Better late than never, amiright? Truth be told, it wasn’t until the early hours of June 2 that I decided I was going to do the #blogJune challenge again this year. And 2024’s theme? Daily photo.
So apologies for being several hours late, but here was June the first’s:
Hope your day was similarly festive, dear Reader!
It’s been a week. Hard to really get a grasp on just how much has happened in the past 7 days, however as I said to a friend just yesterday: priorities. Get these right, then everything else falls into place.
When I consider my own responsibilities, my first priority is to my three kidlets. (Hence the ‘parenting’ in the title, btw). They didn’t choose to be born, so I’ll try my darnedest to ensure they have the best life I can give them. Now absolutely, there’s times – many, many, MANY times – when we don’t see eye to eye, but again, I’m the parent and I need to shoulder what needs to be shouldered to ensure that our relationships are as good as they can be.
The way I see it, that means taking an interest. Miss19 in our roadtrip last year wanted to talk ‘The Owl House‘ for 12 hours straight? Sign me up. She convinced me to watch it and was so glad to be able to share her passion with me. And really, who could pass up a conversation about King that cute little Titan?!
Then ‘The Owl House’ finished and interest morphed into ‘Arcane‘ and – via Schnee – Studio Ghibli.
Recently, it’s become ‘Purple Hyacinth‘ with Miss16 – check out this artwork! –
and (of course) Fortnite with Master15.
I regret nothing. For realz. Both my daughters want to work in the Art sphere – you know, the one being taken over by AI? – but I don’t care. I’m going to support them and their choices and their decisions no matter what. Because I’m their Mum. And because this post I shared on Fb the other day is *really* how I feel:
Have a great week, dear Reader!
I don’t like making mistakes. In fact, I really REALLY don’t like it. I find it embarrassing; humiliating. Humbling. And what irks me is that I keep on stuffing up. Over and over (and over!) again! You’d think I’d know by now, how to not make the same mistake twice (or even thrice, or more, if I’m being honest) but no. I fail. Time and time again.
It makes sense, really. I’m human. Fallible. Born this way… as we all are.
Why though? Why is it human nature to err?
Well, if you ask me (and I’m going to take it as granted that you kinda did, because you’re here, after all, reading my thoughts!) it’s because my great- great- great- too- many- times- I- don’t- even- know- great- grandfather- and- grandmother made a choice.
They knew what they were choosing was ‘wrong’ but they went ahead and did it anyway (and if they were anything like me, they were probably also thinking they’d get away with it; that the rules ‘didn’t apply to them’) but no. The rules did apply. That choice, choosing their own way instead of God’s, led to their ‘fall’ out of grace, and into their own sinful life. And every human since then has been born into that same sinful nature. ‘Human nature’ we call it; ‘sinful nature’ is a truer name for it. Because we’re no longer under grace, but under the ‘sin’ of our own choices.
But praise God for His incredible love for us! He made a choice too.
He knew, even when He first created Adam and Eve, that this choice would cost Him… and it did. He chose to leave Paradise. He chose to spend thirty-something years here on the remnants of the amazing planet He created, surrounded by dirt and muck and people He created who didn’t believe He was who He said He was… and who hated Him so much that they mocked, beat, and finally crucified Him. And He let them do that!
But the story doesn’t end there. He did it because sin leads to death. That first sin, way back in great- great- great- etc- grandpa’s- and- grandma’s time, meant that all humanity would die. So he sacrificied His home in Paradise and chose to be born fully human and live a perfect life here on Earth, AND DIE, so that He could conquer death.
And He did!!!
He didn’t remain dead. And neither will we!
Death is NOT the ending! Instead, it is the transition into eternity – what was always planned, right from the very beginning!
So it’s my greatest wish to live again, in that age of ‘grace’ with which the world began. And I believe that, when my physical body finally passes through that threshold and eternal life begins, that I’ll be with my God, be with my saviour, Jesus Christ, and see him finally face to face. What an incredible day that will be!
And that’s my belief, dear Reader.
It’s also my hope and prayer that it be your belief too – and if it’s not yet, that you check it out for yourself. REALLY, intentionally, check it out. Because this life is short, and no one knows when it’ll finish.
