“Mummy, my prayer didn’t work.”

My five year old was both cross and confused.  She had asked God for the rain to stop so that she and her friends could play in the big playground at school (a new novelty for the Grade One kids), but the wet weather persisted.  If anything, the rain got heavier as the week went on!

It was a teachable moment – a perfect opportunity to talk about prayer.  With kids I often use the phrase, “Let’s talk to God” instead of “Let’s pray” because it puts prayer in a context they can understand.  Prayer is a conversation with God.  And conversations don’t usually go well when one person tells the other what they want, and then gets cranky when things don’t go their way!

In words she could understand, I explained to my daughter that prayer isn’t a magic button you can push to guarantee an outcome you desire.  Sure, you can talk to God about anything you like.  I believe He hears.  I believe He can, and does answer prayers.  But sometimes when we ask God for something His answer is no, or not yet.  That’s the hard bit.  Sometimes we pray about really big, really important things – and God still says no, or not yet.

*   *   *   *   *

I have to admit that there’s a challenge there for me too.  Too often I pray like a child, asking for what I want and only seeing things from my own narrow perspective.  Too often I’m the one who treats prayer as a magic button.  Too often I forget that prayer is a conversation, which requires me to listen and not just talk!

I love sharing my faith with the kids. It’s a privilege, but it’s also a responsibility.  The challenge is to keep maturing in my own faith.  I don’t have to have all the answers, but I do need to continue growing in God.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances… (1 Thess 5:16-18)

 If you would like others to visit your Growing In God post, just leave a link in the comments below!  Feel free to use the image on your post if you would like to. 

Doing it for the Kids package includes:

• Complimentary upgrade to a Two Bedroom Deluxe Ocean Residence
• Full buffet breakfast for the family
• Family pass to Skypoint Observation Deck
• Two Games for the family at Strike Bowling
• Two hour use of the movie theatre to watch your favourite DVD from home or from our library, or connect the Playstation 2! Includes pop-corn and soft drinks
• Complimentary milkshakes at The Food Store after your movie

(*We were delighted to be invited guests of The Hilton and trialled the Doing It For The Kids package free of charge. We were not paid for this review.)

Here is our Hilton holiday in pictures…

Revolving doors at the hotel’s entrance.

 Riding the lift up, up, up to our amazing room.

A special welcome waiting for us on arrival!

Really good coffee. Happy Mummy.

Spectacular views from the Sky Deck of the Q1 building.

Breakfast. Oh how we loved the breakfast.

Cereals, yoghurt, fruit, pancakes, waffles, eggs-to-order, hot food, cold cuts and more.

Even a babycino for the bear! We L-O-V-E-D the breakfast!!!

Wonderful staff who completely charmed our children.

Watching real chefs prepare real food (in a really clean kitchen!)

Our first trip to a bowling alley!

Milkshakes at the uber stylish “Food Store” in the hotel’s foyer.

Best of all: just hanging out together.

__________________________________

The verdict?  All four of us thoroughly enjoyed our stay at The Hilton on the Gold Coast.  The suite we stayed in was gorgeous, with superb finishes and beautiful views.  Staying with two kids under 5, I was grateful for the well equipped kitchenette and decent sized bath!  With only a double bed in the second bedroom the kids had to share – which was a novelty for our munchkins, but could be difficult with older kids.  The service was impeccable and breakfasts were a real highlight of our stay.  I would love to see the Hilton add a few little extras for families, like child friendly toiletries (such as bubble bath) and a small packet of wipes for messy fingers!

What’s your idea of a luxury family holiday? 

I love the headline too: Swing back to good old fun.  Couldn’t have said it better myself!  Even after receiving lots of lovely new things for Christmas, my kids are still happiest when they are monkeying around freely in the backyard.  This $12 rope ladder has provided hours of priceless fun and is still going strong after a year outside!

The front page pic is accompanied by a story and photo on page 5 about playscapes.  In the article, Rebekah Hurworth from Your Architect says, “… by incorporating sandpits, rockpools, cubby houses, reading areas and outdoor kitchen areas, children can spend hours entertaining themselves outside.”  If you are interested in natural playscapes, you might also like to read this great pdf fact sheet from Kidsafe.

