SURPRISES!

So today we started working on a couple of projects. Our first project is our Father's day surprise for Daddy.  We never do anything huge for mothers day or Fathers day we just try to make it special.  I was planning on taking pictures of this project but after taking pictures of the first item needed my battery died.  I also can not blog about what this item actually is because my husband ACTUALLY reads my blog.

This is Caleb. Instead of using the liquid glue for his creation he used it to cover his whole entire body.  So lesson learned this simple project is not age appropriate.  He had fun though.  We had auntie Cara help us out which was awesome because.... seriously between making a roast Chicken and dealing this project and a whiny 5mth old I would have been TOAST! :)

Can not wait to disclose.. I am actually proud of my craft skills

Sweet potato and Chorizo soup

My good friend Jess came over yesterday and decided to make us dinner.  She has been joining us many evenings to have dinner with us and it was so nice to have someone else do the cooking. :)

I will post a pic when I'm not laying in bed and too lazy to get up and get the computer.

The soup was a hit. Caleb, Jess, Gabriel and myself gobbled it up.

WARNING SOUP CONTENTS ARE ON THE SPICY SIDE.

Sweet Potato soup recipe

2 large yams
2 medium onions
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
parsley
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp chili powder
2 litres of chicken stock
2 links of Chorizo
1tbsp oil
1 chili pepper

heat oil in pan.  coarsely chop onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and yams and chorizo. Add to pan and cook over medium to high heat until sweet potatoes are cooked but not too soft. Stir in chili powder.  add chicken stock and half cup of parsley.  Bring to boil and the simmer until sweet potatoes are soft.  Puree in blender and serve with chopped chili, parsley and sour cream as garnish.

Yield. 10 servings.

Today I thank Jesus for giving me one more day with my youngest son!  This might sound like a dramatic statement since he is not sick or dying or even ailing in anyway.

I was awakened by shrieking this morning, and as I stumbled to Samuel's crib I muttered "chill out Sammy, I am coming". I walked into his room to find him fully smothered by his blankets.  He had managed to roll over, turn himself around, and maneuvered himself under his blankets.  When I uncovered him he gasped for air just laid still.

Long story short HE IS FINE, but I am thanking Jesus that I woke up at the right time and that I made it to his bed before it was too late.

Thankyou Jesus :)

Caleb F.

Dilema here .. I have a boy who has been refusing to change clothes. He bathes and showers still but will not let me wash or change his clothes. He would love to sleep in them, or puts them on when he wakes up first thing in the am.  O MY!! Fashion diva.

He will wear mismatched socks but wont let me change his clothes! Funny boy.

SAMUEL ROY

I tried to put this milestone off for as long as I possibly could.  Samuel has been snacking on grains of rice for the past few weeks when we have it for dinner.  He loved it.  His little mouth would chew and spit and chew and spit working out the texture of this new taste and feel that entered his mouth.   Well with each meal he would squeak and squirm more and more.  Tonight I made baked yams and with the intent to divide some up and throw it in the freezer for my little lad.  I had promised myself this time around that Solid foods would NOT begin before his 6mth bday.

Well tonight he had yams.  He was screaking at me as we sat down to eat.  I took some of mine and gave him a taste and now this is the beginning of the end...... BOOOOO.

 Yummy mum.. give me more

 Ok.. I didnt feed him such a big bite..

mmm this is what I have been waiting for :)

PH and Yeast

I think we have successfully conquered the yeast/ph issue. I blogged about this a little while ago and was concerned over the reoccuring issues we were having.

the solution for us was to simply switch diaper brands. we had always used huggies for Caleb and had never had an issue and I thought that I should try switching back to them with Samuel to see if they would make a difference 1. they a leak proof. This is key because he is a HUGE pooper. 2. Just to see if they would make a difference.

BANG. within 24 hrs no yeast to be found. WOOP... so it is def worth it for us to pay the $39 instead of purchasing no name or other brands of diapers. Hope this will help any mommas dealing with similar issues

copied from the {in} courage - home for the hearts of women.

MAY 20, 2011

Loaded weapon

Tags: Everyday Faith, Family, Imperfection, Stories

“… do not exasperate your children;
instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
~ Ephesians 6:4

I have a love/hate relationship with cell phones.

I’m thankful for the many conveniences they afford, but I despise the potential temptations, distractions and dangers associated with them, especially as they pertain to children.

