tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-277393962012-02-16T19:21:29.816+10:30Treading Lightly on the earth is about more than just ecology. It is about living empathically with all that is around us. With our parents, children, neighbours, as well as all of creation.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.comBlogger631100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-73186850769142465422010-05-05T21:36:00.000+09:302010-05-05T21:36:43.829+09:30

We have always used an eclectic approach in our home education - mostly natural learning with a bit of Charlotte Mason approach thrown in (ie: loads of living books and nature walks). But in the last couple of years my boys have been pushing the envelope even more and they have adopted a very unschool approach to their education, much to my dismay. Well 3 years of stressing and letting them

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-77149851923026403462010-04-09T23:01:00.000+09:302010-04-09T23:01:58.974+09:30

I found this wonderful article in our local Homeschooling newsletter, and the author has kindly allowed me to post it here. I wish I had found this resource when my kids were younger. Im sure it would have saved me a lot of time. Hope you find it as helpful as I did. Letter of the Week - curriculum help for mums in the beginning years. Our favourite for homeschooling our younger children has

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-60148439765208548382010-02-01T18:26:00.005+10:302010-02-01T21:21:50.934+10:30

Recently we went away with our neighbours and two other families on a camping trip to "South End" near Millicent in South Australia. Our neighbours had invited us every year for the last 5 years and there was always some reason or another that prevented us from going.... well now I wish we had mustered the money/motivation/time to go on those other years as we had the BEST time. We took along

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-38724351042961152102010-01-11T10:02:00.005+10:302010-01-11T10:56:17.077+10:30

Today our 13 year old Collie, Wesley, died.For the past year whenever we have been on holidays we have joked to the neighbour that looks after our pets that we fully expect him to die while we are away and that they are not to be worried if it happens.Each time we have come home to a happy, healthy, old friend that can hardly walk and barely moves his tail anymore to tell us he's glad we are

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-54368457438598745202009-11-18T23:00:00.003+10:302009-11-23T22:36:10.143+10:30

A couple of months ago I was moaning to a friend that I don't know what I was going to do with myself when the boys finished their "schooling". During that time I was also looking for some part time work so help pad out our budget. The whole process was a slow one and I was feeling very disheartened.After applying for about 10 jobs without success I saw an ad for a " Home Sustainability Assessor"

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-90413197300371619002009-10-08T10:50:00.006+10:302009-10-20T21:51:15.605+10:30

This week I have been contemplating and discussing with anyone who is willing to enter my contemplative process, just what is the measure of "success" in our society, and is it something I want to participate in?Being a homeschooling mum, I have already taken a step outside of what our society considers normal, but I have always thought that my children would follow a fairly traditional path into

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-85964245650749919772009-09-29T22:24:00.002+09:302009-09-29T22:35:34.960+09:30

Today my 16 year old passed the written component of his driving test and got his L Plates.He has not very keen to learn to drive, primarily because it meant studying the Drivers handbook ad nauseum, and partly because he is quite happy to have me drive him around.I have not been so enthusiastic about continuing this arrangement and so I have been pushing him for weeks to press on with his

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-55905142955555531562009-09-14T22:08:00.002+09:302009-09-14T22:11:04.129+09:30

I posted this recipe on my gaps blog but thought that my homeschool friends might also like it - And it is so delicious you wont want to miss it!!This is one of my all-time favourite recipes and I wanted to share it with you all as it is so simple and a delight to the taste buds. I got this one off the web - one of the recipe sites, not sure which one.Ingredients8 duck portions50g dessicated

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-74066428295516179392009-09-13T21:03:00.004+09:302009-09-13T21:20:36.663+09:30

Today was a typical unschooling day for us. Crazy busy!I got up early to help dear hubby build the carport we have been "meaning to" build for several years. We had to try and weather proof the motor of the roller door as we were told very firmly by the guy that installed it that 'if it gets moisture in it, it wont work'.The rain clouds were rolling in so the first thing the boys and I did was

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-36997337520138598592009-09-10T21:52:00.002+09:302009-09-10T21:58:19.440+09:30

I have decided to add another blog to my repertoire separate my blogs so that those that want to follow my GAPS journey exclusively can do so and my family and friends can hear about what is going on in our homeschooling journey, without having to read about enema's etc! That way I can also share non-gaps recipes with you all. Yesterday I made some delicious cookies for David's work, I couldnt

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-38581077989120509532009-09-07T21:36:00.005+09:302009-09-10T21:41:04.586+09:30

