Easter

The school holidays have officially started. The kids are excited to be going to my Dad's this weekend for Easter.
 Easter means very little in our household. Its a chance for the kids to get chocolate. Its more about family than a religious occasion. We can't even celebrate the pagan equivalent because its not for another 6 months.

Water Only Hair Washing

I decided to stop using Shampoo and Conditioner at the start of the year. One reason was that I wanted to stop using chemicals and unnatural products but the main reason was I wanted to see if it worked.

 I'd read that if you wash your hair in water only (meaning you have to really scrub your hair and scalp - you can't just rinse it in water) after about 6 weeks the natural oils in your hair will regulate and you'll have healthy   bouncy hair.

 I did this for 6 weeks and couldn't take it any more. It would get dirty very quickly and seemed very oily at the back. The only plus side was I used to get one itchy spot on my scalp. It didn't matter what brand I used the detergent made this one spot itch. Since water only that spot does not get itchy.

 So I started using Bi-carb Soda to wash my hair and Apple Cider Vinegar diluted in water to condition my hair.

 So far I'm loving it! My hair is clean and it doesn't irritate my scalp.

Tuesdays are my "alone" day. If I'm not working I'm playing the guitar.

 Today I'm not feeling it so I've asked my sister around to help me go through  the kids toys and take some to the op shop.

 I went for a bike ride with the 2 older girls and that's been the extent of my day.

 My children have a ridiculous amount of toys.

Monday

Monday *sigh*

 Mondays are always the same. Off to the office to pack the orders from the weekend.... See you on the other side...

Shift

So my "point form, mundane days to day activities to keep track of how I spend waste my time" seems to have gone out the window.

 Today I've cleaned the kitchen and played a facebook game! (It is Sunday...)

 I guess if I have something to blog about, I'll blog about it.

 I did try the Pagan Blog Project over at Tumblr and ended up making one post.

 I took the 2 little girls out yesterday in the kids seat on the back of my bike (Kids seat? I don't know what to call it, I want to call it a trailer). They LOVED it. I only went around the block (I live in a small country town - its a big block) and I almost died!

 I'm so unfit. Since I quit smoking I've gained 10 kilos. (Which is why I now have a bike!).

 I'm going to need to slowly build up my fitness levels.

Its so much fun hauling the kids around.

Now I need to go grocery shopping and when the baby wakes up I'll take the girls for another ride.

I'm thinking of packing some orders this afternoon to get a jump on them for tomorrow.

Consumerism

I try not to buy things brand new. Some things you just have to, like underwear and certain kitchen appliances. But most things, you don't.
 When I had babies I always bought prams, cots etc second hand.

 I had this vision of a factory with a conveyor belt loaded with prams coming out of the building and falling off the end of the belt into land fill. I can't imagine how much perfectly good furniture etc that is just being thrown away.

 So when I can, its second hand. My partner goes to op shops regularly looking for bargains. He bought me home a professional juicer for $10! Those things are worth $100's.

 Today we did the rounds of some garage sales. I've been looking for a push bike for a while. They are roughly $80 second hand.  Adam had picked one up for me from the op shop for $5 but it turned out it was a large girls bike, so it was too small.

 Today we came across this at one of the garage sales.



We asked the guy how much he wanted. He said "I dunno, what do you want to pay?"

 We stood there for a while contemplating.... He probably wants about $80 for it, we'd be willing to pay $50 but we didn't' want to throw a number out there. (Adam and I were thinking exactly the same thing).

 So I mentioned that'd we'd picked up a bike recently for $5. So the guy says... How about $5 for that and $5 for that....

 You want $10 for the lot??

 SOLD! And I can take the little girls in the back! They'll love it.

When to cast...

It seems the further you walk your witchcraft path the less magic you need to perform. Its as thought awakening yourself to the true nature of reality and the interconnectedness of all things allows everything to fall into place and life runs so much more smoothly.

 I rarely make magic these days. Full-on ritualistic spells are a thing of the past. There is just no need. I find I don't need to manipulate the fabric of space and time to get what I want because allowing myself to flow with the energy of the universe invites everything I want and need to come into my life.

 My magic nowadays consists of simple hearth magic, home remedies, looking after my family and friends.

But occasionally something comes up that requires a huge magical boost. Its in those times that I'm grateful for the study I've done and the skills I've honed. You just never know when its going to come in handy.

Compass Round

As an Australian practitioner of witchcraft it can be difficult reconciling a magical path when much of what we're taught relates to the lay of the land in the Northern Hemisphere.

 I use elements/directions in my spellcraft but I've had to wing it and create my own compass.

 I live on the East Coast of Australia.

To the north lay the equator, the sun and Fire.
To the East lay the sea, the South Pacific Ocean and Water
To the South lay the cool antarctic winds and Air
To the West lay the great expanse of our magnificent country and Earth


 

And its in these directions that I call upon the elements to join me in my working.

Lost

• Coffee
• Laylas up/dressed/ready/gone to school
• more coffee

 I'm at a bit of a loss. I've got 1000 things to do but can't think of any of it. Normally I'd be studying but I'm waiting for the next intake of the course so the pressure is off at the moment.

