Tuesday, May 31, 2011

something I'm thankful for

Our kids know how to operate a sickie bucket.

Important.

Micah asleep on the foot of my bed

Maybe we should have kept him home today too.

Monday, May 30, 2011

misery

Joel is beside me, whimpering in his sleep.
My throat feels like it's been rubbed with course sandpaper.
I'm not tired but long to fall asleep.
I don't want to be on this bed any more.

The Vision for Mars Hill Kids


Love this and hate it.


  • Love that MD is taking ministry to children seriously.
  • Love the cool branding.
  • Love the indoor play centre idea.
  • Love the idea of clever use of video.
  • Love the idea of kids community groups.
  • Love the idea of kids being in leadership. 
  • Hate that the kids who are chosen as leaders are chosen on the basis of their personality rather than any kind of godliness.
  • Hate the exclusivity - not everyone gets to be a leader. Many kids will be hurt by this.
  • Hate that the woman writing the curriculum was chosen for her secular teaching qualifications and there was no mention of her bible teaching ability.
  • Hate that it is doctrine based rather than story based.
  • Hate the lack of confidence it shows in normal christians to teach the bible to kids. I'd hate to have to deliver (ie. press 'play' and sit down) exclusively that curriculum and never get to write or deliver my own.


Thoughts?

dreamteam wrap up

SCORING PLAYERS
1. Carrazzo (DEF)117
2. Shaw (DEF)98
3. Broadbent (DEF)80
4. Duffield (DEF)120
5. Stanley (DEF)98
6. Lower (DEF)83
7. Puopolo (DEF)99
8. Mundy (MID)101
9. Griffen (MID)109
10. Cornes (MID)56
11. Liberatore (MID)26
12. Krakouer (MID)64
13. Atley (MID)36
14. Cox (RUC) (Capt)226
15. Goldstein (RUC)80
16. Sylvia (FWD)100
17. Westhoff (FWD)107
18. Chapman (FWD) (VC)95
19. Riewoldt (FWD)65
20. Cloke (FWD)81
21. Matera (FWD)31
TOTAL SCORE:1,872
NON-SCORING PLAYERS
1. McKernan (DEF) (Emerg)46
2. Gilbee (DEF)31
3. Retzlaff (DEF) (Emerg)64
4. Heppell (MID)0
5. Hibberd (MID)0
6. Polec (MID)0
7. McCauley (RUC)0
8. Bailey (RUC) (Emerg)57
9. Jetta (FWD)0
10. Duncan (FWD)0
11. Von Bertouch (FWD)0
12. Haren (FWD)0
















A mixed weekend for the penguins. Some stunning performances and some shockers. Particularly dissapointed with Duncan, Liberatore, Atley, Matera and Reiwoldt. Consider yourselves sold or on the bench till you step up. We won in one league (by a mile) and lost (narrowly) in our other. In our family league, the Penguins remain champions. Andrew's team put on an awful show. Don't mention it to him unless you want to hear about all the injustices...

sick

I spent most of yesterday in bed. Today I'm going to work on a cocktail of panadol, nurafin and pepsi max. Fed up with bed.

Andrew is sick in bed. Two kids are staying home sick.

Good times.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Virtual Vomit



Nathan is making this for a science talk at school tomorrow. It works pretty well. sets in about 5 minutes in the freezer. Jut use lots of geletine.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

envy

I listened to an excellent talk on envy today. I wonder if this is the big sin of our age. I want stuff, not so much for the sake of the stuff, but for the sake of having as much or more than others. Joseph's brothers didn't feel the need for a colourful coat until their brother got one. I'm perfectly content with my house until I visit my wealthy friends' houses. I am satisfied with my 3 kids until I hear that a friend is expecting her fourth. [Then I have to remind myself that I don't want another and to feel that twinge of unease (I'm no longer winning!) is silly and wrong.]

It really is a good talk. Put it on while you're washing the dishes or doing the ironing.

All I ask...

...is that the guys I put on the field give it their best go.

Mundy, Atley, Reiwoldt... Were you really trying your hardest? Really.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Yesterday, at a school excursion...