I used to hate liver.Just slicing it would cause me to gag. Eating it produced the same effect and I would have to spit it out. The dogs enjoyed my attempts at various liver recipes. They would go nuts for it.Then I found some wonderful resourses that explain how to prepare it properly, and now I cant get enough. (And the dogs dont get a look in).So here is a breif explanation of the benefits of

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-77916778834236640212009-09-07T14:30:00.002+09:302009-09-07T14:40:27.602+09:30

I have discovered a delicious way of making soup. (Well after 4 weeks of eating it you would imagine that I would stumble upon some sort of discovery!!)Basically I start with making a huge batch of bone broth from 10 litres of water, 2 full beef necks and 2 marrow bones cut length and cross ways.I simmer that for about 24 hours and then pick off the meat and scoop out the marrow. I add the marrow

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-17216504059613124162009-09-07T14:29:00.006+09:302009-09-09T12:52:55.384+09:30

One of my dearest friends has moved to Victoria and I have been keeping her updated on my GAPS journey (including all my woes), via email.A few days ago I recieved this response from her in relation to my ongoing soup consumption and lack of progress (I was continuing to struggle with a chronic sore throat despite sticking to the diet). Alice is also following the GAPS diet. Id been on soup for

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-69347765264386191602009-09-04T12:27:00.004+09:302009-09-04T12:48:58.907+09:30

This week has been a hard week. The die-off is leaving me feeling tired, depressed, anxious, fat, trapped, hopeless, foggy....Not very pleasant.Prior to stage 1 I was enjoying cooking and was planning to make cheese and yogurt for my kids. Now I cant be bothered.I keep reading posts from other GAPSters to keep going and have faith in the program, and I am trying to keep my spirits up, but I am

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-59560778718776562092009-08-22T17:51:00.006+09:302009-08-22T18:17:51.468+09:30

I have been scouring the internet for GAPS recipes, because although I am only on intro my 16 year old son and my hubby are doing full GAPS and I wanted to offer a decent variety of foods (mainly to stop the complaining that was emitting from said teenager!).So Im posting a few recipes that I have found and tried over the last week, and one that I made up when I needed to use up some left over

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-84764317152203508282009-08-22T16:57:00.004+09:302009-08-22T17:51:06.810+09:30

There is only one word for what I have been experiencing over the last 4 days.... Detox, or as gapsters like to call it Die-off. (Also known as the Herxheimer Reaction)It is not an enjoyable process, as my dear husband and children will tell you! Basically when the body starts to kill off bad bacteria, and cleanse toxins, it goes into a healing crisis, where all the symptoms that you are trying

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-74045135756370164932009-08-17T19:47:00.004+09:302009-08-17T20:11:18.010+09:30

Well I started off on the GAPS Intro diet 4 days ago.To be honest I havent done very well at sticking to the "soup only" policy and therefore Stage 1 is taking me longer than expected to complete.The first day I ran out of soup and got hungry after dinner. I munched on a banana and some butter with coconut. The second day I went to a wedding and although I didnt go to the reception David wanted

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-49942377046159208312009-08-13T20:52:00.005+09:302009-08-13T21:44:07.059+09:30

Today I started the GAPS Intro diet. "What is the intro diet and why am I starting it now, after I have been a Gapster for several months?" I hear you ask.Well basically the Intro diet is a cleansing rundown and I really felt that I needed to get in the swing of the diet before I did the cleanse. It has taken me 9 months of going on and off the diet to finally feel confident in what I am

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-84841733560848550232009-08-11T22:39:00.004+09:302009-08-12T17:04:26.268+09:30

I was in the library last week and on the "new books" table they had a copy of "Fench women dont get fat - The secret of eating for pleasure" by Mirielle GuilianoI was intrigued by the name and because I was in a hurry I just grabbed it and brought it home to peruse.I would not normally read a book about diet/weitght control, but after reading the first chapter I am hooked.The author writes that

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-28477548564082199602009-08-11T22:16:00.003+09:302009-08-11T22:33:11.424+09:30

I found this list on the blog of another homeschooling mum.http://sarahs-musings.blogspot.com/ I am not Catholic but I thought it was so beautiful I wanted to include it on my blog. Only for today I will seek to live by its principles.Decalogue for Daily Living1. Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively, without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once.2. Only

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-72959091534523283922009-08-10T14:25:00.007+09:302009-08-10T15:23:10.712+09:30

