New beginnings?

The votes have been cast. Please God, look after our country and its new leaders. Some of them have promised to look after the most vulnerable members of society. May your Holy Spirit enter their hearts so that they truly fulfil that ideal and ensure that everyone be protected and cherished from womb to tomb.

Gratuitous picture of pegs and washing

Yes, those are pegs on the line- the first of 2011- with the little Toot's bibs flapping cheerfully in the breeze.

They make me smile. Because they give us hope that Spring might actually be on the way. Because it means one less airer full of limp clothes and loosens my guilty attachment to the tumble dryer that I never foresaw pre-sprogs. (When we moved in, I looked at it and thought, 'well the landlord might as well take that thing away'. Ha!) And because it means the little Toot is having a snooze and I'm out in the fresh air with Poonch who could do with a lungful of something fresh as his tum is upset today.

Can you help? (Warning: political issues involved)

Ireland is currently in the middle of an election campaign. The main focus is on how the next government will affect the economic future of this country, but there is another more important issue which isn't receiving any attention.

Since the European Court of "Human Rights"' ruling in December, some are saying the Government will have to legislate on the issue of abortion. This ruling ignored both the fact that Ireland is the one of the safest places in the world to have a baby and that surely unborn children have human rights too.

Anyway, if you are still reading this, could I ask you to do one of these things? If you can vote, don't vote Labour as they want to introduce abortion here. Second, make sure your local candidates are pro-life before you give them your preference. If you can't vote, then please pray for those who can. And if you'd like to help the prolife campaign in Ireland further, you can contact them here.

We luv IKEA!

My Hero

On our way up the M7 and just wanted to post about how proud I am of Roo. He worked very hard with his speech therapist and concentrated really well during a tough assessment today.
He certainly impressed me with his explanations and reasoning skills, and I'm not just saying that cos I'm his Mum. Well done, little man!

Have sand, will play

...even if it's pouring rain from the heavens. Thank God for those great rainsuits.

Take a seat

Hello. Quite an unusual feeling I'm having at the moment. Sitting down, waiting, with none of my boys to keep me occupied, and finding I have nothing to do.
Maybe a good time to pray. Yes, that's an idea. I will pray the ultrasound of my throat goes well.

Bye bye Jesse tree

Time to take down our last vestiges of Christmas- the Jesse tree and its teeny ornaments. Roo and I learnt more about the Old Testament last Advent as we made little bits to hang on it. An apple for Adam and Eve, a rainbow for Noah, a star for Abraham, Jacob's ladder. I had planned more, such as Joseph's colourful coat but Roo's younger brothers aren't really conducive to homeschooling so we didn't get as much done as i'd hoped. But it's definitely something I'll do again. Another 'tradition' we began was filling baby Jesus' bed with hay with each kind act during Advent. Then on Christmas Day, one of Roo's spacemen appeared, wrapped in swaddling clothes, playing the part of an leanbh Iosa sleeping on the hay.