Homework Home Video

This is just a video I took tonight that I thought I'd share of Nevaeh doing her homework..

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Jiedyn's 10th Birthday!

 

This day, exactly 10 years ago, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy at the Bacchus Marsh Hospital and became a mother for the first time. 

To celebrate such a massive milestone Jie selected 10 friends to spend his special day with today!

Here's how it went down..  

Guests:

Noah, Noyah, Toby, Lucy, McKenzie, Mckayla, Harry, Justine, Hiram & Nevaeh.

Presents:

Microscope, Telescope, Compass, Xbox Controller, Iphone (water pistol), World wall lamp, $20 cash, $10 cash, 14 packets of YoGiOh Cards, Tom Gates Book, The ultimate guide to choosing the right Mostache Book, Once upon a Slime Book, Amazing tales of making men out of Boys book, A-maze Ball, $20 itunes card, $20 JaJa's Gift Card, Where's Wally Book, Lego Dimensions. 

Food:

Fairy Bread, Wedges, Party Pies, Sausage rolls, Chocolate cake, 

Drinks:

Raspberry, Lemon and Cola Soft Drink

Cake Theme:

Chocolate Mud.

Party Theme:

Wizard Party at Kryal Castle.

Jie's highlights of the Day:

Sword and Shield fighting.

The Maze.

Archery.

Corey (The host).

The Dragons.

Lunch with friends.

Gifts.

Message from Mum:

Jiedyn, Jie, Jie-Jie! 

First of all I want to congratulate you on turning 10! You are growing into such a wholesome boy and I am so incredibly proud of you. I have watched you grow and thrive over the last 10 years and think the absolute world of you. Jie, I know things haven't always been easy but together we can get through anything. Look at us.. We have an amazing life and it's all because we have the most amazing Father watching over us. How amazing is he? At this present time you have such an amazing love for God. Jie.. Don't ever throw that away. Not for anyone or for anything. Jesus loves you so so much and will always be there for you no matter what. I am thankful that Jesus bought you into my life and made you my son. We were a perfect match I think! You bring out my best qualities and my love for you cannot be put into words. You are my special, most loved son and as you continue to grow, I pray you continue to listen to God, to make good choices and to follow your heart to whatever you want achieve in life. I love you son. Happy Birthday <3

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My boy is Student of the Week!

I must admit I was very surprised when Jie came home from school today with another Student of the Week award. Jie received his first one of the year last month for always trying his hardest and for always wearing a smile. Every child receives an award throughout the year to encourage them and so I expect the kids to at least get one. But this year for the first time Jie has received a second student of the week award and not even a month after his first award.. 

Two awards in one month..

Presented at Assembly this morning..

In front of the whole student body..

Well done Jie!

I'm so proud of you son..

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Silent. Sunday.

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Justine's 4th Birthday!

Today my beautiful niece celebrated 4 years of being in this world. 

Here is how we celebrated..

Guests:

Lily, Rocket, Kayden, Gabriel, Tristan, Noyah, Natalie, Toby, Judea, Jacob, Kayne, Shanyia, Jaspa-Eli, Aliesha, Uncle Allan, Hiram, Sarah, Sheena, Carmen and Penny.

Presents:

Dresses, Princess shoes, jewelry, hairbands, The Wiggles Album, books, The Hungry Caterpillar Game, Sticker Book, Playdoh, Puzzles, a Bath Vanity, magnetic sketch pad, pram, pony, princess hair band, Peppa Pig Book, bathers and a craft box.

Food:

Apple and cinnamon and double choc muffins, vanilla and chocolate mini cupcakes, fairy bread, ham, tomato and cheese sandwiches, smarties, marshmallows, pineapple, watermelon, grapes and pretzels.

Drinks:

Pink Lemonade.

Cake Theme:

Frozen (Justine ate Ana!)

Party Theme:

Dress Code. 

Justine wanted all the girls to wear their most beautiful swirly-whirly dresses.

Justine's highlights of the Day:

Pony from Shay..

Swinging with Nat-Nat..

Making sand angels with Nevaeh..

Handing out her party bags..

And of course the fireworks!! 

(Check back tomorrow for the video of the kids watching the fireworks)

Message from Aunty Melissa:

Justine, I loved every single moment with you today. You had been so excited about turning 4 and the day had finally come. From the moment you woke me up this morning I just knew you'd love everything I had planned for you today! You were completely overwhelmed with everything and everyone but I could tell you were loving every moment. Today is special because it's your birthday, but every day with you is special to me. Watching you learn and discover new things, watching you be kind and become more confident, watching you work on your words and speak clearer and clearer every day are just the tiniest things I love about you. I love that you have learned to love and share and to be honest and caring. I love that you try to do the right thing and are eagar to impress me every moment of the day. I love that your always ready to help Aunty and that you have learned to be gentle and to sometimes put others first. I love that you are no longer scared of thunder. I love you Justine and I hope one day when you read this post, that it shows you how incredibly loved you are.. 