... I met Danette the wonder cow. Danette survived a 95km swim during the January floods. She is a beautiful animal, but has been a bit cross since her ordeal. I spoke to her owner. They lost all their animals except Danette and a foal. Sad.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

preparation is over-rated

I spent more time preparing for my year 5 classes today than I have for any classes before. I wrote music for each class - 4 pieces! Arranged them up nicely so that each kid had a part. Copied them off. Put them neatly into plain coloured manilla folders (GTD!)

Never again.

One of my poorer days of teaching. I was cross with the kids cause they didn't play the right notes or keep in time. Man! Your music came out of a plain coloured manilla folder*! So play it right, okay? I needed to quantise them like I quantise my tracks in garage band. And, man I hate untuned percussion! Chuck it all away. Just noise. '

Anyway, it's back to the old ten second of prep per class. Works better that way.


* I usually carry music around in the 'folder of doom'. An overstuffed folder with copies of anything I've used or thought of using this year, in no particular order. If the kids leave their music at home they have to find a copy of it in the folder of doom. They try to remember next time. 

macbook crashed again

They are starting to ask me what I'm doing with it. Am I rough with it? Do I drop it?

I am starting to ask what is wrong with my macbook.

This is my 4th hard drive in 6 months.

All fixed now. Should be good for at least a month.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

party rock anthem - arranged for 9 year olds

Do you know the song? I chose it because it has very little content. One kid will need to learn 4 bars. Another 2. Most others just the one bar.



You can download the parts here. Because this is for my most ... challenging ... class, I've named the notes for them. Erase if you like.

If you are a music teacher looking for something for your kids, feel free to use this. It's nothing fantastic, but it will save you writing your own.

Some tags to attract desperate music teachers...
orff instruments, arrangement, party rock anthem, kids, ostinatos, simple arrangements for classroom music, primary school, xylophone, glockenspiel....

Sunday, May 22, 2011

The Christian life itself...

... is not about managing outcomes, but about conducting oneself in a manner that testifies to the God in whose hand those outcomes lie.

From here.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

year 5 concert

Just one month till our super dooper year 5 concert! The kids are performing in groups of 5 or so, playing various things. A little uke band is playing and singing Fly Away, a boys group of ukes, drum, bass xylophone and recorder is playing Dynamite, some girls are playing Love Story on ukes and xylophones, there's Drunken Sailor by a xylophone ensemble, ukes playing Hey Soul Sister, more ukes playing I'm Yours, a couple of uke and percussion ensembles playing the Duck Songs, and two recorder ensembles having a go at the Imperial March (have a listen!)


These groups are in varying stages of readiness. I'm hoping for good things.
Each class will also be doing a full class item. Percussion ensembles. Lots of orff style xylophones etc. My brightest class will be playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. They got it in about 15 minutes.


My hard working, enthusiastic class will play The Lion Sleeps Tonight (I bought an arrangement from here.)

Joel's class was trickier to find something for. What do you do with a group that's not that great at reading music? One word: Ostinato. One kid has four bars of content. Most others will have one or two. Boring, but... here it is.


I don't know what to do with my need-a-bomb-put-under-them, unenthusiastic class. Ideas?

Greatest Marriage Proposal EVER!!!

I guess this is it...

Rapture etc.

This blog thing's been fun.

Hope to see you all soon.

Friday, May 20, 2011

competition done.

It was okay. We came second last.

And second.

There were only 3 choirs in our heat.

The christian kids beat us. (As they should have. They get more singing practice.) They got 89%. We got 88%. The other choir got 87%. They gave us all silver awards. I think they grouped us with like choirs. I watched some of the heat before ours - two of the three choirs in that heat were seriously good.

I had arranged the kids into 5 rows. Every child had a row number and position number. The altos were at one end and the sops at the other. Something went wrong when they filed onto the stage and there were only 4 rows. The sops and altos were all mixed in together. I couldn't lead the different groups. I realised when it was too late to fix. I think everyone ended up singing anything.

