Seven Cherubs

dark and light of motherhood

2012-02-24T06:18:00.000+10:00

I wrote this post 2 years ago and never published it.

I was worried it was a little too heavy for my blog.

This morning I decided, well it's my blog and today I like heavy.

So here we go!

During the week I had an appointment in the city and took my 2 year old daughter on the train with me. On this trip she taught me some valuable lessons about motherhood and helped me to see things with a different perspective.

As we were riding the train my daughter stood up on the chair to look out the window and she was surprised to see everything go black as we entered a tunnel. She loudly yelled out,
‘Dark mummy Dark’ and I said ‘Yes, it is dark outside’.

As she turned back to look out the window the train came out of the tunnel and she was delighted that she could now see out of the window. She smiled as she saw the scenery wizzing past.
“Light mummy light’ she yelled out to me.
“Yes, you can see the trees and the cars now’ I replied.
She was very happy that it was light and that she could enjoy the view on the train.

Shortly after that experience my daughter looked out the window and saw a train go past that had carriages filled with dirt and spray paint all over the outside of them. She looked at me and said, ‘Dirty mummy dirty’. Then she looked at the train we were riding in and lovingly rubbed the walls and said, ‘Clean mummy clean’.

Even though this was a small simple experience, I was impressed that my 2 year old daughter knew the difference between dark and light and it was obvious that she loved the light. As I pondered this moment I was reminded of the sacred role of being a mother, of the responsibility I have to continue to teach my daughter to love the light, to look for the light in her life and to also understand that the ‘light’ is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I was also surprised that at such a young age she could clearly define the difference between dirty and clean. Oh! How I love that she cares to be clean. As her mother I know it is my responsibility to teach her how she can live a life that is clean and to teach her gospel principles.

{I want to insert here that I really believe that a clean life is a life that is lived by being kind, loving and considerate of others. It is about respecting yourself, your body and that of those around you. It is about being modest in speech, thought and action. I know my children will not be perfect at living a life like this and neither am I, but I want to teach them the best I can to live a life that is clean in purpose to save them from so much sadness that I see immodesty brings.}

As mothers we hope that even if our children find themselves in the dark and in situations where they may feel dirty or disappointed with choices they have made, that they can remember what we have taught them and know where to turn to find help. I want to always be available for my children, to help them in the dark and light of life and to love them regardless of whether or not they feel dirty or clean.

I know that there will be times when I myself will feel lost in the dark as a mother. That the trials we will go through as a family will feel like we are stuck in a tunnel with no hope of reaching the light. Such is life in a family. When we have had times like this we have clung to the light, we have hoped to see the light and we have kept moving forward until we reached that light, together. It has come through continual moments of sacrifice, service, and love.

The experience on the train helped me to see that even from a young age children can recognise the difference between dark and light, between dirty and clean and that teaching my cherubs to live the best life they can is such a worthwhile use of my time.

Seven Cherubs family update

2012-02-23T18:03:00.000+10:00

Time for a Seven Cherubs family update.

We have been so busy lately that I have not found the time to do one for a while.

Such is life with a large family.

A few moments I am loving:

Sam wants to dress like his big brother for church on Sunday.

I am loving the tie look happening from him.

Of course this cute look is still accompanied with a cheeky smile.

Nathan is growing up more and more each day.

Handsome, sincere and an awesome big brother.

Chelsea is full on into teenage mode. Braces, ipod touch, social life.

Looking forward to when she can start babysitting for me!

We took Nathan to the temple (Mormon Temple) for the first time and had a wonderful experience.

Love being able to share such special experiences with him.

Out the front of the Brisbane Temple.

Did I mention I think he looks handsome?

Liberty and I continue to hang out together during the week.

She continue's her cheekiness in asking for lollies at every opportunity.

So hard to say NO to that face!!

Speaking of Liberty, have I mentioned that my baby is growing up.

My youngest is now 4! Sob!

Liberty is now attending Kindergarten a couple of days a week.

Very exciting for her and for me.

She is excellent at getting herself ready in the morning and keeping the routine after school.

All those years of watching the big kids has paid off!

Now that I have a few days to go out by myself I can have a lunch date with a spunky guy!

After looking in the mirror at my chubby cheeks and several chins I am getting healthy.

Currently on the Michelle Bridges Program. Dying!

We have spent a lot of time at a really cool playground near us.

Blog post to come!

We have been trying to get to bed earlier as a family.

Going well so far and at 9:30pm I am trying to leave it all and to just crash it.

I am trying to relax a little more.

To plan more time to chill out and to get my head together.

Always so much going on in our house.

Still driving around in my commuter bus and freaking people out.

(Liahona is hiding in this picture)

These three, so love it when they help me out.

Love having older kids to help carry the load.

Until next time, update is complete.

overcoming happiness obstacles

2012-02-21T06:45:00.000+10:00

On the journey to finding happiness we face many obstacles.

Some of them we put there ourselves and some of them are put there by others.

How much we desire happiness in our life is determined by how well we overcome these obstacles.

I have been on my happiness journey for a while now. On this journey I have discovered many new things that I love to do and I have also discovered many new things about myself as well. Some of these discoveries have been good and some have been like receiving a real smack in the face! Along the way I have faced some obstacles that have stopped me in my tracks and some obstacles that have made me more determined to work harder at feeling happier.

Some obstacles that can stop us from find happiness are:

Our own mind and thoughts,
Self doubt and belief that we can find happiness,
A busy schedule so that we have no time for ourselves,
Fear of failure so that we do not even try or participate,
Trying to control the situation so that we forget to feel and enjoy,
Anxiety for what may happen or come from trying new experiences,
Fear of spending time with ourselves for what we may discover and
Lack of self worth to believe we are worth the effort and time.

Some tips for overcoming obstacles are:

Give yourself time and be patient with yourself,
Do not give up and keep trying new experiences,
Set aside regular time just for you,
Start small and set simple goals,
Involve a trusted friend or family member to encourage you,
Start with what you know you enjoy and love,
Be positive and speak kindly to yourself and
Know you are worth investing in and ask others to remind you.

So often to find happiness we feel it needs to be all encompassing and a big event. Happiness can start with finding small moments each day that are just for ourselves. The combination of all of those small moments lead us to feeling happier and more content with our lives. Obstacles are there to test us and can even work out to be beneficial and a blessing in helping us learn more about ourselves.

