Bullet point update :)

Our house, we've got the basement and the ground floor,
a lovely newly wed couple is living upstairs.

Here is another summary post, there is just so much to share and so little time! I've managed to post photo's about most of the things we get up to. If there is something you would like to know about life over here or the way people do things, food etc just let me know and I'll try to write/take photo's about it. So here is the bulletin point summary in no particular order. 

• Sonlight Curriculum - It's ordered and hopefully here this week! This is the one area that I'm scared about so please keep me and the girls in prayer with regard to this. The girls are excited and are looking forward to school. 
• Kingdom Builders - This is a homeschooling co-op that I have joined. We went for the first time last week. It is very well organised and all the mums (expect me for now) do some teaching. It is good for the girls to see some other kids. Interestingly almost all of the moms/families are from the URC. 
• Swimming Lessons - Both Kate and Zara have started this week, and are doing very well. It is really a necessity here as the only pools the girls have been swimming in are private pools. Public pools are rare and if there are some they are very expensive. A few of our friends have allowed us the use of their backyard pools. This is very nice but they have no shallow end, so it is a bit of a problem for Zara as she can't stand. I managed to pick-up a lifejacket at a second-hand store to keep her safe. 
• Munster Masters Swimming Club - I've joined this club and have been swimming about 3 times a week with options to swim up to about 6 times a week. The pool is a private high school pool. It has a diving well and is an Olympic size pool (50 mtrs). As part of the club there is a coach who writes us a programme to do each session. I've gone from swimming 2000 yards three times a week to swimming 2600 yards three times a week. I've been able to finance this by doing some dogsitting and ironing for the neighbour! Sorry Trish and Brydie but swimming is a LOT better than running! :)
• Sunday School and Gems - The girls have started Sunday School this week which they thoroughly enjoyed! I went to the adult Sunday School (biblestudy) while the girls went to theirs. For the Wanganui/Palmerston Church readers, guess what book we are studying? Joseph and Judah! The girls have joined Gems but it hasn't started yet. 
• Church - I'm not sure if we have mentioned where we are going. We have joined Redeemer URC as a student members. Albert's mentor will be the pastor which is very nice. If you get the time to listen to some of Rev Roets sermons, you won't be disappointed. 
• Weather - I'm not sure you would like to know ;), it's still warm and still grateful for aircon!
• Seminary Wives - I went to my first meeting this week. A record number of wives turned up! WOW! There are 9 students in Albert's year with 8 married. I'm looking forward to getting to know the wives and their families a lot better over the years. Some of their stories are simply fascinating! I'm loving the contact and social side! 
• Jobs - Albert has started this week by cleaning the seminary! (Mum you can be proud of your son!). I'm doing some ironing for my neigbour and I have done some dogsitting as well for them. I'm also looking at putting some flyers around the neighbourhood to do some dogwalking/dogsitting for people. 
• Couponing - Well this almost deserves a post on it's own but a brief mention here :). I have got the paper delivered in order to get the coupons as this seems to be the way to shop especially for toiletries items and get some extras like chocolate. I have also subscribed to some blogs that are dedicated to finding the best deals with the coupons. We have been able to get A free donut, half price icecream sundae (for our anniversary dinner), some free toys, very cheap shampoo, milk etc. I could spend all day everyday on this and so have decided to buy everything that I can at Aldi's and the rest I'll get with coupons hopefully. I also sign up for as many free samples that come through to the blogs and so I've been able to get samples and more coupons in the mail. 
• Seminary Registration and Retreat - Albert wrote about this here and said in that post that I would give some of my thoughts, well here they are briefly! First of all, I'm very guilty of throwing the waterbaloon at Albert when he wasn't looking! I was able to go with Albert without the girls for both days. One of the other seminary wives looked after my girls the first day (I made her a meal) and then the second day Flo at the seminary organised a babysitter. I thoroughly enjoyed the days, meeting the professors (and their humor, Albert needs to up his game I think!), meeting the other students and their wives and being encouraged in our journey for the next three years.