Coconut Cocoa Truffles (Sugar-Free)
These sweet morsels have been a perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea in our home this week; I’ve shared them with friends as well as keeping a secret stash in the fridge for moi!
There are lots of these ball/bar type of recipes going around but I find they are full of dates and dried fruit which makes them SO high in fructose – so here’s a great alternative!
Here’s what you need:
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup oats (gluten free oats would make it, well, gluten free!)
1/3 cup of dessicated coconut
2 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa (raw, organic if you can)
2 tablespoons natural nut butter
1/3 cup of rice malt syrup (maple syrup or local/raw honey will work fine too but then they won’t be fructose free)
1/4 cup of whatever you’d like to add to them; raisins, chocolate chips, chopped nuts etc. I’ve been…
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The Struggle for Sound
“The voice of the sea speaks to the soul”
Kate Chopin
Everyone has a voice; whether quiet or loud, whether it’s through speech or sculpture, singing or sketching, cooking or caring – everyone has a voice. We’re lead to believe that he who shouts the loudest is heard; is powerful – has influence. I’m not sure I agree; it’s sound that shapes us. Just this morning I was playing (on YouTube, not for real – now that would be awesome!), Vivaldi’s ‘Winter’ from his violin concertos. I closed my eyes and allowed the silvery notes to cascade over me; my children looked on and asked “are you OK Mum?”, I answer with a smile “Yes, just allowing the sound to connect with my soul”, they’ve laugh lovingly and knowingly. That’s what sound does – it connects, it moves, it changes & it challenges us.
Our voice, influence and impact is…
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Your life is SO much bigger than today – Eternal Perspective Part 1
Afternoon light fading in the school room
I have a friend; a beautiful arty friend (I really admire ‘arty’ people), who lived in a small house in the early years of her married life. She and her husband set up a cute little studio in their small cellar. She’s the kind of crafty/creative type who can cut up bits of old books and pretty papers and make a master piece out of it .
One day I popped in to see my friend; she was working in her studio and had lots of little pretty pieces of paper all over her desk; they were arranged in a particular way that was important to her work. Whist I was down there her husband came down, and at this point I can’t quite remember what he did, or why he did it but he either blew, or set something big down on…
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Why it’s OK to have a hero (and be one)
“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Christopher Reeve
The problem with ‘superheroes’ is that they’re all capes and disguise; they’re driven by hate or hurt or hardship – but we love them! We love it when they fight baddies overcome their obstacles and take over the world!
I have a 6 year old son who is pretty much superhero obsessed. He talks about them, draws them, writes their names over and over (and over) again; he acts out superhero scenarios and of course dresses up as them. He often tries to educate me in the world of superheroes; you know, facts like the importance of knowing the difference between DC and Marvel. Dave and I sat down to watch a Marvel super hero film a few weeks ago; as the movie started I happened to ask…
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Under Construction
Yep – I’ve jumped back in feet first; I’m sat here waiting for my ‘real foods’ package to arrive (in serious need of rice malt syrup), the table is covered in papers I’m working on, big kids are out Geocaching and my little ones are wiping blue chalk off my living room coffee table…as they got it on there but in this ‘imperfect’ moment I’m popping on to tap our some words.
If you’re new here a big hello to you *waves* and if you’re an golden oldie Home Grown Babies follower then thanks for coming back. I was tinkering about with this blog for a few years when my children were younger…and I was younger; but lots has changed but some things have stayed the same. So I’ll endeavour to update the pics and bio; give you a little peak into our home-schooling, whole-food eating, church leading, spirit filled life and hope you’ll visit from time to time.
My package has arrived – my little ones are trying to open it; so before they squeeze out my fluoride free toothpaste and throw the raw cacoa powder around the living room I’ll bid you adieu!
Leah
Passing up perfection…
“If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content.”
Leo Tolstoy, Ann Karenina
I’m on a continued journey to discover who I am, what I’m about and how I ‘tick’; aren’t we all? I love doing personality tests; I often don’t agree with them but when I do, boy do they get me!
Apparently I’m a perfectionist – not one of those that obsessively cleans their home (I wish) or irons tea-towels, no; I’m the kind of perfectionist who won’t attempt a task unless I can put 100% into it and do it ‘properly’. Take my dirty kitchen floor for instance, I walk across it a million times a day and tell myself it needs cleaning…and when that ‘perfect moment’ occurs (kids in bed, drank my tea, house is quiet – you know!) it takes me 5 minutes to complete the task, which I could have done at ANY time of the day!
I’m the same about most things. I’m done with it. But I’m not done; I’m a perfect work of grace in progress and I’m glad that God doesn’t look for that ‘perfect moment’ (when I am ‘perfect’) to work on me, as He really wouldn’t find it.
“You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.”
Brene Brown
Perfection is His peace, alive in me, guarding my heart and mind. Perfection is His grace washing over me, everyday. Perfection is knowing His gifts in my life are the everyday blessings of husband, home, children, food on my table and life in my bones.
Perfection is reading back on this blog and seeing God’s amazing grace and love in my life.
There’s never a perfect moment in a busy mothers life to sit, and write words that feed souls; especially mine
So, I’m going to try and find awkward, busy, loud, full, peaceful, real, quiet and wrong moments – not ‘perfect’ moments to write on this blog.