In my ebook, Pockets Of Happiness, I help you plan out and find time for creating meaningful moments. In my experience, having something just for me gives me something to look forward to and planning in that time makes it easier to overcome obstacles in my path.

Finding Religion Part 2

2012-02-20T06:01:00.004+10:00

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Part one: Finding Religion

Continuing my story.

After spending a short amount of time during my teenage years doing some light Bible reading, I put away my Bible not to touch it for about 4 more years. Religion crossed my mind several times during this period as I often stopped to chat to anyone who was promoting a certain faith or church.

As I talked to people from other faiths I enjoyed what they had to say. I agreed on many points of their teachings but in my heart they never felt quite right for me. I continued on my journey of life and my thoughts started turning towards finding a religion that I knew in my heart and mind was for me. Strangely enough during this time I did not remember seeing any young men in suits.

I moved out of home at 17, enrolled in University, found a job in the city and lived a busy and full life. I found friends, I went out on the weekends, I danced my heart out, I dated, I shopped, I studied and I tried my best to keep up with what a normal young adult would do at that time and stage of life.

After completing several years of University I took a year off to work full time. I wanted to save a little more money and to think more about what direction I wanted to take my life. The more I started to think about where I was heading the more depressed I started to feel.

I spent about two months feeling deeply depressed. During this time I wanted to end my life. I spent all of my day writing out my thoughts and reasons for not living. I planned it all out. How it would happen, who would find me and even set a time and date for when ending my life would take place.

It consumed my thoughts constantly and I simply could not see any reason to keep living.

One night, very late at night I had an experience that changed my mind. The only way I can describe it is that I had a moment where I could see clearly, it was if I had pure knowledge. It was taught a simple truth.

Into my mind and heart came an impression or concept.

It was that there is life after this Earth life. That there really is a place to go to.

It touched me. I had never pondered it very much before. I had heard people talk of heaven but I had never personally applied it to myself. How it would affect me.

I clung to that knowledge. I pondered over would happen if I ended my life. The emotional and mental state that I would be in if I ended my life right then. It scared me. I did not want to go to that next place as messed up as I was feeling, I wanted to go there as a happier, stronger person.

I then made the decision to do whatever it takes to get myself better.

That simple truth and knowledge saved my life.

I quit my job. I enrolled back into University more determined to finish my study and to follow my dreams. I slowly started to make changes that agreed with what I was feeling.

Story to be continued.

Have you ever had an impression or experience that changed your life?

a morning at the beach

2012-02-19T10:54:00.000+10:00

Last weekend my family whisked me away for a morning at the beach.

The weather was delightful.

Not too cold and not too hot.

It was just the pick me up I needed.

I spent the morning watching my cherubs play in the surf.

It was simple, it was joyful and it was greatly needed.

We all went home sandy, refreshed and with awesome beach hair.

The best morning I have had for a long time.

Love my family.

Negative Self-Talk

2012-02-17T06:43:00.000+10:00

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I have always tried to be a positive person and felt that I was doing a great job looking for the good in my life. I was positive when I spoke to other people and naturally have the disposition to want to uplift and encourage others.

It is something I enjoy doing.

Then one day I decided to really listen to what I was saying to myself as I went about my daily activities around my home.

I decided to pay more attention to my self talk.

In doing so I was shocked to discover that I have been bashing myself up daily.

Serving up a dose of negative self talk on a silver platter.

Sounds blunt and maybe over the top but in reality it is true.

I cannot think of any other way to describe it.

Every day I found I was internally, emotionally and mentally bashing myself up for not living up to my own standards and values. Scolding, criticising and talking down myself in unkind ways.

I don't get angry or swear at myself. I discovered I am critical in small subtle ways.

Short sentences repeated daily in my mind loaded with negative expressions.

I constantly found myself saying sentences like:

'You have done it wrong again.'

'You always make the same mistake.'

'Nobody is listening to you, you have no influence.'

'You are a failure as a mother.'

'Don't bother to try it, no-one will like it.'

Once I started to recognise these sentences I made another discovery.

I was taking my own negative advice!

I allowed myself to listen, to stop myself, from being better and progressing.

Who needs enemies when you have your own negative self talk!

Here is what I have found:

Bashing yourself up does not motivate you to make changes

Bashing yourself up actually makes you feel worse and stops your progress.

It was like one of those light bulb moments!

What I came to see is that I needed greater kindness and compassion...from myself.

I needed to love myself more. I needed to speak positive to myself more.

Learning to self love can be a slow journey and struggling to see any good in yourself takes patience and time.

I am now spending more time listening to myself in a new way.

When the negative self talk starts to happen I now question myself.

Is the situation really that bad?

Am I really as bad as I think I am?

Is what I am thinking really true?

Am I the only one who is thinking this way?

By questioning myself I find I can see the situation in new light.

I can see that a lot of the time I over dramatise the situation and it really is not as bad as I thought.

Changing your negative self talk takes more energy and concentration during the day.

The benefits however are empowering.

I feel happier, more motivated and peaceful within myself.

I more connected to who I am and more confident in following my dreams.

I would love to know what you do to help with negative self talk.

How do you change your thinking?

win year of stationery John Sands giveaway

2012-02-16T06:54:00.000+10:00

I don't know what it is about stationery but whenever I see a lovely, quality stationery range my heart starts to flutter and I get really excited about owning it! Nine times out of ten, when I see gorgeous paper or cards in a shop they always end up coming home with me. I can't resist. They are either saved to send off to someone special with a note or placed in a frame to display around my home.

John Sands recently contacted me regarding the Papyrus stationery range. It is a stationery range that is versatile, in that it caters to the need of all stationery lovers and enthusiasts. There are cards, bags, note sets and gift giving accessories that will delight kids and adults. They print a stylish selection that will appeal to females and males, including a huge range of designs such as contemporary, luxurious, traditional, playful, cute and humorous.

When I received my selection of Papyrus products to review I opened the boxed and gasped! Yes, my heart started to flutter and I slowly, carefully removed every item to inspect and enjoy. I really appreciated the many boxed sets of 'thank you' cards as I have so much to be grateful and thankful for right now. I also loved the embellishments and details on each card and each set comes with a lovely gold embossed hummingbird sticker. I was sent a HUGE selection of Papyrus stationery to review and now have enough to last me a whole year! I am in total stationery heaven!

Below are some of the gorgeous cards, bags and stationery accessories I was sent.

