Whoa, what a week! I’v been sick with a horrid flu for one week… barely able to get out of bed. Body aches, fever, chills, coughing, headache and everything else that goes with the flu. There was a 3 day period that has totally escaped me. I was so out of it that I just don’t remember it at all. Sadly Miss A had the same flu at the same time so all we could do was moan and groan together. All I longed for was Vegetable Soup made with fresh chicken stock… so what’s a mama with a sick daughter to do but make it herself? Problem was it took so much energy to just make the stock that it took another day before I had the strength to make the soup… and even that took John to prepare all the veggies! On top of it all, we had a minor family crisis involving a female family member during the weekend and a special occasion occurred for Master C.
Master C attended his first Air Force Cadet Bivouac! It all happened so quickly! I had taken pictures on my phone but in my semi delirious, sick state I have lost or deleted them. The previous weekend we had attended the open day at cadets and watched Master J do his ‘thing’. John is now getting involved as an instructor at cadets and this is such a blessing. He is over qualified for the task but is looking forward to spending more time with the boys. Anyway with John all signed up as an instructor the other leaders all agreed that Master C need not wait the extra few months and that eh could join immediately. Well, this just made Master C’s week! He was so excited as he’s been patiently waiting for this day. So, Friday was spent packing all his camping gear and getting ready… but both boys had a cold and I was worried that ti would develop into the same flu that I had. It was against my better judgement that they attend…
They had a blast. The bivouac was only on base so it was perfect for Master C’s first one but he had a ball. He’s been quietly devouring every scrap of information that Master J brings hoe every week so was fairly well mentally prepared. But nothing much prepares a young man for his first biv. All I can say that already he seems to have developed more confidence, is talking more and is talking louder… which is great.
On top of all this I learned that the house we rent has been put up for sale! We were expected to have an evaluation inspection last Friday but we had to cancel. It is now scheduled for this coming Friday but with being sick all week I don’t know how I’m going to get the house in order… especially seeing that the vacuum cleaner has given up too! It has died. Argh, does it ever stop? Apparently we will have to be ready for open inspections, photography sessions (for the house) and all that palava. The house we live in is small, therefore crowded and cluttered. It’s not easy to keep clean although we try. I simply am not up to all the work needed to have this house on the market. Oh Lord, please be my help in this matter.
Anyway, I had taken a leave of absence from Facebook but may head back once I start to get better. Before I go any further I will confess my dirty little secret. I play a few games on facebook! Yes it’s true. This homeschool mama likes a few online games. So when I announced that I was leaving FB a few people suggested that I stop the games… Problem with this assumption is that they assumed that I was not coping with facebook time management which wasn’t true. I actually enjoy my few minutes each day on each game and I don’t have any issues or problems with it. My issue was, however, one of privacy. No, not even privacy for I have my FB settings to the highest. Rather it was the fact that I have a few contacts on facebook that are part of our style of evangelism- relational evangelism but I fail to see the relevance of having X amount of ‘friends’ if I only have the same 20 people relating back and forth with me regularly. If you’re not on facebook you probably don’t know what I’m talking about or don’t see the difficulty in this issue and that’s okay. Suffice to say that it was an issue that was wearing on me. So I needed time out.
I hope to be around the forums and blogs a little more in the next few days. If I owe anyone an email, please just bear with me and email me again. I haven’t meant to ignore anyone… was just totally out of it.
Love to all my blogging buddies!
Wow Susan! You have certainly had your hands full, you poor darling :S
I hate it when a house goes up for sale! Really despise it! I mean, the whole effort, open houses, tidying up, etc etc is of no benefit to the tenant whatsoever, and yet we have to comply. I believe a reduced rent amount would be in order, personally.
I hope you are feeling much better my darling. I really didn’t know you were having such a horrid time of it all with flues and circumstances… and then you had me on top of all that. 🙁
I was so thrilled to read about Caleb… I am not sure what a ‘bivouac’ is, but as long as he is enjoying it, that’s all that matters lol!
Yes, FB games… a certain someone whom shall remain nameless, ahem, got me a little hooked on some annoying bubble game which is totally addictive! LOL :-* The issues with lists of people who never say a word does annoy me also. I have culled my list, but I am sure there are a few more I could ditch…
Bless you Susan, and hope you and Miss A are on top of the nasty flu.
Hi Amanda,
Hehee sorry… a bivouac is simply a weekend or week long exercise, away from home, with all the other cadets. They do all sorts of military and life skills ‘stuff’.
Bubble Island? Argh, what a stoopid game! I am stuck in the volcano and cannot get past it! 🙂
Im sorry about the bubble game!!!!! Ive given up, the volcano has beaten me. 🙂
Great reading your blog Susan, Im glad you are sounding a little better. Lovely to hear about your boys too, it sounds like a fantastic experience…….my oldest went to the Scout Jamboorie a few years ago and he has never forgotten it, these kinds of things are really great for young men. 🙂
I know what you mean about a smaller house being cluttered too, I always found that as well, no matter how much you clean it just doesnt look great because you dont have the room. Are you staying in the same area?
love Bec xx
Ah Bec, you let it defeat you? Yeah I’m at that point too… nearly! 🙂
Hi Susan,
I hope you a feel;ing much better. May the Lord give you the strength you need for the rest of the week. I’ve had that nightmare of having to have the house okay for inspections right in the middle of family a crisis! Yikes! Are you hopeful that another investor will buy and you can stay on? or will be he having to move as well? We have rented our current home fo releven years and were so elated when the original owners sold but put the stipulation that it be to sometone who would keep us on. God is good. We do not look forward to the day we might have to move.
