Have I been a "bad" mum???

I was sitting next to this church member and her husband during a dinner function when we started talking about our kids. A highly recommended topic and more exciting than talking about the weather when one is trying to avoid gossip...since this is after all a church event. But what struck me was that as parents, these two have never once shouted at their kids (forget about the hitting part). I must have looked totally flabbergasted because how can anyone NOT shout at their kids?????? I finally consoled myself that they must have been blessed with three great kids because mine were little terrors when they were young especially D....although E wasn't any better during her teenage years. But there is still this nagging guilt....did I overdo it? When I think of the shouting and the screaming and the hitting that went on in the house, I shudder!

On one hand I over discipline them, yet on the other hand, I over pamper them and do everything for them to such an extent that they never get the chance to do things for themselves or learn to be independent. In hindsight I can now see where I have gone wrong. I am not saying that kids should not be disciplined when they are naughty. Even the bible teaches us not to spare the rod; but perhaps not to the extent I discipline mine. And I am also not saying that pampering our kids is wrong. I am just saying that as parents we must know where to draw the line. By over protecting our kids, we are hampering their growth as responsible, independent adults. If I am given another chance, I will want to do it all again....only this time differently.

Still getting to grips with Facebook

I have been going crazy over FB... to put it mildly. For the whole of last week I was so busy setting up my aquarium, adopting a pet, enlisting ninja fighters, sending flowers, throwing cakes, giving gifts etc. to friends that I neglected my housework......not that there is very much to do anyway. But since my daughter will be coming home over the next couple of days, I guess its about time for me to give the house a "once over".....before she goes tsk tsk tsk when she sees the layer of dust that has sort of crept in over.......(I do not want to incriminate myself here by giving a time line) And for the "more matured" readers of my blog, here's a peep of my aquarium which I have in FB.....don't u just love the fishes??

Launching of the Jewelry Club

Two weeks after launching, sales are still strong. Who would have thought that my hobby of the month can generate so much interest from church members. A lot of the sales are from repeat customers asking for special orders and also from their friends who want to have what they have. ....trust women to do that! Because I don't charge for workmanship, the pieces are really cheap and prices generally range from AUD3.00 to AUD20.00 depending on the price of beads. Mind you, similar pieces on sale in retail outlets would set you back by more than double the price. Of course the other good thing about buying is that more than 50% of the price you pay goes towards the church fund. I am also willing to take orders from outside Adelaide, so let me know what you want, and I will give you "the look, without the price" effect. For interested parties, we can send you designs to choose from.