Seven Cherubs

Target Winter Essentials: Boots + Poncho + Denim Shirt

2013-05-20T22:02:00.002+10:00

Official Blogger Post for Target.

Winter is fast upon us and every year I add a few winter essential items to my wardrobe to stay warm, cozy and up-to-date with the latest fashion. I love to bargain hunt what I think will last at least several years, will be comfortable to wear and what will fit into my crazy lifestyle.

I took myself off to Target to check out what Winter Fashion they had available and came home with a few treasures that have been rocking my wardrobe ever since! Target is currently having a Winter Inside and Out Sale and have some real bargains on offer.

I first of all selected from the Target Winter clothing range a black poncho jumper and a pair of black boots.
I love a fun, stylish jumper and a pair of boots that are super comfortable and warm.

In the Target footwear section I selected a pair of boots that have a small heel, which is just enough for me to feel cool in and still small enough to run around doing the many errands I do each day. I chose a pair that has an extra wide calf as I love to stuff my jeans into my boots and I hate the feeling of my boots being way too tight on my legs.

Not only have I been wearing these boots with pants and jeans but I have been wearing them with skirts and dresses. I am really short and normally I wear boots with a higher heel to finish off my outfits but these boots are so comfortable I have been letting the higher heel slide and going with comfort instead. I must be getting older!

You can see what boots Target has on offer online in their Footwear section HERE.

I also selected from the Target Women's Winter Fashion range the Hot Options Cable Knit Poncho in black. The poncho is awesome because it covers my butt and my stomach which I am a little self conscious about right now and hangs and flows nicely. Also adds a lovely layer of warmth to my outfit.

The poncho is so fun to wear and will make you want to spin and twirl and you will feel like you are a super woman wearing it. Alright, maybe that is just me! If you are going into Target I recommend checking this poncho out.

After spending way too much time stalking the Target Footwear range I could not go past this pair of Notorius Ankle Boots in Light Brown. I love, love, love these boots. I have been wearing them with everything; jeans, skirt, pants and dresses. A little bit country and a lot of comfort and style.

I don't know about you but when I get a new pair of shoes or clothing, I always want to dance in it to test it out!

Kind of like the ultimate test for me...if it can handle my singing and me rocking out in it..then it is a keeper!

Whenever I put on these boots I want to start prancing around and belting out a country song. I love the tassel hanging off the side and they add an extra spring to my step every day I wear them.

They are totally fun to wear with jeans and a blazer. They are available as part of the Target Winter Fashion range and also come in black. I am seriously thinking about going back to get myself a black pair as well.

Not only do I love the Notorious Ankle Boots but so does someone else in my family. So much so that I had to go get Chelsea a pair as well. She looks way cooler than me in these boots with a pair of tights and a dress. Chelsea has turned them into her kids fashion favourite go-to shoe for this winter.

As I was exploring the store with all that Target has to offer for winter fashion choices, Liahona also decided she wanted to share her favourite Kids Clothing essential item for this winter. A denim shirt with some extra sparkle and bling.

Liahona teamed up her Target denim shirt with a white t-shirt and black pants and has been living in this outfit ever since.
I am not joking! She loves to dress comfortably with a little bit of fashion flair and every time I see her in this outfit I want one exactly the same.

As you can see we had way too much fun shopping at Target!

If you are looking for some winter essential items and bargains, head in store or check out Target online. As a family, we are all set for what cold chills may come our way and are feeling pretty spoilt with our new winter wardrobe additions.

You can also see what other Target bargains we have found by clicking here: budget friendly clothes.

What is your winter essential clothing item?

life as a Mormon woman

2013-05-19T21:35:00.000+10:00

Hi! My name is Naomi and I am a Mormon.

Or as I really like to say:

Hi! My name is Naomi and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Mormon is just a nickname people give members of our church and why not?

It really is much shorter to say :)

Does me being a Mormon make a difference to you? Probably not.

Does being a Mormon make a difference to me? Yes! Absolutely!

Here is why...

{Me: Slightly overweight, mum of many cherubs, wonky smile, quirky personality,

jewellery lover, blogger, writer, survivor, thriver and Mormon.}

I haven't always been a religious person. In fact, God never meant anything to me at all. I have shared a little about my personal journey to find God in my life and how I came to join the Mormon church HERE.

As a woman, when deciding what church to join I was very careful. I didn't want to spend my life stuck in a religion where I was not allowed to have a voice, where I would be looked down upon because I was female, where I would have a husband who would command my every move, where I quietly would spend my time in the background and have my wings clipped.

I wanted a religion where I was free to speak my mind, where I would be valued because I was female, where I would be respected and work equally with my husband, where I could lead and serve, where I could openly share my feelings and opinions and where I would be given wings to fly.

I asked A LOT of questions and did a lot of research when choosing what religion was right for me. I found that the Mormon church ticked all of those requirements that I was looking for. I read books for the church and against the church. I studied it all. I wanted to see it from all angles before committing to join.

Since becoming a Mormon woman, which is very different to how I was before, I have grown and progressed in ways I could never have imagined. I have been able to speak in church, teach doctrine, pray in front of congregations, counsel with other leaders, organise activities, represent the church as a full-time missionary, lead the women, speak up about issues, become a confident public speaker, find peace and happiness in my life, develop talents I never knew I had and stay true to myself at all times.

I am passionate about helping other women feel happier in their lives and believe it is important to keep it real as well. Since becoming a Mormon, I have had wonderful opportunities to work with women in my local church and in my local community. I have been able to serve and lead the 'younger women' we have in our church and community. I have also been able to serve and lead other women 18+ years of age in our church and community as well.

I have been a 'president' or leader of the women in our local congregation. I have also been a 'president' or leader overseeing 6 other congregations of women at once in my local area. In this role I was able to plan and organise women conferences, workshops and leadership training meetings. I sat in counsel meetings, voiced and shared my concerns about a variety of topics, including women issues, children's issues and family issues. I organised service projects in the community and visited many women in their homes to assist and help in times of need. I don't ever remember a time where my voice and opinion was not listen to, carefully considered and respected by other church leaders.

I share this to demonstrate that my life is full of opportunities to speak up, be a voice and to be myself. As women we are encouraged to make our own decisions, be educated, speak our minds, lead in our homes and in our communities, to develop our talents and to have our own relationship with God.

I was able to do all this whilst being a mother to my children and was never made to feel like I should be at home keeping my mouth shut spending all of my time doing the housework or cooking. I was always encouraged to lead, to grow personally and was respected with the opinions I shared. My husband has always given me wings to fly and supported me in anything I have wanted to do.

I live a very busy full life. I write here on my blog and share whatever I want. I speak on radio every week and say whatever I want. I make jewellery and sell it and use my time how I want. I raise my children in equal partnership with my husband, how we personally want. I have had as many children as I wanted and just for interest sake, before I was a Mormon I wanted 10 and now that I am a Mormon I have 7 with no plans of having any more :)

Anyone who knows me personally, knows that I love to speak my mind and would not stand for one second to put up with living life as an oppressed woman in a religion. Since becoming a Mormon woman my life has been full of joy and thrived. It has not been perfect and a smooth ride and I wouldn't expect it to be. I have also had challenging times and trials in life just like anyone else or anyone from any other religion.