Re Facebook. Are you saying you are wanting new people to respon to your posts? I use FB as a tool mainly to keep up with raltives and old friends *and of course a few new ones!) Do you mean your personal FB profile or the Aussie Homeschool one? Just don’t want to step on toes…..
Thanks for your prayers and well wishes Ruby.
Actually the best thing that could happen to us would be that we were moved into a slightly larger house! Don’t know if it will happen as the likelihood is that it won’t… but we serve a big God so anything is possible. 🙂
WRT my facebook accounts- I want them to be as interactive as possible with the ‘friends’ that I have connected with. But that’s part of what I mean. A few months ago I went through my friends list and removed a few contacts as we just hadn’t connected since ‘friending’. But the problem still exists:
Someone you know or used to know requests to be my friend. I accept. I generally PM them with a brief catch up of our lives… and most often get a one line response.
Then, I continue to post status updates yet it is the same 20 friends who interact with me. Now I totally understand that much of what I say may not be relevant or of interest to many people so why continue to be ‘friends’? My setting is set so that anyone can PM me on FB so why not just catch up occasionally via PM? Why the need to have a huge friends list, with people that I am not even interacting with?
When I culled my friends list a few months ago I tried to make a conscious effort to be more interactive with those that were on my friends list… and that was returned to some degree… but largely it just wasn’t. Why? maybe people simply *hide* all my posts (which is fine) but why be joined to me then?
In my way of thinking, blogs, forums and FB are an extension of my life…so if you don’t want to interact with me that’s fine- so unfriend me. Know what I mean? However, when it comes to people that I know in real life, it isn’t so easy to ‘unfriend’ them-despite the fact that I try to interact with them it still goes unreturned. So what’s the point?
Strangely, or maybe not so strangely, my homeschool buddies are the chatty ones that interact with me both here on my blog and on FB. Many of my non Christina friends don’t know about my blog but they do know me on FB. If they want access to the details of my life and that of my family then interact with me. Pretty simple really eh?
My issues with it all don’t extend to my homeschool buddies for you are all lovely and chatty. 🙂
Right, yes U see what you are gettubg at, My friends are much the same I guess. The reality being that I have always felt I made a fair bit more effort with correspondence than most of them. With relatives, some are not posting on FB much but we are keeping in contact fairly constantly which I love, especially as some are travelling etc.
You are right about the home school bloggers! Definately chatty and more likely to respond than most.
Please forgive. Between my poor eye sight and my atrocious typing skills I come up with some doozies in the spelling department :- (
Hiya Susan
Glad to hear that you’re feeling better…the flu cetainly can knock you around….and good on the boys for their Cadets stuff!!
Hi Susan,
Glad you are feeling better…the flu is rotten isn’t it!
I got myself the flu shots this year for the first time as I’ve had the flu a couple of times over the last few years and didn’t want to risk it again this year!
I am on fb but don’t use it much and also have a disclaimer about it on my profile so no one gets offended:)
I only joined to connect with old old friends but have found that it’s the same people I mingle with from church etc that are also on there and find it all a bit pointless really except that messaging them on fb brings a quicker response than emailing them:)
I get what you mean with the FB issue. I have the same thoughts. xo
Urgh. Flu is nasty. And when you are a mama, it’s not like when you’re in school and you can just flake and everyone leaves you be. It must be one of the coming advantages of having the children grown up – that when a doctor says take a few days rest, you don’t need to give that incredulous snort, raise your eyebrow, and inquire,” Rest? With a husband and four children? Are you SERIOUS?”
Not, um, that I resent my job or anything… er, I, ah, love being a mum 😀 (just not when I’m sick!)
Hope things look up for you soon. Family crisis, moving, illness.. I’m convinced that life is meant to be one great big difficult journey, that God, by His infinite grace, gives us little patches of time when there is nothing major happening in the way of externals (such as those listed above) or internals, (trials and temptations to overcome), just so we don’t go crazy while we learn to trust Him, learn to be patient, learn to be meek, etc…
Hang in there.
xx
Hi Joi,
Without being trivial or trite there certainly is something in that saying “life wasn’t meant to be easy”. Often ‘easy’ doesn’t get us on our knees before Father God…
Thanks for sharing with me,
Sorry to hear you’ve been so sick Susan. But I am so very glad you are back on the mend.
As to the open houses and and selling and moving etc. All I can say is that my spirit groans with you. I know that in comparison to all your moves I have nothing to complain about – but I do so detest moving very passionately! I am nearly up to my ears in packing boxes now. On the upside, my dc are now all old enough and capable enough to be very helpful.
Yes – hang in there. One day at a time. But you already know that, don’t you?
Hugs to you. xo
Oh Amy, doesn’t matter if I know it… I still need to KNOW it. 😉 Knowing things is one thing but practicing them in the difficult times is altogether another thing eh? you can never tell me enough- especially when I’m in the midst of difficult times.
Thanks matey 🙂
Well the house evaluation went okay. He had to take photographs of some rooms which did not impress me! I don’t want my lounge-room or bathroom plastered on the real estate internet site. 🙁 Anyway, it is over… for now, until the next time.
For all the prayer warriors out there- please pray for our situation and the ongoing family crisis.