I have come home from my spinning group feeling yuk.This group have never been the friendliest bunch so I have alway been careful with how much I say and what content is in that dialogue, but I have been away for the last 2 weeks and today I plum forgot to be careful.I let it slip that I follow a Weston A Price style diet, after I was offered a biscuit and declined. This led to a lot of questions

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-52239475177811042232008-12-03T22:40:00.002+10:302008-12-03T23:14:23.104+10:30

I got tagged with 2 green memes by Rach at Left of the Middle I've never heard of these things before! But here we go:1) Link to Green Meme Bloggers. (use image if you like)2) Link back to whoever tagged you. (no need to wait to be tagged!)3) Include meme number4) Include these guidelines in your post5) Tag 3 other green bloggers.Im not tagging anyone - just doing it for funHere goes...1) Name

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-61898882245221794092008-12-02T23:22:00.002+10:302008-12-03T00:43:10.219+10:30

It is amazing to me the amount of uncomplicated trust a small child has in the ones around him/her.My 18 month old neice shows me this everyday with her pudgy little hands.Each morning we go for a walk together and Samantha confidently waddles along the road in front of me chattering away about dogs, cats, and cars that cross our path. She is proudly independent, happy to set the course for our

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1628387605416105172008-09-07T19:23:00.002+09:302008-09-07T19:47:10.772+09:30

This weekend we celebrated the first weekend of spring in a big way.Mother nature really orchestrated a perfect setting for us to get the real spring feeling with a warm sunny day with a cool gentle breeze to make sure we didnt get too hot while we worked in the garden.It is tradition in our family to have a bbq to celebrate the beginning of spring and so Saturday night David took Jordan under

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-8984793492715056992008-05-09T11:01:00.003+09:302008-05-09T12:10:47.553+09:30

Recently the boys and I went on a week long camping trip to the Flinders rangers with two other Homeschooling families.I checked on the web before we left and set out with an optimistic goal of getting there within 4 hours. It was 10 am when we finally scampered out the door and I was looking forward to an easy drive, arriving in plenty of time to unpack our gear. Well instead of arriving at 2 as

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1446258039778639142008-04-05T18:18:00.003+10:302008-04-05T18:57:45.888+10:30

My sister Anne tagged me. So here goes with my 5 things.What was I doing ten years ago?1. Enjoying my four year old and a six year old boys2. Moving interstate3. Recovering from a whiplash injury.4. Homeschooling my eldest son.5. Surviving the hotest summer in SA for about the past 30 years - Our rental house was west-facing with no insulation or aircon. - Weeks and weeks of 40 degree days - the

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-58679794842476390672008-03-27T17:38:00.002+10:302008-03-27T18:10:06.779+10:30

I have always loved playing with my boys.When they were small most of my day was caught up with duplo, crafts, train tracks and visiting the park.As they have gotten older and their interests somewhat more adventurous I have found it more and more difficult to be anything other than a cheer learder on the sidelines of their activities.Yesterday I was watching Luke run and jump onto the trampoline

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-13085102218673883312008-03-13T15:39:00.003+10:302008-03-13T16:04:06.737+10:30

As some of you know I grew up in the Baptist church and served in the ministry for some time, even studying Theology for 3 years.Since that time my life has moved on and I have come to question a lot of things that I previously believed.Recently I got in touch with some old church friends and it got me thinking again about my "faith" - what I actually believe and where I now stand.During the last

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-74617439634943017562008-03-12T18:12:00.003+10:302008-03-12T19:34:11.374+10:30

Recently I had the misfortune of being very ill for several days, after eating some icecream. I am not very tolerant of sugar, or dairy or wheat - so icecream is not a good choice for me... but when the rest of the family were hoeing into it... and it looked so yummy, it was hard to resist.Well I ended up in bed for 4 days. I was completely miserable and I promised myself that when I got well, I

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-39865099863413500712008-03-08T21:40:00.002+10:302008-03-08T22:00:46.803+10:30

We have been squeezing every last ounce of value out of the summer months, here in Adelaide. Autumn has just arrived but we have had 2 weeks of 35+ degree days. Being beach lovers we have been enjoying the water everyday.I have come to realise that I'm actually a bit addicted to that floating feeling fo the sea. With the gentle waves of SA coast (the boys calle them mico-waves because they are

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-7197973542523141262007-12-15T19:31:00.000+10:302007-12-15T20:07:34.129+10:30

How does a mother homeschool two teenage BOYS??Surely this is the domain of men?This last 6 months I have been reflecting upon just how much my boys have grown and how much their interests have changed. They definately need me a lot less, but that doesnt mean that I feel they need adults any less.My boys are at an impass. They want to climb and explore and build and invent. They want to learn

