maths part of the Sonlight Curriculum.
Which also went well.
(In my opinion...at least)

So this year we start a new venture, homeschooling in the RSA. The government has requirements and I have not yet fully investigated the situation as yet. We have chosen for Josh and Lijie the South African Public Schools curriculum.

Wish me luck...
(feeling like a butternut again)

Go out into this World and Love

Love.
It seems to be the in thing at the moment.
In fashion. In art. In religion. In politics. In the home.
With your friends. With your neighbors. In books. In poetry.
In photos. In cooking. In teaching.
In Life.
It’s almost like the universe is actually trying to make a point.
A difficult point at that!

When we hear about love we assume it is an easy thing.
We can do this, easy peasy.

Then you try, and the human in you kicks out the Divine and you:
give it boundaries
allow it to reach AVERAGE
punish it when it is not behaving
walk away from it when it does not understand you
turn away when it asks for food
tell it to go and work when it needs clothes
show it that it is a burden
make it believe it is an obligation
make fun of it when it tries its best
you don’t forgive it when it causes pain
try not to make amends because you do not want to seem weak.

I am not sure when showing love became a sign of weakness, but undeniably it HAS!

What have we done to this thing that God gave us his only Son for?

Which is easier?

To ask the World, that if you died today where would you go?
or
To ask the World, that if you died today, would you know that you had been loved by me?

Let’s be the change this World needs.
>i<.

Chat, Chatty, Chatting

Sometimes I desire a need to take a few breaths in privacy.
I am not sure if most Mommies or Daddies experience this, but a moment to yourself is deeply cherished. (Even if it is doing something as dull as washing up the dishes, by YOURSELF!)

My day is usually filled with Josh and Lijah’s around the clock playtime commentary; it’s quiet entertaining. (There is nothing more delightful than these little conversations.)
Whether I am in the shower, in the middle of a telephone conversation, talking to the neighbor, or really trying hard to understand Jacques’ thoughts on Christology; the boys never fail to include me in their goings on. (Now I know why little kids get into trouble for talking in class, they actually don’t stop!)

I have just realised how much information one requires when they are parenting children and yes, I have only figured this out after being a Mommy for nearly six years now!
You seem to think it would be basic questions, it is exactly how it starts out, it just progresses as the minutes (I am not exaggerating) go by!

Your need-to-know HAS to increase.
Your ears and eyes have to be sharper.
Understanding different dialects of English, is incredibly important. (Or of your home language)
Being able to play catch with one child while you teach the other Number Bonds, apparently requires skill that no tertiary institute will teach you!
Having at least ONE new exciting thing to do in a day is required by those you are in the company of.
You need to have a high speed internet as queries get made often and just as quickly.
Answers need to be backed up by videos or images (a kids interpretation of ‘fact’).
Be prepared to move off topic and then get back on it five days later!

These are also some of the reasons that I am never bored, or finish a 100 page book in 500 days, or forget what I am doing while trying to look up tornados. I could never do this anywhere else, at any other time of my life or with any other two little boys.

(Lijah has just come in to tell me about spiders got to run!)

Love and Light

Perfumed Feet

Perfumed Feet
all i have
i lay them there
my heart filled with the
lucid reality
of the pain
i helped
You
feel
heart always sorry
forever trying
to understand
Grace
i stop
to let
Your Love
take over
dancing
in the shadows
my fear
Your Light
shines from above
i become
a part of
You
Perfumed Feet
here
I
will be
>i<.

Glimpse of God

You were nearly two
I was that plus twenty three
We were playing on the bed
When we saw that
All the green things
Were in their Winter sleep

You giggled
My tickling fingers
Chased you
All over the bed

Then I saw it
The look
You have
When you are
Filled with wonder

You saw the curtain
Grow
With a waft of a breeze

I saw you smile
Like you knew
It was
Him

>i<

For Joshua Levi Rothmann