The Olympic fever is upon us, and naturally, the great people of the Central Coast Home Ed group got together to celebrate with an 'Olympic Family Fun Day'.
We turned up, were appointed to our Ancient Greek 'teams' and the participants pinned their ultra professional looking bibs to their backs. We were in team Argos and the mighty teams of Corinth, Margera, Athens and Sparta also formed tight and proud little groups. The day flowed from outside to indoors, active to creative with an incredible amount of activities organised. These included chariot racing (piggyback running), weight lifting, 5 way soccer, flag design, mascot invention, chant writing, ribbon dancing, an opening ceremony, sock wrestling, discus and more that happened after we had to leave! 
I have a feeling sock wrestling is in our family repertoire forever now!
Flex and Lucky enjoyed the day and I was reminded of the value of experiential learning. I'm sure I had done a 'project' on the ancient Olympics at school, but remembered nothing - except that they was held in Greece! I can now safely say I know a whole lot more...such as the fabulous fact that the athletes (all men) competed in their birthday suits (!). Running and skipping and laughing while learning seems to help the information sink in - for me anyway!
So thanks for this great day everyone. We won't see much of the Olympics as they are on one of the channels we don't get at the freedom farm, but we know our Olympic history....

On the way home we stopped off to drop off at the library, and happened upon the Yarn Bombing project in downtown Gosford!
Fabulous, colourful, whimsical, surprising and downright cool.
It just makes my heart swell to stumble on art like this. There is hope for Gosford yet!!

We have had two consecutive birthdays in our world, so lots of singing, lots of cuddles and tonnes of cake!
Firstly it was my divine little nephews 3rd birthday. He lives with his parents in Tassie which means we  don't get to hang out as much as I would like to, so spending his birthday with him was a real gift! He is a sparky, spunky and special guy who enjoys his hot choccy, his Wiggles car rides and his Transformers! It was incredibly sweet to have that exchange of energy with a little person who you recognise so well - the blood connection being tactile and felt deep within your body. My boys love him too, and it's amazing - despite not having seen him since this time last year, they were completely comfortable playing tip with him, keeping an eye on him in the toy aisle of K mart (!!!!) and dancing to the sounds of motorcycles in said aisle!
Such a treasure!
And then...it was Big Gav's turn! Yes my gorgeous husband turned 39! He just gets better and better each year...birthday suck up - check!
He and the boys had a day out together bike shopping. I was not feeling tops so stayed home and cooked a roast. Cake for brekkie, croissants for brunch, roast for dinner....birthdays are delicious!
As are nephews and husbands!

Following our frenzy of buying stuff, we embarked on an equally passionate frenzy of construction. 
Zoob.
This stuff is amazing. I generally cringe when buying a massive bucket of plastic 'bits', but this is worth it. The boys were at it for days, with Flex especially intrigued  by the many possibilities at hand with these crafty little nobbles.
"Look Mum! They click in just like a hip bone into it's socket!"
"Wow they lengthen and compress just like a spine does!"
"Check it out - I've just made a DNA strand!"
"The way they click together makes them so strong they can withstand being dropped from really high up! Loooooook!"
Crash. He was right.
Endless ways to stretch the mind, bend the imagination and exercise the hands....

Lucky meanwhile was making beautiful origami paper planes and they were whizzing around the living room like colourful wasps. Aerodynamics at play.

Caught up in the joy of creation, Flex made us all hamburgers for lunch, and proudly smiled as they were proclaimed the 'best burgies in the world, ever'. We have a new idea in place and this is for the boys to cook dinner for the family at least once a week. They need to plan a menu, choose the ingredients and prepare the food. These burgers were Flex's idea from whoa to go, and forever more, he will be known as 'the burger king'.

Then it was time for the 'piece de resistance', the 'icing on the cake', the 'wonder of the world on the dining room table'....

The Taj Mahal.

I have to admit, I was excited about this. Having kids is hard work but it definitely has it's advantages. Like spending an afternoon with your son building a teeny tiny Taj Mahal all in the name of education....The kit was easy to follow and popping out the little doors and domes was really (and kind of wierdly) satisfying. Putting it together was a bonding experiencefor Lucky and I as we had to work together to find corresponding bits and console each other when inevitably, a couple of them broke.
"It's OK Mum, it's still really beautiful. And don't forget, it's a love palace!"

So now, it sits proudly in our house, a monument of far off royal love, and also close-to-home teamwork, togetherness and tenacity.

After two weeks of being valley bound with the flu we BUSTED OUT today! 
All well and chirpy (but not quite well enough for Jam n Pickle club unfortunately) we hit the East Gosford Art gallery for some serious cake and book shopping. I never realised that lemon meringue could be such a gargantuan quivering tower of goodness. As our lovely friend Aramati said "there's only one word for that - ART!" We preceded the cake with a great session exploring the gallery shop's book shelves...a truly eclectic and gorgeous selection of books with many local themes and authors being represented. Lucky settled on a book which combines the art of Origami with every boy's passion - the paper plane. I couldn't resist "Goodnight iPad" a 'parody for the next generation'. A hilarious and oh-so-easily identified with picture book featuring a family of bunnies who are all majorly 'plugged into' every imaginable electronic device. Grandma bunny finally freaks out and throws all iStuff out the window. We laughed (and inwardly cringed a little) as we saw ourselves in the little modern family of rabbits.
Anyhoo, we then went for a lovely walk by the water with Annie dog, and the boys invented a new sport - 'Oyster Barge Plank Hopping'. It may not make the Olympics but you never know...
Then it was off to Aldi and it's treasure trove allure of 'what will we find today that we never knew existed but now just HAVE to have"!
A 3D puzzle of the Taj Mahal, a big bucket of Zoob, some wood glue and a copy of Zoolander later and now we are now home in front of the fire,  listening to the Rolling Stones.
Lucky is reading 'Goodnight iPad'. Again.
Flex is constructing what looks like a chain of DNA out of Zoob.
I am happily blogging on my beloved old iMac.
All is sweet back in the valley....

