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Peela

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About Peela

  • Birthday 05/25/1967

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  • Location
    Australia
  • Interests
    knitting, singing, reading, cooking

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  1. Thanks everyone- it's sweet to drop back in and be remembered- its amazing how much my life has changed in 7 months, and although I haven't been able to let go of all my homeschooling stuff yet (I tried but I am still too sentimental about the possibility of homeschooling grandchildren part time!), it feels like a distant past right now. I don't have much spare time nowadays but will endeavour to drop in more often. Hi Ann- my man is an environmental scientist/ ecologist. Passionate about speaking up about the rapidly deteriorating environment, climate change, species extinction, indigenous issues etc. We just wrote a report on climate change and I was shocked by our research- it's not looking good and there is a lot of denial out there. We have started a blog- we need to spend more time on it but there are a few articles there: davidwithsusan.blogspot.com.au/ :)
  2. I was just thinking today how much these boards have shaped me over the years- I often refer to things that happened here, in conversations. I have just popped in to share how things are going for me and to share my gratitude for all the wonderful women here who have shared their stories, helped me on my journey, and helped me rear my kids the best way I was capable. My ddalmost18 is in university. She only has to do another year and she is finished- she got lots of credits because of the course she did beforehand. She is studying Mass Communications and doing well and loving it. She has a great boyfriend and is happy- she stays with me 3 nights a week. Ds16 is doing a full-time Diploma of Marine Studies which will get him into 2nd year uni as well, in Marine Biology. He is not sure that's what he wants to do...but this is my dyslexic, difficult to teach son- anything is good! I have written many a post about him here as I tried to find my way with him. He no longer considers himself dyslexic. He watches other kids drop out because its too hard- and now knows he is not stupid either. His self esteem is good at last. He is growing up- surrounded by earthy sailing people. His relationship with his dad is finally good. His relationship with me is getting healthy as I have set much healthier boundaries with him. My ex and I get on well and the kids float between us as they choose. He has a new woman and she seems good for him- he is a better dad than he was-when we separated, he thought his kids wouldn't want to spend time with him- it was a wake up call. And I...am totally in love with a gorgeous man. He is a scientist and I work with him- doing research mainly. We work from home and he reckons my years of homeschooling have given me a fresh and unique perspective and excellent research abilities- and I really love it and feel I am doing something worthwhile after feeling in limbo after finishing homeschooling. I am amazed at my kids. They are strong, happy, resilient. I am so glad we did what we did- I see them much less nowadays so I am glad we spent all those years in each other's company. Empty nest syndrome is real- fortunately my life is rich and exciting anyway so the pangs of missing them don't last too long. It was so worth it. I was not at the high end of the academic spectrum for these boards but my kids are doing really well anyway. Just homeschooling alone (whatever style) does have many benefits- they are not jaded by life. They are fresh and excited- but also doing well academically. Just thought I would drop in and share some of the joy in my life. I am happier than I have ever been.
  3. Dog is allowed on couch only if personally invited by family member. Not allowed otherwise. They get the difference. You can tell because of how they look when you enter the room and they are on the couch and they know they shouldn't be :)
  4. I like this wallet so much I had one sent to Australia. I get comments about it all the time. I use it every day- it is my daily wallet. It defines how I manage my finances- I use an envelope system because of it, including spending last month's income, not this month's. It works well- and sometimes I think I must be pretty anal but i don't think I am- its just that when a system resonates and works, I adopt it and I no longer think about it.
  5. Balance- on a day to day level, but in all areas of life. Balancing rest and work, cleaning and creating, mothering and self-nurturing. My priority is shifting away from my kids being the main focus of my life. That feels healthy at this stage. I am taking care of them with love and plenty of attention, but my life is not revolving around them any more as it did for many years. It is an adjustment for all of us but we seem to have entered a new phase where they need to start seeing me as a real person, with needs and wants of my own, not just "mum". Slowly slowly. Eating well is a pretty high priority. Keeping my new home tidy seems to be a fairly high priority.
