The past few months have been challenging and busy. Writing
updates has been a little low on my priority list – an issue I hope to remedy
as of this week. During the early part of the year Kylie and I have faced what
seems like some of the most difficult experiences we’ve previously encountered.
I’m pleased to say that we seem to be moving beyond that now, and things are
improving almost daily.
In August last year I chose not to pursue further work at
the University. My contract had expired and my efforts at negotiating fewer
hours had not worked out. They wanted me on board at least four days a week or
they would award the contract to someone else. Given my business goals that
wasn’t going to work, and after prayer and thoughtful pondering I let go of the
University work. They continued to employ me casually until December (after not
awarding my contract to anyone else at all), and I slowly eased my hours back
so that in December I was finished. And during the time that my hours were dropping
at University, I attempted to figure out how to build my business.
From January to March I essentially had zero income. A
writing contract was made semi-permanent which improved things, although $300
per week is hardly enough to put fuel in my car, let alone pay the mortgage and
feed the family. Nevertheless, we were grateful for it. Then a training
opportunity arose, and another, and another. Lots of avenues opened up. Some
led to dead ends. Others led to work and income – and the opportunity to influence
others.
Just over two weeks ago the sprinkling of blessings became a
deluge. Two awesome bookings came through in the one day. First, I got a call
from a PR company that looks after DVD releases for 20th Century
Fox. They want me to do media interviews for a new movie about grandparents
looking after their grandkids. And they’re paying me to do it!
The second booking was even better! The people I have a
writing contract with have taken on a commercial client who wishes for me to
provide eight articles per month for a campaign they’re running. The articles
are all about parenting. And the pay, in addition to what I’m already
receiving, is almost enough to entirely provide for our family! We feel so
grateful. I almost wept when I received the call. And I’m excited because if
things go well there is already discussion that the contract will be renewed
for a total of three years!
In addition, more training avenues are opening up which I’m
presently exploring. Two organisations have asked for proposals and I’m
awaiting their responses. I’m applying to get NSW Teacher Institute endorsement
to run courses for teachers for their professional development (which is great
because if they have to complete those hours, they’re almost a captive
audience!), and I’m dipping my toe into other training opportunities. I still
appear on The Project regularly, although things have gone a little quiet with
the TODAY show. But I’m getting plenty of media, and am delighted with the
ongoing opportunities coming my way.
I love my work. Building a business is challenging for me. I
really still have no idea what I’m doing and feel as though I’m just muddling
through. But Heaven’s grace has definitely been on me, and I feel blessed and
amazed at the work I get to do each day.
In relation to family, we feel incredibly fortunate. Our
girls are amazing, and our family is strong.
Chanel is growing so fast now.
With only 6 months until she turns 14, Chanel is nearly as tall as me. She
consistently pushes boundaries, but does more than her fair share around the
house and is a beautiful big sister, particularly to the two little ones. She
is funny, articulate, and in love with too many things that all the other teen
girls love. We wish pop-culture wasn’t so influential. But her heart is good.
She has a great deal of love and empathy for others. And she loves her family,
and especially her grandparents. Chanel is now excelling at the piano – she
really loves it and we have to force her to stop playing, especially when
chores need to be done. And she recently begged to go back to swimming lessons.
She swims in squad a couple of times each week and is a little fish. We call
her ‘Excep – Chanel’ (exceptional).
Abbie is getting close to 11 years now. She has a wonderful
laugh that is authentic and full of life. Abbie’s smile is infectious and we
see it a lot. We are told that she is one of the best students in her grade at
school (year 5) and we cannot get her nose out of books. Abbie is soft,
thoughtful, and remarkably dedicated to everything she does. She is transparent
too, which we love. Abbie started playing the clarinet recently after deciding
she didn’t want to be like her sisters. Her abilities are improving all the
time and we love hearing her play – although we seem to be buying new reeds
every second week! Abbie is also swimming and seems to be really getting the
hang of it. We call her Fabulous Abulous. And she is fabulous.
Ella turned 9 in January. She is a pocket rocket – a real
little dynamo. Ella has more energy than we can contain. She loves to race
around the neighbourhood on her bike, and after several years of difficulty in
social circles, Ella has made a couple of really good friends around our nearby
streets. They play for hours on end. She spends her time teaching them how to play
the guitar – Ella returned to lessons recently after assuring us that we would
never have to hassle her to practise again, and so far she’s made good on her
word. Her guitar playing is actually getting better than mine (although mine
was a pretty low standard). Ella is a book worm as well, and swings from going
a million miles an hour to having her head in a book on a regular basis. She
keeps us on our toes. Her teachers assure us she’s a genius, but her emotional
regulation still provides all of us with challenges. We call Ella “for she’s a
jolly good Ella” – and she is.
Annie is our delight. She turns 6 in a few months, and
started school this year. She is going well, although her soft heart has been
hurt a few times by some of her peers who have teased her for the way she
talks. We are resolving those issues through some speech therapy and through
conversations with the school. It is terribly challenging to see our baby girl
hurt by others’ taunts. But Annie is loved and she knows it. She recently was diagnosed
with eyesight issues and now wears glasses, which was quite a shock for us. But
she loves the glasses and wears them as a status symbol! We’re working on a
nickname for Annie. It has to be cute though… last week she called out to Kylie
and assured her, “Mummy, I’ll never ever run out of kisses for you.” She melts
our hearts.
Lilli turned three years old last week! We cannot believe
that our precious baby is so big now. She is a non-stop talker, she is
assertive, and she is possibly the cutest little girl who ever was born. Lilli
loves hugs, loves sleeping in bed with her big sisters, and loves to say
“hate”. She cracks us up with her ‘hate’ talk, although we don’t like to
encourage it. But she’ll say “hate that” as soon as she has had enough of something.
She’ll talk on the phone to someone she loves but when she’s had enough she’ll
say “hate that person” and hand me the phone. She’ll eat her sandwich and with
two bites to go she’ll say “hate sandwich” and give it back. So funny.
Kylie is the best thing in my life. We are trying to spend
more time together, and have recently begun reading to one another each night
once the kids are in bed. We are really excited that mum and dad have agreed to
watch our children for five days this week so Kylie and I can have a holiday.
It will actually be the first proper holiday that we have had in 15 years – and
the first time we’ve gone away without the children. We’re nervous about
leaving the kids, and we wish we could share the experience with them, but
we’re even more excited about getting time to be together. Kylie spends her
days serving our family and serving others. She is consistently impressing me
with her goodness.
At church Kylie is still the Relief Society president and
I’m the Stake Sunday School president. We are busy with church but both wish we
could find the time to do more.
In other general news, we are finally finished renovating
our home. We have a few small jobs to do but nothing much of any major
substance. We feel so glad to be finished with it, after three years of having
no carpet or walls or stairs, or whatever. I’ve recently begun work on
landscape preparations. We have lots of work to do outside now that inside is
done!
I’m riding my bike several mornings each week and delight in
pushing myself to my limits. My form is a bit off though after being sick a
month ago and then spraining my ankle while I was running. Eww. And I think
that this brings us back up to date. It’s my intention to be more consistent in
writing than I have been in recent times… fingers crossed.