And – just like me – we all stuff up… but the way to be free from the consequences of stuffing up is to believe in this God. To believe that He sent His son, whom we call Jesus Christ, to die in our stead so we might be reconciled to Him.
Please, dear Reader, if you gain nothing else from this blog, go read a Bible for yourself. See for yourself if Jesus is who He says He is.
I promise you now, you won’t regret it!
And here’s praying you have an amazing week 🙂 See you next Sunday!
Hubby started gym first, several years ago now. Initially, it was a ‘lose weight’ thing – but then the endorphins kicked in and he quickly transformed into a gym junkie.
It took a couple of years listening to his convincing and cajoling for me to try it before I joined too… but for me, it was the early-morning kid-free time that I got hooked on. I took time off when redundancy meant uncertainty, July 2019 – but then rejoined several weeks ago when I was blessed with permanent work again.
And now Master almost-12 has joined me. He’s done three sessions now, and is happy to continue. In spite of the 4.45am leaving home time! So that’s pretty impressive.
Not only that, but Miss15 is clamouring to go, and Miss almost-13 is making some noises along a similar vein too. Sigh for the loss of kid-free time… but as they’re quickly getting older, I’m going to enjoy these last few years while I still have them.
So I collected two more membership application forms this morning, and the gym owner mentioned setting aside an hour for just my family on a daily basis! I’m pretty sure he was joking…
Anyway, we’ll see how that all pans out. Have a energetic day yourself, dear Reader 🙂
– KRidwyn
Found this on my Fb feed recently and showed it to Miss15. She loved it – because this is *exactly* where we are at right now!
Have a friend-ful day yourself, dear Reader!
Guess what Hubby took the kidlets and me to the other week? Archery!
Not too far from us, there’s a guy who runs an archery store, with a 6-lane indoor range inside it.
We had a ball! I stuck with a recurve bow, as did Miss11 (pictured) but Hubby convinced Miss14 and Master10 to try compound bows. And oh boy – they look so complex! (And so dangerous too…) so I was happy to use my traditional bow, despite pressure from Hubby and two cherubs.
And Miss11 and I didn’t do too badly, either.
Here’s wishing you a focus-filled week, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
Kids grow up. So slowly you don’t notice when you’re with them
Minute by minute, hour by hour, day after day. But then you lift your head out of the trenches and realise that years have flown. Suddenly it’s not sleepovers, it’s Youth Group; it’s not The Wiggles, it’s Beyoncé. And you sigh and ask ‘what next’?
I had one of those moments recently. I knew one cherub had switched from Minecraft to Ark, but the change several months ago didn’t impact me until she told me one evening, “What I really want to do is teach you how to play Ark on the (Nintendo) Switch.”
Huh. Hold me back.
This game, from what I could tell, seemed like Minecraft with dinosaurs, with a dash of the breeding from DragonMania thrown in. Not really interested… especially when my Nintendo Switch time had to that moment involved learning Splatoon – badly – and playing Zelda, death of the Wild – also so badly my children loved watching to laugh at me about how slow I was to do anything. (And how many times Leaf died, but that’s another story.)
So I sighed, and said ‘okay’ and watched her face come to life.
And it hit me. THIS was her passion. At the moment, it’s this game. And she wanted to share it with me. Instant transportation back to her younger years when she’d bring me a dandelion flower or a lizard she’d caught. The same light in her eyes, the same grin; the same joy flooding through me because I am so incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful daughter who loves me and wants to do stuff with me.
So Ark? Yeah. Not the biggest fan – but now I want to play it when she asks, so I can play it with her. Because she’s an absolute angel and I love her to pieces.
And that – doing stuff you’re not really interested in because the benefits so clearly outweigh any other objection? – that’s my thought for the week.
Have a blessed week yourself, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
Back before I was working full time, I joined my local writers’ group. It was fantastic, the fortnightly face-to-face interaction with people who shared my passion for word-smithing.
But the constraints of my current day job meant that I haven’t been able to attend a meeting since January of 2017 – and even though some meetings fell on school holidays, at no point was there a meeting I could attend, due to family commitments, being away, or meeting cancellations.
That is, until the meeting just gone. Friday 13th. I walked in, surprising many people, and it was as if I’d never left. It was fantastic!