Because you are..

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Special thanks to 

Shaynia Foley 

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A Letter to my Ex

To the father of my beautiful son,

I am writing this letter in hopes that it will be my last, to forgive you and to forgive myself. I was taught a few years ago that in order to heal from hurt, you have to write a letter to the one who hurt you and since hearing from you and having an address to send this letter to, I might be able to finally to heal from all of the pain you caused me and my son and let it go..

Together we have a truly remarkable boy. I have loved watching him learn, laugh, grow and thrive. He is intelligent, gentle, caring, considerate, honest, loving and is such an amazing role model to those who look up to him. I have absolutely loved watching him become a big brother who truly loves, cares for and protects his little sister since she has been in his life and their bond is unbreakable. He has such a big heart, a beautiful soul and shows love and kindness to all. You should be very proud of all that he is.

My only regret raising this beautiful boy was not being able to give him the type of father he truly deserves. And that is something that has been so painful for him, but also for me to watch him go through. Guilt just eats me up when I hear him talking about wanting to get to know you. And it intensifies long after I have soothed him with “I don’t know where your father is” and “Mama’s here”. Because while Jie has an image of the person he sees in the once or two visit he gets with you a year, I know that this person is not who you are out in the world or even two seconds after leaving.

 I remember when I found out I was pregnant with our son, you told me that you would always be there, you never wanted our child to feel as if they weren’t loved by both parents. But you left, first emotionally, then physically. You chose to be everywhere but here where we needed you. I stood by you through the web of lies, the cheating, the beatings, the emotional abuse, the broken promises, the loneliness and somehow believed that although you did all of these things to me, that you actually loved me.

But my faith is Jesus is what led me away from you on the end. While you were away I found a woman’s domestic violence support network and began getting strong enough to stand up to you. I was 19yo. That last beating you gave me before I asked you to leave was because I believed that God wanted more for my life than the constant cycle of abuse I had found myself in. Through God’s strength I was able to say no more.

I have hated you with every fibre of my soul Daniel. I hated the fact that you chose the streets over your family, other people over your child, and I was blamed for the consequences of your choices. But most importantly, our son has suffered and that had made me hate you even more. And just as Jie and I are in a better place with accepting that you are not here, that we only have each other, you have to make contact and drag him through it all over again.

My answer to you is again NO MORE!

If you really want to do what is best for Jiedyn, you will leave us alone to live the life we both deserve. Jie has stopped wanting to see you and is disappointed to find out that you are in jail. I did not read the web of lies you wrote to him in the card you sent him but allowed him to see it and know it was from you. You have missed 10 years full of memories, laughter, love and complete happiness alongside your one and only son but this was your choice to make and only have yourself to blame.

Jiedyn is happy and so so loved. At the end of the month he will be celebrating his 10^th birthday with friends who have been by his side and in his life daily since kindergarten and throughout his primary school years. Peers he trusts and whom he knows he can always confide in. I am thankful and so proud of him for making such wonderful friendships.

Daniel, I forgive you for your absence in our lives and now thank you for this opportunity to ask that you leave us alone. Jiedyn may share your genetic make-up but thankfully he is nothing like you. He has a father he can always trust in and loves his Lord God with all of his heart. He will never fail him. Please understand that we do not wish to hear from you further. This also means through mutual friends or people in the small town we live in. We have no care to hear about your thieving, your drug habit, your debts etc.

Please just allow Jie and I to be free from you.

In Jesus Name..

Melissa Baker 

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Mermaid Hair

 Tonight we're celebrating a small breakthrough at bathtime.

Since Justine has been with us she has enjoyed her baths, until it was time to wash her hair. She'd freak out and not want me to touch her hair at all. Back in July when my sister Kristal came to stay for the weekend Justine's hair was completely matted. I'm not talking just here and there like cat fur, I'm talking one massive matt. I saved as much legnth as I could before cutting the massive knotted matt out. Underneath her scalp was full of weeping sores and her scalp was infested in headlice. Months of pure hair care neglect. She would cry at bathtime and complain of stinging. I tried using a cup but no matter how much I tried she would completely freak out and not allow me to touch her head at bath time at all.

I didn't make a big fuss knowing that those sores would hurt and I didn't want it to be a big issue for her. I took her to the doctors for creams and once the sores started healing she allowed me to use the cup to wash her hair. 