But they behaved so well. Every eye on me all the time. All 58 of them. No wriggling. Champions.

Not My Story

Here's my first go at writing for Big and Bad, the Musical. This is the wolf's big number. What do you think?

Not My Story

1. Who would read a book
Where happily ever after
Is for your enemies, not your friends?
Who would walk a road
Where every footstep takes you
Closer to your rightful, bitter end?

Axes, boiling water pots
Must this be my fate?
Could there be another way
Another path to take?

CHORUS:
This is not my story
I will not walk this road
This is not my story
Another must be told.

2. My name’s become a slur
Could I ever change it?
With ‘big’ and ‘bad’ the plot line’s clearly set
Hidden in this fur
a soul longing for freedom
to walk the world to be the hero yet!

Now it seems the play is cast
The villian’s role is mine
But I will not read my part
Not one word or line.
This is not my story
I will not walk this road
This is not my story
Another must be told.

BRIDGE:
There is no ‘happily ever after’ here
No frog to kiss and prince appear
Why can’t a wolf build castles in the air?
Put this book back on the shelf
Write a new one for myself
Filled with starry dreams and laughter
it’s only fair.

This is not my story
I will not walk this road
I will write another story
A new one must be told

sar 2011

Big and Bad

I'd like to write a musical for my kids at school. Something short. Something that boys and girls would both like to be a part of.

So here's what I'm thinking.

Big and Bad. The musical. The story of a big bad wolf who looks at all his big bad wolf ancestors and decides that he wants to live differently to them. Kind of like the Twilight vampires who go vegetarian. Or the shark from Finding Nemo who declares that fish are friends, not food.

What do you think?

stupid stupid stupid choir competition

Or stupid stupid stupid me for putting my choir into a competition.

We're not ready.

We sound bad.

We're going to come last.

Parents have to pay $10 to get in.

It's tonight.

According to a fruit cake, the world is ending tomorrow. Can it end today instead?

Messing With Dispensationalists

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

fly away

I found a note on my desk today from three girls I teach asking if they can play this on ukuleles for our year 5 concert. How cool!



I'm pretty sure one of them will already have it down.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

keep your lambs trimmed and burning

This afternoon Joel asked if I could buy Keep Your Sheep on itunes so he could listen to it. We sang it on Friday at choir and he likes it a lot. It took me a while to work out what he meant.

Monday, May 16, 2011

church planting expectations

Mikey Lynch has an interesting link to a talk by Al Barth on church planting in European cities. Mikey makes this comment at the end:


Al Barth admits that most of the church planting work they are involved in is much smaller and slower. Many of their church plants, even in NYC are more like 80-180 people, after 5 years. Nevertheless, we still must stretch and aim higher and more boldly, resisting the urge to pessimism and resignation.

Here's my question. What does it means to 'aim high and more boldly'?

I've heard some high and bold dreams. A couple of keen church planters I know of have spoken of their aims to have 100 people at the end of year one, 200 at end of year two... But how helpful is this? When you've been so vocally bold about what's going to happen, how do you cope with it when things don't go your way? When after 12 months you've got very little to show for your efforts? Despair? Depression? Anger?

It's God who gives the growth. There is a point where growth projections are presumptuous - telling God what he is going to do. He may give your congregation growth, he may not. You may do everything right - plant good quality seed and water diligently - but God may withhold growth. Or he may give growth to someone you think doesn't deserve it. That's his choice.

I care about the gospel going out. But I fear for a generation of church planters who in their zeal for the gospel may have unrealistic expectations. Ministry is long and hard and exposes all our weaknesses.

So how do we aim 'higher and boldly, resisting the urge to pessimism and resignation' while keeping our feet on the ground and our pride in check? How do we trust that God will build his church (like he's said he will) while remembering that he hasn't promised to build it in my patch or through me?

Thoughts?

Don't you think...

Nathan Fillion looks like Neil Finn? [They have the same initials too.]

