This is very cute and a fantastic video to share with the kids:
A Recipe of Care
January 22, 2012
In my previous post I talked about 2012 being a year of change for our family, knowing without a shadow of a doubt, that amazing things are in store for us! Yet a very important factor here is that we, as a family, should do our part in order to bring those amazing things our way. We can’t sit back and hope that it will all fall in our laps, with no effort on our part.
So, what is our part?
- Taking action — At the start of the new year I made a list of non-negotiable actions I would take, on a regular basis, with my children. Non-negotiable means no excuses to me. In other words, I will do everything in my power to follow through on the resolutions I wrote down. I will share that list with you in a future post.
- Taking time to listen to each other more — Communication, in my opinion, is of paramount significance to family relationships. True listening is setting aside what I want to say in order to listen deeply to what the other has to say. In our case, I am reminding myself to be a better listener as well as pointing out how the kids could improve their listening skills as well. Communication is a fascinating topic which I will definitely touch on, in more detail, in future posts.
- Investing in our most important asset: ourselves! I told my daughter one day that if she practiced her art for one hour every day for five years, at the end of those five years (age 17) she would be an expert amongst others her age, if not those who are older. She really took it to heart and is most often seen sketching or painting, most afternoons. Her brothers have also become interested in developing their talents and dedicating themselves to learning and becoming better.
- Encouraging creativity — I’ve made it a point to do more activities that dip into every form of art that our family enjoys, whether it is through music, painting, singing, dancing, writing, photography, etc. I know that it helps towards developing more right brain/left brain coordination and also adds quite a bit of fun to our daily routines!
These steps are only a beginning. Really and truly, they are very small steps towards the changes that will be taking place in our lives. Yet those small steps, when focused on consistently, will eventually yield awesome results.–And I am so excited about this!
2012 A Year of Change
January 15, 2012
The benefit and the reward of raising a family is so great that it is well worth the hard work that goes along with it! Halfway through the first month of 2012, looking back over 2011, I am thankful.
It’s difficult to believe how fast time has flown! I started this blog in 2009, and three years later I am now officially the mom of teenagers and preteens. What a roller coaster ride this is!–And I love roller coasters!
My kids amaze me, inspire me, frustrate me, and sometimes anger me, yet every day I wake up in love! They touch my life in ways that couldn’t be matched by anything else. I guide them, and they guide me. I teach them, yet they teach me more.
2012 is going to be an exciting year for our family. It is going to be a year of massive internal and external change. It will be a year of growth and going beyond our self-imposed limitations. It is a year of believing that all things are possible in spite of circumstances that seem to pull us down. 2012, a year of change.
One of my resolutions and part of my challenge to change in 2012 is restarting this blog. It is my prayer that my experiences and life lessons will be a blessing to others.
I believe that we parents can encourage each other and learn from each other. I’m looking forward to connecting to other like-minded parents who are ready to face the challenges and rise above them, all the while enjoying every bit of the beauty of living in the “now”, the magical present moment where miracles happen!
If you would like to contribute as an author to this blog, please fill out this form:
Thank you! Happy 2012!
Learning from our Children
February 19, 2009
I never cease to be amazed by a child’s world. So often it is something that I take for granted. A child grows, a child learns, a child grows, a child learns…a child lives! Life is an exciting experience for children because every day they learn so much! We are also continuously learning as adults but the process for us is more tedious and difficult. Yet a child practically absorbs all the knowledge he/she comes in contact with.
My kids teach me something new each day. They are a support when I need them most! One day I was lying on my bed crying. It had been a particularly difficult day and I felt really low. We all have those moments, don’t we? My seven year-old son came into the room and caught my teary eyes. At first I wanted to hide but then my heart told me to just be natural about my emotions around him. Right away he tenderly said, “what’s wrong mommy? Can I help you?” I told him that I was feeling sad and that I was unhappy with myself. I told him a child-version of my problem and my thoughts. He responded by reaching out to me, telling me not to worry, telling me that my negative thoughts were not true. And then, to top it off, he gave me a big hug and told me he loved me. I thought, wow, some people study years of modern psychology in order to be able to do what he had just done!
Kids have such pure faith and a positive outlook on life. We, as parents, teachers, and caretakers, must learn to let them influence our lives!
Thots to Ponder
February 14, 2009
1. When God made the earth He could have finished it. But He didn’t. He left it as raw material–to tease us, to tantalize us, to set us thinking and experimenting and risking and adventuring. And therein we find our supreme interest in living.
2. He gave us the challenge of raw materials, not the satisfaction of perfect, finished things.
3. He left the music unsung, the dramas unplayed. He left the poetry undreamed, in order that we might become, not bored, but engage in stimulating, exciting, creative activities that keep us thinking, working, experimenting, & experiencing all the joys & durable satisfactions of achievement.