You can see our sandpit, the dry creek bed and one of the bridges in the background, plus a bucket hanging from a pulley under the trees.  Our playscape is ever changing and growing, and always has something to offer.

What do your kids do in the backyard?  And what did YOU do outside as a kid??

PS – Yes, my kids usually have hats on outside

PPS – Yes, the architect is also my little sister

So, while the girls were doing this:

… the Boy and I opted for plan B: a City Cat ride!  It was quite poignant really.  One year ago today, the Brisbane River was a mess. (You can read my posts written during the disaster here and here.)

A year ago, the CBD was evacuated as rising water inundated the city.  Today it was business as usual, bustling with cars and people.

A year ago the sky was grey, and an ominous, eerie feeling loomed in the air.  As more reports from Grantham, Toowoomba, and other areas came to light, a rising sense of panic was palpable in the inner Brisbane suburbs.  Today the sky was big and blue and full of hope.

A year ago, a “mud army” of over 20, 000 Brissy locals turned out with gumboots and shovels to help those in need.  Talk about community spirit!  A year ago, there wasn’t a whole lot to smile about.  Today we were all smiles… especially when the Captain invited the kids on board to help him drive the boat!!

We got to go up into the cabin, steer the big silver wheel, sit in the Captain’s seat and check out all the buttons and levers.  Captain Jack answered all of the kids’ questions happily, including my son asking “How do we go F-A-S-T?!”   It was such a wonderful, unexpected experience.

A year ago, the Brisbane River was a disaster.  Today, it was an absolute delight.

What do you do when you open a new bag of rice from the supermarket, only to find it has bugs in it?

A.  Throw it out

B.  Take it back to the supermarket and demand a refund.

C.  Colour it and play with it!

The easiest way to colour uncooked rice is to put it into a large ziploc bag with a few drops of food colouring.  Seal the bag up, and toss the rice around inside the bag until the colour has been evenly distributed.  Pour the coloured rice out onto a tray and leave until completely dry.

*   *   *   *   *

Since we had so much rice, we coloured four separate lots.

Once the rice had dried, I poured the colours into separate containers ready for play.

I also spread out a large tablecloth on the floor to assist with cleanup!

I gave the kids a tray each, with an assortment of kitchen items including:

small containers
spoons
cupcake wrappers
egg cartons
plastic cups

They enjoyed carefully layering different colours…

…mixing the colours together…

…and pouring til their containers overflowed!

*   *   *   *   *

This kind of play made a fabulous mess, of course!  The tablecloth on the floor worked wonderfully.  I was able to scoop it all up, and pour the rice back into containers.  The fun of layering different colours could only be enjoyed once, but I didn’t stop the kids from mixing the colours up.  In fact, I didn’t interfere with this play at all.  Both my three year old and five year old played independently for an extended period of time quite happily: pouring, mixing, measuring, layering, and talking to each other as they went.

So all in all, the rice wasn’t wasted.  We didn’t eat it, but we had a whole lot of fun playing with it!

Two words: Erythrura gouldiae

This handsome guy is a Red headed (dilute mutation) Gouldian finch. Look at that colour!

Red headed Gouldians have a fiery reputation, and this one is certainly The Boss.

This lovely lady is a Black headed (normal) female Gouldian finch.

She is absolutely divine.

I also have a couple of cheeky Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata).

These two girls are totally BFFs.

*  *  *

I am completely in love.

A couple of Bible verses to look up at home:

“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”  (Matthew 10:30 NIV)

“…with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26 NIV)

I’m so excited to introduce you to a new project for this year: Growing in God.

For quite some time now I have wanted to post more about my life as a Christian mum.  Over the last few years I have been writing more for Christian women’s publications such as Footprints Magazine, Mum2Mum Magazine, MOPS Australia’s blog, as well as editing Better Mum Magazine – but I have shared less about my faith here on my own blog.

This year, on the 1st of each month, I will share a Growing in God post here at SquiggleMum.  It could be about raising kids in a Christian family, about a child’s growing faith, about my life as a Christian woman and mother, or just about the way I too am continuing to grow in God.  Sometimes I might simply share an encouraging verse, image or even song.