I am not perfect and don't believe I am better than anyone else just because I am a Mormon. I am simply sharing that I love how my life has changed and I love how I am encouraged to reach my full potential as a Mormon woman. I know I am loved for who I am, quirky personality and all and becoming a Mormon woman has changed my life in so many ways for the better.

One of the best decisions I ever made in my life was to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. So take me as I am, Mormon woman and all. This is who I am. It is such an important part of me and influences every thing I do. It is one the reasons I am so passionate about helping other women and about being a great mother. I want all women to have wings to fly just like I do. It is an awesome life.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day 2013

2013-05-17T08:37:00.001+10:00

As a huge Jamie Oliver fan, I was delighted to be chosen as a blogger to help promote Food Revolution Day here in Australia for today: 17th May, 2013. Love Jamie's books, love his shows, love his Homecooker! I am not a food blogger so I am guessing it is simply my love of eating food that was the reason I was picked :)

Food Revolution Day is a global day of action for people to make a stand for good food and essential cooking skills. It's a chance for people to come together and to share their kitchen skills, food knowledge and resources. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness about the importance of good food and better food education for everyone by focusing on three simple actions – cook it, share it, live it.

There is a special tag for the day, #FRD2013, so if you want to join in and post a picture of what awesome food you create we would love it if you shared it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook - anyway you can and use the hashtag to help spread the message. We want to see your awesome recipes and see your family cooking, eating and loving healthy meals!

Jamie will tell you more about it HERE. Feel his passion people!

I was sent a bountiful box of food from Aussie Farmers Direct with the challenge of creating a healthy soup to inspire you all. Naomi. Soup. Inspiring. Normally three words not found in the same sentence but I was up for the challenge!

I decided very late last night to share with you my Chilli Basil Pumpkin Soup (yes I totally made up my own soup! well, I am sure someone, somewhere has already made it before!) and Garlic and Basil Pull-Apart Bread. I made them in no time in the Thermomix and they taste pretty darn good if I do say so myself!

Garlic and Basil Pull-Apart Bread.

First of all, I made the Garlic and Basil Butter.

I have recently been experimenting with different flavour butters and I love this combination. I used: 3 cloves of garlic (use however many you like), 6 Basil leaves and 200g of Unsalted Butter. I chopped up the butter and then threw them all in the Thermomix, put it on blend for 10 seconds on Speed 6. Ta da! 10 seconds later I have awesome butter! If you don't have a Thermomix you can throw it in a food processor and mix it until combined.

For the Pull-Apart Bread....

450g lukewarm water
1 tablespoon dried yeast
1 teaspoon of salt
750g bakers flour
100g olive oil
your awesome herb butter!

Grease your cake tin for your bread. Set aside for later.

Thermomix option:
Put water, yeast, salt, flour and oil into the Thermomix and mix for about 6 seconds on speed 6.
Then knead for 2 minutes.

Pour out your dough onto a lightly floured surface and create into a ball shape. Place in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and sit in a warm place for 30 minutes. Turn your oven on to 180 degrees.

Take your dough and give it a good couple of punches. Then roll out into a rectangle shape with about 5 cm thickness. Spread your awesome herb butter all over that dough.

Cut into long strips about 4 cm wide. Pick up each strip and fold on top of itself and put into your cake tin. Squash them all in next to each other for an awesome looking effect.

Allow to sit for about another 10 minutes. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
Bread is ready when it is brown on top and looks like it is cooked through.

Enjoy the taste, smell and benefit of homemade bread!

{I adapted this option from the Everyday Cookbook for Thermomix}

Regular option:
I recommend following Jamie Oliver's Basic Bread recipe HERE.

When you get to step 5 roll your dough out into a rectangle shape with about a 5cm thickness. Then spread your awesome herb butter all over that dough.

Cut into long strips about 4cm wide. Pick up each strip and fold on top of itself and put into your cake tin.
Place them or squash them all in next to each other.

Allow to sit for another 10 minutes and then bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
Bread is ready when it is brown on top and smells divine!

Chilli Basil Pumpkin Soup

1 red onion chopped

2 or 3 cloves of garlic

1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes

{adjust depending to taste}

6 small Basil leaves

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon of curry powder

500g pumpkin

6 small potatoes or 3 large potatoes

1 litre of chicken stock

Thermomix option:

Place the red onion, garlic, chilli flakes, basil, olive oil and curry powder in the thermomix.

Blend for 2 seconds on speed 6.

Then saute for 2 mins/Varmoma/ Speed 2 to soften.

Then add potatoes, pumpkin and chicken stock.

Cook for 15 minutes/100 degrees/Speed 2

Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

Blend soup for 30sec on speed 7. Increase speed slowly as it is very hot!

Taste test and serve!

Enjoy the awesome pumpkin flavour with a kick of chilli at the end of each bite x

Saucepan option:

Place the red onion, garlic, chilli flakes, basil, olive oil and curry powder in a large saucepan and stir until all ingredients have softened. For about 3 minutes.

Then add potatoes, pumpkin and chicken stock.

Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a medium low and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potato is soft. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.

Blend your soup however you like and serve.

Enjoy x

“Food is a joy and we should celebrate it. But it’s important that we have the understanding to know what we can eat every day and what we should save as an occasional treat. I hope that all over the world on May 17th, people embrace great food and that many thousands of people come away from Food Revolution Day with a better understanding of food and cooking.”

Remember to share what you are making today by using #FRD2013 and @FoodRev on twitter.

Enjoy your awesome healthy food!

Ambassador for the Life Changing Experiences Program

2013-05-16T07:12:00.001+10:00

I am passionate about working with charities and helping youth. As a blogger I have had the opportunity to promote some wonderful charity organisations here on my blog and in my personal life I have been able to work with youth in a variety of ways through my church.

Over the last year as I have written and shared more about my own personal upbringing, I have been on the lookout for a charity that I could promote and be associated with. I am delighted to share that I am now an Ambassador for the Life Changing Experiences Program.

This charity is a wonderful fit for me as I simply ADORE the SISTER2sister Program. It was created by Jessica Brown who wanted to start a national charity to raise funds to aid 'at risk' teenage girls who have endured trauma/suffering through various circumstances. What an inspiring woman and program!

The SISTER2sister program fills that need and every year they take on 50 girls and their 50 Big Sister Mentors. The program is a 12 month mentoring program for teenage girls at risk of abuse and/or neglect which provides the girls with professional positive female role models to inspire and motivate them through a goal setting and achieving program to make a difference to their lives.

As a survivor and thriver of childhood sexual abuse I love that I can help promote a program set up to mentor young girls who have been through similar experiences to me. I so wish I had a mentor to help me during those years. I would have healed faster, hated myself less, it would have saved me so much heartache and pain and given me the direction and guidance I needed. Even having someone to talk to would have saved me in so many ways!

I can't imagine how different my life would be if I had a mentor for 12 months! I get teary just thinking about what a difference that would have made and I love that Jessica has created this program to save girls from the suffering I went through alone.

The Life Changing Experiences Foundation offers youth support programs. Along with the SISTER2sister Program they also run The Butterfly Opportunity Program which is an ongoing opportunity beyond the SISTER2sister Program for skills development and work experience in collaboration with the community, involving local educational institutions and businesses.

I am really excited to share more of this wonderful charity with you over the next year and would love it if you took the time to pop on over and check out the Life Changing Experiences Program website. You can also follow them on facebook.