Brace yourselves:

I know...colourful, gorgeous and creative.

You want to see more...don't you?

Check out some more below:

I just love the colour and the variety.

Papyrus has been in Australia for about one year now and I really think it is here to stay with the fabulous collection they have available ranging from custom printing, greeting cards, stationery, invitations, gift wrapping, ribbon and selected gifts that are all wonderful for those special moments such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, baby showers or just because. I now have a basket on my desk loaded with cards just an arms reach away ready to send off with a special note or letter to someone I care about. Delightful!

Now seeing as Papyrus believes that life is a celebration, let's do a little celebrating ourselves with a giveaway shall we? Yes, I think we shall. John Sands has for a lucky Seven Cherubs reader a years worth of Papyrus stationery to giveaway.

I hope your heart is fluttering? Woo Hoo!

Below is an example of what you will receive:

The Seven Cherubs reader will receive:

Gift Bags:- 4 x $9.99- 2 x $11.99- 1 x $7.99

Greeting Cards:- 4 x $6.99- 4 x $8.99- 2 x $10.99- 1 x $12.99

Gift Cards:- 2 x $2.99- 1 x $3.99- 2 X 4.99- 1 x $5.99

Boxed Stationery:- 1 x $14.99- 2 x $16.99- 1 x $21.99- 1 x $24.99- 1 x $29.99- 1 x $39.99

This gives you a total of a $363.00 prize pack.

{Colours will vary from the image above and some of the items are not included in the giveaway}

Giveaway open to Aussie and New Zealand residents.

To enter you need to like John Sands on facebook and fill in

the information below. Good luck xx

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Of course feel free to tell me how much you love stationery in the comments section below.

Does stationery make your heart flutter too?

preserve your family

2012-02-14T14:21:00.002+10:00

Often I worry about our family and all my cherubs. I worry about 'the influence' that seems to creep slowly into our home. As a mother I want to preserve our little family as much as I can. I am thankful I have a wonderful husband to support me.

The bad language, the music lyrics and the images that seem to be beamed right into our lounge room from the television worry me. I try to protect, to shield and to uphold our family standards and values as best I can. I know I cannot protect my cherubs from everything and I want them to realistically be aware of what they will face in life but what I can protect them from I will.

I am finding it is becoming increasingly difficult. It is taking more time, more effort and more skill to keep updated and educated on latest trends and latest influences that set out to disconnect families.

There are many clever techniques used to target children and parents.

I believe deeply and actively in the family and the importance of taking a stand against bad influences aimed towards our children. I try to keep our family focused on good influences by making sure we have dinner together, making time for heart to heart talks and by working on a keeping a strong healthy relationship with each child.

My relationship with Matt is key in protecting our family. Working together as a team allows us to back each up, to be a second witness of principles we are teaching our children and it gives the children a reliable, supportive source to go to with questions or concerns.

We try to prioritise our relationship and to love each other deeply from the heart. In this way working on preserving our marriage allows us to care for our family and to be there for them when they need us. I know I am very, very blessed to have an awesome, handsome, supportive husband. I love him dearly.

He encourages me to work on preserving our family and to protect it.
He knows that being a parent is hard work and appreciates all the effort I put in.

I love that he supports me being at home.
I love that he shares the same vision as me in raising our cherubs.

As my cherubs are now entering the teenage years, I am finding I am becoming more aware, more concerned and more worried about what they will face. I am not saying I want to wrap them up in bubble wrap to protect them but what I am saying is that I just hope we have been teaching them enough.

That when they face challenges, they will be able to be educated enough to see clearly what decision to make. That they will remember that we roll-played that situation at home or that we talked about that issue and what to say if you ever were in that position. I know they will make mistakes, we all do, but I just can't help worry about what is ahead for them.

As you go about your day, what ways do you try to preserve your family?
Do you worry about your cherubs like I do?

joy rising

2012-02-13T07:02:00.000+10:00

I had trouble sleeping last night.

I was so full of joy.

A great problem to have, I know.

Last night we finished the facebook auction for Lisa.

We raised over $12,000!

The past couple of weeks has been an incredible experience for me.

I simply had no idea it would be so amazing.

In the past two weeks we have managed to raise over $45,000 for Lisa and her boys.

That total makes my heart burst.

We have well exceeded my original goal of raising enough funds for head stones

for Aaron and Noah.

We have now allowed a single mother to stay home with her cherubs to help them.

To allow her to focus on healing and loving.

That is an amazing gift to give.

I simply wanted to say thank YOU...

for your support

for spreading the word

for your wonderful donations

for your wonderful messages

for your sacrifices in your homes and families to help another

for simply loving another person you do not know

for allowing your heart to be touched

for sharing in my joy

for your kindness

for your excitement

for your charity

My joy has been rising the past two weeks.

I am bursting with joy from what we have achieved.

Thank YOU so, so much.

My heart will never be the same.

Lisa sent me a thank you message to share with you all:

I would just like to thank everyone so much for their love, support, kindess and generosity shown to me and my boys over the past couple of weeks. After our son Noah passed away, we knew we were facing one of the hardest times in our life as we had to learn to live without him. To then lose Aaron less than four months later, can not even be compare, and we are still very much in shock and not believing it is real.

To have so many people (especially Naomi) show us so much love had given us so much strength. It is so nice to know that so many people from all over the world and also close to home, care so much. I haven't been following things going on with the fundraising very closely as I'm dealing with lots of things going on at home, but when I do have a chance to sit down and take a look I'm blown away.

Thank you to everyone who has donated money and also goods for the online auction. It is so nice to know that we do not need to worry about finances right now as it's the last thing we want to think about as we come to terms with what has happened. The first thing I will be doing is getting headstones for Noah's and Aaron's graves sorted out and I'm so grateful that I don't have to worry about the cost of them at this time. Thank you from me and my boys from the bottom of our hearts. I don't think I will ever be able to thank everyone enough, but hope that everyone knows how much it means to us.

Lisa, Jalen, Harri and Kobe King XOXO

This week I will be connecting winners with companies to get items sent out.

Please be patient as I try to balance this around my family.

From Lisa, her boys and from myself. We are full of joy. Thank you so much xx

bedtime story tradition

2012-02-11T07:03:00.000+10:00

We have a bedtime story tradition in our house that the children have decided and determined themselves. They love it when Matt tells 'real experience' stories to them and when I tell 'made up' stories to them. I personally kind of love it and I kind of hate it as well.