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-3427460376365907072007-07-02T20:18:00.000+09:302007-07-02T20:55:23.677+09:30

Last week I went to a "Food Sovereignty" meeting at our Adelaide Friends of the Earth Association. It was absolutely inspiring and I have come away with much on my mind.What is Food Sovereignty? I hear you ask. It is just one of THE most important global and local issue in our world at present. Interconnected with Global Warming and the Peak Oil crisis. Just click on the FS Title at the top of

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-25867391642593269192007-06-21T20:25:00.000+09:302007-06-21T20:54:26.787+09:30

My sister sent me a tag - to encourage/force me to update my blog, and I figured if she could do it with a 22 day old baby then I should be able to find 10 mins to update mine.Now... 8 random things about me??1. When I go to sleep I place my hand on my husbands chest - he's alway so warm and soft.2. Today was winter solstice in Australia and we had a little ceremony and each made a wish - and I

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-58658567054635802082007-04-23T17:43:00.000+09:302007-04-23T17:55:04.886+09:30

My life has been lived in the kitchen these last few weeks.We have all embarked upon an immune boosting diet to help make us healthier.It is a love hate deal. I love the inches coming off my waist but so far I dont feel any better and the food preparation involved means that the children are rather neglected.This morning I cooked up a large vege omelette for breakfast and then made up a salad and

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1160137883568763332006-10-06T21:34:00.000+09:302006-10-06T22:57:50.750+09:30

First stop on the agenda today was the Australian Embassy Medical clinic to check David's ear. We arranged a tuk tuk yesterday to pick us up nice and early so we would be guaranteed to arrive on time - even if we had trouble locating the place.... Well we didnt take into account an agreeable tuk tuk driver who nodded happily to all of our questions about the embasy and assured us over and over

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1160055589542169222006-10-05T22:54:00.000+09:302006-10-05T23:14:46.010+09:30

Well we arrived in Vientianne this afternoon, after a 5 hour, cramped trip on the bus. It was hot and the way the bus drivers, drive over here leaves a lot to be desired in the comfort stakes. Not that they can really be blamed as they are constantly having to dodge pot holes and cows that wont move off the road, and navigating some very windy roads.Yesterday we went tubing and we all had a great

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1159881007591132562006-10-03T22:11:00.000+09:302006-10-04T23:19:25.576+09:30

We arrived in Vang Vieng after a long and winding 5 hours journey from Luang Prabang. Considering it is only a 230km trip you can imagine how fast we were going! The trip itself was almost totally through mountains so we were either climbing up or going down hills al the time and passed at least 50 traditional Lao villages with houses built to within a few feet of the road.The road itself, while

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1159795898087098672006-10-02T22:58:00.000+09:302006-10-02T23:01:38.090+09:30

Sunday was our last day in Luang Prabang and we decided to visit some of the town by bicycle.It took some convincing for Luke to feel comfortable that he could negotiate the diverse road manners of the Laos like riding on the right side of the road and bargaining, negotiating and working your way through Tuk Tuks, Trucks, Cars and motor Bike (often all at once) but considering the alternative was

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1159795622007262032006-10-02T22:55:00.000+09:302006-10-02T22:57:02.010+09:30

The last day of September and our second day in Luang Prabang led us to the Mekong again and to hire a slow boat for a trip up the river. Wer started on the boat at about 10am and first stop was a village where they hand make paper and weave with silk and cotton.We all got to see the paper making process from pounding the reeds to pulp and then socaking in water before soaking and setting on mesh

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1159795415390466232006-10-02T22:51:00.000+09:302006-10-02T22:54:15.313+09:30

Today was probably the best day of our trip, so far.We decided to go out to visit one of the waterfalls in the area, that we were told was worth seeing. We hired a truck - Chaing Mai style - and headed out along the bumpy roads. It was so great driving through the local villages, seeing the various peculiarities of the culture, and the awesome view.There were buffalo in the rice paddies and

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1159794878313158132006-10-02T22:44:00.000+09:302006-10-02T22:44:38.316+09:30

We arrived in Luang Prabang this evening, after two days on a long boat. We boarded the boat yesterday at 9:30am. There were a few Loas on board and the rest of the boat was full of tourists. We walked across a plank of wood onto the boat with our back packs on so we wouldnt be lopsided and topple over, but when we stepped inside the boat we couldnt stand up fully because the roof was so low. I