For the last 4 days poor Flex has been sick as a dog. I don't really know where that saying comes from because all the dogs I know are generally healthy wet-nosed creatures who rarely require Strepsils.
But the flu has got my eldest in it's nasty grip and so it's been bed, bowl and Bear Grylls for him. He had a friend come up from Sydney to play and couldn't leave his room. My god daughter and her brother came for two nights and saw him twice. He has been inhabiting that awful no man's land between delirium and rest, pain and exhaustion, bile and breathing. I started to wonder if he had manifested the flu so he could catch up on 'screen time' (there has been a new 'experiment' in reducing screen hours to 2 per day). If so, this is an unpleasant way to do it, and this morning he looked up at me with red rimmed eyes and murmured " I am so looking forward to being well".
Often we take feeling well for granted, but every day we arise from our beds healthy is a gift. Maybe he needed reminding.
Anyway, I have been doing my motherly duties of tending lovingly to my sick boy. All day and most of the night it seems, but every sip of water and each quivering smile feels like a triumph.
And it has given me an opportunity to put in some serious hours researching the upcoming trip. I have found out where we can go fossiking for gems and gold, where the cheapest camel rides are and am making contact with some other families who have done the trip. Recommendations are flying thick and fast! I will not become overwhelmed by choices, I will not become overwhelmed by choices, I will not.....
I am exhilerated by the choices!
Flex being out of action has also allowed for Lucky to have some serious quality one on one time with ...everyone! He played with all the kids that were here, did a drama workshop down at the local hall and we have done lots of reading and some fun science experiments. We finished 'Little Brother' which is a fabulous story about a young boys mission to escape Cambodia during the time of Khmer Rouge oppression and find his big brother. Sparing the kids all the truly gory details we were able to talk about what happened in Cambodia during that time and the concept of a totally agrarian society created by fear and murder. We spoke of the reason they killed all the academics and creative artists and the boys realised that both their parents would have been on the hitlist as we play music, make art and have an education....scary thoughts, but once again an opportunity to be grateful for our free lives.
The experiments were on the theme of 'absorbtion' and as Lucky said "are both science-y and beautiful!"

Uh- oh, gotta go - the spew bowl needs emptying again....

Last friday we nearly gate crashed a funeral.
My beautiful friend Mia lost her mother on monday. We spent monday evening with Mia and her family and were privileged to participate in a sacred candle ritual in honour of her Mum's safe passage to the great oneness. We were all inspired and humbled by Mia's ability to maintain her truth in the face of such a life changing event. She held a space of joy, gratitude and care - true grace. 
I heard her say that the funeral would be on friday and thought no more of it. The week went on and friday arrived, all of us piling into the Tarago to pay our respects.
Arriving at the funeral home I searched the crowd for a familiar face while signing the guest book with a special love heart swirl. Nature called (as it does after a 1.5 hour coffee fuelled drive) and I ducked into the bathroom wondering if the family were running a bit late....emerging into the sunshine I noticed a woman talking to Gav and then Flex running up to me. "Mum, it's somebody else's funeral. Jen's was yesterday. Mum, I feel a bit weird about this."
I think we all did. It's great how the good old universe can put you into a ridiculous situation on occasion....we have laughed at ourselves several times since and others have laughed at (not with) us!

Now for another story. We bought a camper trailer!
After spending the last 6 months manifesting a trip to Uluru, it's really happening! We picked up our new shiny black and extremely sexy pop out tent stainless steel kitchen extravaganza and it is currently set up in the bottom paddock. Way cool. The boys all slept in it last night and gave it the thumbs up. I am enjoying my latex mattress while I can!!
The trip will see Flex, Lucky and I leaving Sydney with A-ruth-a and her two boys in September. Roadtripping across this spectacular country all Thelma and Louise style. Well, if Thelma and Louise had 4 kids with them, and I'm hoping we don't end up driving off a cliff. A young and ripped Brad Pitt is most welcome however....
So we are heading across NSW into SA then up through the desert to Alice Springs. From there we will meet up with the long lost husband and do the Qld leg together and back home. :)
Around 2 months living in a tent (albeit a pretty glamorous one) and cooking outside. We plan on exploring the local bush tucker and fossicking for cool rocks and minerals, playing cards, having beers, hula hooping, bike riding and lots and lots of driving. 
I'm really looking forward to hitting the tarmac and really letting the experience unfold. Jiving with the mojo only the wide open road can muster. It's way overdue for my gypsy spirit and I'm excited to share it all with you!

So, the pics are:
Lucky counting a whole lotta cash ready to do business
Our new home away from home
A few reminders of why the freedom farm is so flippin' awesome.