What does one say in their very first web-blog entry ... but "hello"!

I am Marina (43), married to John (53) for a little over nine years (we met socially whilst learning ballroom dancing), and we now have three rambunctions sons:  David (8), James (7) and Blake (3), and one little angel already gone to God early pre-term (I named her Edith Anne).

Almost a year ago we moved from suburbia to a 5 acre block of land (http://www.wrightfamily.com.au/) situated on the cusp between the beautiful Adelaide Hills and the Barossa Valley.  It was something our family desperately needed after some very difficult years nursing my mother-in-law (who was a wonderful woman).

I am blessed to have my husband home with me through the days, which is such a boon with our journey in home educating our young sons.  This is an education option which we chose for three main reasons:

1.  to shelter them in their younger years from the frightening statistics of early drug and sexual expriences, as well as assault (schoolyard bullying);

 

2.  because so much research across the globe showed that both the academic and socialisation outcomes for homeschooled children were at least equivalent, but often superior, to that of mainstream schooled children; and

 

3.  to ensure that our children received a proper and thorough understanding of the faith in which they are to be raised.

Apart from the many challenges that any wife, mother and home-maker has, I also suffer from fibromyalgia (http://www.medicinenet.com/fibromyalgia/article.htm) - we have good days and bad days, but we have made much progress over the last year, thanks to the help of an alternative chiropractor and, more recently, a naturopath who specialises in nutritional therapy.

Long before I married and we had children, I was always very interested in herbal medicine and the toxins in our environment, so it was almost like a natural progression that we eventually found ourselves lead to become members of Neways (http://www.neways.com.au/), manufactures and sells non-toxic, cruelty free, and environmentally friendly, personal hygiene, nutritional supplementation and household products.  It is through the use of a number of these products that I have managed to regain some of my health, and also made the important contacts to the two therapists who have made such a difference in my fight back from the fatigue and pain of fibromyalgia.

Cheers  ~  Marina