Grace and Eli have been training, and today was their first Spur Schools MTB league race.

They both rode really well and it was great to see them going for it. They also made history as Newberry Montessori’s first entrants into the league.

Eli is in the Sub-Nipper category and they did 2x 1.6km laps. His legs were spinning fast (a bit too fast) in the first lap, but I could see him settle into it in the second lap.

Grace is in the Nipper category and they also do 2x 1.6km laps. She settled in nicely from the start and rode well, but then I could see she was running out of steam in the second lap. Afterwards she said her back was getting sore, so will need to check out her setup.

Eli loved it, wants to ride in the next one and thinks that was his best race ever.

Grace didn’t have the same experience. She first got separated from us and couldn’t find us before Eli’s race, which doesn’t help her fear of getting lost, and then was quite upset about someone who fell and everyone just rode past. She was coming down a path going the opposite way to the boy, but she felt bad that she didn’t stop to help him (even though she wasn’t quite where he was and there were adults on the way).

We did spend some time processing that and I think it was good to reflect on how people are more important than races. It is also always good to see our children having empathy for others. We’ll see how she feels when the next race comes around.

Adam was home with me yesterday. He seems to have the same virus Duncan has, and although he seems mostly fine he woke up with a rash on his face and well let’s face it schools are never keen to have a kid with some unknown rash. It was lovely to spend some alone time together. It feels with cooking classes and fetching Grace and Eli I have little one on one with Ads. We shopped and baked for a client and then made some masks.

Adam really is a joy and I have started thinking of him as my pudding. With Grace and Eli being the starter and the main.

I am so impressed with his colouring in skills. He sat for ages colouring in his mask.

We are so blessed to live in a beautiful area and neighborhood. Last weekend we went to a little forest near our house. Our kids love walking there, so we packed a picnic and headed out.

Enjoying climbing

Standing in a burnt out tree

Enjoying our picnic at the top of the hill.

We have all been enjoying the mountain biking track down the road from us. Adam is so much better than I am at going over the various obstacles, that he truly inspires me to give it a try.

Adam has upgraded to a bigger bike and looks so comfortable on it, go little dude

We have a lovely play park down the road which we like to go to if we need to get out the house for a bit. Grace has been working on walking the ranch fencing and succeeded in making it the whole way round and Eli has overcome his fear walking over the high balance beam.

https://youtu.be/Pk1gcDiIxIU

It has been wonderful to watch Eli thrive this year in his class environment. We had our parent teacher meeting earlier this week and we got such amazing feedback. He is confident, able to work independently and is a learning new things daily.

Duncan called him an encyclopedia of knowledge the other day to which Grace answered “no he is more like a 100 interesting facts kind of book”. Grace said “encyclopedias are boring they just go on and on and on. While Eli shares interests facts” that him and his friend Callum have learnt in the day.

Eli finished reading The Enormous Crocodile to me and decided to start the Twits, but lost interest a few days later. So he is now reading The Pop Star Pirates which he is enjoying. He really is starting to enjoy reading and believes he can actually do it.

Building a puzzle together

Practising some cursive writing on the blackboard I made for my handwriting programme.

Recently this word “enough” has been popping up in conversations, cards and my thoughts. Grace wrote in my Mother’s day card that being her mom was enough. In a recent chat with Duncan he asked me “when am I going to be okay with me?”

I think for most of my life I have been seeking meaning, purpose in my identity, purpose in my work, a sense of “I have arrived” I have definitely found purpose over the years, and experienced “I am good enough moments” but they have always been fleeting, leaving a sense of wanting in me, a void.

I ponder this void, this need, is this only something that can be filled by God, does this purpose get met by serving others, finding satisfying work or is this only something that can be fulfilled when I love me completely and realise that I am enough as me?

There is a song I often listen to called “Dream Small” by Josh Wilson. The chorus definitely resonates in me “Dream small, don’t buy the lie you’ve gotta do it all. Just let Jesus use you where you are, one day at a time, dream small” In truth this is what I long for, to choose to love myself completely and then to daily choose to work on the small dreams.

Today I was woken to an early, Happy Mother’s day surprise breakfast and gifts.

I love that Eli drew me a picture and threaded the second M upside down on the keyring. I love that Adam gave me a picture frame rock on Friday and then tried to re-gift it this evening to Gemma. And I love that Grace spent time choosing a gift and wrote me a card that brought tears to my eyes. A card that affirmed me as mom and told me that that in itself was enough. A message I needed to hear.