I love making up stories and having a blast letting my imagination and that of my cherubs run wild, but when I want to tell them a real experience or story they do not want to hear about it. They insist that only Dad (Matt) is allowed to tell those type of stories. Sigh!

Even though I feel this way one of my favourite night time rituals I love to do, is to tell my cherubs bedtime stories. I tuck them into bed and then begin the story. I love to make it up as I go. I start with whatever pops into my mind and then go crazy leading my cherubs along on an unbelievable (on so many levels!) story experience before they fall asleep.

My favourite experience is when I start telling one child a story and then by the end of it I have all of my cherubs in the room listening and wanting to participate in what crazy story line we are creating.

I love to include characters in my story that represent my children and my cherubs love to discover which character they are in the story. Often there is loud yelling at me accompanied by eye rolling when they discover this moment as I sometimes create a character that loves the same things as a certain child but the character may have a really big butt or lips that were so lovely that every girl wanted to kiss them!

Often when I am telling a bedtime story I have to stop in the middle of it as I am laughing so hard at the next line I am about to share and this normally causes hysterics from my cherubs as well. I also love to involve my children in the story making process. I will often stop in the middle of a sentence and point to a child for them to finish the next line. This leads to some hilarious stories being told and helps to trigger my mind along a whole new line of thinking.

Strangely enough, I tell my best stories when I am really tired. My cherubs tell me I am funnier when I am tired and I think they love that there really is no limit to the insaneness that can come out of my mouth when I am having trouble staying awake.

Now that my children are getting a little older, I am finding I can have more fun with my story telling. I can take an experience I know happened that day and turn it into a hilarious adventure that we all enjoy and my cherubs can drift off to sleep knowing that having a sense of humour and having a good laugh is an important part of life.

Bedtime stories have become a tradition that we all enjoy and a way to bring us closer as a family. One day I will have to write out one of our crazy stories just to show you how nuts we really are!

Do you tell bedtime stories in your house?

KING FACEBOOK AUCTION

2012-02-09T06:48:00.000+10:00

This week has been a crazy week, a wonderful crazy week I might add. My inbox has been overflowing with offers from companies and business' wanting to donate for the 'KING FAMILY AUCTION' we are having on my Seven Cherubs facebook page tonight to raise a few extra dollars for Lisa and her boys.

I have been so touched by the many kind, heartfelt messages that have accompanied these emails and for the kind donations offered up to auction. I love that there is a great variety of items and experiences available to bid on and look forward to the fun and excitement that the auction will bring.

If you are interested in popping by the guidelines are above. There has been so much excitement about the items that are listed that I have already had to delete some bids that have been placed! I will be uploading a few more items today just to add to the excitement.

It has been wonderful to see so much support and love for Lisa and her boys. Thank you so much for all of your bids and the generosity from business' and many talented women who donated items to sell. It has been an incredible experience for me and I have loved the opportunity to try something new and to work with so many kindhearted people.

If you have won an item in the auction there are 2 ways that payment can be made:

1. You can pay through the fundraising page HERE. Please leave the reference number of the item that you won and your name so we know you have made payment.

2. You can direct deposit through the bank account set up for Lisa. Please leave the reference number of the item that you won and your name so we know you have made payment. The details are:

Naomi Ellis
Suncorp Bank

BSB: 484799

Account Number: 204 067 630

Please allow time for the funds to transfer and then we will contact the people and companies who donated items and tell them when they can post the item out to you. Please remember that payment needs to be made within 3 days or it will be offered to the next under bidder. If you have any questions you can email me at: lisakingdonations@gmail.com

So far in our fundraising efforts we have raised over $32,000!! An amazing effort and we so appreciate your kindness. You have made a huge difference with your funds.

let it slide

2012-02-07T07:18:00.001+10:00

Do you have days where you just let it all slide?

Where you break free from your normal routine and escape the house?

Every so often I need one of those days.

I leave the washing. I leave the dishes.

I leave it all behind and get outside.

I breathe deeply. I go slow.

I connect with nature and I connect with myself.

If you haven't had one of those days for a while.

Grab your keys, leave it all behind and walk out that door.

It will still be there for you when you get back.

A fresh change will help you tackle those tasks with a better attitude.

Go on try it. You know you so deserve it!

raising twins

2012-02-06T06:33:00.001+10:00

When I first found out I was having twins I was shocked. I cried many tears and wondered if I would survive the experience of raising twins with my mind still in tact. The jury is still out on that one! I was amazed to be able to have a wonderful delivery of my twin boys and treasured the opportunity to have them both in my hospital room with me. I held them close, I let my eyes and heart take in every single inch of their bodies and thanked God for the gift I knew they were to me.

As they grew and developed I loved them more and more. Sam and Eli have taught me so much about love. How as a mother you can love more than one child at the same time, for the same reasons but also for different reasons. They have always been so darn cute and have made me laugh just about every single day. I have loved watching them develop together in similar ways but also in individual ways. They simply make my heart burst when I see them.

Every. Single. Day.

Along with the great love they have taught me they have also exhausted me, tested me and taught me so many things I did not want to learn! Sam and Eli have taught me that I have an inner strength and determination to be a good mother that I never knew I had. These cute, handsome, gorgeous boys helped me to dig deep and I mean really, really deep many days to keep going, to be consistent and to stick to my guns. Consistency has been the key, for me and for them.

The trouble they have caused. Plentiful.

The joy they bring. Priceless.

Raising twins. Precious.

The power of a blog post

2012-02-04T14:15:00.001+10:00

Writing a blog is a joy to me and I love to write from the heart. I enjoy writing and connecting with other women in a way that I normally would not get the chance to as a stay at home mum. As a blogger I have always believed that having a blog can allow you to have a powerful influence in the lives of other's and that often we have no idea the effect we are really having. Although, some days as a blogger can be really depressing as you wonder if anyone is actually reading your blog posts and you wonder if you really are making a difference by what you have to say. This week I have seen that writing a blog post, just one blog post, can make a huge difference to help someone and that if you are able to help one person, it is worth all of the time and effort. On Saturday I decided to write this blog post. I was touched and shocked by the pain that Lisa was feeling and felt that surely I could use my blog to help make a difference. You see, I belong to a wonderful community of bloggers here in Australia and I also have a wonderful community of women on my own blog here at Seven Cherubs. Since that time we have managed to raise over $30,000. I am not saying that this happened because of me, it is a testament to me of how wonderful Lisa and Aaron are, but what I am saying is that you never know who is reading your blog, you never know who you can help by what you have to say and you never know what influence you can have for good. If you have a blog, keep it up, keep writing and sharing and influencing. You might be surprised by what you can do, who you can help and what might come from it. I know right now...I am beyond surprised!