I love that idea – that I could be part of a supportive group of writers who, in spite of my 18 month absence, are just as continually supportive of me and my writing as ever before 🙂
I look forward to the next time a meeting aligns with a school holiday – because such a wonderful group of people are a joy to be with.
Here’s wishing a close support network for you too this week, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
I work at a Christian school. The pastor of the church which established our school has a saying: “The LORD has blessed me so much, my cup is overflowing (taken from Psalm 23) and I’m sipping from the saucer.”
I like the visual, so I’m using it here, in this month-long blogging challenge focusing on the blessings God has poured out on me. And finally – nearly 9pm on the second last day of June – blessing #28.
So if you’ve been reading recently, you’d know that I injured my back (herniated two discs) last Saturday, and spent pretty much this whole week on painkillers and icing my back FAR more regularly than I’d like, in between spinal adjustments at the doctor. By yesterday afternoon I could handle over 45 minutes before it started getting uncomfortable – and the doctor was surprised when I walked into his office without the assistance of crutches. The power pf prayer, huh? Because James 5:16 is DEFINITELY one I’ve been holding on to this week!
Anyway, today was the last day of school before our mid-year holidays. I’d organised a HEAP of stuff to happen this week at school, and unfortunately had been away for all of it. But I *really* missed the kids, and seeing as it was really going to be problematic for Hubby to pick up our cherubs this afternoon, I thought I’d brave the sitting and the driving, and go collect them. And arrive early enough to see the donations we’d collected at our major fundraiser for the semester, being given to the representatives of the animal shelter we’d fundraised for at our final assembly.
And thus: my blessing for the day. No sooner was I out of the car than Middle Schoolers saw me. “Mrs Bloxham! Mrs Bloxham! You’re here! How are you? Wow! You’re here!” – a veritable chorus of kids who were surprised and pleased to see me, who wanted to wish me well, who’d heard of my injury and who had been praying for me -it was SO beautiful, to be welcomed back so warmly!
And thus ends my litany of blessings for this year’s #blogJune. Tomorrow’s post, my final one for the month, will be a ‘wrap up’ post. And then the blog will return to its regular Monday morning post. And yay for that, cos I’m tired!
Anyway, here’s hoping that your day was a blessed one too, dear Reader 🙂
— KRidwyn
I work at a Christian school. The pastor of the church which established our school has a saying: “The LORD has blessed me so much, my cup is overflowing (taken from Psalm 23) and I’m sipping from the saucer.”
I like the visual, so I’m using it here, in this month-long blogging challenge focusing on the blessings God has poured out on me.
Today, blessing #14.
On Tuesday this week, I was driving from school to collect Mr9 from his CrossFit class, when two ambulances hurtled past me, sirens blaring. A police car followed – and as I gradually made it to the scene of the accident, where a fire engine was also on scene, I noticed that traffic had started to pile up quickly – far more quickly than I had anticipated. The accident, although not a major one (minor injuries only, from what I could gather) had occurred on a roundabout which was a major thoroughfare for the area, meaning that the ‘rubber-neckers’ (as Hubby calls them) – people who slow down more than is warranted, so they can stare at the action – were holding up traffic more than usual.
Now this wouldn’t normally have been too much of a problem, except that on a Tuesday afternoon, I’m on a pretty tight schedule. Leave school at 4. Collect Mr9 at CrossFit by 4.15; head back to school to collect Miss10 from her private Dance class at 4.30.
And, judging by the traffic jam, that was not going to happen!
Cue phone calls. To the school’s Outside Hours Care. To the Dance teacher. To my parents, who live quite close to the area, and who were able to look after Miss13 and Mr9 for me while I doubled back to battle the traffic and collect Miss10 from the school.
And – HUGE blessing! – everyone was able to accomodate me (and Miss10, Miss13 and Mr9) – with zero notice, with zero fuss, and with care and consideration all around. How awesome is that?!
I’m surrounded by so many who care for me, who love me and are willing to help me and my kids when I need that.
And I’m so blessed to have these people in my life.
So thank you, people! I appreciate you and want you to know that 🙂
And, dear Reader, I hope you too can have a truly Blessed day today!
– KRidwyn