Monday 28th April 2008 Bits'n'pieces

That is Michele, 2 weeks ago waiting for Mum. She wanted her photo taken with her pot plant. In that pot are some Sweet Pea's and Alyson. They are flowers. There is another pot that just has pea's in it. It was cold when that photo was taken and we were off to church. That is the "church" bag that Michele has over her shoulder. That bag has quiet toys, some books and colouring pencils along with a drink and snack for both girls. No, we don't do kids church. No we don't expect our children to stand like statures in church and be totally silent. We do expect them to be quiet and provide the means and training that they may entertain themselves whilst in church. It has taken many long hours of training to get this far. Yes, Michele has been escorted outside for more meaningful discussions and then returned. Now she is usually very good and co-operative. Cathy we are working on. However, as we started earlier on Cathy, she is much better. And training sure does make our lives easier.
We train for everything. We assume the child knows nothing and has to be taught everything. Just today some one asked how we train our children. So I will give an example. Let me say at the outset, it takes time. Loads of time and there are no fast and easy methods.
"Come to me" is a common one. Everyone wants their child to come when called. Most of the children don't. In fact most will run the other way. For us, it is essential that the child comes when called and acknowledges us when we speak. Stephanie starts as soon as the child can roll over. She puts the child at one end of a passage in our house, she then moves away. She then calls the child and beckons the child to come to her. And soon as the child complies, she makes a huge fuss of the child. This process is repeated many times over. Some times it takes a while for the child to catch on. Over time, Stephanie moves further and further away from the child as the child responds better and better. Over a period of weeks Stephanie will be at one end of the house, she will call the child, and the child will come racing to her, arms outstretched waiting for the huge hugs and kisses that the child knows will happen. We always make a game of it and no discipline happens until we know the child understand what we require and is complying on a regular basis. It is absolutely pointless disciplining a child until that child knows what is required. Also we don't yell at the child when training. We want the child to be trained, not have the living day lights scared out of them.
How young is the child when we start training? Twelve months before their first birthday. Note, training not disciplining. A baby knows nothing so we expect nothing. It is not until the child has been trained that we expect anything. It is so important to get the expectations sorted.
Lets get a bit technical for a minute, shall we. Ever heard of a Training Needs Analyse? No? OK, let me enlighten you. That is when you assess where a persons ability is is relation to a predetermined standard. The training required is the difference between the two.
Now, with a baby, that's easy. It has never been trained and has no ability to meet any standard, no matter how low, that you set. It is on a very steep learning curve. It is, firstly, trying to survive, and secondly, trying to work out what it is that your require of it. Your bit is to train your child to be a socially acceptable human being. Your training of that child starts the day you bring that child into the world. It never stops until that child is an adult and sets out on its own to create another family and repeat the process all over again.
Lastly, this "Happiest Baby on the Block" you have got to see. This guy is amazing. Or is he? No, he is not. You see, lady's have been doing this for the last 6000 years. Oh don't get me wrong, it is good. But we forget and each new batch of mothers has got to re-invent the wheel and learn all about this baby process all over again and usually on their own.
But that is another post for another time.

Monday 21st April 2008 Us

There she is. Sunday morning and ready for church. We were waiting for Mum to be done and so I got out the camera. Yes, she does wear socks only, no shoes. We read some where that shoes for for kids learning to walk, or first walking are not recommended. And yes, she can get down the back steps with help. Actually I think she has made it down on her own. She is a pretty amazing kid. There isn't much that stops her. Must run in the family.
Michele was the same. Wasn't much would stop her either. Michele was different in that she would voice her frustration when she couldn't do something she wanted to. Then we would stop her, slow her down and encourage her to keep at it. It paid off. Now she will have a go and keep at it until she gets it.
And now for a trivia question. Who am I. My mother was mistaken for a drunkard when she came to worship at the temple. She was childless. I was promised to the temple before my birth and when on to be the last judge to judge Israel. After me, kings led Israel. My children went on to be just as corrupt as the children of the high priest I replaced. I could tell you the name of the husband of my mother, but that would make it too easy. Who am I, who was my mother?