Power of Moms Gold Coast Conference Giveaway

2012-02-03T11:40:00.000+10:00

April and Saren, Power of Moms Founders

As you know I am a little excited that the wonderful ladies from the Power of Moms are coming here to Australia, to put on the first ever Aussie Power of Moms Conference focused on mothering. Woo hoo!

I am so excited that I am attending the event in Sydney and the event here on the Gold Coast in March. I personally love meeting with other women and talking about motherhood. I love listening, learning and chatting about how we can embrace this role we have to cherish our children as they grow and develop throughout this life. I love talking about motherhood because it helps me to be more deliberate in my own mothering.

The two conferences will focus on deliberate mothering, meaning we will discuss key principles of happy, strong, deliberate mothers by having in-depth small-group discussions. We will also spend the afternoon sharing and hearing tried-and-true ideas on how to apply the principles we have learned.

Some of the discussion topics will include teaching children to work and to understand money, discipline methods, finding more joy in motherhood, prioritizing in a world of so many choices (extracurriculuar activities for mums and kids), creating great family traditions and building strong parenting partnerships with our husbands.

Many that have attended previous conferences have said that these small-group discussions are their favorite parts of the event. I cannot wait to have a weekend devoted to learning how to be a better mother and wife. The time out away from the housework is going to be nice as well!

The Gold Coast conference is on Friday March 9th to Saturday March 10th. It is being held at the Gordon's home in Bahrs Scrub (near Beenleigh) and the Friday runs from 1:00pm - 6:00pm. At the close of the Friday Night there will also be the option of attending a dinner together. On the Saturday it is a full day running from 9:00am - 5:00pm, with wonderful conference discussions and activities. You can view the outline on the Power of Moms website HERE.

Today I am delighted to offer a Seven Cherubs reader the opportunity to attend the Gold Coast Power of Moms Conference. Available to win is a pass for a free day, either the Friday or the Saturday of the conference. Your choice! There is also the option to purchase the other day if you want to attend that day as well. I hope you do as I would love to see you there. You can enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you are interested in attending the Sydney Power of Moms Conference, Corrie over at Retromummy is giving away a free pass to attend that one as well. You can enter HERE.

Hope to see you there. Only about 4 weeks to go! Woo hoo!

P.S: I stole all the images from the Power of Moms site.

a charity fundraiser

2012-02-03T07:16:00.001+10:00

I had a moment yesterday. I spent the day deeply pondering over what to do about all of the offers that keep pouring in to have a charity fundraiser for Lisa and her boys. In pondering over the thought of running an auction to raise money for Lisa I am concerned about asking people for more money when I already feel that people have been exceedingly generous with their donations.

I do not want the same people donating a second time when they have already given so much. By running an auction I had to ask myself if I am really going to reach new people? Am I just going to add more pressure to the same families who have already donated and sacrificed so much to help.

I have never done this before. I have never co-ordinated an online charity auction. The donations have already exceeded any expectations Lisa and I ever thought was possible. We are just so thankful and so overwhelmed by the kindness. Speechless this morning we are nearly at $29,000!!!

After talking about this with other women on facebook I have decided to give it a try. It could end up a nightmare, it could end up totally awesome! It could help pay for the boys schooling, it could help Lisa stay at home with her boys a little longer to help them through this time so she does not have to work and it could help is so many endless ways! I am mindful that many of the donations that have been made have come from families who have really sacrificed in a way to show some love at this time. I hope you do not feel that I am asking more of you and adding more pressure.

So I have decided to give it a try. We are holding a charity fundraiser facebook auction. Please only be involved if you can financially afford it and are serious about donations. Here is the information:

Seven Cherubs is hosting a “KING AUCTION” to fundraise money for Lisa King and her three boys after the tragic loss of her son Noah and her husband Aaron.

100% of all money raised will be donated directly to Lisa King.

The auction will begin at 7:30pm (Queensland Time) Thursday, 9th February and end at 8:30pm (Queensland Time) Sunday, 12th February on my Seven Cherubs facebook page. Please check time differences for the state you live in to participate.

As this is the first time we have held a fundraising auction we will be starting with a capped number of items to auction. If your item or product is not included in this first round please hold onto it as we might be holding a second fundraising auction. Eeek!

To donate an item for consideration for the ‘KING AUCTION’ please read the following guidelines:
* Auction is open to Australian residents only and Australian business’ only
* Please only contact us if you genuinely have an item or product or service available to donate
* Individuals/companies/business’ are responsible to pay for the postage of the donated item
* Postage must include a tracking method to ensure bidder has received the product
* We will mark each item as ‘Paid’ and donors are responsible to mark each item ‘Posted’ on the auction page when each item or product has been sent.
* Considerations of donations to be auctioned will close on Tuesday, 7th February at 9pm.

Please send an image and full description of the item/s for donation to:lisakingdonations@gmail.com

Thank you so much to Nicole from The Cupcake Fairy for helping me out.

Thank you so much for all of your wonderful messages and support.

a fundraising miracle

2012-02-01T06:48:00.000+10:00

I believe in miracles.

I also believe in the power of social media and blogging.

I am delighted by the fundraising miracle that has taken place.

Since Saturday morning we have raised over $20,000 for Lisa and her family.

Incredible.

Amazing.

Unbelievable.

Inspiring.

Is has left me speechless many times over the past few days.

You have helped to make a huge difference with this miracle.

I know this will not take away the pain or sorrow.

It will help to ease a few burdens and a little pressure.

Bless you my blog friends and my new friends.

My heart is so touched and tender from your kindness.

Thank you for making this miracle possible.

Thank you:

for helping to spread the word

for your kind donations

for your sacrifices

for your uplifting messages

for your support

for your love

for your hearts

for your prayers

for your tears

for your influence

for your belief

for making this happen.

I am thankful to be able to play a small role in making this happen.

BUT, I know that the real reason this happened was because of how wonderful

Lisa and Aaron are, not me.

