Pretty much on a daily basis I look around and think to myself "How is this my life?" I feel sometimes out of self preservation I separate myself from my reality as its just too much to take in. The physical, emotional and financial pressure just gets too much and I retreat into a place from which I can ignore it. This is normally my bed. I know that I need to practice self-care, but I also need to be present for my husband and the kids. Juggling my well-being vs theirs has become my daily chore - I guess the most common stress for parents out there. And to be honest their is a fair amount of self pity going on. Gahhh I HATE that.
But I think I am coming out of my current state. Making and eating a batch of cookie dough may or may not have been my low/turning point. So enough about my sob story - do you want to hear about the farm and the boys? Great.
FARM
Ok so we are in full swing wet season. Some days it rains for 15 minutes, others for 15 hours. So the grass is long, the whipper snippers/ grass cutters or whatever you want to call them are all broken and its looking so overgrown haha. The longon fruit is in season and we are trying to sell some when we can. Otherwise we might make the excess into jam or wine.
The pomelos are ripening too, so it shouldn't be too long before we can harvest them. We have a problem with pests in the pomelos, so hopefully the paper bags we wrapped them in will prevent the bugs getting in. The bees are good. Finding it hard to keep a pollen source consistent over here, but they seem to still be laying eggs so thats encouraging.
Goats are good. we are down to about 11 I think now, so a much more manageable amount. We are still hoping one day to fully fence our property so we can let them cut our grass for us. Right now we herd them so that they don't get into our neighbours yard - so that requires someone to walk with them when they are out. Easy to say, but hard keeping up with them on our steep hills! Normally end up with me huffing and puffing and throwing insults at the goats as they frolic up the hill.
Pigs are loving their new free range pen. They have made one corner into the muddiest pit ever and seem to be getting along. No sign of Wilbur being interested in being a daddy pig yet though. Granted he still is a lot smaller than the Mrs, but hopefully we have piglets sometime this century.
Rice was planted last month and is doing well. My garden is doing nicely beside my house. I probably spend way too much time up there willing my plants to grow. They really are quite slow.
KIDS
Boom boom is excelling at school. He's a quick study and always eager to help out. He is an amazing soccer player and competes/plays every second he gets. He is well adapted to the role of older brother - almost too well as he is always picking on the little ones and we have to keep a close eye on how far he takes it.
Wakim is SMART! He loves games (Mum I can't wait to see you two sitting down and playing some good card games with him), art, he's actually really good at volleyball and he is a great older brother too. He is a lot more organised and is a big help to me especially.
Anupong is a sweetie. He and Charlotte often play "Mum and Dad" together and he is getting really good at riding his bicycle. He is getting good at reading, and loves playing all sorts of games.
Lijoo has deferred this year of school. He is going to try to get a job so that he can save money. He is still living at our house, but will be paying some rent to help us with costs and to teach him a bit about responsibility. Bon is doing amazingly at college. He is working part time at the sign printing business and is also renting out our room on Airbnb to help pay for his school fees. He has also bought and paid off a motorbike (thanks Landon!). Really proud of that one.
Ben is doing alright at the farm. He seemed to go into a bit of a slump lately, but looks like he is coming out of it now. His bees are doing ok, and he is hoping to expand them before the nectar flow in February. Nakong has still be living at the farm on and off, but is currently staying with a local man in the village as he crashed one of our bikes after taking it without permission (fun fun). He has been working at the farm and locally, but really doesn't understand the necessity of turning up every day on time and staying until the end of the day. One day I think it will finally sink in (I PRAY).
So that's us. John and Charlotte are doing well. John still struggles a lot with his emotions and gets overwhelmed by EVERYTHING (pretty easy to do). CHarlie is crazy smart and is doing more and more school work, but also follows us all around the farm and likes catching every animal possible around the farm. Just this morning she caught one of our wilder chickens and was hugging it and whispering sweet nothings in its ear. Always entertaining that one.
If you would like to help in a financial way, we would love some support, even if only until our farm is actually supporting us. Monthly donations would be incredible - but here are some small ways in which you could help if monthly isn't an option.
Rice - They eat a lot of this and we currently spend about $80 a month to cover just rice.
Boom boom - we would love to buy him a new pair of soccer boots as his current ones were second hand and they are falling apart - a good pair would start around $60.
Anupong - has no sports shoes. A basic pair would cost around $25.
Wakim - I'd love to start buying him art and fiction books. Any amount could start off a mini library.
BOYS ROOM - We have almost finished the boys room and I would love get a second hand table with a chair and a small bookcase for them to do their homework and keep their school things. I think I could buy these things between $50-$70 all up? Depending on whats available.
GOATS FENCE - If you find yourself with endless money just flowing from your pockets, one paddock for the goats might cost us about $2000. Yep - crazy expensive, but you never know, thought I'd at least put it out there.
PRAYER NEEDS
John and I - that our relationship will only get stronger and we rely fully on God for every single decision
Boys - that they would hunger after God. That they would thrive with us and ALL signs of attachment disorder will vanish and God will heal them from the inside out.
Just general blessings, health and provisions for us all.
One last thing - John has been BEGGING for our entire marriage to get a big bike (250cc plus). He has been through such a rough patch and is such a trooper that we are looking at taking out a small loan and using John's wage to pay it off. It would be a second hand one, and we are obviously looking for a good quality one at a reasonable price. Can you just pray for me? I freak out that we shouldn't buy something that to me seems unnecessary, and would hate for people to think we are not good stewards of Gods provision. So if this is to be, we will get a bargain. If its not to be, then that God will take this desire from John's heart.