Instagram wall of love with PosterCandy

2013-05-14T07:11:00.000+10:00

Home tour: Dining Room

I have been giving my home a little makeover. In each room I have been adding more colour and fun to reflect our family and the love we have for each other. As I am a huge Instagram fan and dedicated user, I decided to use some of the many, many pictures I have taken to brighten up our dining room. {You can find me as 'sevencherubs' on Instagram by the way}. I decided to create an Instagram wall of family love with the help of PosterCandy.

Here is a before picture of my dining room:

Here is the after picture with the Instagram PosterCandy posters I added to the wall:

I have always wanted a whole wall of Instagram pictures and I am really, really happy with the result. I love that it is bright, fun and full of colour to help liven up our family dining area. As a family we love walking past and enjoying the memories all collected together on our wall.

This space is also where we have wonderful conversations around our dinner table, where we laugh, where we plan family activities, where we play games, do homework and devour awesome food. So many good, good times we have had together as a family happen in this small room and I love that we can remember more good moments through the pictures on our wall.

I ended up using 8 posters to cover the wall. I ordered 10 posters altogether and am still undecided as to whether or not I will cut them up to fill in the remaining gaps on the wall. To give it a finish off the look and to make it flow completely to the ground and to the side of the next wall. I just can't bring myself to cut the posters up yet! I am also undecided as to if I should put them in 8 frames and centre them on the wall. Decisions, decisions!

Home decorating for me is all about featuring what you love. Right now I am loving colour and pictures of my sweet cherubs, so this was a perfect fit for me. For now we are absolutely loving it. The posters have totally changed the whole feel of the room and when you walk into our home and see my Instargram Heart Wall in my entrance way and then walk into our kitchen to see more pictures of our family...you can kind of tell I am big on family and love my kids :)

To order and design the posters, I went to the PosterCandy website. I then selected the size of the poster I wanted to create, I chose the 70cm x 100cm size and went through the process of selecting what images on Instagram I wanted to showcase in my posters. I chose the poster that had 70 images in each poster as I wanted the pictures to be as large as possible.

I found the process of ordering and selecting very easy. All your Instagram pictures automatically load and you can easily scroll down and select what you want to feature on the posters in your home. You simply click on your Instagram picture and drag it across to your poster and position it where you would like it to be. So much fun to design and create. If you want to give it a try, pop on over to the PosterCandy website and check it out. You only pay for the prints you order so it is perfectly fine to have fun experimenting.

Are you on Instagram? Do you love decorating?

Would you display a whole wall of Instagram pictures in your home?

*I received a discount from PosterCandy to order 10 posters.

I paid for the posters myself and this is not a sponsored blog post*

a surprise moment of kindness at school

2013-05-13T07:59:00.000+10:00

Every morning when I drop my children off at school I ramble off the same statement: be kind to others, be kind to your teachers, work really hard, learn new things, have fun and remember who you are. It is one of those moments as a parent where you hope they are listening to what you are saying but you never really know if they actually put it into action.

Much to my surprise and delight, I recently found out that at least one of my children had listened to that statement I shouted out that morning. I discovered this when I went into the classroom of my youngest daughter to help out. One of the teacher aids came up to me and shyly asked if I was also the parent of Sam and Eli. I informed her I was.

She then shared with me that last year she was having a really hard time and that one of my boys touched her in a way a student never had before. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about what had taken place in the classroom for her to feel that way.

The teacher aid recounted the experience for me and I was left with tears in my eyes. She started by sharing with me that she worked in the area of school with children who had learning difficulties. She loved her work but on this day it was a very difficult day. She was struggling to sort out a situation in a classroom with a child who was being very disruptive. The child was being loud, was very angry and the students in the class were feeling slightly scared. The classroom that this experience happened in was the class of my two boys, Sam and Eli.

The situation reached a point where it became a little explosive. She was trying her best to calm the student and to assure the other students in the class that everything was alright and to steer them all back to the normal routine of the class. It was during that setting that an incident occurred. I don't know what it was but I am guessing it involved the teacher aide being hurt in some way.

She shared that in that moment she wanted to give up. That she felt she was not doing a very good job in her role and that this all seemed too hard. It was in that setting and with those feelings that she heard a little voice cut through the noise. That little voice was one of my boys and he quietly asked, 'Mrs ..... are you alright? Are you O.K?'

Never before had a child asked her if she was alright. Never before had a child been considerate of her feelings. Never before has a child wondered if she was actually doing alright with the struggles she faced on a regular basis with her job and in the classroom. It was such a surprise to her. It was not something she looked for, wanted or ever expected to have happen.

It was in that moment that she decided to keep going, that her job was worth it and that she really was making a difference with the students she worked with. I was so delighted as a parent to know that one of my boys was kind and caring to a teacher. We often talk to our children about the fact that teachers are people too, that they have feelings and some days they get tired just like Mum does!

So I am going to carry on yelling out my regular statement to my cherubs as they climb out of my bus each morning and hope that more of my children take up my words of wisdom and be more kind at school.

my story: raising a son with autism

2013-05-11T15:07:00.000+10:00

A guest blog post by my sweet friend Lisa-Jayne:

I am the mother of a 19 year old son with autism and intellectual disability. I spent the first year after his diagnosis (when he was 2 years and 3 months old) with a lump in my throat and a heavy feeling in my heart. I did not know what the future held for him or us as a family who now had to live with a disability. Little did I realise the hard minutes, days, weeks and months that would come and the emotions that I would feel. Looking back, there were many times when I prayed for a miracle, a cure, or both! My son has challenging behaviours and when I was dealing with a crisis I didn't stop to think - what is this teaching me? Or what am I learning from this trial at the moment? It's all about surviving, putting one foot in front of the other and wishing that it would all be over soon. But - there were things I did learn and it was not all bad.

There were times of pure joy and happiness. I remember moments when my son would do something cute and we would all smile or laugh at his actions. Or when my daughter announced that she was going to assign my son with autism the job of setting the table and that she was going to help him do it. Other times when we were laughing and playing and I looked into each of my four children's faces and knew that I was blessed.

I love my son deeply. It might be because he needed me so much - I was his world. I was the one who could 'read' him the best and so that meant that I met his needs the best. As he has grown up I've had to let that go. For his sake I am not always going to be here, and he had to get used to other carers. We were presented with an opportunity last year that I never thought would happen. He was offered a place in a house to live with two other young men with Autism, and challenging behaviours. We needed to decide if it was the right thing for him.

No one knows what I went through, the agonising over what was best for him and how also to meet the needs of my two younger children. I am confident and comfortable with the decision my husband and I made to accept the position in the accommodation house. I had someone who is the mother of two profoundly disabled children say to me, "Oh I could never do that". And that hurt. I felt that she was judging me, and even though she could understand somewhat what our life was like, she still had not walked in my shoes and her mothering experience was totally different to mine. So, I developed an even thicker skin, and continued on my way.

Life still brings us challenges. We are still heavily involved in our son's life. He visits us in our home fortnightly and we see him in his home as well. Settling into his new life has been challenging for my son and he has had to adjust to many changes, but he is getting there. One step at a time.

We have had the opportunity to meet some amazing carers along the way. These people would not give up on our son; they kept turning up to work with him even when it was really tough. I believe that when this life is over and our spirits leave our bodies when we die, we will have the opportunity to talk with our son face to face. He will be whole and free from the restraints that he has suffered in this life. It is my hope and prayer that he will embrace us and thank us for caring for him, that he will tell us he was so glad to be born into our family, and that he loves us. I think he will want to thank the carers who have done the same and always treated him with respect, dignity and kindness. It is a beautiful and comforting thing to watch your child form bonds of trust with others.