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1159794455324037242006-10-02T22:37:00.000+09:302006-10-02T22:37:35.326+09:30

After our visit to Mai Sai and our foray into Myanmar for a day we decided that Chiang Rai didn't have that much more that we wated to see so we decided to head north to Chiang Khong and across the border to Huay Xai in Laos. The bus ride took three hurs to cover just over 100km's and was definately the 'local Bus' variety with seats definately not built for people who are 196cm and roads not

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1159794316116943972006-10-02T22:34:00.000+09:302006-10-02T22:35:16.120+09:30

One of the day trips we planned to take was to Mai Sai on the Mayanmar (formerly Burma) border and if the opportunity arose to cross the border as well even if just for the day. On arrival into Chiang Rai we enquired about getting to Mai Sai by local bus and planned our trip for the next day.....the Myanmar border had been closed for a number of days following the polictical coup in Thailand

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1159788281119185902006-10-02T20:44:00.000+09:302006-10-02T22:32:02.246+09:30

We headed off on day two minus 4 of our original group as one was sick and returned by car with her partner while the other two were taking a three day trek so headed a different way.While the first part of the walking was easier on day two, we soon found out what a few hours of rain does in the mountains and I'm sure that most of the people slipped over at some stage....most us atleast once on

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1159538031192525452006-09-29T23:03:00.000+09:302006-10-02T22:27:36.070+09:30

This morning we headed off for a two day trek into the hill tribes of Chaing Mai. Were picked up by a ute with a couple of bench seats and a roof over the tray; what they commonly call a truck, in Chaing Mai.We pilled in the back and set off. An Irish couple were the first ones to join us, followed by two English blokes, an Israeli lady, and a Russian immigrant to America, who is currently living

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1159443437514020282006-09-28T21:04:00.000+09:302006-09-28T21:07:17.516+09:30

It has been so hard to find time on the internet - our time has been full of so much activity that by the end of the day I am hard pressed to drag myself out to write you all my news.... and then the other night i spent an hour and half typing away madly just to have the computer go down as i tried to save.So all my stories about our 2 day trek into the hill tribes will have to be told later.Rest

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1158746806095406962006-09-20T19:26:00.000+09:302006-09-20T19:54:42.420+09:30

Today I am just tired. You know the feeling - you have being going non-stop and then you pause for a moment and thats it - you're asleep standing up. LOL.Today we had planned another action packed day, but the military coup last night through our plans up in the air. Local friends advised us to stay off the roads - so we just pottered around most of the day, doing washing and shopping for a two

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1158412223193412552006-09-16T22:26:00.000+09:302006-09-16T22:42:14.566+09:30

Wow what a day.We arrived in BKK at 9 am - the central train station was fantastic. There were plenty of staff wandering around looking for lost souls to help out. We really let our guard down and thought this must be the way Thailand is. LOL Boy were we wrong.Fortunately we didnt get scammed - but we came close - it seems that the streets are full of entrepreneurs willing to lie in order to make

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1158291983062154472006-09-15T12:42:00.000+09:302006-09-15T13:16:23.156+09:30

I have been rather internet deprived the last few days. We have been racing around seeing the sights of Penang. Penang Hill, Kek Lok Si temple (http://asiaforvisitors.com/malaysia/peninsula/penang/kekloksi/) - which was amazing, Snake temple and Feringhi beach.But the local experiences are way more interesting than any of the tourist sites. When we were on our way to the bus the other day we went

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1157980675308881262006-09-11T22:09:00.000+09:302006-09-11T22:47:55.373+09:30

Today was a lot better than yesterday.Its a wonder what a good nights sleep and a morning yoga session can do for you.This morning we headed to the Kuala Lumpur Zoo. The first exhibits were the primates - that was depressing. Their cages are very small and smelly.. although there were some truly amazing animals - one in particular could puff out its throat in order to call out a loud territorial

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1157892964611056172006-09-10T22:13:00.000+09:302006-09-10T22:26:04.623+09:30

Well today has been tiring. It is hot and sticky and I have a splitting head ache.We arrived last night at midnight (Adelaide time) - feeling very fatigued. After a hair raising taxi ride from the airport, without seat belts (I prayed the whole way!), we settled into our beds in a wonderful little airconditioned room on the 3rd floor of the Pondok Lodge - a back packer place in the "golden

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1157892201381453362006-09-10T22:02:00.000+09:302006-09-10T22:13:21.416+09:30