Sunday, May 15, 2011

over-running

When I have a new interest I really get into it. Lately it's been running. I'm not fast, but each time I've gone out for the last few weeks I've run further than I have before. This pattern feels good. I'm up to 9.2kms and am keen to crack the 10km mark soon. After that, I'd love to push on to 20kms. But these things shouldn't be rushed and I'm impatient. I've done three hour long runs in the last week which Andrew tells me is two too many*. Now I'm injured. I seem to have torn the tendon going up the right side of my lower left leg, just above the ankle. It hurts a lot.

If I'm sensible it should heal fairly quickly (7-10 days). But I'm usually not sensible.

Anyone want to run with me on Thursday?


* I should do one long run and two shorter runs (30-40 mins) apparently.

Split Enz - Six Months In A Leaky Boat (1982)

go the mighty penguins!

Yes. We won again, smashing the Richo Reds and A's Action Heroes in our family league as well as Blash's Titans in Public League #275929. My boys are working together well. A particularly good weekend for Mundy, Shaw, Gibee, Cornes, Libertore, Sandilands, Goldstein and Westhoff.

Go team!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

five thoughts

1. If something smells bad, it probably is.
2. It sucks to be the one saying that the building isn't structurally sound. So we don't.
3. Previous performance is a good indicator of future performance.
4. Grandiose plans can have no good end. Pride or despair are the only options.
5. People will get squashed if a building collapses.

the gmail ads that an Equip Women's Conference email attracts...

Life Purpose Workshop
Anywhere in the World
Visit the website for your invite
Love Relationship Advice
10 Secrets To Getting Your Man To Fall In Love With You For Good
Still a Girl Hunter?
Date with Chinese beauty, To Love & be loved in Chnlove!

God gives the growth

He really does.

What would be different if we actually believed this?

so is blogger back up?

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

There are possums...

... playing on the deck and on the roof. They are driving the dog crazy and grossing me out. Don't care if they are native. Die die die. [Preferably not in our roof.]

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

go the mighty penguins!

My boys did themselves proud on the weekend. Scored a whopping 1,835 points, flattening both the Richo Reds and A's Action Heroes.

I'm going to keep pretty much the same line up for next week. Good for them to learn to work together as a team...

naplan week...

and a whole lot of other stuff. My yr 4-7 choir had their debut performance yesterday. We sang I'll Stand by You and Van Dieman's Land. We have an encore performance tomorrow of the same two songs (junior assembly... We've clearly made the big-time.) On Friday we have a three hour masterclass with a seriously good conductor. I plan to spend most of that time feeling deeply inadequate. Next Friday night is our competition. I'll be happy if we don't make complete fools of ourselves.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Am I stupid?

Finding the new series of Doctor Who hard to follow. Need to watch it again.

more fool me - tim finn

Loving this song at the moment. I'd put up a link but I can't find it anywhere. You should buy it.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

I have a hundred things to do

I start teaching sunday school tomorrow. Don't have everything ready. (Don't really have much ready at all, except my map.) 

We've got two families coming over for lunch after church. There's no food prepared yet and the house isn't great... (Andrew assures me that it's tidier than most others he visits. That's probably because no one bothers to tidy up if it's only a guy coming round.) 

Think I'll go to bed. 

Exodus papermache map finished

If you look carefully, you can see baby Moses in the Nile.



5 reasons each way.

5 reasons I think you shouldn't return to the workforce after your kids have gone off to school.
1. Because it really sucks for a 5 year old to be in before and after school care 5 days a week.
2. Because I like you and I want you to come to my daytime bible study group.
3. Because I'm passionate about RE and I want you to teach RE at school. (Preferably at my school.)
4. Because I don't want you to be too exhausted to teach Sunday School on the weekend. (Also good if you've got some energy to put into your family.)
5. Because your daughter's year one class needs mums to help with reading groups on Tuesday mornings.

5 reasons I think you should return to the workforce after your kids have gone off to school.
1. Because if you do, you'll have more money to spend wisely.
2. Because you really enjoy your work and by doing it well, you contribute to our society.
3. Because there are heaps of people in your workplace that you'll bless by being there. The way you turn the conversation away from gossip and slander and nastiness is of great benefit to others, as are your prayers for your colleagues and your words about Jesus.
4. Because you are passionate about speaking the gospel to professional women. Go and hang out with them!
5. Because I know you and think you can manage to not neglect your kids and husband while you work.