THANK YOU

If you are still interested in donating you can read about the 3 ways to donate HERE.

a beautiful heartbreak

2012-01-30T06:09:00.000+10:00

The journey of life is often never how we plan it to be.

It can include a moment of a beautiful heartbreak.

Life is full of twists and turns, hills and valleys, seasons of abundance and times of famine, moments of laughter and moments of deep heartache. It can feel as if we are on a rollercoaster that never stops.

Often these times or seasons of heartache come at a great personal sacrifice or personal loss to us.

These moments cut right to our deepest fears.

They touch our heart, mind and spirit and we feel that it is more than we can cope with.

We are left exposed. We feel raw and open to the hurt and pain that fills our heart.

We ache in a new way, a deep way.

We have all faced this at times and some of us carry it in our hearts daily.

In our quiet heart is hidden deep sorrow that the eye cannot see.

Right now my heart is tender as I think about Lisa and her three cherubs.

About the pain she is suffering.

I know right now she is feeling heartache or more heartbreak over the loss of her son and husband.

It is a shock and many of us are in disbelief of what she is having to deal with.

Even though it is a heartbreak, to me I believe it is a beautiful heartbreak.

If you have had the chance to stop by to visit Lisa and her blog you will know that the story and personal experiences she has shared with her son, Noah and husband, Aaron are beautiful.

They are full of the great love she has for her son Noah and even though he fought hard and lost his battle, there was a beautiful heartbreak that occured.

The words and pictures shared about her husband Aaron are filled with deep love, care and joy. Even though it was a shock to lose him, the love story and feelings they have for each other are beautiful to read.

I am sure Lisa had a plan all mapped out for her and her family.

This plan would have involved happiness and peace.

Instead right now she is facing each day with sorrow and pain. We naturally hope that her days are mingled with small moments of peace and happiness as she draws on memories and faces a new future.

She is now taking a new journey and climbing a new mountain that I am sure she never pictured in her path.

As she climbs this mountain she will come to see a new view.

This process will involve moments of sleepless nights, tears and sadness.

As Lisa reaches the top of this mountain I hope she finds a beautiful view.

I hope that she can in her future look back on this journey and see that it has become a beautiful heartbreak as she has grown stronger in ways she never thought she could, that she is loved greater than she ever knew and that once again she has it confirmed to her over and over again that she has a loving Heavenly Father who is watching over her and blessing her.

If you are able to, please consider donating to Lisa and her family.

You can read more about how to do this on the donations page HERE.

I love how Hilary Weeks describes it and every time I hear this song I am going to think of Lisa.

King Family Donations

2012-01-27T21:44:00.001+10:00

I woke up this morning to discover that one of my blog friends, Lisa King (pictured above) had lost her husband, Aaron during the night. I was shocked and burst into tears immediately. You see, Lisa is one incredible woman and in the past several months has been through so much already that it was just heartbreaking to hear about.

In October late last year she lost her son, Noah. (You can read about Noah and his journey on her blog HERE.) After many years of battling with his health he passed away at 10 years of age. It was a great loss to the family. Over the past couple of months the family together has been trying to move on, to live without Noah and to adjust to the changes in family life and to heal their hearts.

To now have the loss of her husband. I am speechless and at a real loss for words to even start to describe how she must feel. Lisa wrote a post about her sweet Aaron on her blog and here are Lisa's words:

"I know that they say that you aren't given anymore than you can handle, but right now I think I'm at my limit. After losing Noah less than four months ago and now losing my best friend, soul mate and love of my life I'm so grateful for my three boys who I love so much, who give me strength to keep going and look ahead to the day when we will be together with Noah and Aaron again. All I can think of is them hugging and talking and running and even side stepping together. Oh how wonderful their reunion must've been.I love you Aaron and I wish you were here just for one more day, to let you know just how much."

After sharing her heartache on my facebook page several people have contacted me offering to donate to help the King family. As a blogger I have seen incredible love and kindness shown towards those who are in need and who are suffering great loss and heart ache. After pondering this I have decided to set up a separate bank account for the King Family and would appreciate any donation that you can contribute to them at this time.

I know the journey Lisa and her three boys have ahead of her is not going to be easy and that what we will be able to raise will be a small comfort to them, but I am hoping that it may ease the burden in some small way to bring some additional happiness to them in this time of heartache and trial.

What I would love to do is to help raise funds for them to get through the next month. To help pay for groceries and expenses to ease the burden Lisa will face of providing for her family as a single mum. Having only recently finished paying for Noah's funeral, I would love to help raise enough funds to pay for a headstone for Noah, (he currently does not have one) and to cover the cost of having to pay for her husband Aaron's funeral. These expenses will be a big burden on Lisa when she is dealing with the shock and loss of her wonderful family members.

I know that if we all can contribute we can make this possible.

Even if you can contribute $5 it will make a big difference for Lisa and her family.

If you are able to contribute in any way possible the bank account details are:

Naomi Ellis
Suncorp Bank

BSB: 484799

Account Number: 204 067 630

If you would prefer to send something in the mail a PO Box has been set up to receive donations:

PO BOX 759
Launceston, TASMANIA, 7250

Some people have requested using Paypal as an option.
I have tried setting up a donations tab but as I am not a registered charity I am unable to.

I have instead set up a fundraising page for donations that will pay directly into the bank account set up.
This way I can avoid paypal and the crazy fees.

You can donate HERE:

Thank you so much in advance for your kindness and generosity.

Cool Gelmat, Rich Glen Olive Oils review and giveaway

2012-01-26T21:01:00.000+10:00

This month I am finishing up a bunch of product reviews that I have been testing out lately and clearing my commitments to start February with a fresh start. I have been so blessed over the past couple of years to have some awesome companies contact me and send me products to experiment with in our home. Today I am featuring the Cool Gelmat and Rich Glen Olive Oils with a giveaway included.

Cool Gelmat

The Cool Gelmat provides relief from heat related conditions and has a unique heat absorbing gel that provides relief for up to 2 hours. It is a patented mat that you place on top of your mattress, or under your sheet, or inside your pillow and when you lie on it you enjoy a cooling effect. This is because the unique heat absorbing gel within the mat absorbs body heat, reducing your temperature and allowing you to enjoy a cool, relaxing and comfortable night’s rest.

