SQT | Three Week Round Up

Linking over with Kelly and all her Lovely People for Seven Quick Takes.
I can only get around to it every now and then so here goes!


1. Who knew time would fly by and your baby would be receiving First Holy Communion! On the Feast of Christ the King, Joshua Levi, my oldest baby received the Blessed Sacrament! I was so excited I didn't know whether I was going or coming! So very proud of my Little young Man! I'm so excited about him receiving with Jacques and I, that it's got me going to three weekly mass services!!! *dancing*

The Prayers of the Faithful

Receiving the Precious blood from Our Deacon who is also Josh's GODFATHER

2. Circle Skirts have my heart and they will never know how much I love them because, I  h a v e  to stop myself. No one should have this type of relationship with an inanimate object! They're so pretty and feminine and twirly and modest and TOO kind to my sweet loving thighs. And since I realised that a 2cm waistband suits a shorty like me I want to  m a k e  them all the time! I think I'm going to have to do a tutorial! It's one of the easiest things to make if your have a sewing machine!

Oh!!! I made (the day before) and wore this one for Josh's First Holy Communion.

Peachy Midi Circle Skirt

3. Advent is second most loved liturgical time of the year for me! I really love the anticipation of Christmas and Chritmastide. Living liturgically is all very new to me, in fact we only started THIS Advent Season! So to break us in, I decided to mash up our Advent with Jesse Tree Activities (perhaps thats how it IS done?!?). Its been really good for us and we have been doing it in the mornings, so we are kind of fresh and it actually helps the daily chores get done sooner than usual!

Hold thumbs for us as we try to do this the South African way! We have done bits and bobs here and there, but usually a day late because I take my cue from the American Mommies.

Busy Little Darling Dining Room Table

4. I have been asked to talk at our Parishes four masses for the third week of Advent,  (s l i g h t l y PANICKED), on following The Star of Mercy as Mother, Wife and Nurturer. This is in follow up with the Popes announcement of The Year of Jubilee! So as I have been pondering the subject I slowly realised how unfamiliar I am with the virtue of Mercy. Patience, YES. Love, YES. Mercy, I thought I did but then I read this article, so I sat up and thought that I am going to have to try and PRACTISE Mercy this week, to get familiar with the topic.


5. My house looks like its in a constant mess, are you having the same problem? Its looks this way, but it feels like the best place to rest my tired and merciless soul. I remember when I went to bed with a clean kitchen and now its like whatever! The days are for playing and writing and sewing and eating and reading and swimming and all that jazz. I  really like a clean house, but most importantly I LOVE a happy home! But if Alf on the Shelf wants to pay me a visit and clean, so be it!!!

Thank the Light you cannot see the floor!

6. This is how I hung up my Laundry today, very unlike the Polish Madonna.

Its so hot that all the clumps dried in minutes

7. Have you guys ready Kelly's Blog yet!!!! You know you want too!

Love and Light

A Constant State of Inadequacy

You get some pretty confident people out there. (hypothetical hat off to you!)

I am  n o t  one of them.

There are very few times when I look at myself through my eyes and am only slightly content.

The rest of the time I see myself through other peoples eyes.

How terribly sad!

There are so many things in Life that I am missing out on because I am in a constant state of inadequacy. 

And I believe that I am not the only one.

Imagine if our minds were decluttered of all self negativity.

Zero self deprecation.

Your self worth was understood by YOU.

Accepted by YOU.

How would we truly feel if we believed, we are

"fearfully and wonderfully made. 

Wonderful are Your works,  

m y  soul KNOWS it well."
- Psalm 139:14

I think that we would all feel a beautiful freedom.
I'm talking about the freedom to understand fault and know in your heart of hearts that understanding comes, e v e n t u a l l y.
This Knowing that the Psalmist is talking about, it can only come from God.
It is a knowledge that is always there and a knowledge that has always been there.
God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.
The truth is here and we are created in truth.
So somewhere inside us is truth and it is beautiful.

Inadequacy and Comparability.
How often these two go together?
How often it slowly kills the soul!
We feel inadequate because we are constantly comparing ourselves. 
Constantly judging our inabilities.
Focusing on what we cannot do, instead of knowing that we can learn. 
I am learning, very slowly, that inability is not a weakness.
It does not define me.
It shows me that I am teachable. If and only, I am willing. 
If I allow myself to be consumed by all the things that I am not,
I become useless, I become a wet rag, a wet self deprecating rag.

There is honor in learning and being taught.
Honor in feeling incapable and knowing that in time you will become adequate.