Important things to remember:

* You have to fight for your child, no one else will. Whether it is at school, to receive a service they need or a teacher who will understand them.

* Accept and love your child for who he or she IS not who or what you want them to be.

* It's okay to celebrate the smallest thing. Find joy in that moment and hold on to it!

* Look after you! You are no good to your family if you are not well physically, mentally and spiritually.

* Never lose hope. You don't know what is around the corner.

* No matter how bad it gets there is someone worse off than you. You can do it, you can keep going.

* When you need help ask for it. Family, friends or support agencies are there so use them.

* Your true friends will be able to pick up where you left off and they won't care if your child throws a big tantrum when you are out shopping together.

* You can still have dreams for your child's future - they will just be different to what you initially dreamed for them.

* Surround yourself with people who are positive, who buoy you up and help you keep going.

* Don't judge other parents of children with disabilities. We all cope differently and some of us pick battles that others wouldn't. So just support one another and don't judge. There is enough of that in the world already and we of all people should know better.

* Love your child, unconditionally.

{Lisa-Jayne's handsome son}

All the best,

Lisa-Jayne

Seven Cherubs Designs Jewellery

2013-05-09T13:05:00.000+10:00

Seven Cherubs is expanding. Adding a little jewellery to my blog as I love, love, love jewellery.

I have been playing around with some designs and after the amazing response on my facebook page I have put together a few necklace designs with Mum's in mind. I have kept the design simple yet inspiring for Mum's to wear and treasure. Naturally there is a cherub theme involved. Love my cherubs!

An example of the necklaces I love to design and wear.

The necklace is white and measures 70cm long.

I have several choices of cherub wings available. Teeny, tiny wings and a medium size wing.

I also have a large cherub wing to represent a Mum or even Dad.

On each necklace I include a 'made with love' charm.

Made with love from me to you.

There is also the option to include an angel.

It can represent you or anyone else special in your life.

This is my necklace I wear. It has seven cherub wings to represent each of my children.

You can design your necklace how you like. I will put it together for you using the charms I have available.

I have 10 necklaces available to order.

If you are interested email me HERE.

the delicate dance of motherhood

2013-05-08T12:33:00.000+10:00

Being a mother is like performing a dance. It takes concentration, it takes focus, it involves following a routine and staying in line with certain steps or movements, it involves using all of your body, heart and mind and it involves great physical effort. Dancing can bring us joy and happiness and it can also be a way to burn off excess energy and release built up feelings.

As a parent and mother, I find motherhood to be a delicate dance. Delicate in that we are often required to work hard to find a good balance, to be careful in our considerations of how we use our time, to be as careful as we can in our decision making and in our actions and of what balance to seek in how serious or how much fun we are with our children.

On a Tuesday I may perform the dance of love with delicate, flowing, tender moves that inspire my home and family to unify and to grow closer together. I love this dance and try to perform it daily.

On Wednesday I may perform the dance of frustration with jerky, sudden, robotic movements that push my family away, that stunt my progress in relationships with my children and that leave me feeling like I am the worst mother ever!

Whatever dance I am performing each day, I try to slow down, to enjoy the feel of the music in my home so to speak and to embrace who I am in that very moment. I don't always follow the right steps, I spend way too much of my time making it all up as I go along and I play my music too loud to get into the right mood or dance attitude for that day.

But you know what...no matter what happens...I am still dancing. I am in my home dancing the best I can. I am trying to be the best delicate dancer on the block and I am trying to perform that tender loving dance as often as I can. That is all we can do. To get up every day, to put our dance outfits and shoes on and to keep dancing. So ladies and parents....play your music how you like, dance your moves how you like and get up every single day and Rock On!

magic moments of raising a large family

2013-05-07T07:21:00.000+10:00

Large family living

Raising a large family is exhausting, draining and overwhelming at times.

It is also amazing, incredible and magical.

Magical moments happen when we all work together to make our home a nicer, happier place to live. When we all chip in and work hard to make a difference. With nine people in our home, Saturday jobs around the house can really achieve amazing results! *Magic*

Magical moments occur when you see you children grow and develop into inspiring young people. As the mother of a large family, I get the blessing of seeing that happen multiple times a day with multiple cherubs. Every day I am amazed and inspired by my children. I count my blessings I have this influence in my life and have so many wonderful children to learn from. *Magic*

Magical moments happen when your daughter blows you away with her confidence and spunk! In that one moments you see that she has become independent, self accepting and self loving of who she is today. Your heart bursts as you look at her and ponder where all those years went, how fast the time flies by and that from now on she is her own young woman. *Magic*

Magical moments happen when your children play hard and develop their talents. As a large family when each family member plays a sports game they have their own cheer squad to encourage them on. Yes, we are loud. Yes, we love to yell at games. Yes, we have fun supporting each other. I love to see my children motivating, encouraging and being there for each other in activities that they do and participate in. *Magic*

Magical moments happen in large families when the older children play crazy games with the younger children. I love that my big 4 cherubs take the time to play with the younger 3 cherubs. They have an absolute blast giving multiple piggy back rides, having piggy back races (you have to bring your game face!) and shoulder rides. All of this happens inside my house which does drive me crazy some days but most days...I love watching them interact together. *Magic*

Magical moments happen when as a parent you lie down to rest and you either receive a hug, a massage or a special hairdressing session. In our home someone will always come over and help us to relax in some way. There is always someone walking past to lend some love and assistance. Sure they ask for food or some other crazy request but mostly, they show kindness and love. *Magic*

Magical moments happen in the everyday living we have in our home. Those small moments where you capture your children playing together nicely, when your son decides to cook a meal without you even asking him, when your cherubs play group dress-ups and make you laugh, when your children are never too old to hold their Father's hand, when attitudes start young and crack your whole family up and when the toothfairy has a hard time keeping up with the tooth schedule. *Magic*

Through it all, it is tempting to be a super serious parent, a task master who keeps the home running and never has fun but for me the magic really happens in those moments when I let myself go, where I let myself join in the fun and allow my children to be themselves. My children keep my young, they keep me on my toes and they keep me living life to the fullest. I know I am really, really blessed to have a large family and that I get to enjoy these cherubs every single day. Raising a large family to me is truly magical. I love every magical moment that comes our way.

Feed your family Lenard's chicken

2013-05-06T13:52:00.002+10:00

I love attending blog events. I also really love chicken. So when I was invited by Jacqui from B-Brand to attend a blog event with Lenards Chicken...I signed up right away!! The event was made even better with the fact that I could take our whole family to attend and when we arrived we could not stop laughing at the awesome chicken that greeted...loved it!

A bunch of us bloggers with our families spent the afternoon having a great time tasting, testing and learning about the wonderful chicken products available from Lenard's. The flavours and recipes were outstanding and the staff were helpful explaining ingredients and passionate about providing good quality meals for families.

We received a cooking demonstration of the Meal Kits they have available. I really loved the Korean BBQ. As you can see above they have a great range of choices available for your family. We were thrilled to taste the marinated Kebabs available to enjoy and they are such fun for children to eat! I loved the Lemongrass and Ginger and Peri Peri Grill flavour. Our taste buds were treated to a real feast!