After breakfast we headed on a bit of a road trip to get Eli a “new” bicycle… the road trip took us over the mountain to Worcester. It was such a wonderful reminder of this beautiful place we live in.

Eli with his new bicycle. He is very chuffed with his new bike and Adam has decided that Eli’s old bike is now his, even though it’s too big.

Once we had the bike we continued our mothers day adventures and headed over to Babylonstoren. I have been wanting to go there for so long, and the weather was perfect so off we went.

These mountains are so beautiful

Coming in for a group photo

Grace and the map were inseparable for the entire time we were there and when Duncan did mention that she could pack the map in the bag, she was horrified at the suggestion. Anyway if I’m ever stranded somewhere with a map I hope Grace is with me to lead the way!

Aren’t these sunflowers amazing! I want some for my garden

Having walked through the guavas and citrus trees and berries and all the other edible food it was lovely to come to the restaurant and be able to share in some of the farms produce.

I must be honest this is the biggest bathroom I have ever seen. Ads finally getting a chance to look at the map!

I could definitely have curled up with a book in one of those baskets

It was a hot day in the end and a nice cool mango and passion fruit ice lolly was the perfect way to end the day.

This cheeky chicken pecked my sore finger (which had a plaster on) when I turned my head!

We had a lovely, mostly peaceful day and even ended off at a friends art exhibition…all in all it was a great day

For nearly a year now I have been giving cooking classes to children aged 6-12 years. It has been fun and exhausting and challenging but mostly rewarding for both the kids and I. We have baked and cooked and made up recipes and through it all we have luckily only had the odd burn and superficial cut to fingers, until yesterday that is…..

Yesterday I was helping one of the girls chop a sweet potato. I was helping provide support by holding the sweet potato while she was cutting. I’m not sure exactly what happened but let’s just say my finger was in the wrong place at the wrong time and the knife landed pretty firmly in my middle finger.

With 10 little girls looking at me and freaking out just a bit (luckily they didn’t see the cut) I organised some middle schoolers to watch them while I went in search of help.

Yay for calm Marcelle who didn’t freak out with all the blood and bandaged my finger that was gushing blood. She thought I was slightly mad going back to my cooking class, insisting that I needed stitches, but hey there was soup and bread to be made.

Once the soup and bread were made I headed to the doctor who informed me that I probably nicked an artery and that was why it was bleeding so badly.

I must admit the cut was nothing compared to the two nerve block injections in the base of my finger followed by a 3rd higher up. One stitch, a dead, numb finger and a tetanus injection later and I was back home.

I think my take home from yesterdays crazy class is, never be someone else’s supporting hand especially when they are wielding a knife!

Marcelle’s handy work

The results of my handy work!

Adam demonstrates his advanced gardening technique

After much preparation which included writing up a passport, phoning Pet World and researching which fish to buy, Eli, two of his classmates and teacher Chloë went to buy the fish from Pet World yesterday. The going out made this little man so excited and I think he felt a bit like royalty on his return when the rest of the class came running out to see what they had bought.

Passport all written up and consent form signed!

Choosing fish

Eli and I have been working through a reading programme called Reading Eggs. Initially Eli really enjoyed it but I won’t lie the last 2 maps have been a real struggle with much gnashing of teeth and bumping of heads but we made it and finished the final lesson and quiz earlier this week.

I thought the programme was amazing and it definitely gave both Eli and I handles on some of the language rules, that I must be honest I don’t remember from school. Eli is starting to believe he can read and has been super excited about reading the Enormous Crocodile.

I am so proud of him, 9 months ago he didn’t know a lot of his letters and now he is reading. Well done my boy!

For the past year and a half Duncan has fallen in love with mountain biking to such a degree that I must admit I have felt a small amount of jealousy for his love, passion and overall fitness. Duncan has tried on numerous occasions to get me on a bicycle with little success mainly due to my lack of confidence.

I think a combination of wanting to find some form of exercise, that brought joy, as well as doing something with Duncan, inspired me to climb on a bike. It’s been about a month now and I can say I definitely ride less confidently than my 3 year old but it’s good fun and something we can do together as a family.

All we need now is a bicycle rack that can take all 5 bicycles and we are set for some fun.

Today we went to the bike track down the road and Adam got to ride his big bike there for the first time. He amazes me with his abilities and inspired me to go over obstacles, I hadn’t yet braved.