Beyond the Edge of Adventure

Last weekend, I attended this conference. There were many great speakers there, including former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson - all with the same message for Christians in Australia regarding politics: GET INVOLVED! If you believe and enjoy freedom of speech, religion and the right to conduct your life as you see fit in this Judeo-Christian culture, alarm bells are ringing. It's time to do something about the ridiculousness in our political situation. All speakers had the same things to say: 1. Sign up for newsletters from Australian Christian Lobby , Australian Family Association, Right to Life , Cherish Life , Emily's Voice and any other Christian newsletter or informative newsletter you can find so you know what is happening. I would also add to that the Friday Fax by Austin Ruse from C-FAM in the US who keeps an eye on the United Nations. What they're doing in the UN is truly terrifying. 2. Join a political party. You choose one. Do some researc...

So I took a risk today and bung together a rather slap-shod version of samosas . Have you ever had a samosa? They're a deliciously hot filled pastry, usually with vegetables and/or meat. The pastry is triangular in shape and two or three of them will give you a pretty decent feed. I had a few decent veggies in the fridge, thanks to the amazing crew at Birdsong Market Garden . Plus, of course, puff pastry! I chopped up six stalks and leaves of chard (silverbeet), a small capsicum, five stalks of spring onions and a grated carrot. I chucked in some salt, pepper, tumeric and a curry blend to the veggies, left them overnight in the fridge. Sparkles and I cut up the puff pastry sheets into four squares, put a spoon of the veggie mix in the middle and folded them over, sealing the edges with a fork. Sparkles brushed them with milk while I put the rest of the mix into filo pastry for the freezer for a quick meal another day! Thirty minutes at 180C and we had some pockets of hot spic...

In a blog I read a few years ago, a rather angry mum tore strips off mothers of big families because "they use older children for babysitting" among other untrue and misunderstood things. It was a petty rant, really. The one comment that stuck with me was the complaint that mums of big families use older children for babysitting. I'm a mother of seven amazing children and I am a qualified primary school teacher. I'm going to let you in on a little secret: children working with children in different age groups is very good for them! Now, I know what you're saying: "Maya, the blogger that had a go at big families was having a go at mothers using older children to babysit younger children, not in regards to school!" As part of my teacher training, it was suggested to us that having older children come into the classroom and help younger ones learn to read was a brilliant concept. I totally agree! But why? Why is having older children help younger child...

Dear PT, I used to think that people who went around dressed in exercise clothes were big show-offs. Like this: Source: http://fitnessontoast.com/2015/12/15/2-days-with-apple-watch/ After relenting and engaging you, dear PT, to help me manage my anxiety and depression, I see it differently. When I see someone wearing fitness clothes, I want to cheer them on or pat them on the back! I know that no matter what they look like, they have decided to do something positive and healthy. I know how hard it is to motivate yourself to do something besides occasionally go for a walk....and so now I see enthusiasm, health, dedication and positivity when I see that fitness gear. Source: https://www.ymcamn.org/health__fitness This time last year, I was post-natal and wondering how I could recover from birth and more importantly, relieve my anxiety/depression levels. I didn't look like I needed to lose weight, but I felt yuck. We started to meet and I was feeling a bit awk...