Some Sad News...

Sadly, at a routine 14 week OB appointment our consultant could not find our baby's heartbeat.
A scan confirmed that our little one had died.
It was only over the weekend I had my first dream of the baby where I felt her tell me that she was a little girl.
I truly believe that she gave us this gift before she left us so that we would always know her and so that we would be able to name her.
We had chosen the name Eliyana Shalom for a girl which means God Answers Peace.
We have peace in knowing that she rests saftley in Our Heavenly Father's arms. Just seeing her in Jesus's arms, in my heart, has given so much comfort.
I feel very empty and a little lost and very sad yet I know how very blessed we already are to have the beautiful girls we have.
God knows His ways and they are right and good and I know how lucky I am to be able to have my faith.
I'll be taking a couple of weeks break from the blog though. Just a little time, to cry, pray and heal.

Sometimes

Sometimes I feel an deep ache. It hits me suddenly and without warning. In the middle of washing up, or the moments of quiet, the shade of blue of the sky.
My heart hangs heavy, pangs silently, a sudden outburst of rain fills my eyes.
I feel like mercury pushing the clouds out of the corner of the picture in the Spring time Primavera But I can only chalk blue skies with my mind. My thoughts are a clear meadow, but my heart is a sunken valley where the rain pools.
Yet there is sunlight all around me and flowers in small hands, so many gifts.
It's only the un-drawn picture, the un-fashioned memory which falters my smile. It is the one small hand I will never touch. The little body I will never hold, the smile I will never see,
and I mourn it.
I grieve for a little child I never knew, yet know more intimately than any in some ways. Because now she enfolds my soul in the wings of prayer as I once held her little body beneath my heart.

Open Air Curricula...

Fina in the bluebells... finding wonder...

Exploring, running, imagining, discovering....

Hiding, searching, finding....

Every shade

of Blue.

Repose...

Freedom...

Listening...

Beholding...

Interacting...

Learning to balance...

...As you spread your wings...

Some thoughts on the unfolding joys of homeschooling

Over the last few weeks or so, it seems, the homeschooling has suddenly clicked together into a beautiful rhythm all of it's own.
It might sound crazy to say ( as I have 3 small girls in the house all day with me) but life seems to be so peaceful, so natural.
There are of course moments of rush, there are tantrums, there is spilt milk, as is normal, but there is a pervading sense of calm and gentleness of pace which graces us through these times,when they come. Coming less and less as they do when routines are moulded to fit the truly important things in life.

These spaces enable us to gain both the time and perspective needed to take the positive out of every experience, even a small disagreement over toys. Natural learning incorporates every detail of life. Learning is not compartmentalised.
In the adventure of living in their own natural environment the children learn what it is to share, what it is to give to those younger than yourself first. We take the time to talk about those children who don't even have toys and how lucky we are to have the ones we have. We come to a conclusion that we might show our thankfulness by generously sharing with one another.

I learn too. So much.... I learn more about patience and giving out more and more of my love freely and easily and finding more and more peace in return.
I learn that beyond weakness lies strength, His strength.
And I learn about how each strand of a day can weave the most wonderful picture for a child. A picture that will fill her future with the colour of strong, nurturing, sustaining memories.

Ten minutes here reading a favourite picture book. Ten minutes there discussing the possible inner worlds of mini beasts.
The building of an arc, The painting of a flower, the treasures hidden in the sandpit, the reading of simple stories, the forming of words and sentences all of your own, the steady understanding of the logic of numbers, the spark in the eyes as something is understood, captured, realised for the very first time. And of course plenty of time to run and play and just be, as a child should be given the space to do.

I am so glad we took this leap of faith. Bujana is so happy with her sisters and everything is fitting together piece by piece into the right picture for our family.

An Evening Wander ....

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul

Psalm 23

GLORY be to God for dappled things—

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;

And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him.









"Pied Beauty"
Gerard Manly Hopkins~

Raising Caterpillars

The chrysalis are a beautiful natural shade of green with iridescent hues of silver and gold.

They are very beautiful and would be perfectly camouflaged in their natural habitat.

Bujana is amazed at how they cling on so tightly with such a small strand.

 Every once in a while they will shake quite a bit which is quite normal as it is part of the process of metamorphosis.

 

Here they are only a few days older.

 This morning one of them went to the lid and suspended himself into a cocoon shape.

He hasn't moved since so I think that they will soon be at the stage where we can transfer them into their habitat!

Here a a couple of cool butterfly sites we found on our travels...

Bio Kids
Info on painted lady butterflies and more...

Butterfly Facts printable

Butterfly word search

These new additions to our family are a real hit!

They arrived a week ago tiny as anything and but have now grown into really fat little caterpillars. 

Most of the day they sleep in their silk nests but sometimes they get a little adventurous and have a nose around.

Their progress will be diligently recorded on these pages.

The only thing I won't be doing is releasing them (once they become butterflies) onto my broccoli plants.

We'll find a nice little meadow for them instead I think.

If you are interested in raising your own painted lady butterflies just follow the link below.

Live Butterfly Garden

Girlie Days