Along with some great food we also had some great fun. Thanks Lenard's and B-Brand. It was an awesome day out! Once we returned home I determined to test out Lenard's in our home. I went off to see my local Lenard's store here in Brisbane, the store at Sunnybank Hills Shopping Town and met the delightful owners there. I have always been really impressed when I have seen a Lenard's store, always clean, organised and the food is very fresh and inviting.

After some serious discussion with the owners about our families tastes and needs, I picked out a few choices I was excited to try. I have to say the quality and taste was excellent. My family loved every selection I served up to them.

Here is what we tested:

Honey Macadamia Breast Supreme

So, so delicious!

Pumpkin Cashew Pastelle - Delicious!

Greek Pinwheel - Yummo!

Malay Laksa Curry - Total Favourite!

Sweet Thai Cutlet - Oh My! Yum

One last delicious taste test we did as a family was the new Lenard's Rack of Chicken. Yet to be released in stores and a little sneak peak just for you! It is a tender, juicy chicken breast around an awesome Lenard's filling then crusted on top with some flavoursome perfection! They come in two choices...Maple Pecan and Tomato Chilli - both are divine!! I couldn't decide which one I liked better. Neither could my family. We all decided Lenard's was a hit in our home!

Also Lenard's is giving away a Holiday a Year for 10 Years. You are invited to share a special moment from around your table to be in the running for this prize. All you need to do is upload a photo of your special moment for the chance to enter. It can be any moment at all...a special occasion, a picture of your family, a craft your cherubs made on your table...the possibilities are endless. You can enter through the Lenards Facebook page HERE.

I would love to know...

Is chicken a favourite meal in your home?

What chicken meal do your family love?

the entrance way of my home

2013-05-05T18:43:00.004+10:00

Home Tour: Entrance Way of my Home

I love the entrance way of our home.

It sends a clear message we are focused on love and family.

I have been slowly adding family pictures to our heart wall.

You can check out how small the heart was when I first created it HERE.

When people come into our home they love to stop and admire the pictures.

Some are serious and some are fun...some are pure crazy...just like our family!

{I ordered them from Printstagram. They print your Instagram pictures.}

In decorating our home I have been trying to add more colour and brightness.

By adding a few colourful items it has made a real difference...like a rainbow rug at the front door.

In our home my children take off any shoes that they are wearing and put them in the shoe basket that sits at the front door. They then grab shoes from the shoe basket when they are heading out the door as well. Wearing no shoes on in our home has stopped a lot of dirt and mud being trampled all over our carpets and therefore less cleaning for me.

I have found keeping them in a basket is much easier and more pleasant looking than a shoe rack as my children never take the time to put them on a shoe rack properly! For now...I love the entrance way of our home. It is simple, it is colourful and it is bright and inviting. It spells out immediately what our home and family is all about...loving each other and well, just us.

win a family photography session

2013-05-03T08:54:00.001+10:00

Oh My Goodness! Sweet cherub Holly you are divine!

The softness of your skin, your wonderful newborn smell, your adorable tiny features....

I am having 'I want a newborn baby in my house' withdrawals here people!

These stunning images were taken by Analiese from Dimples by Analiese Jane Photography.

She has such talent and I am simply drooling over the quality of her work.

After looking at these images I am regretting I never had pictures like this taken of my cherubs when they were younger. What a wonderful keepsake for them when they get older to show their own children and what a precious memory captured for a family to treasure. Sigh! I love newborn babies!

To view some more photo's of Dimples by Analiese Jane Photography have a look at her website HERE.

Having family pictures taken for us has always been out of our budget. We never seemed to have any spare money to make it happen. A luxury I guess. Although, looking at these pictures I now wish I had of made it more of a priority in our life. That is why I am really excited to be able to announce:

The lovely Analiese is giving a lucky Seven Cherubs reader the opportunity to win a family photography session (up to six people in a family) with her. There are two choices available to win:

1. A choice of either a general photo shoot which is valued at $325 and includes 1 hour shoot and 15 edited images on a CD for you to print at their leisure chosen from a private gallery of up to 25 photos. This is for up to 6 people.

2. A lifestyle shoot valued at $475 in their home for about 1.5 hours. This is not a portrait style shoot but rather a snapshot of their lives - so very casual. This package includes 25 photos on CD for you to print at your leisure chosen from a private gallery of 35 photos.

This giveaway is location based.

You need to live in either Sydney or the Gold Coast or Brisbane to be able to enter.

Here are some extra entry guidelines to consider:

No more than 6 people for the general photo shoot

Offer valid for 3 months from date winner is chosen

Date for the free shoot to be mutually agreeable on both sides

No show or cancellation is a cancellation of the photo shoot itself

Winner to pick only one package choice

No changes from the set up of the shooting package

Terms and conditions to be agreed to before the shoot takes place

To enter and to have the chance to win an awesome family photography session click below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck x

home organisation: school uniform schedule

2013-05-02T22:03:00.000+10:00

With seven children attending school this year, I have had to come up with a school uniform schedule to stay on top of what each child needs to wear each day. For the schools my children attend they have different days for different uniforms. Some days are formal uniform and some days are sports uniform. It has been doing my head in trying to keep up with who is wearing what each day!

My children mainly get their own uniform each morning but it is important for me to know what they are wearing so I can make sure the uniforms are washed and ready for them to put on for school. So I put together a school uniform schedule that I hang in my laundry to help with the washing needs.

It was easy to put together and I made it simple for the whole family to follow. It has saved us a lot of frustration, yelling and arguing in the morning. I found it was necessary because some of my children even have a formal and sports uniform they need to wear on the same day!

Below is an example of what our uniform schedule looks like and you will quickly see why I needed to put one together. Ta da!

I love to be organised in as many area's of our family life that I can. A simple school uniform schedule has been a blessing to us and if you have several children attending school you might like to put one together for yourself.

Deliver Love With Roses Only + Flower Giveaway

2013-05-01T05:42:00.000+10:00

raising girls

2013-04-30T09:09:00.003+10:00

I am the mother of 4 daughters. They are each unique in shape, size, height, personality and spirit. They each have their own thoughts on life, on what they want to achieve each day, on how they want to treat other people, on how they will let other people treat them, on how they see themselves, on fashion, on respecting their bodies and on how they see me as a parent. I personally wouldn't have it any other way!

I love that I have four young ladies in my home who are full of confidence, spunk, cheekiness, determination, love, laughter and kindness. I also love that they are opinionated, have a voice and are not afraid to use it!

Over the years as my girls have grown and we have been on this journey of life together, I have had many worries and fears for them. Each time I first held them in my arms and looked down into their sweet cherub faces, my wish and hope for them was that they would be strong enough to deal with the challenges that will come their way with being a woman in this world.

We are so, so blessed and lucky that we have many opportunities available to us today but we also face a lot of criticism.

My wish is that they never let the critical comments or percentage of likes on a social media site to ever determine how they feel about themselves, that they will never allow anyone to let them feel they are worth less as a person because they were born female, that they will never compare themselves to what is represented in magazines of how they should look like, that they will never doubt the great potential they have to do anything they want to do in this life and that they will never ever doubt the special gift they are to us as a family.

