I think it’s correct to say that parents are always learning alongside their children. We have never ‘made it.’ Fathers and mothers can’t be the sort of people who would like to learn something, master it, write the exam and, at the very least, pass. You cannot do your doctorate or become a professor and… Continue reading

Our home schooling journey has been one filled with wonder and discovery. I could write for days of our triumphs and our mistakes, but tonight I just want to write for a short while about ‘atmosphere.’ We figured out, early on, that no family is quite the same as another family; and that within a… Continue reading

We have just come out of a typical cool, dry winter and when it should have rained in the seasons before, it did not. The land is parched, the drought is for real, the wind blows dust into our eyes and onto every surface in our houses and the sound of rain on our tin… Continue reading

Is there a family tree, as in one singular tree, or is it more like millions of seeds planted down the ages that grow into forests of shade and orchards of fruit; a complex weaving of branches to hang swings from and knot holes to create safe spaces in, a network of roots intertwined and… Continue reading

We do a great deal of reading aloud in our family, and many a tale gets woven into the fabric of our lives. Over time, we begin to feel we are personally acquainted with the characters and places in the books. Long after I have put our basketful of stories away for the day I… Continue reading

“Sticks and stones might break my bones but names can never harm me,” sing the children, and it’s lies. As you read that, maybe you remember a time when words were spoken, even in jest, and you felt that they were aimed at you like arrows, piercing your tender heart before the sentence was complete.… Continue reading

Man, it’s all happening. Life is never dull around here, ‘specially at the moment. We are in a season of visas and travels plans, extra lessons and exams for the older children and nightmares, bed wetting and teething pain for the younger ones. The days require action and the nights are interrupted. Everywhere I turn… Continue reading

I’m all for good, old-fashioned remedies when it comes to matters of the heart. A brisk walk, a mug of hot, sweet tea, watching free-range chickens pecking around the garden, an uninterrupted chat with a close friend, counting to ten, deep breaths, things like these. The pressure has been building of late and I had… Continue reading

“Mommy, look! The sun is following us!” We were driving along when my amazed little boy notified me from his car seat of this impossibility. After all, the sun is as unmoving as a rock. Isn’t it? I glanced to the side to where that fiery ball was shimmering red in a dusty sky, and… Continue reading

In addition to a long list of maintenance jobs, we have been dealing with four separate leaks for a good long while; enough to make one tired. Imagine my delight when I walked into the kitchen after a long day, turned on the tap and realised it wasn’t even our tap! A brand new tap… Continue reading