Wednesday 16th April 2008 Cathy

I don't think they both fit on that seat now. And they rarely sit together these days. Cathy has now been walking for 6 weeks. Also she rarely watches the TV or DVD for any length of time.
We had a good day today. Cathy and me that is. This morning it was decided that Michele and Mum would bake a lemon cake and that Cathy and I would stick our fingers in the ooey gooey in the garden. That was after we went up town to get some rose starting fertiliser (what ever that is. I never did find any) and a couple of night outfits for Cathy and some other stuff. It is the first time Cathy and I have been out on our own ever. And it was good. She is a great kid and an absolute pleasure to take out. It was my pleasure. I have no doubt we got some very strange looks. Too bad, they will get over it. One lady who knows our family well stopped me to find out where Stephanie was. When I told her she wanted to know how Stephanie could do that since she is blind. I explained that Stephanie does it all by feel. She was much happier then.
On another front. I have started a sort of trivia thing over here. The idea being so that people will get to find their way around their library better. Here is a couple of the questions so far:
1. One church, two letters, two authors. Which is the church, what are the letters and who are the authors?
2. Jacob had 12 sons. One of his sons had two names which can describe Christ. Who is the son, what where his names and what do the names mean?
3. Which lady's husband sat at the city gates with the elders?
And here is one that I gave to my darling. Which book in the Bible does not mention the name or for that matter, make direct reference to God.
Now for you the reader. Do you know if your going to heaven? In other words, when you shuffle of the mortal coil where is you going to? Don't know? Hate to be the barer of bad news, but your going to hell. That is, you will be eternally separated from God. Unless you repent of your sin and ask God to save you in Christ Jesus.

Sunday 13th April 2008 I am yours

You said "I can't!" He said "I never said you could."
You say "Then You do." He said "I always said I would."
"Where do You want to go tomorrow, Lord? Please take me there. What do You want me to do tomorrow? Please do it."
Today we went to church. That was good. Went home immediately after church to change a smelly (very) diaper. That was not good. Went to Karingal Hub for lunch. That was good. Went shopping after lunch. That was good. Cooked roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and ate it. That was good. Cooked cream rice that flopped. That was not good.
And now the children are in bed asleep. That is good. Cathy has been better. She is teething and off her food. All she wants is mother's nectar. I also strongly suspect that in addition to teething, she may have the Roseola virus. The virus is no big deal in most people and she seems to be handling it reasonably well. She is past the temperature bit and now has a rash on her back and some spots on her face. Within a week she will be back firing on all four.
Michele is her usual bubbly self. Full of mischief and back chat. Well, she tries the back chat. Never works of course, but one must give credit for trying. I think she is doing very well. Her obedience level is 98%. Occasionally she will try to be down right rebellious. However as we treat rebellion as a form of tantrum and she knows what the outcome of that is, she rarely tries that one. She is more than willing to help in the kitchen. Like most kids if we give them a chance, she is more that willing to have a go. Mostly she is good with Cathy. Actually it is Cathy who is the bossy one. She has her way of handling her big sister and is not adverse to a bit of bullying. Michele protests loudly but does nothing. I think I once commented that Michele doesn't have a mean bone in her body. I still think that. Cathy however, shows bullying tendencies and also has a paddy at times. I know this sounds contradictory, shoot me if you will, but I am not that worried. Cathy is so compliant that I am confident that if we are consistent, she will control that. Obviously as she gets older, Cathy is showing more rebellion, but not that it cant be controlled and managed.
Enough for now. I have tried to add an image. Maybe maybe not.

Saturday 12th April 2008 I am cranky!

Why? Because I can't find fragrant roses for my wife! Why don't florist's have fragrant as well as good looking rose? Asia lillys is all I find that are fragrant. Daphne is also fragrant. But one can not buy that. We have one growing, but it is too early for it yet. So, no flowers for my lady. I was so ticked of yesterday I almost decided to grow my own. Then the florist can stick his non-fragrant good looking roses on the next man's plate!
A very sad thing happened this week. I had a 0251 start. It is our earliest start time. When I put my train up to the station, I was informed some one had hung themselves in the bus shelter next door. The police were in attendance waiting for the coroner to arrive. Why did this man do this? For that matter, why do people step out and stand in front of a fast moving train and suicide? Why? Because for what ever reason they have lost all hope. For them life has become meaningless. They think that they are better of dead and the people around them are better of with out them. That is sad. A couple of years ago a friend of ours had to minister at a funeral of a man who had been angry all his life and had ended it all by suicide. Not only had he committed suicide, most of his family had. That is really sad, How do you communicate to a person that there is hope? That hope is in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. How do you tell that person that Christ is the answer. When all else is lost there is Christ. He is our friend. He is our ever present help in time of trouble. These are not meaningless mumbo jumbo words. They are truth. Christ is always the first place. Of course we want to do it all ourselves. We think we can. We take medicines to give us a false hope, a quick fix or lift. All that is meaningless. Christ, if only we will do it, will give us all hope. We can cast ourselves on Him. I do hope that we will.