In conversation with parents…involved parents…I’ve been alarmed to discover their naïveté.

Smart parenting demands intention; it’s all too easy for parents to frustrate children with “Because I said so” even when sometimes that IS the answer! Because I’ve seen one too many heads in the sand, would you allow me to to be a Titus 2 (ahem) “older woman” for you, to offer a few practices and safeguards to consider if you’ve made the decision to allow your children to have a cell phone? Let’s agree up front this choice is debatable, but rather than argue the benefit of either side, my intent is to offer advice for those who plan to (or already) allow their children cell phone use.

There’s no magical age a child is ready to assume this privilege, but take into consideration his levels of maturity and responsibility, and your need to communicate when apart. Having a cell phone is a privilege not a right, and although your child will at times guilt you into believing “everyone else has one,” they don’t.

Mama D’s recommendation: The older, the better. Ours bought theirs the summer before their freshman year in high school. Which reminds me, it’s good for them to work for the privilege; when they have a financial stake in it, you’ll see a difference.

Set boundaries and expectations prior to purchase

It is much easier and better to begin with strict standards rather than trying to scrape that toothpaste back into the tube. For instance, require them to hand over their phone at bedtime; read their texts frequently and do not allow them to delete until you do; talk to friends with older children and solicit their suggestions.

Mama D’s recommendation: Cell phone use is a no-no when in face-to-face conversation and around the dinner table, and if we find out they’re texting and driving? They lose driving and cell phone privileges!

Porn in the palm of your hand

I am absolutely, positively against smart phones and picture messaging. I cannot stress this enough: even the best of kids, the ones you’d never suspect–YOUR CHILDREN–are capable of beginning a pornography addiction or sending or receiving nude images with a mobile phone. The consequences are devastating and even could land you in prison.

A wonderful, Christian friend shared her son’s story through tears; he admitted his addiction that began with a hand-held game, that then continued with his phone. After my own son was offered topless pictures from a girl two years older than him, we canceled picture texting (sending and receiving) for all of our children’s phones. While they initially protested, they understood our decision and accepted it (which goes back to them understanding cell phone use is a privilege not entitlement). They’re still able to take phone pictures, just not send or receive them.

“Train up a child in the way he should go,
even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
~ Proverbs 22:6

As a mom to three teenagers, I’ve found it better to say “yes” to them when possible and to avoid imposing hyper-strict boundaries. They’re more inclined to respect the “noes” when that’s the answer because they’ve learned we’re balanced and reasonable. In a culture and age when the internet proliferates much of life, smart parenting demands that we remain Christ-focused, diligent, consistent, informed and aware…and to realize Christian kids are just as susceptible to temptation as those outside the faith.

To give a child a cell phone with internet access and without instruction is tantamount to handing over a loaded weapon.

Your thoughts? Am I being overly dramatic? What suggestions would you offer to parents? Do you have experience that illustrates my perspective?

By PENSIEVE author Robin Dance, who would love to hug you in person & isn’t always this insistent :).

IF YOU WISH TO READ MORE CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING WEBSITE : HERE

Caleb's photography!

My son loves taking pictures. The amount of times I have grabbed the computer to upload pictures to find random ones of our floor, ceiling, pictures of pictures, Sammy or even fuzzy ones of me.

While we were outside this afternoon he decided he would like to take some as well. I thought I would share them with you because I thought that they were pretty amazing.

Here is what I am munching on while I type this evening. I am smart. Yesterday after a walk with a friend I was craving chocolate chip cookies but knew that if I baked all 5 dozen.. I would eat all 5 dozen. so I baked 18 and stuck the rest of the dough away to bake batch by batch.

The plate(s) I bought for myself for mothers day. couldnt pass them up. Aren't they cute.

Yesterday morning the boys and I met some friends for a nature walk around deer lake. The walk in total takes about 1.5hrs(even with small kids). The boys loved it. They saw slugs, snails, birds, squirrels and we even managed to see some turtles sunbathing on a log. They thought that it was pretty cool.

Baby geese with their parents. HOW ADORABLE!

Today was another beautiful day and we spent the afternoon reading books on a blanket in the backyard. We are trying to incorporate quiet time (but without napping involved) so I thought that since it is the one the warmest days yet it would be a good idea to read outside.

This little stinker joined un towards the end. He is growing so fast :(. TIME STOP.

I am thankful

Busy busy here.