Less than 12 hours into our journey and we had our first "catastrophe". Waiting at Singapore airport for our flight to KL and we realised that we had left our waist pouch on the plane - containing our credit cards and camera.....I wasnt sure when the plane was due to take off again and was quite panicked about getting back to the gate to check our seats.Luke and I raced back through the terminal

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1157798300250163362006-09-09T19:56:00.000+09:302006-09-09T20:08:20.260+09:30

Well we have been on the plane for 7 hours now and have a 2 hour stop over in Singapore.the plane ride was great. Loads of food. The hostesses just kept running up and down the isles offering us food and drinks. Having said that i am so tired. Ive put it down to the constant hum of the plane and the tv screens being perched on the seat in front - a bit to close for my eyes.As we descended into

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1155994412829811472006-08-19T22:49:00.000+09:302006-08-19T23:04:07.510+09:30

Im in loveIt is almost 18 years since David and I tied the knot and I was reflecting today upon all the ups and downs we have been throughWe are in a really great space, together, at the moment and it is so nice just to be enjoying each other. Swapping stories about our day, scheming together about what we want to do when the kids are grown, pottering in the garden, planning the final details of

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1154235790796136212006-07-30T14:26:00.001+09:302006-07-30T14:33:10.796+09:30

WHY WE MUST DISESTABLISH SCHOOL by Ivan Illich"Many students, especially those who are poor, intuitively know what the schools do for them. They school them to confuse process and substance. Once these become blurred, a new logic is assumed: the more treatment there is, the better are the results; or, escalation leads to success. The pupil is thereby "schooled" to confuse teaching with learning,

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1154232871589210162006-07-30T13:43:00.000+09:302006-07-30T14:07:55.190+09:30

Today I am having a lazy - catch up on all my computer work - day.For the past 3 days I have had a nasty gastro virus that has been going around. Nausea and vomiting, rank up next to child birth on my list of "most painful things in life". I absolutely hate being nauseas.So after 3 days of rolling around in bed feeling very sorry for myself (because the rest of my house hold are not good at the

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1154001084909980242006-07-27T21:05:00.000+09:302006-07-27T21:21:24.933+09:30

This week i attended a course on grafting fruit trees. I was skeptial about going as i had looked into grafting before and found it difficult to understand. But my girlfriend was going so i tagged along. It was great!! Grafting is actually very simple and these folk explained it very clearly.I feel like i have taken a giant leap forward in my endeavour to be more self sufficient.I have placed a

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1152367157555547742006-07-08T23:08:00.000+09:302006-07-08T23:29:17.593+09:30

I have been feeling really unsettled this week. I spoke to a friend who mentioned that she was also feeling the same, and have just logged into one of my yahoo groups to find a string of posts on this discussion. My friend thinks that it must be the phase of the moon and also possibly the cold winter days, causing us all to be more inward looking and unsettled.For me this has been going on for

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1151325635373353762006-06-26T21:44:00.000+09:302006-06-26T22:10:36.706+09:30

We have been busily planning our holiday to Thailand this last couple of weeks. We live on Sept 12. Our itinerary is as followsArrive Kuala Lumpur - Zoo & Bird/Deer park etc (2 days)Train to Butterworth and Ferry to Penang - George town (3 days)Train to Bangkok - floating markets kings palace etc (2 days)Chaing Mai - including 2 day trek and elephant experience (5 days total)Chaing Rai - Akha

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1148637295177652502006-05-26T19:17:00.000+09:302006-05-26T19:24:55.186+09:30

We are in the process of buying a new car at the moment and i am feeling so stressed. Our old car is quickly fading away and we need to act now.... but i am so worried about the finances. I am mindful that we only have a few more years when the kids will be home full time and so we want to get a car we can travel around in - interstate holidays and the like - and know we will make it to our

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1148469132062238802006-05-24T20:30:00.000+09:302006-05-24T20:42:28.906+09:30

Stephanie: Today i have been considering my life. I would love to be content with just parenting my boys and homeschooling happily in our little community.... But I feel there is so much more to me, to life, to being a responsible participant on this earth. I want to be involved in peaceful solutions for the earth. I want to toss around great ideas and see them fulfilled..... I want to move and

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1147097421780121052006-05-08T23:31:00.000+09:302006-05-08T23:41:00.046+09:30

Christmas 2005 with my mum, hubby and kids.

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27739396.post-1147095850798914742006-05-08T23:05:00.000+09:302006-05-08T23:19:14.026+09:30

Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01676564060367448936noreply@blogger.com0