Every time the girls had a bath I would wash Nevaeh's hair the way she'd always loved doing it. The mermaid way. While washing the shampoo and conditioner out I'd always tell her she had beautiful mermaid hair as it sweyed from side to side under the water. 

Justine became intrigued and would help me wash Nevaeh's shampoo and conditioner out saying how soft it was. I'd ask every now and then if she wanted to try the Mermaid way and last week she finally, like Nevaeh, had mermaid hair!

But the breakthrough doesn't just stop there. While she was in the bath tonight she put her ears under the water and called herself a big girl now! Nevaeh and I were so excited for her and she was so proud of herself. Putting her ears under the water used to make her ears hurt. The doctor revealed back in August that she had a build up of wax on her ears after a few nights of ear aches. He gave me an ear spray which we have been using once a week and finally peering into her ears they are completely clear. This was the next step and she did it herself without me saying a thing. 

I'm so incredibly proud of how far she has come and am so thankful to the MooGoo products for making bathtime fun again. Her skin has more moisture, her scalp is looking amazing and check out her face tonight..

Thanks MooGoo!

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Currently..

Inspired by A Hundred Little Wishes.

R e a d i n g | Blogs. I'm loving connecting with both old and new friends in this little blog world. I love hearing the hearts of others and I love feeling inspired within moments of opening a post. Keep it up blog friends. I just love you guys..

W r i t i n g | A Letter. At least I will be within the next few days. I received a letter from my sons father (who is again in Jail) a few days ago and have been very angry and frustrated and stressed since. This man has been in our sons life maybe one or at most two days a year since he was 2yo. The lies in this letter he sent me are the same ones in the box full of letters I keep under the kitchen sink. Only this time he has started lying to Jie. For a long time I hid the truth of who his father really was from him hoping one day, man to man, they could both sit down together and discuss why he had chosen not to be in our precious boys life. But keeping my promise to always tell Jie the truth, a few months ago he wanted answers. And so, at a level he could understand I told him about who his father is, out in the world.. Jie took it okay and was disappointed in his Dad.. He loves the idea of having a Dad like his sister has but needs to know that Daniel will never fill that space. It's hard for me because I constantly worry for Jie but I know Jie loves Jesus and his heavenly father will always be there for him. And maybe even one day fill that gap..

L i s t e n i n g | Justin Beiber. Like every single day.. So much so that even the kids have the beiber fever. I love 'I need you' and 'What do you mean' way too much. I play them on repeat and never get sick of them. We now know all the words and sing together.. like every day!

T h i n k i n g | About how I am going to afford everything.. I have spent the savings in which I was saving to buy a car on Christmas and Birthdays for the kids and don't know how I am going to pay for the bus I've hired to transport Jiedyns friends to his party 100km away in three weeks time. I'm thinking of selling some of the kids old toys and things which are just laying around the house getting unused to fund these special days but that's not me either. Maybe I'll take out a loan.. Maybe..

W i s h i n g | For some time with my Mum. Out there on the streets this Christmas. I wish there was something I could do for her. I wish I could spend a little one-on-one time with her. I really miss her. I know she's changed and chooses to live that way and says she is happy out there but I just wish I could help her. Brighten her day somehow.

H o p i n g | To hear from my sister soon. And in a good way. Since Justine and Hiram have been here they have not heard from her at all. Justine's 4th birthday is next weekend and I feel like she should be a part of it. It's not like my sister to not call her kids. I just hope she finds her way back to them soon.

S m e l l i n g | Barbecue's. Last weekend I was in the yard with the kids and could smell someone having a BBQ in a neighboring property. This scent excites me because it tells me Summer is just around the corner. And we love Summer!

W e a r i n g | Golden Slippers. Yep, my niece persuaded me to get a pair to match hers and while I probably wont wear them very often, I do plan on wearing them for a little bit of fun! $5.. Who could say no?

W o n d e r i n g | About the Future. At the moment I am caring for my sisters two youngest children. I have stopped studying and cant afford to do my driving lessons right now. I wonder where I'll be this time next year. Whether these guys will still be with me or if it'll be me with just my two. Wondering if I can knuckle down and study next year properly and really apply myself and whether I'll ever be able to feel confident enough to go for my P's and drive my own car. There is just so much on my mind..

L o v i n g | Blue. Fancy that huh.. A color I never thought I'd have a thing for. But eventually I will be painting my bedroom Blue and themeing it all Blue too.. I bought the paint ages ago.. Can't wait..

W a n t i n g | Where to start? A new pot set, new canisters (sick of the tins), a back shed would be handy, possibly a dog. The list goes on..