 There is always something to do, like laundry. My partner does the washing but he doesn't put it away. We end up with piles of folded washing all over the place. I tend to go through it looking for clothes and he gets annoyed that I've unfolded his washing! LOL So every now and then I have to sweep through the house and put away all of the washing. Today is one of those days....

 Whatever I do today, I need to go and do it!

 In my quest to document all of the time wasting things I do, I've found another one, I've added even more blogs to my daily reading list!! lol

Happy... whatever.

Another Wiccan holiday upon us. It always makes me a little bit crazy when my social media feeds are full of Sabat greetings...
 I may have studied and practiced witchcraft for almost 20 years but I have never followed a witchcraft religion and I do not follow the wheel of the year. When these holidays occur I always feel as though some part of my path is lacking - or more to the point - that others feel that my path is lacking.

 I've just never felt it. I'm Australian, we have a limited history and culture. The heritage that I can lean on (Irish/English and further back French) just doesn't blend well with my Southern Hemisphere environment.

 I tried practicing the witchcraft religion and it felt forced. My heart wasn't in it. So I leaned to the practical side of witchcraft and its where I feel most comfortable.

 When I see those in "my" online community wishing each other a "Happy Ostara" (or whichever festival it happens to be at the time) I feel like its not my community at all.

 I dunno... it just serves to remind me of how different my path is to the typical witchcraft path and that reminder pops up every few months.

Thursday already?

 Its not even 9am yet. Kids are off to school and kinder. This is the day that Adam and I are home with Lumen all day.
 Its nice to get some one on one time with the baby without the bigger kids getting jealous and jumping in.

 Today I'll be at the office, packing orders.

Then off to see Adam's Dad in hospital as he's just had a knee replacement.

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 Orders are all done for the day. I SHOULD clean the office. But I can't be bothered. I think I'll just go read a book.

 I'm reading A Grimoire for Modern Cunningfolk: A Practical Guide to Witchcraft on the Crooked Path. By Peter Paddon. My partner gave it to me for Christmas but I'm only just getting about to reading it.

 So far I love it.

• Got up
• Coffee
• Got Laylas lunch ready
• cleaned the kitchen while watching the real housewives of Vancouver
• wasted time on facebook
• tried to play guitar but my finger tips are sore from yesterday. - I don't play often so my fingers aren't toughened up yet. I'm dying to do a version of Tori Amo's song God. Someone requested it ages ago.

Right now I'm going to the office to pack orders.

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Tuesday

I suffer badly from stage fright. When no-one is home and I have the time I record and upload songs to youtube.

 I started doing this as a way of sharing my music with my friends and family who don't get to see me live...

•  8.30am - Kids are off to school and Kindergarten
• Its just Lumen and I at home
• Just having a coffee and wasting time online - Facebook and youtube are my biggest time wasters.

Plans for the Day

• I had planned to complete my diet modification project but it looks like I'm pulling out of the course and reapplying for the April intake. So I now have 4 weeks on my hands.
• I might record a song for Youtube, but this is not something I plan. If something decent is captured I'll upload it, if not, it was just practice. ;)  Tuesday are the only Day I can do this as my Partner isn't home. My stage fright is so shocking I can't even play in front of him. Tuesday it also the day because my middle daughter isn't home and she's the one that makes all the noise in the house. :D
• I guess I'll clean something...

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 Still here.... on facebook talking about my Adv.Dip in Western Herbal Medicine instead of actually working on it! lol.

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 Adam and Adel are back from school and kinder... and I spent the whole day playing guitar. So, I did nothing.
 Its only the afternoon though so I'm going to the office to pack orders.

So I'm starting a daily (or when I remember) blog to record my day to day activities. I just want to have a record of how I spend my time, where my energy is going and hopefully to motivate me to NOT waste my days. I was doing this in a paper journal but I've decided to take it online.

 So far today ...

• Coffee
• Got Layla ready for school
• Mucked around with this blog....

Normally on a Monday I would be packing orders from the weekend... So that's what I'm about to do. But before I do that I need to pay the bills.
~~~~~
 So I just got electrocuted. I took the lead from my laptop out of the plug and accidentally touched one of the pins. Whoops. There must have still been electricity flowing through it. Strange sensation.

 So I'm out in the office, we've been going through a heat wave for the last few weeks and today its raining and almost cold. There is a sign writer down the road that has a wood fire in his shed. I love the smell of an open fire.
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 Just got back from the post office. I had to make a run to pick up some packaging tape and stamps. I've sent off the bigger parcels that I have to go onto the post office to send and I have stamps for the smaller ones that I can drop in the post box.

 I grabbed some groceries for the next couple of days. Adam is making Vindaloo tonight so I might find some time to finish off my dietary modification project for my WHM course.

 Just having lunch now and playing on blogger. I really doubt my entries will be this detailed. I just love new things. :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 So I've spend the afternoon trying to decide if I want to withdraw from my course and re-enrol in the next intake because they've changed the course format and all of the exams are online now rather than having to find and external supervisor.

Not how I had planned to spend my day but if I do this it will free up my next 4 week as I can't re-enrol until April.

 Its almost time to leave the office and get back to the kids and the house work...

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 So much for point form! lol

 Time to watch The Walking Dead and go to sleep :D