Home Level Management
January 31, 2009
Well, as parents, we’re qualified managers. I’m sure of it. I know I am. I might not have a sheet of paper stating that I passed a multilevel management course, but I know full well that I have the skills to pull the job off. Just the fact that I am a mother of five children, ages ranging from 6 to 14, and we manage to keep a daily schedule, get three meals on the table, keep the house clean, stay on top of daily schoolwork, and sort through emotional/social issues, is enough proof. And that’s just a tiny bit of what our exciting lifestyle entails. 
So, since I’m qualified to do so, 
, I will venture to state something about home management:
Our aim, as parents, is to secure peak performance from our children by nudging them to realize their full potential. Sometimes we walk a fine line between offering support and encouragement and pushing a bit. Well, don’t be afraid to prod and shove a little (when appropriate). Don’t be afraid to maintain high ethical standards. There have got to be clearly defined rights and wrongs. In the ends our kids will be thankful that we believed in them enough to encourage their best. The key is LOVE. Real love will see the potential and positively fuel the flame of that potential.
Above all things, have love. Because love really is the most powerful force in the universe.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Cool Links:
I’ve found some interesting sites to enhance the kids’ school.
I’ll post a few here…I won’t describe to much because it’s way to late for me to be up (insomnia has hit) and I’m going to have some vigil time as I try to sleep. So, here they are:
Cybrarian Kids’ Educational Curriculum Site
free art lessons from www.artyfactory.com
The Periodic Table of Videos – University of Nottingham
I hope these sites can be useful to you!
Monday, December 8, 2008
My Kids Make Life Worth Living
Of course there is a whole lot more about life that I love and look forward to, but when it comes to the crunch, those times when I feel like my heart is broken for one reason or another(like now), I look to my kids and see that God has given me an amazing mission. And determined that I am, I do not want to fail that mission.
I want them to become the best originals they can be, not modeled after what I think they should be, or what others think they should be, but what they have been created to be. I want them to be able to use the passion inside to ignite the flame that will lead their way up the path of life. God help me to be the facilitator.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Teens Love One-word Statements
I have a feeling that my teen boy is relieved when I skip the “lecture” and say it in a word. I don’t know why I never noticed this before…hmmm. It’s all coming to me now.
I suppose his imagination is active enough to know what to do when I say, “your bed“! And if I can keep myself from yielding to the temptation of elaboration, I will be giving him an opportunity to exercise his own initiative and stimulate his intelligence. Whether he, upon hearing the word bed, decides to make his bed or jump in for a snooze is yet to be discovered…
Hiking in the Woods…
September 27, 2008
Hiking in the woods with my kids…
That’s one thing I love about apartment living, heh. Well, we happen to have one of the Don Rivers flowing nearby and the area is full of exciting hiking and walking trails. It’s quite rugged and lots of fun. Today it was easy to forget that we’ve moved out of the suburbs to the city.
What else?
Gorgeous sunsets…our apartment faces west and today we saw the sky set on fire…clouds ablaze in every shade of red and orange, even sandy yellow. Then we watched as the darkness crept into the night sky and the clouds turned a deep purple which contrasted beautifully with the fading crimson. We get a light show like this almost every day!
Almost every day we climb the stairs to our 11th floor apartment. We want to climb a mountain someday…I never imagined we would start our training in an apartment!
Photos? None yet. Pray for our camera to get fixed or that we can find a replacement.
In the meantime
September 18, 2008
May was my most active month. While you are waiting for me to post some new stuff, go ahead and review any tidbits you may have missed 
My oldest is now 13 and I am finding out that my communication with him has had to evolve a bit. He is not the child of a few years back. All of a sudden he is taller than me. Boy, time has flown by; it seems like just yesterday he was the animated two year-old running around everywhere.
I’ve had to make a shift in my attitude towards him and treat him as a team player in our family. Now, when an issue comes up, I need to take the time to listen to his feelings and ideas and together come up with solutions that will be right for both of us. I see that we need to put our energy into searching for the kinds of solutions that will fulfill both of our needs as individuals and the needs of our family. When I remember this, things go well. But sometimes I forget and try to tell him what to do without considering his side of things.–I see that it squelches his freedom of choice and I end up losing a valuable co-worker.
Communicating with my son is a learning process for me, something that I have been more keen on learning since I’ve noticed he is growing up and a bit distant at times. I want him to feel respected as I do my best to train him in the way he should go.
As parents, I feel we know what to do for our kids instinctively, but so often the cares of life, familiarity, and preconceived notions can throw us off. God help us to lay aside the myriad of distractions in our lives to focus on what is most important–taking time with our kids and communicating with them effectively.
5 Steps of Efficient Problem Solving:
1. Listen to your kids’ feelings and find out about their needs
2. Share your feelings and needs
3. Brainstorm together to find a solution you both can agree on
4. Write down the ideas as you get them, without discussing them
5. Decide together which ideas you like, which you don’t like, and which you will follow through on