I was sent the pillow size Cool Gelmat to review, RRP $79, and decided to review it as I thought it would be helpful with sunburn and heat stroke we sometimes face in our home. It is also helpful if you are hot during the night, have night sweats, migraines or if you suffer from hot flushes and are looking for a way to cool down.

As a family we found it really helpful during the summer months in our home and Matt has spent several nights sleeping with it underneath him. It is easy to sleep on as it is thin and soft/flexible to mould to your body. I also found it very helpful and easy for children to lay on if they have a little sunburn to take some of the heat away from their body. You can actually feel the difference when you lay on it and it really does cool down your body for around 2 hours.

We do not suffer from migraines or hot flushes in our home but I do know that several other women have the Cool Gelmat and find it really helpful when they have a migraine. It is the first thing they reach for to help them. With over 1 million products sold it really is a popular item.

The Cool Gelmat is available at most chemists, comes in a variety of sizes and is also available to order online at the Cool Gelmat website: http://www.coolgelmat.com.au I have one Pillow Cool Gelmat to giveaway to a lucky Seven Cherubs reader.

Rich Glen Olive Oils

I love a good tasty, quality dressing. I also love my salads. When I was asked to review some of Rich Glen's Olive Oil range I just had to say Yes immediately! Now I know this is not normally what I review on my blog but when I read that they make a Zesty Lemon & Lime Olive Oil and Poppy’s Salad Dressing I was sold right away.

Also, add that they are made by Ros and Daimien Vodusek who have four children and manage to balance parenting whilst running the business, I knew it was a product I wanted to promote. The Vadusek family live at Rich Glen Estate and are a family owned and operated olive grove situated on the banks of the Murray River in Yarrawonga, Victoria. They have won themselves a bunch of awards for the top quality products that they are producing and I highly recommend checking them out.

First of all, I decided to test out Poppy's Salad Dressing. Suitable for salads, seafood, meats, corned silverside and hot potatoes. You can also use this dressing as a marinade. I simply love the flavour. It has a sweet mustardy flavour with a little tang to it and I may have eaten way too much of it with my left over ham from Christmas. My bottle only has a little tiny amount left in the bottom as I enjoyed it so much.

Next I enjoyed trying out the Zesty Lemon and Lime Olive Oil. I absolutely love lemon and lime flavours and to have it in an Olive Oil is a treat for me. It is an aromatic and fruity oil suitable to be served with seafood, chicken, steamed vegetables, and salads. It can also be used in marinades and cakes! The ingredients are: 100% cold pressed virgin olive oil and fresh lemons and limes and that is it. I totally enjoyed it sprinkled over the top of my homemade bruschetta. So delicious!

On Rich Glen the website are mouth watering recipes, such as Zesty Lemon & Lime Poppyseed Syrup Cake, Lemon Lime Olive Oil Cake and Chicken and Cranberry Rice Salad. Today Rich Glen Olive Oils are giving me 2 packs of the above products to giveaway to Seven Cherubs readers. Awesome.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

P & O Cruises Australia Pacific Dawn

2012-01-25T22:39:00.000+10:00

Recently, Matt and I went on a P & O Cruise on the Pacific Dawn up the coast of Queensland. It was a wonderful experience and it was lovely to have some time together, just the two of us to relax and enjoy exploring the beautiful coast line we have here in Australia. We found P & O Cruises a lovely company to cruise with and the staff we very friendly and total fun to be around.

We boarded the crusie ship and was immediately taken aback by the huge size of it and the many levels and variety of rooms to relax and socialise in. Our room offered plenty of room for us to stay in and we settled ourselves in and went up to the top deck to join the launch party.

Up on the top deck for the launch party was loud music, dancing, performers and many excited passengers ready to have an awesome cruise. We joined in the festivities and could not wait to get started with our holiday.

As the cruise ship took off it was amazing to see how close it came to the top of the Gateway Bridge here in Brisbane.

Just fits under!!

Everyone on board turned their heads upwards to watch the boat pass underneath. Totally cool to see and watch and it reminds you just how high the Pacific Dawn really is.

The boat has plenty of room for walking and who would not love the view. So gorgeous and I loved the days we were able to only see the sea every where we turned. I love the brilliant blue of the sea and the clouds. Oh! How I loved the clouds.

The top deck of the cruise ship has two pools, a stage, a bar and two spa's with many chairs for relaxing on. On one end of the top deck there is a buffet restaurant and on the other end is a massive entertainment area, like a nightclub for dancing and listening to bands and music in. One frustrating part of the cruise for many of us was that the pools seem to spend a lot of time closed. I have no idea why but some passengers were getting very upset about it and it was nice when they were open.

I could not get enough of the view. I totally adored it. I was happy to sit on the back of the cruise ship watching the line of water trailing behind us, every single day. A couple of other passengers shared the same love with me of course! Lucky there were three levels you could do this on the back of the cruise ship.

Actually, I may have spent a fair bit of my time on the cruise ship looking at my feet and staring at the water. Pondering life and all the wonderful blessings it brings. Bliss!

The weather was wonderful for most of the trip and we also enjoyed the stops that the cruise ship made at different ports. We took a few day trips and had a blast exploring the beauty the coast has to offer.

We took a trip to the Great Barrier Reef and spent a day snorkeling and swimming out in the middle of the ocean amongst the gorgeous, brilliant colours and coral. I was speechless with the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. We also stopped off at as many scenic spots as we could to take it all in.

We took a trip down river looking for Crocodiles. I was more interested in the scenery and the clouds.

We stopped at the Daintree Rainforest and Mossmon Gorge. It has just rained before we visited so the rainforest had such a lovely fresh feel to it and the gorge was flowing wonderfully with water. Many visitors were swimming and having a great time in the water, it was way too cold for me!

I spent a great deal of time on the top deck taking pictures of clouds in all sorts of weather. They take on a new appreciation when you are up so high in the sky on a large cruise ship and you can see them from a different perspective. Adored them.

We ate in style with amazing views, dressed up and went out each night to different shows and loved the theme dress up nights on board. Here we are dressed up to go to the Hawaiian night. So much fun! I was really shocked just how many activities are available to participate in on cruise ships, Matt and I were constantly trying to work out how we could attend all the activities and fit in an afternoon sleep! We did not want to miss out on them as they were just too good!

We really had awesome time on the P & O Cruise ship Pacific Dawn and are looking forward to hopefully taking another trip in the future. If you ever get the chance to take a trip I highly recommend it. Everything is taken care of for you, you make new friends, it is relaxing, it is also fun and it is like living a dream life.

