February Already

I have just been revisiting my intentions for this year: reviewing my babysteps for January, and writing out some babysteps for February. I was pleased with how well this process worked for me throughout January, so am looking forward to the new month. We'll have to see how this all holds up once I return to university in March!

Here are my babysteps for the coming month:

Read chapter 8 of "Compassion" by Henri Nouwen.
Begin collecting together my favourite yoga poses.
Practice portion control at dinner time (my weakest time of day - I can't resist piling my plate with pasta and rice).
Think about finding a role model who is consistently gentle and joyful.
Preview my lectures on powerpoint (I have downloaded them already).
Read chapter 2 of "Anger" by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Commit to the Women's Circle that's just started up.
Do lesson one of online meditation course.
Add some exercise to my days.
Join in with FLYlady goal for February (January was keeping our sink shiny).
Start reading "For the Children's Sake" by Susan Schaeffer McCauley.
Think about how we can celebrate Autumn Equinox.
Work in garden 5-15 minutes every day.
Read "Practice the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence.
Copy all my best guitar songs into one book.
Implement reading routine with Christopher and Catherine.

My January goals were very similar to the above, and I found them quite manageable. So hopefully this next month will also work quite well. Clearly some goals will require more discipline than others.

Oasis Centenary

This is my 100th post on this blogsite! Hurrah.

It's also my shortest post on this blogsite. LOL.

Insulin Pump

One of the best inventions of recent years has got to be the insulin pump - at least in our household! Christopher has had type 1 diabetes since 2001, and initially had to make do with twice-daily insulin injections. The problem with those is that you have to eat the right amount of carbohydrates at the right time each day, to match the insulin that you've already injected into the body. So eating less or more than usual really becomes quite a problem.

With the insulin pump Christopher can eat whatever he desires throughout the day, at whatever time he wishes (within healthy limits, as we all should) - and his insulin is tailored according to his food intake. Until you've experienced both alternatives, it's hard to realise exactly how much difference this makes to his life.

The real measure of the benefits come with Christopher's three-monthly test, called a HbA1c. This test is designed to determine how well his sugar levels have been controlled over the previous 6-8 weeks. Someone without diabetes would have a HbA1c of about 6% or less. Someone whose diabetes is absolutely not under control might get a result of around 10%. Before the insulin pump we were getting levels around 9% (not very good). Christopher's most recent HbA1c was a very, very good 7.8%.

Why does this matter? Well, the test is important because higher levels are intimately related to all the negative long-term outcomes that diabetes brings with it - ranging from liver failure to loss of sight, from foot amputation to death. Clearly, any improvement in blood glucose control is highly desirable.

The only reason we've been able to afford the rather pricy insulin pump is thanks to family members in Holland. Their generous contributions have enabled us to get Christopher's glucose levels under control, thereby greatly improving his life-long health, and making his life that much more enjoyable.

So while diabetes is not yet curable, the insulin pump is a wonderful step towards improving the life of anyone with diabetes.

Women's Circle

One of my Intentions for 2006 relates to creating deeper friendships. My absolute best friend is Garry, and that relationship sustains me in ways I never dreamed possible. However, I haven't ever deliberately developed friendships with women other than my sister and mother. I tend to be very self-reliant when it comes to problem solving and so on. That said, I realise there is a great deal women can offer one another as friends.

So when I was recently invited to join a women's circle I was delighted. Last night the five of us met together for the first time and it was great. We will be meeting fortnightly for about two hours (although last night it was four hours!) for a time of structured meditation and discussion. I found our time together very nourishing and enlivening and am really looking forward to our next gathering.

Intentions for 2006

Although I haven't made any New Year's Resolutions for several years (always sets me up for failure when I do), I have listed a number of intentions/desires for myself. These are things I would like to see manifest in my life (in no particular order):

• increasing compassion


• improved yoga ability


• well-nourished body, mind, soul


• gentle spirit and joyful approach to life


• successful year of study


• handle interruptions gracefully


• deepening friendships


• establish meditation practice


• some weight loss & increased fitness


• strong focus on FLYing this year


• improving parenting skills


• learn to celebrate various occasions


• a garden that nurtures peace


• developing 'present moment' awareness


• a competent classical guitar repertoire


• work on reading skills with Christopher and Catherine

Whew! Seems like a lot when it's all listed in one place. This month I have taken babysteps in each of these areas, and have enjoyed myself a lot. I might write more about it in days to come...