Help my Unbelief by Audrey Assad

We shouldn't be comparing ourselves, God didn't create us that way. 
We are all uniquely designed and crafted, 
handmade with our own faults and our own imperfections.
But we were also designed with a beautiful craftsmanship, our own qualities
that inspire others and motivate goodness, (if we carry them out with humility).
Our own struggles.
Our own situations.
And in HIS time, and with our desire to become better, we will become beautiful.

 He has made everything beautiful in its time. 

Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, 

yet so that he cannot find out 

what God has done from the beginning to the end. 

I perceived that there is nothing better for them 

than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live;

also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—

this is God’s gift to man. 

I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; 

nothing can be added to it, 

nor anything taken from it. 

God has done it, so that people fear before him. 

That which is, 

already has been; 

that which is to be, 

already has been; 

and God seeks what has been driven away. 

- Ecclesiastes 3: 11-15 

I cannot explain how useless I felt two years into being an "at home" mom, and whilst I was reading Dwija's blog, I came across a beautiful painting "The Polish Madonna" by (not sure, have really tried to google it - probably not well enough though!) 

It made my heart so content that I cried and felt stupid about the small things I do and realised that they are important! 

The things that I lacked in like patience, mercy, grace, charity and forgiveness they would come because I deny inadequacy. Even when I fail, I will see that I am teachable because that is enough!

Polish Madonna

“All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Love and Light

At Home Education | What it was and how it is now

(This is a personal account of my life, it is by no means intended to convert the reader to home education. If it does...then YAY!!!)

Our choice to Home Educate our kids started in 2009.

Although in all honesty, it was part of my fairytale that I wanted when I was a young 'un.

Right in the beginning of our marriage we got rid of our TV and filled our time with books, games, dogs and movies. Then we graduated to babies, books, games, dogs, toys, laundry, paint, puzzles, poop and the best...LEGO! A life saver!

I've never really had my mind set on specific curriculums and activities.

Neither did I want to fill my boys lives with stuff, I also knew that I did not want them to live out Jacques or I's perfect childhood.

Our pre marriage counselor told us to forget what we know from our growing up and make our own new ways, even if its a different way of cooking rice. So like all good couples we put that into practice and we applied it to  e v e r y t h i n g, well at least when we could. 

But the key was to NOT say, "this is the way my Dad did it," or "in my family..."

Ages 0 - 3

With our Kids we played and we let them play.

We didn't care about a mess, things got cleaned up at night before bath time and still do.

Paint, books, toys, making stuff and walks were made available to them.

We created an environment for them to discover.

2008

We are very blessed to live on our family's self storage business plot.

It is a few acres and in between the units are gardens, veld and open spaces for the boys to have a childhood that is less restrictive as kids living in a complex. 

2008

2008

As a family we read a lot, we have read aloud to both our boys since they were in my womb. I am not sure what research shows, but our kids have a love for books like I never did. 

2008

2008

We moved to South Korea at the end of July of 2009.

Joshy was going to turn 4 that October, and the one day he said to me "I want to read books like you and daddy!" (he sounded way cuter than you can imagine). So I jumped on that bandwagon and started making up my own sheets for him and encouraging forcing him to read and to really do well at it.

He started reading before his 5th Birthday.

2009

It was good, but the process was  n o t!

I didn't realise what I was doing to him, and most importantly, what I was do to our relationship.

He had completed his Pr K at the end of 2010. 

(South African school years run January to Decemeber)

I had pushed him so hard that when we assessed him at the end of 2010, he was ready for Grade 1!!!

I was so excited and so PROUD of him myself!

When I look back, 2010 to 2012 was horrible school years for us, his mind was brilliant, but I sucked as a mommy!

My boy was struggling emotionally and I had no idea how to go back and  j u s t  be his mommy.

Elijah was still little and he was still on Playdough and puzzles. 

I carried on like this until 2012ish.

2010

I prayed about it and didn't know what to do, eventually I just gave up in the middle of 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: The schooling was horrible, not life, so I threw my hands and beat my chest about SCHOOL! 

Life was good beautiful. You can read about it here, here, and here.

I am a perfectionist and had the same expectations from my children.

2012

In the December of 2012 I read this book, For The Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. 

We were also in the process of converting, so everything became spiritual and related to God. 

This book really changed my heart and I thought it was going to change the way I homeschool.

Instead homeschooling became unschooling.

I wrote down my reasons for not sending the Boys to school:

• To have Love

• To love God

• To have a genuine Love of learning

I prayed over these and stuck them under a picture of Mary cradling The Infant Jesus.

I handed them to Christ and asked Him to guide my heart as He guides my children. I asked, and continue to ask, for the obedient heart of Mary.