My wish is that they will embrace the body they were born with and use it to live a full life, that they will not waste time worrying about if they are too big, too short, too boring or too whatever...that they will simply go out and have fun, that they will build a protective shield around them to repel any harmful peer pressure that will surely come their way, that they will know they are loved, cared for and wonderful when some boy tells them they are not, that they will surround themselves with supportive loving friends who will be there when they a helping hand, that they will know that educating themselves will bring them knowledge, power and a stronger voice.

As a mother I hope that if they decide to have children, they will know that deciding to become a mother doesn't diminish them in any way. That you don't need to lose your whole identity once you become a mother. You can still nourish and nurture yourself and grow and develop and flourish in this life. You can still be a voice and achieve your dreams and goals.

I know at times I fall short in being a good example for them and in sharing how I really feel within my heart. In a way, I am showing them the reality of life: that we all struggle, we all face challenges and we all can pick ourselves up and start again. Each day brings a fresh start.

My daughters are so precious to me and I love and adore them so much. They are already incredible, amazing, talented young ladies. They bring me so much joy and laughter and it has been such a privilege to be their mum. I know the future will bring more challenges and more sweet tender moments. I also know I will keep worrying and wishing and I am so thankful I have the opportunity to help build them up, to help them reach their potential and to simply raise girls.

Be a Well Woman and RedBalloon Massage Giveaway

2013-04-29T06:47:00.001+10:00

the joy of a vegetable garden

2013-04-28T15:09:00.000+10:00

One of the reasons I really wanted to own a house was so that I could plant out a large vegetable garden.

I just knew in my heart that having a vegetable garden would bring me joy.

So after many years of trying to grow vegetables in garden pots, in other small containers and in smaller garden beds, I am delighted to finally have a dedicated space to grow my own vegetables for our family. Matt put it together for me just the way I wanted and since then, it has been producing food for our family abundantly.

The children help me water it, plant it out and gather the awesome home grown vegetables for our family. Often the vegetables are picked and don't make it into the house. I love that my children can pick a pea or two and enjoy the fresh flavour right there and then.

I have two large raised garden beds and I love planting them out. I stagger my planting and growing sweetcorn has been our absolute favourite. It grows so fast and the kids love to eat the corn right out of the garden. So sweet!

I have been growing healthy vegetables in our garden for around 6 months now and am still loving it. We have grown snow peas, sweetcorn, rocket, lettuce, leek, strawberry, capsicum, cabbage, spring onion, tomato, herbs and pineapples!

Also when the inside of my house get's a little crazy, I love to go outside to potter around in my garden and I find it really relaxing and peaceful. Healthy for me on so many levels! Anyone else have one?

parenting, children's book reviews + giveaway

2013-04-26T13:50:00.000+10:00

I adore books. Especially parenting and children's books.

I often get sent a bunch of books to review and here are a few of my favourites.

This is a hard cover book about a sweet love story between a mother and child. Written by award winning singer and song writer Jewel and illustrated by Amy June Bates a very popular illustrator. The pages are colourful, the story has a lovely rhythm to it and can be easily read in a sing/song voice. It also contains a CD of the track "What I'd Do' performed by Jewel. Check out more here: http://books.simonandschuster.com/That's-What-I'd-Do/Jewel/9781442458130

This book is written by Sharny and Julius Kieser. I love the idea of a couple writing a children's book don't you? As many children seem to be getting into darker themed books, I love that they wrote this book to bring back the fairy and pixie theme to our children. It is a sweet story full of colour. Ayesha Henderson is the illustrator and she has done a brilliant job with the art work. I love that they have self published this book. As a mum and parent who also loves to self publish, I am all for supporting writers who do the same here in Australia. To learn more about the book, you can check out this clip here...very funny! http://sharnyandjulius.com/current-products/where-have-all-the-pixies-gone

Are We There Yet? by Sharon Grayson is a practical parenting book that is short, easy to read and full of great suggestions. I love the title: Are We There Yet?...don't you often feel like that as a parent? I know I do! Sharon shares in her book 7 steps to take for successful parenting. As a parent, teacher, parenting coach and Positive Parenting Program Accredited Provider she is full of wisdom and advice. I loved that she focuses on cherishing, consistency and commitment. All area's I believe are vital for happy families and parenting success. I also love parenting books where you can write down your thoughts and feelings and where they encourage you to think about where you are in your parenting journey. There is even a forward by the lovely Kelly from Be a Fun Mum. You can read more about her book here: http://www.parentingcoach.com.au

As Mother's Day is coming up, I have decided to join in with a few other local wonderful business Mum's to give you the chance to win these books, plus I am adding in a copy of the Power of Moms book I am an author in and my own two ebooks to complete the package. A little reading for you and a little reading for your cherubs!

Here are some of the wonderful prizes up for grabs:

$100 x 2 LOVEnCHERISH gift vouchers
$395 photography package by KAYANA PHOTOGRAPHY based Gold/Coast Brisbane area
$280 hair makeover package by NEXT INTERNATIONAL HAIR SALONS Gold Coast
$70 family book pack from SEVEN CHERUBS
$50 gift voucher from DESIGNER DAMES
$50 gift voucher from RED PUNCH BUGGY
$50 gift voucher from WHITE WILLOW DESIGNS
$35 gift voucher from HELLO GORGEOUS (Gold Coast based Beautician)
$35 gift voucher from MASTERPIECE MATERNITY
$30 Vintage 3 piece Frame Set from OSONiA DESIGNS

Entry is for Australian residents only and some prizes are Gold Coast area based.

To read more visit the giveaway here: http://bit.ly/U4qjEx

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck x

Striving to be a Lean Mumma + Giveaway

2013-04-25T17:56:00.000+10:00

Over the past year, I have put on weight. I mean, seriously put on weight. I have tried several different weight loss programs and they have been good and all but I haven't been able to get my head in the right space to do them properly. It has been me not them. Part of me says, you don't have to be skinny to be happy and the other part of me knows that if I am fitter and healthier I will be happier. The tragic weight battle that goes on in my head!

Several months ago I must have taken some heavy weight picture of myself or it was weight loss program promotion month or something because I received about 10 offers to try out weight loss programs. After taking a good look at myself and deciding I do want to do something to increase my fitness, I decided to take one of them up on their offer.

The program I felt best fit me and my family situation and the idea I loved the most was Lean Mumma. This is a fitness and healthy eating program designed by Marina Perry-Kuhn who is the founder of Pure Health Clubs, Pure Beginnings, Pure Kids and the creator of the LeanMum2Be and Lean Mumma Systems. She is a mother of two gorgeous cherubs and also is a Master Pilates instructor with over ten years experience.

Marina is passionate about educating the wider public on all matters regarding fitness, nutrition, posture and optimal health. Her mission is to empower women to better embrace their lives through enhanced physical wellbeing and to share the benefits and realities of exercise during and after pregnancy. I really loved what she stands for and her passion in helping Mum's to feel better about themselves.

The Lean Mumma program looks like this:

{I swear I read it and felt like she was talking to me and what I needed!!}

This comprehensive, progressive post-pregnancy program will show you step-by-step how to build a lean body after kids. Whether you are a first time mum with a newborn or a mum of four with kids at university, the lean mumma system’s exercise blueprint makes it easy for all mums to learn how to correctly, safely and effectively transform their bodies (and their lives) after babies.