Monday 7th April 2008 Another week.

That building is in Melbourne, the east end of Flinders Street. See the Mercer Building? There is a white structure that is reflected in the old Herald Sun building next door. That's the type of photo that interests me. I find train photography boring. Been there, done that. Keep coming back, you never know what you will find. Now that photo was taken from Flinders Street station late in the day.
Don't worry, there will be more family photo's.... when I get around to it.
There has been a bit of a stink lately in Victoria about the number of people killed in railway crossing accidents. Seems motorist have forgotten that they are supposed to stop at railway crossings. They think they have the right of way and are stunned when they wake up and are standing at the Judgement Seat. Of course that isn't mentioned there. The only thing that is mentioned there is if your name is or isn't in the Lambs Book of Life. Now, if your going to race trains, you best keep short accounts with God. In case the reader may not be aware, motor vehicle and pedestrians stop for trains, not the other way around. And the crossing warning systems are there for your benefit, to warn you that a train may be approaching.
Seems some idiot motorist decided that a train driver hadn't sounded the whistle on the train for long enough to warn the motorist of the trains approach, and that was why he, the motorist that is, failed to stop at a railway crossing. The result was the train collided with him. The result was 11 people died in that accident. Now he seems to think the failure to sound the whistle resulted in the deaths of 11 people. Wrong! The motorist caused the deaths by his failure to stop at the crossing. Full stop, end of story, period. No further discussion need to be entered into. Lawyer babble not required. Did I make myself clear enough?
That brings me to another subject not popular with the masses. That being people refusal to take responsibility for their actions. Actually God buys into this argument in Genesis 3. (Sorry Stephanie, it's Genesis again!) People will not take responsibility for their own actions. If they are caught breaking the law or what ever, they try to blame some one else. Adam tried. "The woman Thou gavest me..... and I did eat" In other words, It is Your fault God. If you hadn't given me this idiot woman I wouldn't have broken the law. Wrong again! We need to accept that we are the one who did wrong, broke the law, failed to live up to God's standard. Period. Only when we arrive at the point where WE are prepare to hold up the white flag of surrender and admit that I alone did wrong and accept my failure, can Go even begin to deal with me. And we are all the same.
Trouble is, we want to have the warm and fuzzy bit of the gospel but don't want the hard yards bit. The Bible say: If My people who are called by My name will HUMBLE themselves and CONFESS THEIR sin, both individually and corporately, then I, God, will hear their prayer and heal their land. That's my paraphrasing of 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Friday 4th April 2008 Cathy

Isn't she sweet? That's Cathy. At Christmas. At my niece's place in Adelaide. Sitting on my knee. Looking at the camera. It is only April and so far we have taken 135 pictures this year of our children. I think that is a lot of pictures. I am glad I don't have to print them all.
Cathy use to be known as "Grumble Bum". Not any more. She shall be hence forth known as "Thumper". Yes, she is walking. And she walks loudly. She stomps her way down the passage or where ever she is going. When I walk in the back door from work she is the first to great me and I can hear her coming. I think the dead in their graves can hear her. And then I see her. Big huge grin all over her face, "Dada, Dada." Michele is next. No hello dad from Michele. She launches straight in with an account of the most important event of the moment. Next comes the wife. She quietly waits until the swamping of dad is done with then shares a quiet moment. And that is all the detail you are going to get of the husband and wife moment.
Tonight, after our evening meal, we watched a DVD called Songs for Little Praisers, Volume 1. This is the comment by Rick Warren, most famous, or infamous depending on your point of view, for The Purpose Driven life. "We loved watching the Psalty videos with our kids and I highly recommend them as tools to teach children about God." That is sad. You know, we have become so sophisticated that we have relegated the best songs to our children. Now we must rely on 7/11 chorus to keep us going. We have decided that Jesus was wrong after all when He said we needed to come as little children. No, we are way to mature for that. We now relegate those songs to our children. Songs like I'm a little praiser, This little light of mine, give me oil in my lamp keep me burning, God is so good, Say to the Lord I love you, and so on the list goes. There was/is a program called "Back to the Bible." I say let us get back to Jesus. We need to know Him as a little child does.