Would you like to join me?  I would love you to share a faith post at the start of each month on your own blog, in your own style.  You are welcome to use the Growing in God image in your sidebar, or on any particular posts.  There is no need to link to my blog unless you wish to.  If you would like other Christian mums to visit your Growing in God post, just leave a comment on my posts each month.  (I’m happy to set up a linky if you’d all prefer.)  I would love you to join me in this project, and I am looking forward to reading what you have to share!

My kids are a work in progress.

I am a work in progress too.

Our family is…

]]> http://squigglemum.com/faith/introducing-growing-in-god/feed/ 8 http://squigglemum.com/faith/its-christmas/ http://squigglemum.com/faith/its-christmas/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:00:09 +0000 SquiggleMum http://squigglemum.com/?p=5746 I love this clip from Hillsong because it just bubbles over with joy!  These kids will put a smile on your face, and no doubt your toes will be tapping along to the music.  Happy Christmas to you and your family.

Cath xx

Born unto us this day a Saviour
Gifted from heaven to a manger
The hope of the world
A light for all mankind
All of the earth rejoice
It’s Christmas time

Make a joyful sound

Let His praise resound

It’s Christmas!

]]> http://squigglemum.com/faith/its-christmas/feed/ 3 http://squigglemum.com/literacy/lilys-wish/ http://squigglemum.com/literacy/lilys-wish/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:21:03 +0000 SquiggleMum http://squigglemum.com/?p=5733 I have had the pleasure of meeting illustrator Serena Geddes, and watching her draw in front of a bunch of over-excited kids! She is utterly charming. Her latest picture book will certainly be much loved in our house – especially by Miss 5. This post is written by her…

Dear Serena,

Thank you for delivering Lily’s Wish to me. I think it’s a great book. Other five year old girls like me will really love it, especially if their name is Lily – like mine! Here are some questions about the book.

• Where did you do the pictures? Do you have a special office (studio) where you do art?
• Did you use watercolours to paint the illustrations? What else did you use to make the pictures?
• My favourite picture is the first one where Lily is sitting at her desk doing work. It looks just like me! Which is your favourite picture?
• I liked your pictures in Samuel’s Kisses and Lily’s Wish. What is your very next book going to be?

Love Lily xxxxxxxxx

Dear Lily,

What a lovely surprise it was to receive this email from you, not only are these very good questions I think it is extra special that one of my books has been reviewed by a young reader who has the same name as Lily!

I am glad you like Lily’s Wish it is one of my favourite books becuase I have nephew’s and a niece who live in London so I have travelled to see them all the way over in the United Kingdom. Have you been to London? It is very nice, but a little cold and it seems to rain a lot

Here are my answers to your questions:

• Where did you do the pictures? Do you have a special office (studio) where you do art? I work from my home in Sydney and have set up my desk in the front room that has a lot of sunlight and plenty of room so I can lay out all my paintings on the floor. This helps me see how the colours and illustrations would look if it was laid out in a book.

• Did you use watercolours to paint the illustrations? What else did you use to make the pictures? I drew the pictures using a 2B pencil and then painted them in watercolour. Some of the drawings have a little bit of coloured pencil over it, like Lily’s hair and Santa’s suit. Seeing this was the first time I had drawn scenery I had to use a lot of reference material searching on the computer for pictures of the Sydney Harbour and Big Ben in London.

• My favourite picture is the first one where Lily is sitting at her desk doing work. It looks just like me! Which is your favourite picture? That is my mum’s favourite picture too! I do like the first picture but my favourite is of the Reindeer flying over London past Big Ben.

• I liked your pictures in Samuel’s Kisses and Lily’s Wish. What is your very next book going to be? I am glad you like Samuel’s Kisses and Lily’s Wish! My next book is the 4th book in the series for Totally Twins. I am working on the front cover at the moment but shhh… it’s a secret. Author Aleesah Darlison is still working on it!

I hope I have helped with your questions.  I have a question for you Lily, can I put your questions on my website news page? I am sure other readers would love to see your review and questions

Speak soon!

Serena.
xxx

Dear Serena,

I haven’t been to London but my friend Holly lives there and I would like to visit her one day. Mum said  of course you can put my letter on your website. That would be cool. You are cool, and all your pictures are cool. Happy Christmas.

Love Lily xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Illustrations courtesy of Serena Geddes

and New Frontier Publishing.

I received a review copy of Lily’s Wish free of charge.