Learn the secrets to:

Gaining a flat, tight (zero bulge) tummy

Banishing back pain and enhancing posture

Lifting, firming and strengthening your butt, arms, backs & thighs

Boundless energy, a positive attitude and unwavering self esteem and confidence

Achieving vitality, health and wellness as a time-poor mother

I love that you can get support on line, train with a trainer or even do the program at home. I decided to try out the program at home by reading her book and by following her DVD package. I enjoyed reading and learning more about the building blocks to help my fitness and The Lean Mumma program sure has a lot of DVD's to help motivate you and push you. I have been working my way through them and have found them to be inspiring.

On days when I feel discouraged, I have put in an DVD and felt energised. I of course have also been really sore some days as the DVD's are targeted to work on different levels of fitness. I am woking on increasing my fitness and keeping up with the program. I like that I can find my level and stick with that through the DVD's or push myself a little harder on days I want to go hard! I don't have very many of those days but I am getting there!

If you are interested in learning more about the Lean Mumma program you can check out the website here: http://leanmumma.com.au and also check out the items in the store here: http://leanmumma.com.au/lean-mumma-store

As I have been enjoying the program so much I also wanted to give one of you the chance to feel like a Lean Mumma as well. To start the striving journey like I am. I have one Lean Mumma pack to giveaway. This will include The Lean Mumma System book and the Lean Mumma Exercise System DVD pack by Maria.

So this is what you will receive below:

For the chance to win, follow the guidelines below:

1. Giveaway open to Australian resident only and please make sure your email is linked to your comment profile

2. Giveaway will close on 7th May, 2013

3. Winner will be notified by email and must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be announced

4. To enter Follow Seven Cherubs on Google Friend Connect

{>>>> on sidebar and tell me what name you are following me by}

5. Leave a comment below and tell me:

How are you striving to be a healthy mumma?

Giveaway closed.

Congrats to Little Lee!

stag head jewellery storage idea

2013-04-25T11:49:00.000+10:00

I love decorating and looking for funky jewellery storage ideas.

As a self confessed jewellery addict and collector, I love to display what jewellery I own.

On a recent trip I picked up this cool deer/stag head from Typo.

They had all white heads available but I couldn't go past the one with the blue.

It is the exact colour of feature walls I have painted in my home.

Meet Duncan. Named by my cherubs.

He now has the awesome job of holding and displaying my necklaces.

Thank you Duncan. You are doing such a brilliant job!

Right now he is hanging in my bedroom and I love being able to hang a few of my favourites on him.

You can also check out my earring jewellery storage idea here:

http://www.sevencherubs.com/2011/11/my-jewellery-storage-for-earrings.html

Or my personal jewellery storage solution and collection here:

http://www.sevencherubs.com/2012/09/my-personal-jewellery-storage-rusted.html

a magical day at the beach

2013-04-23T16:59:00.001+10:00

Whilst we were dealing with an excessive daily dumping of rain on our recent camping holiday, we decided to take off to have a magical day at the the beach. The weather was still terrible but we found moments of joy together. Magical moments that make family memories that will be talked about for years to come. Here are some pictures that tell the story:

By the way we found some crazy lady at the beach.

I think the rain kind of got to her, if you know what I mean!

I have no idea who she is!

how to forgive but not forget when sexually abused

2013-04-22T18:00:00.001+10:00

I am a survivor and thriver of childhood sexual abuse and people often ask me about forgiveness.

How was I able to forgive, how did I become a thriver, how do I protect my children and how do you find happiness?

Most of these answers I have written about in my book that is going to be available very soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a few extra thoughts about forgiveness and not forgetting if you have been sexually abused. The reasons I wanted to write about this is because I see so many people who think that once you have forgiven someone for sexually abusing you, it means that you carry on as if nothing ever happened, that you can trust them again, that it is wrong to ever feel hurt again, that you need never talk about being abused again and that you then live your life pretending as if it was some bad dream. My reply to this is:

NO! NO! NO!

I am going to be bold and say there is a right and a wrong way for forgiving and not forgetting.

The wrong way is by saying or thinking:

"I have forgiven the person who abused me, it is wrong to seek any justice"

"I don't feel hurt or any anger in my heart, that means I can trust the person who abused me"

"My Dad sexually abused me, he said sorry, so he can babysit my kids now"

"My Grandpa abused me so he can't change my kids nappies but he can watch them in the bath."

I know forgiveness is personal, I know we are all different but thinking like the above is so, so wrong!

Don't put yourself and your children at risk!

Forgiving doesn't mean you have to trust or you have to keep pretending!

I have written this blog post for those of you who want to seek forgiveness for sexual abuse.

Not everyone does. Some people want revenge, some want compensation and some simply can't forgive.

This is my personal journey and advice.

I am not a professional. I am a survivor and thriver. I am also a parent.

I am going to write this from my personal point of view. You may not agree.

That is fine. You are not me. It may inspire you. I hope it does.

With that bold introduction in mind, here are my tips for forgiving but not forgetting when you have been sexually abused:

1. Forgive for yourself

If you have been sexually abused, seeking and feeling forgiveness is a way you can move forward to find peace and happiness in your life. Believe me! I have tried just about every other option! Forgiveness means that you take control over how you feel and that you are no longer letting those who have abused you control how you feel. Don't seek forgiveness to help the person who abused you, to try to make them feel better or to heal. Do it for you, do it for yourself, do it for your life, for your happiness and for your heart. You deserve it and are worth it. You are not weak when you forgive: you are strong, you are taking a stand, you are taking control and you are taking charge of your emotions.

2. Forgiveness doesn't excuse behaviour

By seeking forgiveness in your life, you are in no way excusing the behaviour of those who abused you. By forgiving you are healing and helping yourself. Forgiveness allows you to feel compassion for those who have hurt you but it doesn't mean you excuse the behaviour. What it does mean is that you value your health and your heart. It means you have the desire and want to progress and move forward in life and chose to leave the abuse and hurt and hatred behind. Do it to free yourself from the burden, from the pain, from the anger and to lighten your life. It doesn't mean you agree with, support or endorse in any way how you were treated. What it does mean is that you want to feel better and you want to feel happy.

3. Forgive regardless of an apology

The truth is that many of you who have been sexually abused will never, ever receive an apology. No matter how badly you want one. Many abusers never confess or admit they abused someone. Some die before you gain the confidence or ability to speak about the abuse, some abusers you may never see again or even know who they are. Waiting for an apology before you forgive will stunt your progress in healing. I am not saying just get over it and forgive. No way! You can't just get over sexual abuse. What I am saying is don't wait for someone to give you permission to forgive. Don't wait for an answer. Don't try to understand. Just begin the process of healing...yourself.

4. Forgive without all the answers

Be careful wasting time trying to understand your abuse. Often we can't find answers we are seeking when it comes to being sexually abused. We may never find out why it happened to us, what provoked it, what the abuser was thinking or even if it happened to them. Don't waste time trying to understand your abuser. Who knows why people abuse children or other people! These acts are horrible and trying to get into the thinking and mind of an abuser is not going to help you in your life. For me personally, I was the only one sexually abused in my home with 3 other children who lived there. I even had a sister who shared the same room as me and nothing happened to her. Believe me...trying to find answers to all of our questions is often a waste of time! As much as we want them answered and need them answered...they can stall us in healing our hearts. Be mindful of what you need before you can heal.