2014

There's Joy again, there's laughing at mistakes.

There's hair pulling.

Joshy got his spark back, that spark that was so often in his eye before we started structured learning.

He was confident again!!!

He was my brave boy once again!

2014

My boys are self learners.

Two years ago Lijie, who is now 8, couldn't make sense of words, now he is on Book 2 of Harry Potter (formal reading) and has read a minimum of 100 books. ALL BY HIMSELF!!!

not me just HIM!

The stuff they know is all them! 

2015

Our type of schooling is comfortable at the moment.

It isn't stressful, until someone asks, "what grade are they in?"

Or, "what do you do to socialise them?" 

To which I'd like to answer, "Nothing, they're raised in captivity!" 

But that's rude.

2015

Sometimes they're bored, sometimes they're not, sometimes they have to have a good go at each other and sometimes we allow that!

I can only be happy to be their mommy now, every now and then I mess up and expect things to run my way and in my time, but I remember how I hated being that person.

I want them to know LOVE and JOY unspeakable!

For now they are At Home Kids, who believe they have the capacity and potential to be anything and do everything. If they like they could start a career tomorrow or whenever. Life has the potential to surprise us, so I want my boys to embrace that. There's opportunity for them and for their hearts. I want them to do things that matter and help in making a better world. 

Learning has no boundaries for them, even if its high school math, or planting a veggie patch.

To more FUN!

to patience

to guidance

to locking myself in the bathroom

to prolonged grocery shopping trips

to screaming like a banshie

to long drawn out confessions 

to wanting to swing a belt or breaking a mug

to LOVE and letting it Win!!!

Love and Light

SQT | JAM Worship Fest, First Holy Communion and DIY BB Cream

Linking up with Kelly again for Seven Quick Takes...on a Monday!

1. JAM (Jesus and Me) 2015 Worship Fest

Jacques and I thought we would join this Worship Fest because
a) a few of our Parish Young Adults are going to World Youth Day 2016, and we thought that we would support them and Worship with them.
and
b) We come from a protestant background and thought that it would be nice to lift our voices, hearts and hands high to worship the King!

We really did enjoy it and it was really nice to see young passionate people out there.
We also got to see a few nuns dancing their hearts outs!!! Which is so BEAUTIFUL!
There was an awesome line up of speakers and bands and there was confession.
We also bought a very watered down cup of coffee, Jacques made a joke and said "they obviously made these for kids!"

While it was beautiful and everything more than we expected, we both realised that as Catholics we have not really missed the type of the Worship we experienced as Protestants.
Worship has just become different for us, I guess.
There is such unrelenting joy in the Liturgy.
Every word spoken, every sin confessed, every Alleluia proclaimed, every Psalm prayed, every knee bowed and every word uttered by the Priest on our behalf is  b e a u t i f u l. How great and powerful  is every "The Body Of Christ" spoken by the Ministers?

I will definitely go back to a worship festival, but I will never doubt how full and beautiful the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is!

Beautiful Carmen singing at JAM

2. First Holy Communion

89 Communicants from our Parish this year and ONE of them is our Josh!!!
So lovely to know that he will be joining us in only 2 weeks to receive The Sacrament of Sacraments. Last night they were presented to the Community and will be prayed for by everyone.

Josh, Bryce, Kayden, Kiran and TK

3. DIY BB Cream

On Saturday I chatted to a lovely Lady who makes and sells her own body creams and cleansers.
They are all paraben, sulphite and chemically free and are made with natural oils. She told me to add a pinch of cocoa powder to my day moisturiser and voila : BB Cream!

Ohh and the benefits of cocoa or cacao are so good! High in antioxidants which helps repair damaged skin cells. It also smells so good when its all mixed in with your regular face cream, which has its benefits too. They say smelling cocoa when you have sugar cravings helps release the same happy hormones as eating it!!!! Happy hormones and well behaved skin...FOR THE  W I N!

Smells yum and hides a few blemishes

4. Advent time!

Living a Liturgical year with a family always looks so incredibly beautiful and so many of you pull it off. I just never have gotten around to it, uhm, laziness maybe or simply hard work! Not sure. This year I am set on it, and I'm kicking it off with Advent! I may forget and mess it all up, but it really looks impressive. I also think that it may be a very nice way to learn more about our newish faith and live it! So Hip Hip Hooray to more family rosaries!!!

5. National Hormonal Hell Week

Just kidding.
Well at least around here it was!
September and October are birthday months in our home, baking and eating happen! And once you pop that clean eating membrane that so gently wraps your body in balanced hormone heaven... YOU CAN'T TURN BACK easily! Why???
I'd love to tell that I have learned my lesson and will never  e v e r  eat that way again but I just cannot. I was a ghast last week and emotional, bloated, pimply, angry GHAST! I am positively sure that I don't want to be that person in the near future.