  6. I co-slept for years. With my first she woud also sleep on a mattress on the floor in the same room, but my 2nd wouldnt - he had to be next to me. I think co-sleeping makes for very secure kids. My dh didnt sleep with us however. If he did, and I didnt feel he woudl be aware enough not to roll on the baby, I would simply put myself between the 2 of them. At once stage we did put 2 queen sized beds in a bedroom and he slept with the older while I slept with the younger. People have been co-sleeping since the beginning of time. Unless there are alcohol and/or drugs involved, we instinctually do not roll on our babies. It is the most natural way to sleep.
  7. I just caught your post on my FB wall , Rosie :) Gosh you guys, you are all so lovely! Wow. I have been flat out busy. I have moved home to a lovely, open place where I have my own living area in a loft and the teens have the area downstairs- much closer together than we are used to, but still a distinct separate space for me. I have my chickens here, the cat, and we are going to get a puppy after Christmas. Both kids have had a party this week. I don't like parties but I promised them a housewarming at the new house- each (what was I thinking?) .The neighbours complained at both. Not a good start to a new neighbourhood but hopefully they will forgive me- it really wasn't that bad. Ex-dh has been incredibly supportive and reasonable throughout the whole separation process. When he could have been difficult and obstructive, he chose not to be. We are communicating well, especially about the kids, and also around money. I feel lucky in that regard- we are still friends although it has been very hard for him. My son is handling the separation well. Dd is quite upset and resentful towards me, which is a new experience for me. I was always the good parent, now I am the bad one for upsetting her life and moving too far away from her dad's house ( 7 kms. 4 miles?). Of course it is touching her deeply...it is difficult for me to deal with her underlying pain while also dealing with the negative behaviours it is producing in a realistic way. In the big scheme of things...I guess it is not too bad and the best that can be expected. I am happy in my new space and my new life. I am relieved to be out of the compromised situation I was in. Dh understands it was hard for me. So.....thanks for thinking of me...I have only had the internet on for a week and have been avoiding coming here so I could finish making my home beautiful and work and catch up on things. But...looks like I am back :)
  8. Oh, that is so exciting for you! I know that feeling too. My son lasted 6 months in high school then asked to come home again. It is soooo nice to have him around again. And he lurvs the lifestyle and freedom of homeschooling (although technically he is now doing correspondence college).
  9. I take sickness as a sign that myself or the kids need to rest more- and I try to organise our lives for that. But it's not always easy to do that. I am not irked by sickness but I am conscious of people of being around sick people and do try to avoid them coughing on me- but I am not particularly germ phobic. While diseases are transmitted by germs, there is another huge part to getting sick- if one is run down, not getting enough sleep, not eating well etc. one is more likely to catch what is going around than if one is in a good healthy state. So if I am around sick people, I take echinacea or other immune stimulating herbs, get extra sleep etc and usually don't catch what is going around.
  10. My son never eats soup. He doesn't like it when foods are mixed together and has some sensory issues. My dd however would have no problem with it. I tend to put out pizza in such situations for my teenagers and their friends, although we have often had meals like marinated baked chicken, or spaghetti Bolognese (meat or vegetarian), or sausages, mashed potatoes and peas, since they seem to be generally acceptable meals to most of the teens who come here. I do find many kids to be fussy, so I try to cater for general tastes- we don't eat a lot of meat but I do make sure we have meat when I have teen guests, generally.
  11. Well, if you have imbalances in gut flora, and parasites- then sure. But throwing the baby out with the bathwater will only cause a host of different problems. But most parasite cleansing programs will include adding in healthy bacteria for healthy gut flora.
  12. My understanding is that we are meant to have a lot of various micro-organisms in our gut- a couple of kgs of them actually- and we are pretty much symbiotic with them. Some parasites are pretty devastating however- if you have ever been to a 3rd world country and got them you know what i mean. Yet the locals tend to adjust so perhaps we all have many deifferent species- and when we live in different countries, we develop different strains of micro organisms. I think it is an area where there needs to be a lot more research, and there is much more we don't know.Our relationship with micro-organisms is fascinating. The modern obsession with getting rid of all "bugs" is short sighted.
  13. When you consider what a concentrated food they are, it is understandable that they are fairly expensive. Thats a lot of fresh grass! I just vary my green supplements regularly, according to what is on special or I feel like. I also make green smoothies which are a cheaper way to get your greens.
  14. Most Mac users like myself rave about our Macs and would never go back to PCs. There are a minority who prefer PCs, but for most of us- once you have a Mac, you never go back :)
  15. I am so touched by all the replies- really, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind words, everyone.
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