So sorry its a long one today. Thanks for your thoughts, love, support and willingness to read this. BE BLESSED xo
No pics on this but I'll upload some onto our facebook today
But I think I am coming out of my current state. Making and eating a batch of cookie dough may or may not have been my low/turning point. So enough about my sob story - do you want to hear about the farm and the boys? Great.
FARM
Ok so we are in full swing wet season. Some days it rains for 15 minutes, others for 15 hours. So the grass is long, the whipper snippers/ grass cutters or whatever you want to call them are all broken and its looking so overgrown haha. The longon fruit is in season and we are trying to sell some when we can. Otherwise we might make the excess into jam or wine.
The pomelos are ripening too, so it shouldn't be too long before we can harvest them. We have a problem with pests in the pomelos, so hopefully the paper bags we wrapped them in will prevent the bugs getting in. The bees are good. Finding it hard to keep a pollen source consistent over here, but they seem to still be laying eggs so thats encouraging.
Goats are good. we are down to about 11 I think now, so a much more manageable amount. We are still hoping one day to fully fence our property so we can let them cut our grass for us. Right now we herd them so that they don't get into our neighbours yard - so that requires someone to walk with them when they are out. Easy to say, but hard keeping up with them on our steep hills! Normally end up with me huffing and puffing and throwing insults at the goats as they frolic up the hill.
Pigs are loving their new free range pen. They have made one corner into the muddiest pit ever and seem to be getting along. No sign of Wilbur being interested in being a daddy pig yet though. Granted he still is a lot smaller than the Mrs, but hopefully we have piglets sometime this century.
Rice was planted last month and is doing well. My garden is doing nicely beside my house. I probably spend way too much time up there willing my plants to grow. They really are quite slow.
KIDS
Boom boom is excelling at school. He's a quick study and always eager to help out. He is an amazing soccer player and competes/plays every second he gets. He is well adapted to the role of older brother - almost too well as he is always picking on the little ones and we have to keep a close eye on how far he takes it.
Wakim is SMART! He loves games (Mum I can't wait to see you two sitting down and playing some good card games with him), art, he's actually really good at volleyball and he is a great older brother too. He is a lot more organised and is a big help to me especially.
Anupong is a sweetie. He and Charlotte often play "Mum and Dad" together and he is getting really good at riding his bicycle. He is getting good at reading, and loves playing all sorts of games.
Lijoo has deferred this year of school. He is going to try to get a job so that he can save money. He is still living at our house, but will be paying some rent to help us with costs and to teach him a bit about responsibility. Bon is doing amazingly at college. He is working part time at the sign printing business and is also renting out our room on Airbnb to help pay for his school fees. He has also bought and paid off a motorbike (thanks Landon!). Really proud of that one.
Ben is doing alright at the farm. He seemed to go into a bit of a slump lately, but looks like he is coming out of it now. His bees are doing ok, and he is hoping to expand them before the nectar flow in February. Nakong has still be living at the farm on and off, but is currently staying with a local man in the village as he crashed one of our bikes after taking it without permission (fun fun). He has been working at the farm and locally, but really doesn't understand the necessity of turning up every day on time and staying until the end of the day. One day I think it will finally sink in (I PRAY).
So that's us. John and Charlotte are doing well. John still struggles a lot with his emotions and gets overwhelmed by EVERYTHING (pretty easy to do). CHarlie is crazy smart and is doing more and more school work, but also follows us all around the farm and likes catching every animal possible around the farm. Just this morning she caught one of our wilder chickens and was hugging it and whispering sweet nothings in its ear. Always entertaining that one.
If you would like to help in a financial way, we would love some support, even if only until our farm is actually supporting us. Monthly donations would be incredible - but here are some small ways in which you could help if monthly isn't an option.
Rice - They eat a lot of this and we currently spend about $80 a month to cover just rice.
Boom boom - we would love to buy him a new pair of soccer boots as his current ones were second hand and they are falling apart - a good pair would start around $60.
Anupong - has no sports shoes. A basic pair would cost around $25.
Wakim - I'd love to start buying him art and fiction books. Any amount could start off a mini library.
BOYS ROOM - We have almost finished the boys room and I would love get a second hand table with a chair and a small bookcase for them to do their homework and keep their school things. I think I could buy these things between $50-$70 all up? Depending on whats available.
GOATS FENCE - If you find yourself with endless money just flowing from your pockets, one paddock for the goats might cost us about $2000. Yep - crazy expensive, but you never know, thought I'd at least put it out there.
PRAYER NEEDS
John and I - that our relationship will only get stronger and we rely fully on God for every single decision
Boys - that they would hunger after God. That they would thrive with us and ALL signs of attachment disorder will vanish and God will heal them from the inside out.
Just general blessings, health and provisions for us all.
One last thing - John has been BEGGING for our entire marriage to get a big bike (250cc plus). He has been through such a rough patch and is such a trooper that we are looking at taking out a small loan and using John's wage to pay it off. It would be a second hand one, and we are obviously looking for a good quality one at a reasonable price. Can you just pray for me? I freak out that we shouldn't buy something that to me seems unnecessary, and would hate for people to think we are not good stewards of Gods provision. So if this is to be, we will get a bargain. If its not to be, then that God will take this desire from John's heart.
So sorry its a long one today. Thanks for your thoughts, love, support and willingness to read this. BE BLESSED xo
No pics on this but I'll upload some onto our facebook today
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