Olay, Garnier and Gifterati review

2012-01-25T05:57:00.002+10:00

I have been having some serious fun, as per usual, roadtesting some products...this time it is a real variety of products which include Olay, Garnier Fructis, Gifterati and a gift giving system that is too easy and total fun.

OLAY

Now that I am getting a little older and starting to look a little more mature, skin wise that is, I decided to try the Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Revolution Complex cream. As I am a big Olay fan I was more than happy to try this product and I think I have nearly worked my way through the whole range now. Olay heaven!

First of all, I love the way this product looks. Love the bright red lid and love that the top is a large pump to get your cream out. To use this cream is simple, you smooth it over your face and neck focusing on your personal areas of wrinkles. I of course put it all over my face and neck. I am not a light cream applier!

I currently do not use any other wrinkle cream to compare it to. I don't know if a more expensive item works better or not, but what I can tell you is that if you have a limited budget, like me, to spend on beauty products then I would recommend this product.

It is affordable, feels nice and smooth to apply, it smells nice but is not too overpowering. It is a little thicker than my normal moisturiser but I don't know if I could say it actually helps with wrinkles. I did feel as if my skin was a little tighter after applying it but my wrinkles around my eyes seemed to be the same after testing it out. Having said that I like the product and would think more about purchasing it in the next 5 years as my wrinkles start to need a little more attention. You can read more about the product on the Olay website.

GARNIER FRUCTIS

I also recently tested out some Garnier Fructis Instant Detangler products.

I was sent the new Nurti-Repair Double Care for dry, damaged hair and the new Color Last Double Care for coloured, highlighted hair which is a daily care product you can leave in your hair that will not weigh it down. It is enriched with fruit oils to help repair hair and give you a shiny, silky feel. I have very fine hair and was really happy with the product. I was able to spray it on my hair at different times during the day and not have it look flat or limp.

I like the shape of the product, tapered in towards the top and easy to hold in your hands. As I have short hair and it does not get tangled that much I decided to try it out on Harmony's hair. She has the longest hair in our house. I know this product is not aimed towards young children but wanted to try it just once to see the effect it would have on longer hair.

I was really happy with the result. I told Harmony that I was using a special detangler on her hair and her attitude was even better with letting my brush her hair. Total win I say! By the way, don't you just love her hair??? I want it! Check out more Garnier products on the Garnier website.

GIFTERATI

Do you love to give gifts? I do and I believe I have found an awesome way of sending a special treat to friends that is total fun and very unique in how they go about business. Let me introduce you to a site called Gifterati - Real Gifts Posted Instantly.

Founded by Jessica a mother of two cherubs, who was tired of seeing her friends and family exchange virtual gifts on Facebook, she created Gifterati who operates throughout Australia and has a huge variety of real gifts available from chocolates, homewares, flowers, jewellery and fruit to donations, adventures and magazine subscriptions.

Gifterati is a gifting website, with a twist as it is 100% compatible with social media and allows people to post gifts to their friends’ Facebook walls. For those of us who love social media this is a fun way to send a gift to a friend. The way it works is you go to the website, choose a gift, log into facebook and select the friend or family member you want to send it to, pay by paypal and then immediately post the gift to your friends facebook wall or email them the surprise gift just for them. They then post the item to your friend of family member within 24 hours.

To test out this service I had a gift selected for me and then posted to my facebook wall. I clicked on the link provided, supplied the address I wanted the gift sent to and then received my lovely gift in the mail. Check out what I received below:

A Ferrero Rocher 30 Pack of chocolates

I found the service easy and fun. It was a lovely surprise to see what popped up on my facebook wall and speed of delivery was great. It is a great gift giving service I will be keeping in mind for gifts I want to give to others in the future. You can also join the Gifterati community on facebook here.

a birthday, a suit and turning twelve

2012-01-24T06:09:00.000+10:00

My handsome son is now twelve.

He wanted a suit for his birthday to wear to church.

I of course was very happy to purchase one.

He looks so grown up and my heart bursts just looking at him.

Below is me telling him he looks handsome.

We just missed catching the eye rolling that took place!

He is catching me on the height aspect and I am so impressed with the young man he has grown into.

In keeping with tradition, here are my twelve things I love about Nathan:

1. He is sports crazy. I love his motivation and desire to be active.

2. He loves to read and we have a great time chatting about books together.

3. He is an awesome big brother and is teaching Sam and Eli wonderful sports skills. I am amazed at how patient he is with them and loves to play backyard cricket with them.

4. He has an amazing memory and I love it when he gets frustrated with me because I cannot remember facts like he does. It makes me smile because deep down I know he loves that he is smarter than me.

5. I love it when he sings. I know he is happy when he is singing.

6. He is a good spin bowler. I like to tease him and call him a chucker instead.

7. I love that he can speak from his heart. He can share how he is feeling, especially when he is hurt or upset and I feel touched when he shares these thoughts with me.

8. Nathan is funny. The older he gets the more delight I take in seeing his personality and sense of humour develop. He has a very dry sense of humour. I love it!

9. He is a good dancer. He has rhythm and knows how to bust a cool move around the house.

10. He is determined. He knows how to set a goal and to make it happen. Just about everything Nathan has put his mind to has come to pass and he does not let anything stand in his way.

11. I love that Nathan is helpful. Whenever I ask him to help me out he always responds with, 'Yes Mum' and comes to help me out. It makes a huge difference to my day and I appreciate his support in our family.

12. I love his gorgeous smile, handsome face and twinkle in his eye when he is being cheeky.

Happy Birthday my wonderful young man!

cruise ship

2012-01-23T06:03:00.000+10:00

Matt and I recently went on a cruise.

Just the two of us...along with several thousand other people.

The cruise ship was awesome.

So much to do and so much to enjoy.

Lucky for us...our cruise ship stayed afloat and did not sink.

So weird seeing a sinking cruise ship when you are actually on one yourself!

If you have ever wondered if you should go on a cruise, I would say GO!

It is brilliant!

Now I am back to reality.

Catching up with cherubs, housework, emails and school.

So hard to say goodbye to the relaxing, the partying and the food.

Only way to get over it is to book another trip I think!

school holidays underwater

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000+10:00

Our school holidays so far have been spent in the pool, underwater.

Every single day.

I have water baby cherubs.