Here I am
That’s all I’ve got!
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”
2 Corinthians 5:21
See you soon…
Leah
We’re still standing!
I guess I left without an explanation – apologies for that!
I’m enjoying a blogging-free year…and do feel I won’t be returning to ‘Home Grown Babies’ – we’re growing a little round here!
I’ll be journalling our home schooling days a couple of times a month over at ‘Charlotte Mason Conversations’ linking up with the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival.
Thanks to all those who pop by now and again – and thank you for your recent comments checking up on us; we’re doing great! Loving Jesus and each other – enjoying life in all its simplicity and adventure.
Blessings from our home to yours!
Leah
P.S I’m still busy tweeting @leahboden and am an avid IG user – leahvboden – come over and say hi!
Five Minute Friday: Quiet
Quiet
So it turns out I’m an introvert!
Myers Briggs told me so; I mean I’m not extreme – we wouldn’t want that would we? I’m a ‘moderate’ introvert but I think I already knew, just never would have used that term.
I knew when my beautiful outgoing Norwegian friend was sat next to me in my car last week and she told me she was an introvert. WHAT? I exclaimed, YOU? Then I knew, I was too.
I like the quiet. I like to recharge in my own company, in solitude, in a restful environment.
My idea of a perfect night in is to curl up with a great book or sit here tapping out words formed from my quiet place.
Susanna Wesley, mother of 19 liked the quiet – she would pull her apron over her head and pray. Her children knew when mother was covered with her apron they were not to disturbed her!
So don’t worry if I’m silent for a while or you find me amidst a beautiful cacophony of 4 children with an apron over my head! I’m just recharging – making sure I’m the best me I can be!
Education of the heart
A glimpse of a small corner in our favourite second-hand book shop (shhh, take a peek here)
We hold that all education is divine, that every good gift of knowledge and insight comes from above, that the Lord the Holy Spirit is the supreme educator of mankind, and that the culmination of all education (which may, at the same time, be reached by a little child) is that personal knowledge of and intimacy with God.
— Charlotte Mason
We home educating mothers can so easily get caught up in the cyber chatter, the curriculum clearing and the creativity conceiving as we out work this day-to-day life of ‘schooling’ our children.
We read, we listen, we search, we print, we check, we admire, we share, we read again, we help, we hear, we instruct…
But do we really live; lead by The divine educator?
Our first and foremost responsibility to our children is to point them to Jesus; are we raising our little ones to follow rules, obey at all costs and do as I say? Or are we laying down foundations for life; forming an internal stream of consciousness that flows from wisdom and understanding; a gift from our heavenly Father?
We pray that our children would make wise choices and Godly decisions; our responsibility then as parents is to teach them diligently the Word of God; not just to hear and obey but to love and live all that its pages contain.
Without the Holy Spirit the Words of Genesis through to Revelation could be conceived as another great living book; but we must impress on our children that it is God breathed, inspired and alive for us today.
We must pray before we open the pages of the Bible for the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we might know Him better. (Eph 1:17)
Just as the pilgrim Christian was inspired on his journey, strengthened in persecution, saved from death and resisted temptation, because of what he’d read in The Book and his love for The King; let’s pray that our Children’s hearts are caught with a love for King Jesus and a passion to follow His words.
Soul time for Mum; cultivating my heart so I can cultivate their’s
Our children may be fluent in latin, have knowledge of every type of fungi in northern Europe, can recite 20 Blake poems and sing like a lark but is their heart turned towards Jesus; the creator of all living things; the One Miss Mason pleads us to admire the handy work of on a daily basis? This is not book knowledge; this is heart turning and life transforming (which may, at the same time, be reached by a little child).
Lets ensure that our precious children know that this is a priority in our lives as well as for them; that before the sketching, the narrating, the writing and forming the habit of not fighting; before the conceding and reading and heeding of their mothers voice, there’s His voice, Jesus – the giver of life and the lover of our soul.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give
you everything you need. Matthew 6:33
Two (simple) reasons why I love being at home
1. We get to do life together; all day, everyday. This morning around the breakfast table we had a Holy Spirit inspired conversation about the bible being our foundation for living; how we deal with temptation and what the Word of God says about what we watch and read.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phil 4:8
We talked, we shared stories, we prayed and we took much longer over breakfast…because we can. These conversations are not planned; they’re not part of a devotional or a curriculum; they’re born out of love and T.I.M.E spent around my children; time eating, sharing life and loving Jesus together. These conversations are precious, transforming and eternal. 
2. My children get to grow up around each other When I see the way Nyah (10) is with her little sister Sienna-Raine (21 months) I can’t imagine them being apart all day; I’m not saying we have sibling perfection in our house; oh no, not at all – but they get to learn all those lessons within the safety of these four walls. Every day they get an opportunity to learn about serving each other, showing grace, dealing with conflict, team work, patience, keeping a short account – of which many of these lessons I haven’t had a chance to learn until adult life! The learning is observed by this gracious mama (smile), and we know when each child needs some ‘quiet’ time or a solo-date with Mum or Dad but for the most part we get on with life together; becoming more like Jesus because of it! 
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. 1 Thess 4:11
Why do you love being at home?
Home Grown Babies 