Harvest Feast

Last night we celebrated a feast which used to be held at this time of the year (or in August in the northern hemisphere), to celebrate the first harvest of wheat, corn and berries. Our menu consisted of:

Beer and Cheese Twists

Champagne Bellinis (made with fresh peach puree)
Scallops in Butter Sauce
Freshly Baked Bread Rolls (to mop up the butter sauce)

Macaroni with Four Cheeses
Baby Spinach, Tomato, Egg and Almond Platter
Corn on the Cob

Strawberry Glazed Fruit Flan with Cream, Icecream
After Dinner Mints

It was so much fun, and the scallops were melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Weigh In

To my surprise, I weighed myself at work the other night and have lost a total of 8kg since I began my healthy eating plan some months ago. I was surprised because it has happened quite naturally, without trying hard to lose weight. I'd like to lose another 2kg although I'm really happy with my current weight. Eating well has also given me more energy, even when I've done a few night shifts in a row. Drinking heaps of water has been quite painless (probably because it's summer - I don't enjoy water quite so much in winter). So I'm feeling pretty good about my achievement today!

Back to School

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a new school year - Catherine starts grade 3 and Christopher is in grade 4/5. There is a back to school advertisement on TV at the moment which shows a mother all excited about dropping her children back off to school - presumably because she has her days to herself again. While I can understand that sentiment, I don't think children need to be told that they are a burden to their parents. But that's just my humble opinion :)

Personally, I'm sad that it's the last day of the summer holidays. Our holiday routine is always so relaxed compared to school routine. We can get up a bit later, there's no pressure to be ready by a certain time, no lunches to be made, no uniforms to have ready each day, and no homeschooling. While I really like homeschooling Christopher, it certainly puts a hole in the day as far as other activities are concerned. So yes, I like school holidays, I love having the kids around, and I will be both sad and happy (as Catherine put it) that school begins again tomorrow.

Family Split

Thought that heading would get your attention!

Here's the story:

About 18 months ago we made a decision to become "at home" vegetarians. That means we eat no meat (except fish) at home, but will eat whatever is offered when we are eating at someone else's home. This hopefully keeps things simple for family and friends. Now, keeping in mind that Christopher is 9 and Catherine is 7, they have been doing a wonderful job of eating chick peas, lentils, tvp (textured vegetable protein) and various other legumes.

Recently though, Christopher made the comment that he's getting sick of being a vegetarian. As a result we had a family meeting and came up with a compromise. Garry and I will continue to be vegetarians, but the kids will go back to eating a little meat in their diets. Each week they get a meat selection to use as they wish. So far they've enjoyed bacon and cheese sandwiches, fried eggs with ham, and little sausages.

On a side note, I was surprised to find that the smell of cooking bacon is no longer pleasurable to me. I thought I would miss meat much more than I have. However, I'm still a sucker for any kind of pizza you put in front of me :)

Japanese Visitor

On February 2nd, Saki will be arriving from Japan to live with us for 5 weeks. She will be studying English at the Uni each week day. As her homestay family we will be giving her a taste of day-to-day life in Australia! Here is a photo of her (she's on the left):



She will also spend a weekend at the Gold Coast and a weekend at a farm (includes horse riding, billy tea and damper, whip cracking and bush dancing). I wonder if she can teach me to make Sushi?

International Readers

I know for certain that this blog is read by people in the following countries:

Australia
Holland
England
Japan
America

Does anyone out there want to add to the list?

"I don't want cerebral palsy"

Last night I lay beside my nine-year-old who was sobbing his heart out and crying, "I don't want cerebral palsy". It's heartrending to be totally powerless to take away such a burden from your own child. We ended up both having a good cry and chat about it, but it left me feeling pretty blue last night. I have dreaded these moments from the time of his diagnosis. Although I fret and complain (at times) about all the extra work that comes from his cp and diabetes, that is nothing compared to the pain of watching him suffer through these moments.

We're Back!

Here are a couple of photos taken while on holidays:


Christopher in his new sunnies, looking very cool indeed.

Catherine in the pool, playing on her enormous plastic dolphin.