Exodus papermache map

Almost finished.


sacred vs secular

I read something the other day that divided up things women might do with their time into 'sacred' and 'secular'. Paid work was in the secular zone, but voluntary work in the community, church stuff and raising kids were classed as sacred. I think this a false and fundamentally unhelpful distinction. I don't think we can elevate certain things we do to a higher spiritual category than other things. Reading to our kids, changing nappies, going to bible study, performing a life-saving operation, teaching a year 5 class, sitting in a lunch room, sending emails, being on the tuckshop roster, writing a book, marking exams, operating a check-out... Things we do may be ordinary or impressive but in Christ they are all transformed into something glorious if I do them in faith, serving God.

I like this statement from Mitchelton Presbyterian Church's 'DNA':


8. We believe everywhere is sacred
We’re not dualists. We don’t want to separate reality into ‘the sacred and the secular’ because the Bible says ‘the earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord.” And because Jesus took on real flesh and became very much part of our world, and because God ‘so loved the world,’ we think it’s a mistake to draw too firm a line between ‘church’ and ‘life’, or ‘Sunday’ and ‘the rest of the week’. So when we’re in church we act and talk like ordinary people who follow Jesus, and in every other part of life we do the same. Our worship isn’t reserved for Sunday services… God is worth serving full time, all the time. So for us, everything we do, and everywhere we do it, is sacred – it belongs to God.

I took the dream team post down...

Now all my other posts have come back.

What if I put it back?

Friday, May 6, 2011

3 posts now on the front page?

Is there something wrong with my dream team post?

Blogger?

why...

... is there only one post on my front page?

I've got it set to 40.

Blogger?

Go the Penguins!

My team is gearing up to play this weekend. I've made a couple of subs but essentially have the same boys as last week. Hopefully, we'll put on a better show - last week was the first time they'd played together and there were a few holes in our performance. Like the six positions on the field we didn't have covered. A few communication issues with guys on the bench - they didn't know that if someone is off, they need to go on. But we've got that sorted now.

I'm pretty impressed with my boys. They've been training hard and we've got a solid line up. The assistant coach predicts a high score. [Higher than Andrew's team or Nathan's, anyway.]

Here's my opening line up:


Defenders :
1. Carrazzo, Aselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:91 Avg:91.17$352,800

2. Broadbent, Mselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:52 Avg:66.00$249,300

3. Stanley, Dselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:73 Avg:67.80$197,000
4. Duffield, Pselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:0 Avg:67.20$303,200

5. McKernan, Sselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:50 Avg:59.20$170,000

6. Lower, Nselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:0 Avg:69.75$162,300
7. Gilbee, Lselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:45 Avg:67.67$325,100

Midfielders:
8. Watson, Jselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:115 Avg:115.33$425,100

9. Mundy, Dselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:0 Avg:114.00$421,100
10. Griffen, Rselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:109 Avg:107.40$411,200

11. Heppell, Dselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:83 Avg:85.50$278,800

12. Cornes, Kselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:92 Avg:83.75$368,900
13. Atley, Sselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:65 Avg:53.80$169,300


Rucks:

14. Sandilands, Aselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:0 Avg:102.20$392,400
15. Goldstein, Tselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:120 Avg:95.25$332,100
Forwards:
16. Westhoff, Jselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended ay bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:96 Avg:81.83$322,500

17. Jetta, Lselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:84 Avg:77.67$289,800

18. Chapman, Pselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:0 Avg:112.75$455,500
19. Duncan, Mselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:0 Avg:89.00$317,000

20. McPharlin, Lselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:0 Avg:68.40$265,200

21. Matera, Bselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:47 Avg:58.00$173,700
2




2. Schneider, Aselected in initial starting 22/25 (includes extended Sunday bench and subject to late changes)
Pts:82 Avg:86.67$343,300

Does that 


What do you think?