We are up to a lot these days and our life just does not seem to be slowing down.

I will leave you with a quick list of my thankfuls and the promise of a ton of unfinished blog ideas which will make an appearance here quickly,

We are trying to teach our children about thankfulness and to be thankful even when we do not get what we(they) want.

1. For my healthy little vibrant family.

2. For my dear girl friends who have weathered through the last little while with me. THANKYOU. Also for long distance friendships and weekend dropins from girlies.

3. Caleb said he is thankful for little babies.

4. For a night out with the hubby to a movie premiere which he worked on.

5. Music and worship. When my days have been tough lately, I turn on the radio or a cd and worship. IT HELPS.

Anyways baby is awake since Caleb disturbed him. Out for a walk we go :)

Faithfulness, love ... and Marriage

I have been wanting to sit and blog about this all week but just have not found the perfect moment a) when I can write uninterrupted b) focus my thoughts c) and lastly even feel worthy about writing about faithfulness, love and marriage all in one blog post.

The last 7 weeks I have been focusing my studies on my speech. Most of my close friends know how hard it is for me to tame my tongue, think before I speak and be " Kind and compassionate".

This past week my studies focused on being faithful in our speech. Man did everyday hit home for me. The focus verse for my last week has been " Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth but that which is helpful for BUILDING OTHERS UP according to their need, that it may BENEFIT THOSE WHO LISTEN" Ephesians 4:29. ... (the dots say everything).

The last few weeks have been overwhelming and trying for me. I have found that I lack patience and find it very hard to keep from exploding especially between the times of 3pm - 7pm.

As I read this week I realized how little I was being obedient in my words. Obedience for me is being faithful to encourage someone (atleast once a day). The encouraging I am going to seek to do is pray for those who try me most. ESPECIALLY MY HUSBAND.

"Ladies, when you speak poorly of your husband you are being unfaithful to him. You are breaking faith". Mary A. Kassian

As I read these sentences it hit hard. Even in my speech I am called and commanded to be faithful to Gabriel - even when he is driving me up the wall.

When we met as a group to meet last week I asked a question.

"Is it really not OK to call up a friend- a good friend, my confidant, my other half(not Gabriel) and vent about my marriage and husband?"

Well sisters.... I was challenged.. I still am struggling with the rebuke and the change that has to occur in this area.

I am trying first if I have an issue to go straight to the source. NO ONE ELSE. Then if the problem can not be solved or can not be changed I will go to the outside. Wait before I even go to the source I must go to God. He is the only one who can even begin to change my circumstances.

"Faithfulness is a huge part of what it means to have unfailing love. Faithfulness means being worthy of confidence, sure, firm, certain and reliable. A faithful person is loyal, committed and devoted". - Mary A. Kassian

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves."

Romans 12:1o

Who will love me for me?

So wasting time on youtube this evening and I am reminded of what love really means. JJ Heller sings a song titled What love really means .

"I will love you for you, not what you have done or whom you will become "

Thank you Jesus for showing me what love really means :)

Mute button!

Now I know all you other mothers out there with more than one child or maybe one VERY talkative child must wish now and then for a mute button or an off switch.

Tonight is one of those nights. I tucked Sammy in a good hour before Caleb and when I tucked Caleb in he awoke with smiles and happy babbling. Caleb was up and down and still has not stopped talking. Today after a very very busy weekend and a busy day I wish my children had an off switch and or a mute button.

I am thankful that both are able to speak and that it isnt crying I hear but SERIOUSLY!

I HAVE A BOY WHO CAN SIT...

I had to include these even though they are fuzzy... He is so proud of himself :)

Ok seriously just want time to stop...I am not ready to have a boy who can sit alone and unsupported. This was my morning today. Enjoy

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:8

"Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”

John 14:1

It's hard to strike a balance- especially with such a big, diverse group of people in one home. The house is not often that clean and tidy and typically someone needs a nap or a snack or their bed linens washed and dried, or even just a snuggle to make them feel better. I'm no superhero and simply do my best to stay "caught up" as best as possible. Seeing past the chaos to the fun on their faces and the fact that their only kids once is what I'm trying my best to do right now. I figure if I actually pull that off, well then maybe our life will feel like the fairytale most people dare dream it to be.

I came across This ladies blog a few weeks back, and have been thoroughly encouraged and spurred to realize that my life isnt as tough or as trying as it feels. Have a great day