6. Boys and their Kindness

While I acted very Ghast-like, my family tip toed around me and offered help, an opportunity to lie down, more SWEETS, walks, talks and loads of everything nice! They do this, it's so nice of them, they try to make me super happy! I hope they do this for their wives one day, and are not too tired out by a painful mother. Oh my husband rocks too!

How do they jump for so long?

7. Marriage Preparation

Our parish has asked us to help with the marriage prep course, while this may sound "not so badish", we need your prayers. It really is hard thing to speak truth and know that you will be challenged by the "world is moving" and the "Church is being left behind" debate. We will be talking on the Churches teachings on sexual ethics, sexuality, abortion, IVF, NFP and all that goes in there. Please offer up some prayers for us, so that we may have the wisdom and courage to speak truth.

Thanks for reading! Go read more Takes.
Hope everybody's week is beautiful with manageable chaos!!!

Love and Light

SQT | Blogging and La Vida Loca

I've been rethinking blogging and all the reasons why I haven't written in like a year.
I have often thought about deleting it because, honestly, there are so many better blogs out there.
Also, so many more fun bloggers.
Oh and those really sweet down to earth ones.
What about the ones that know what they're talking about.
SO  M A N Y

I want to start all over again.
This time I want to share me and the way I am.
Why?
Catholic Mommy Bloggers have such a wonderful community that I hope to encourage other moms in South Africa the same way and with eyes facing the heavens, hope to find encouragement close to home and that is coffee date worthy.

1. Happy Indie People?!?!?

Well its the name for my very small clothing label that I work on in between a few other things.
I really don't have time to manage one social media platform, so I thought I would try and do all in one cute little place. (Cute is for the future. watch this space.)

2. A Lady
I like to laugh and do things right. I also like wine and talking. I am an introvert who is sometimes painful. I frown when I listen, it's not because I'm mad. I like to be healthy (and stay clear of doctors rooms)  so I  t r y to eat healthy (plus I'm an adult with Acne prone skin). I like camping. Scratch that, I LOVE camping!!!

3. A Wife
I really love my husband; we studied Theology together, married young, contracepted, traveled, had 2 kids, stopped contracepting, converted to catholicism and are now living our ever after. (And waiting for more babies.)

Me and him

4. A Mom
I used to be a working mom, then we made some adjustments and some sacrifices and now I stay at home and drink tea...
Hahahahaaaa
I wish.
Basically I wash dishes and clean the toilet and Unschool the Boys.
We also chat all day long and sometimes we don't say a word for...5mins. Sometimes.
I haven't really showered or brushed my teeth without interruptions for the past 10 years.
Also
I simply cannot live  a n y  other way.

My Boys Joshua and Elijah

5. Christian and Catholic
I love Jesus and I love to worship Him. AND my life would be so UNBEARABLE if I didn't have God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Why did I specifically say 'and Catholic'?
Well because I believe in Transubstantiation, The Communion of Saints. I believe we are meant to be Prolife and The Catholic Church is one of the few Churches that teaches the Ban on Contraception as Doctrine.  As a mother, I ask for the Prayers of Mary almost  e v e r y  millisecond, I wasn't allowed to do that as a Baptist, in fact I don't remember much of Mary as a Baptist, only during Christmas.
I teach my Boys an "old earth" creation. In fact I tell them that it's a  m y s t e r y  and that word is so Catholic! Ok this list could go on!

6. Simple and Frugal

As a family we try to be simple and approachable so that we can have more time and space for corporal and spiritual works of mercy kinda stuff. Its not easy because I think people who choose this way of life are sometimes lonely and I think its hard for people to imagine life without a TV.

7. Makers
I  l o v e  handmaking stuff!
EEEEEEK!!!
I love handmade stuff!
Even if its not the best looking thing, I just do.
Sometimes its hardwork but it is worth it.
Sometimes I just chuck my stuff ups in the bin and sometimes I pull them out and unpick the stitches and TRY again.
As unschoolers we try to encourage our kids to make things all the time.
So lucky you if you get a gift from us!
Sometimes they roll their eyes and sometimes they end up with
the coolest stuff on the block.

So this is me in Seven Quick Takes, I may be more, hey, I may be less.

I may even add on to my MEness.

But before I do, head on over to Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum for more quick takes!!!!!

Love and Light!

SQT | Spring, Sew, Kitchene and Seven

Joining up with Conversion Diary for a very random (I guess it is always random) Seven Quick Takes!