5. Forgive and still seek justice

You can forgive and still seek justice. In fact, I encourage you to do so. When you are sexually abused you can find peace and healing in your life and still seek justice for crimes committed against you. Sexual abuse is a crime. Not only is it a crime against a child or person in general, it is against the law. There is nothing wrong with seeking justice for such acts and atrocities. Sexual abuse is an evil atrocity. There are consequences for committing such crimes. Even though you may feel you have forgiven someone who sexually abused you, you can still go through the legal process of seeking justice. You can do this to protect other children or adults from being abused, you can do this to protect yourself, you can do this if you feel you need validation or you can do this to speak and record the truth. It is not an easy process to take the path of seeking justice. It is a personal decision and we should not judge people who chose not to do so. Do what you feel is right for you.

6. Forgive as much as you need

Once you have been sexually abused you will find that you may need to forgive on a regular basis. Forgiveness is not a once off event or exclusive moment in your life. You will find events and experiences in your life may trigger thoughts, feelings or memories of your sexual abuse. You will find yourself having to forgive those who may have abused you over and over. Regular forigveness allows you to stop being chained to the abuse. It allows you the freedom to be stronger than those chains, to be in control of your feelings and in control of breaking them. Don't feel like you need to forgive just once and that is all you can do to heal yourself. Take charge, listen to your heart and forgive as often as you like. There is no limit!

7. Forgive to heal the hurt

Being sexually abused hurts. It hurts so deeply it changes your heart and life forever. Forgiveness allows a part of that hurt to disappear, to be taken away and to be replaced with feelings of love and kindness for ourselves. The hurt may disappear forever for some of you and there may be other's of you who will hurt in some way for the rest of your lives. That is perfectly fine. As much as we don't like it, we will continue to hurt at different times from being sexually abused. This is one of the reasons why we need to do all we can to put a stop to childhood sexual abuse. It is so damaging, so heart breaking and so soul destroying.

8. Forgive but not forget

Forgiving is not forgetting. If you have forgiven the person who sexually abused you, it doesn't mean you need to wipe it from your mind forever. You have been scarred, changed, robbed of innocence, betrayed and violated. You are not expected to simply banish that from your mind! You still need to remember to a certain level what has happened to protect yourself and even your own family in the future. You can chose to not remember what acts took place, how you were made to feel, what words were spoken and how much you were deeply hurt but please remember that the event took place to protect future generations and even yourself in the future.

9. Forgiveness is not trusting

Seeking forgiveness for atrocities committed against me has taken up much of my life. It has been an interesting journey finding a balance between forgiving yet not forgetting what happened. In that one moment when sexual abuse occurred in my life, my trust was lost. It was destroyed and it was never to be given back again. I don't care who the person is, what they might have done or said to say sorry, what type of repentance they may have made, what standing they have in society, how nice they are...if they have sexually abused you...you never, ever have to trust them again.

10. Forgive and protect

You can forgive and not feel anger or hatred towards those who have sexually abused you but you don't ever have to put yourself or your children at risk ever! It is your responsibility to protect yourself and your family. Don't wait for someone else to do it for you. Take a stand and carefully guard your trust. Plan out how you will protect your family. Many of us still have situations where we see family members who we know have sexually abused a family member or someone else. How we decide to treat them is personal. Think carefully about how you will protect yourself and your children. Do not let your guard down ever! The risk is simply too high. Do not leave that person or family member alone with your children at any time. I can't emphasise this enough! For tips on how to protect your children read my 10 Tips to Protect your children from Sexual Abuse.

11. Decide what forgiveness looks like for you

Forgiveness is deeply personal. We each need to decide what forgiveness looks like and means for us. It may be that you go to the person and tell them you have forgiven them, it may be that you talk to them and present your protection plan, it may be that you change your heart and how you feel toward the person, it may be that you decide to never talk about the topic again, it may be that you decide to not let this experience get in the way of your personal relationships...the list is endless. Deciding to take the step to forgive allows you to start to live a thriving life. You can decide to live your life as a victim in the way you think and feel or you can decide to forgive and to live your life as a survivor and thriver. What that looks like and feels like is up to you. It is your choice.

A personal note: I don't currently have a relationship with the family members involved in my sexual abuse and I never intend to. I have forgiven them and feel no hurt or anger toward them but I have no desire to have them in my life. I have no desire to seek revenge or to make their life horrible. I simply don't trust them and don't trust them in the company of my children. I am not prepared to put my children at risk in any way and that will never change. They are too precious to me. I know forgiveness and healing and recovery is different for all of us. It is deeply personal. By writing about forgiveness I am in no way justifying the acts of those who abuse. These are my personal thoughts and opinions. I don't expect everyone to agree with me. I simply write about this topic to be a voice for children who can't speak about this topic themselves and to create more awareness of childhood sexual abuse.

5 Large Family Blogs

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Every month I am going to share with you 5 awesome large family blogs that inspire me as a woman, mother and parent. I find they are a great source of wisdom and motivation for dealing with the daily running of my home and for helping me to make my life easier with a busy schedule. I have already shared with you my first 5 large family blogs that inspire me {click HERE to read who they are} and am excited to share with you my next 5 awesome large family blogs and bloggers.

1. Nicole from Planning With Kids. This blog is a must follow. Nicole is lovely in person, super fit and super passionate about being an organised mother. She is the mother of five children aged between 13 - 3 and her practical tips and inspiring family will help you keep the chaos in your home under control. Nicole is also a wonderful speaker and caring blogger who takes the time to help others in our blogging community. Check her out!

2. Shawni from 71 Toes. One of my all time favourite large family blogs ever! I personally read this blog every day. I do not miss a blog post. I love that Shawni is passionate about being a mother, keeps it real with the challenges they face in their home and I adore that she continues to find time for herself by following her passion of photography. Shawni is the mother of five children, 4 girls and 1 boy. Inspiring words, adorable family, great recipes and gorgeous pictures.

3. Natalie from Mummy Smiles. One of the loveliest ladies you will ever meet. Natalie is the mother to four cherubs and her blog focus is on finding joy in motherhood. She lives in Brisbane and I have had the pleasure of chatting with her on radio a few times. She writes to inspire you to smile each day and to remind you that life is wonderful. I enjoy her posts on home organisation and general topics that relate to the challenges we face in motherhood.

4. Jacqui from Common Chaos Chronicle. I love Jac. I have known her online for some time and we recently had the wonderful opportunity to meet, share a big hug and a quick chat. It was so lovely to finally meet her in person. Jacqui is the mother to 6 cherubs. She has 5 children of her own and is a step-mum to a sweet 10 year old girl. On her blog she shares her tips on how to maintain some sanity whilst raising a large family, keeps it real with the roller coaster ride of smiles, tears, laughter, daydreams and bucket loads of Chaos that happen in her home.

5. Leigh from Six By the Bay. Inspiring lady! Mum to four young boys who lives in a gorgeous spot on the coast here in Australia. I love her pictures and gorgeous cherubs. Leigh loves to inspire and motivate those around her with her words. Even though she has a Nursing degree she dreams of writing for a living. I love her posts on happiness, taking care of you and her honest heart.

Who else would you add to the list?

What bloggers are inspiring you right now?

camping in the rain in pictures

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camping in the rain, the pouring rain = a unique family holiday.

It also involves:

huddling together

snuggling together

card games

loud yelling exciting card games

dirt and mess and wet clothes

cheeky monkeys who are bored

reading books all day

camp lights on during the day

making a fashion statement with socks with thongs!