Category Archives: Parenting

Boys, Parenting

Be Living In Awe

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I like love to control things.  I love to have everything in its place and know my schedule for the next day, even the week ahead.  But I am learning that this need to control doesn’t allow for the awesomeness of God to shine through.  I want to be living in awe.

This week, I made a small commitment to myself to notice when my spirit says “awe”.

Here are a few I want to share with you.

  • Our middle guy talking to daddy on the phone and asking, “how are you feeling Dada?”
  • Biting into a bright, red, locally grown strawberry.   Plus having them all ready and frozen to enjoy during the winter months.
  • Getting an email from a boot camp buddy saying they are thinking of me and praying for me. (Thanks Annette!)
  • See our sick little OC lying in Papa’s arms with a snotty nose.  (I guess only a mom would say “awe” over that one.)
  • My oldest last day of Kindergarten
  • A parking spot in front of the coffee shop
  • Thumb sucking
  • Baby OC getting his own water and spilling it everywhere
  • Reading great blogs from all over the world –Little Duckies, Photos by Andy, 3Monsters, FoodieGardeningClub
  • A rainbow and the boys being able to “see” the treasure
  • Colourful flowers in my mom’s hard
  • A huge worm to go along with the beautiful garden
  • My husband coming home to hugs

“Faith starts with awe…with a mixture of wonder and fear all human beings

feel toward the mystery that envelops us.”

 Harvey Cox, The Future of Faith
Boys, Family, Parenting, psychology

Be Rejected

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To Reject: (OUCH)

1. to refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use

2. to refuse to hear, receive, or admit

Ok boys, here is some motherly advice.  I know in the 21st Century we have all sorts of quick and easy ways to communicate.  Awesome!

But if you are going to reject someone make an effort to do it the old fashioned way:

  • Write a letter and deliver it by hand.  Then run away really fast! (I know my shy guy could even attempt this one.)
  • Pick up the phone and talk to the person, no leaving a message sorry.
  • Better yet, pick up the phone and arrange to meet the person face-to-face.

Never send an email to reject someone, as you will see emails/text/twitter is always read with a more negative slant.  This mode of communication will harm relationships, especially those emails that are “reply all” rejection emails.  OUCH!

How you handle rejection and how you reject others (yes, it is okay to say no) will tell you alot about who you are and who other people are in your life.

Let me sit you down here in our virtual living room boys and tell you a little story.:

I dated a guy in high school.  (Yes, I know shocking! ) We dated and broke up.  (Yup, he isn’t your father.)  Nine years later… yup almost a decade.  I was teaching in a school in the boonies one hour from any type of major town.  I met a woman that was this guy in high school’s aunt.  (Yup, the world in small!)  We had broken up by communicating and we both handled the “rejection” well.  Thus, nine years later this guy’s aunt says: “I hear you are the sweetest girl!”   Yes, rejection hurts, but it is really how you handle it that counts.

Reject away with love, kindness and clear communication.

http://www.wikihow.com/Handle-Rejection 

Boys, Construction, men, Parenting

Be Celebrating Father’s Day

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“The carpenter’s hammer goes rap, rap, rap and the saw goes see saw see.”

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Do you know this Kindermusik song?

This song epitomized our Father’s Day.  It was absolutely wonderful for the boys and Sexy Neck to work together on a few projects.  Our oldest, JC, wanted to make a bike rack for the new house.  The boys got dada a fire pit for the backyard so that we could roast marshmallows.

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We also cooked muffin tin eggs for dada, I think this is something my boys could attempt on their own next year for father’s day – bread, ham, uncooked scrambled egg and shredded cheese in a muffin tin.  Pop it into a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes and viola, lunch for dada.

We also went down to “Purple Park” for a play hang on the new playground and some time at the beach.

As I watched all the children and their father’s coming to the beach, I wondered:

Is Father’s Day really another Mother’s Day?  

Boys, Parenting

Be Mexican and Mediterranean

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I am unsure of which continent my childrens’ palates come from.

Isn’t cooking for and eating with children tricky?

They love their Mexican food so perhaps they are North American after all.  But meat and potatoes they won’t eat.  Turkey dinner with all the trimmings (turkey, potatoes, salad, cranberry sauce, stuffing…) is YUCKY for my boys.

Throw a plate of cheese, meat and olives in front of them, with some raw vegetables and fruit, the plate will be bare before we can give thanks.

Here was our lunch today:

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I combined the best of both Mexican and Mediterranean worlds by adding a few corn chips to the plate!

Next stop: Indian, for dinner!

Boys, Family, health & fitness, Parenting

Be A Cookie Recipe Sharer

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Hands up (or hands down depending what time of girl you are!) the best cookies I have had in a long time!

My neighbour brought over some freshly made cookies and the recipe.  I love this as you get to see and taste the finished product, plus see how it was made.

Chocolate Chip Seed Cookies 

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(From Betty/Lizzie, my tea drinking neighbour)

These are big and yummy and freeze well, if they last that long! 

Back at 350 degrees for 15 minutes (mine were smaller and only took about 12 minutes)

1 1/2 cups of butter

2 cups brown sugar

2 egss

then add 2 cups of cold water

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour (I used 2 1/2 cups of spelt flour)

1/2 tsp soda

3 cups chocolate chips

1 cup raisins

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup sunflower seeds

5 cups quick oats

*You can also add sesame seeds/millet/poppy/flax seeds or whatever you wish.

This is a stiff dough that needs good mixing and makes lots of cookies.  Some people make them large.  I don’t… plop them on the cookie sheets… you can flatten them, but I don’t.  

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Thanks neighbour.  I have made them twice in the last week to share with people.  YUM!