One

Over the past two years, I've been o b s e s s e d with learning how to sew.

And I DID it!

So excited about it.

So in October, I m i g h t, launch a new concept instagram store.

Only to keep up my bad habit of sewing and funding my material stash.

The concept is to design ONE item and put it up for sale. 

The item will be available to order in various sizes, but only ONE of each size...

to maintain the idea of bespoke, indie clothing.

I also have a thing for mass production...bleh!

The item that is up for sale will be available for immediate shipping, however the various sizes will have a 2 week waiting period before shipping, as they are made to order.

In order to get your bespoke item you will have to comment with your size, and if you are the first with your size, then the item will be up for sale, to you.

follow @happyindiepeople for pretty things.

my personal account is @nicolarothmann.

Two

Spring is here and its beautiful.

But because South Africa is where it is on the globe, beautiful weather hails all year round.

Be sure to have the next next next next Edel here.

Three

Staples clearly was not writing a blog when he came up with this...

Just kidding. 

T H E  M O S T  I  M P O R T A N T.

Four

I love that my boys LOVE building lego and all kinds of other stuff.

Last week we spoke about structure, and how a wise man built his upon a rock!

We also spoke about triangles and rigidity and then they built this cutie with skewers.

Five

Joshy had to set some goals for himself.

And I'm pretty proud that he managed ALL but the one where he helps in the "Kitchene"

Any idea on how I can help him get MORE ready for his first confession?

Six

JOBURG DAY!

I was there with Melissa, my cousin.

And it rocked.

We were allllll the way in the front!

Like there were 20 000 people behind us!

So let me emphasise that we are not your average 33 year olds!

Seven

The Bump aka Elijah Daniel, turned 7.

Yay!

BEEN WAITING FOR THAT CAKE ALLLL DAY!

Go on over back to Jen for way more fun and exciting Seven Quick Takes
I think I saw someone write about Budgeting...hmmm.


Love and Light
Nicky

PS... a little quote text from my husband this morning -
"O consuming Fire, Spirit of Love, overshadow me, that the Word may become, as it were, incarnate within my soul; that I may be to Him and extension of His humanity so that in me He may work all His mystery anew." - Elizabeth of the Trinity

Unschooled and Homeschooled Kids Equal Socially AWARE Human Beings

Kids are playing, running around and squealing with joy.

Mommies are chatting and sipping on tea and having a good old time.

(you notice from the corner of your eye, YOUR kids are HIGH in a tree, encouraging the smaller folk to join...you quickly pretend to be..er.. otherwise, shake your head and sip sip sip sip)

Mommies are chatting about...darn it...schools!

Here goes.

"So where do yours go?"

Of course you're ALWAYS the last to answer.

"My Kids? Oh, we homeschool."

And then you brace yourself for 

The Ultimate Question...

"What about Socialising Your Kids?" (hand to mouth)

ahem...

M Y  K I D S  A R E  P L A Y I N G   W I T H  Y O U R  K I D S  !!!

And aren't I here?

At the same play date that you are at??

(ok thats what I say in my head)

But really?

Redundant question right?!?

I answer in the polite way and then

Problem solved...right?!?

No, its not.

Then they continue to ask...

"So, what about extra curricular...? they can make friends there, right?"

Socialising during a Jiu Jitsu lesson?!?

That's not going to happen!

I think the coach will make them drop and give him 50.

When there are other kids around my "at home" children play, chat...ahh, socialise with them.

I don't have an issue with the question, or rather, the assumption, that "at home" children are

less socialised - because let's face it, I question and assume a whole lot of stuff.

But in the mean time.

My "at home" boys are in fact awesome, and I might be biased, but ...

I'm going to go with it.

I watch them everyday share a part of themselves and that is beautiful.

These boys have helped plant a veggie garden to feed people less fortunate than us.

They've also been helping at a shelter for the past 3 years.

They might not speak a second language...(yet).

But the language of their hearts inspires me to give more of ME.
In the end its about the quality of relationships that you have with others that form you.
In the very beginning it was just CS Lewis and his brother.
Thomas Merton often had only his Dad.
Missionary kids, back in the day, had local villagers.
Frederick Buechner.
Leonardo da Vinci.
EE Cummings and I am sure you'll be able to add to that list.

I believe a deepness exists in all children.

This, I feel, is just the beginning of, GOD WILLING, awesome adults.

Love and Light

ps. I know that there are beautiful schools in South Africa sharing with local communities giving of themselves. This blog is NOT intended to discredit Schools, but only to credit that which must be credited.

Tuesday, is our day at the Shelter, and Teacher Kim did long and short!