N e e d i n g | My friends. In the last few weeks I have needed my friends so much more than I ever have before. And through my neediness I have made more friends. Whether it be to vent or to just a distraction I'm really thankful they're there. Sometimes all I really need is someone beside me, believing in me and encouraging me.

F e e l i n g | Stressed, tired, angry and emotional. Between worrying about my nieces, caring for these guys, thinking about my sister, arguing with Matt, wanting to help my Mum, hearing from Daniel, missing my besty and wanting my Dad I am completely exhausted and everything seems to be just so hard.

M i s s i n g | Dad.

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A New Bedtime Routine

After a really stressful day today the last thing on my mind tonight was the agonizing thought of reading 6+ books to the little people I share my home with. Any other night I cant wait to snuggle up beside each of them and listen to them read and read to them but tonight, after an emotional tiring day I cringed at just the thought. 

Tonight I thought about pairing the kids up to read to each other, obviously not Justine but Hiram, Jie and Nevaeh. I thought Nevaeh and Hiram would work well reading together and Jie would be good with keeping Justine's attention. And boy was I right! 

I sat and listened as they all read together. 

I couldn't help but get my camera out for a few photos..

So I guess after a rather stressful day, I can thank Jesus for the blessings.

For the love in our home and for these precious moments.

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Christmas Advent Activities 2015

 Every year since as long as my kids can remember we have created moments and memories through our family advent activities. Every day during the month of December as we count down the days until Jesus' Birthday we do things that bring us together as a family. Some of these activities have become traditions such as our Annual Whipped Cream Fights and the Kids Sleeping Under the Christmas Tree while others are spontaneous.. like the year we had 4 friends over for a Christmas movie, a little lady help with our Christmas tree and took a trip to the beach on Christmas Day last year! Either way, we come together to have fun as a family during the Christmas season and look forward to it every year!

Here is what we'll be doing this year..

Put up our Nativity and Christmas Tree.

We are staying with our Silver and Gold theme this year. 

 Write to Santa.

This is a new thing for us as my kids have never celebrated "Santa", but having my sisters children now in my care, who know and love the magic of Santa, we're accommodating their tradition this year and so the jolly 'ol man will be stopping by Christmas night.. 

 Bubbly Christmas Bath.

We did this last year. We deck the bathroom with Christmas lights and take funny photos as the kids create bubbly beards and hats. Add some silly Christmas music and watch the kids laugh and laugh. Definitely doing this again. 

 Wear Crazy Christmas Socks to School.

Either made by you or bought by Mum/Aunty Melissa!

 Carols By Candlelight.

This one we celebrate with my father.

 Myer Christmas Windows.

We will be travelling into the city to see and enjoy the Myer Christmas Windows.

Write out our Christmas Cards.

Not forgetting our neighbors or Teachers.

Enjoy Hot Chocolates and candy canes before bed.

Add whipped cream, marshmallows and sprinkles for that extra wow factor!

 Thank Jesus for all the Good things this year.

I'm thinking pop-corn prayers.

 Family Photo's in front of the Christmas Tree.

We might try a few props this year too!

 Watch a Christmas movie.

Or three..

 Go Christmas Light Looking.

Give us the heads up if you know of any good ones within walking distance from us. 

 WHIPPED CREAM FIGHT!

The crowd favorite! 

 School Christmas Concert.

The School Christmas Concert will be on this night.

 Give to the Less Fortunate.

Get the kids to go through their toy boxes and bag old toys, books, bedding etc. up to give to charity.

 Youtube Christmas.

Watch how people in other countries celebrate Christmas. Or Don't. 

 Snuggle up and read Christmas books before Bed.

We've always loved this one.

 Wear Santa Hats all Day!

As in, all day.. No matter what..

 Decorate a Gingerbread house.

Or shack.. Or whatever other crazy thing Mum/Aunty Melissa buys.

 Christmas BBQ

Invite some friends, bring a plate and enjoy some Christmas fun.

 Leave Chalk Messages

Let's take to the streets with chalk this Christmas!

 Christmas Treasure Hunt

Look for things Mum/Aunty Melissa hides in the backyard.

Research an ornament

Grab some ornaments off the Christmas tree and research what they mean and why they are special.

 Bake Jesus a Birthday Cake!

I'm thinking 3 layers? 

Sing Happy Birthday to Jesus!

And enjoy your gifts..

Christmas is becoming more and more creative every year. The kids are getting older and so they can do more for themselves. Soon enough they'll be making me hot chocolates and know the nativity scene off by heart. I love that this year they will get a glimpse of how others celebrate Christmas and see the magic of Santa in their cousins eyes Christmas morning but I also love that I can share Jesus with my niece and nephew too. Share who He is, why He is and celebrate His birthday with them! It's going to be so awesome..

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