Perspective

 I'm walking along on this dry grassy hill, looking down in the coulees, wondering when things will begin to grow and get more colorful. There has been only one rainfall this spring so far...its not looking to promising of May flowers. As I walk along, the grasses are so dry that little pieces break off and poke me as they fall into my shoes.

I look out mostly over the hills and down in the coulees and the land seems so barren. The parched land looks like it has nothing beautiful to offer right now.

But when I slow down I see something. Some color. I bend down to see what looks like something similar to crocuses, soft, fuzzy, purple petals closed up pointing to the sky. Clusters of them, and some single flowers scattered over the hills. They are so beautiful and I am so happy to see them there.

 As with new eyes I look more specifically over the hills and notice these pretty little flowers scattered here and there quite frequently.

Its amazing how much more noticeable something is when you specifically look for it. It brings my thoughts to how we can look at ourselves or others. Quite often when I am frustrated by my short comings or short comings of a loved one its hard to see something positive going on. When I think about failure after failure in areas that I struggle, I just see a Big F. But when I take the time to focus in on these certain areas I cant neglect to see that I have made many wise choices and that is also why more often than not, things can go along pretty smoothly. When positive choices are made they need to be acknowledged and praise God for His faithfulness and guidance. Then it is easier to see how good choices can be made easily and its encouraging to keep heading in the right direction to see how much more beautiful its going to get! Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. (Isaiah 43:18) Remembering this helps us accept that God is always wanting to use us and our experiences to do good. He is always at work in our lives as long as we are letting Him.
(And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28)
Each choice to honor the Lord is a beautiful little flower in a dry barren land, that when each one is gathered together, there is too many to fit into any ordinary vase. And yet the flowers is all He sees in our dry barren land. 

Turns out these flowers are called Prairie Crocuses

Psalm 103
Praise the Lord, O my soul!

With all that is within me, praise his holy name!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Do not forget all his kind deeds!

He is the one who forgives all your sins,

who heals all your diseases,

who delivers your life from the Pit,

who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,

who satisfies your life with good things,

so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

The Lord does what is fair,

and executes justice for all the oppressed.

The Lord revealed his faithful acts to Moses,

his deeds to the Israelites.

The Lord is compassionate and merciful;

he is patient and demonstrates great loyal love.

He does not always accuse,

and does not stay angry.

He does not deal with us as our sins deserve;

he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.

For as the skies are high above the earth,

so his loyal love towers over his faithful followers.

As far as the eastern horizon is from the west,

so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.

For he knows what we are made of;

he realizes we are made of clay.

A person’s life is like grass.

Like a flower in the field it flourishes,

but when the hot wind blows by, it disappears,

and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.

But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers,

and is faithful to their descendants,

to those who keep his covenant,

who are careful to obey his commands.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven;

his kingdom extends over everything.

Praise the Lord, you angels of his,

you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees

and obey his orders!

Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his,

you servants of his who carry out his desires!

Praise the Lord, all that he has made,

in all the regions of his kingdom!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

COURAGE for 2014

Last year I was inspired to pick a word for the year 2013, to encourage us. Frustrated by my children's lack of kindness for one another, making a habit of constantly picking on each other, preying on each others weaknesses, and deliberately hurting others feelings, hu hu hu (panting)... I picked the word KINDNESS. I came up with a slogan too. Its to the point, and I made who ever disrespected an other, have to repeat it: ~Feelings get hurt like a punch in the gut. So if you have nothing nice to say, keep your mouth shut!~ This was typed out in big letters, with a picture of a guy throwing a big punch. And hung up. Needless to say this was memorised pretty well and quickly. The kids got pretty tired of me getting them to repeat this. Another one I felt I needed for slightly different situations that arose was: ~Feelings get hurt like a kick in the knee. I must be kind to others if I want them to be kind to me!~ I am happy to say that the hurt feelings were brought down significantly. To remind us of our goal I made up pretty bunting with the letters for kindness on each little flag. I kept it simple with the flags made of card paper. I painted them with acrylic. I used a sponge to cover the card with paint. Next I used a small piece of bundled burlap to dab a rough border around each flag.Then to hang it up I used brown string.
This year I know we all need to remember to step out in COURAGE a lot more often. Especially with having recently moved half way across the country. Its hard to settle in and establish a new way of life, for each of us. New surroundings, work, school, church, neighbours, friends, stores, etc.
But sadly we can all lack a degree of courage. Life can start one off with situations that can damage, hinder, or completely spoil that courage that God wills for us. I speak from experience. Sadly that rubs off on our children from our view we have of ourselves.
But here is a definition the dictionary has, that puts it plainly: the courage of ones convictions the confidence to act in accordance with ones beliefs. 
We have no excuse to act out insecurely, because if we love, believe, and walk in Christ, that goes against what you believe. That's called a contradiction. 
Courage through Him, covers most of what the christian life calls us to: Courage to love, courage to do what is right, courage to stop doing what is wrong (change is hard even when its for the good), courage to step out and stand up for Christ or a brother/sister, courage to get out of your comfort zone (get out there and join in with others), courage to be yourself, courage to speak your mind, courage to face uncertainties, courage to deal with hardships, courage to forgive, courage to put others and God first, courage to heed or consider an others loving advice...
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.  1Cor. 16:13
In any situation, we should ask ourselves "IS THIS WISE IN THE EYES OF GOD?" If the answer is yes, have the confidence to do it! If the answer is no have the courage to turn away! The Lord will provide the wisdom to know the difference and what you need, to carry out His will. And doing His will is most fulfilling!
Also have you ever thought about how the word encourage comes from the word courage? Here is another dictionary definition: to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence.
All this courage has a chain reaction. I don't believe anyone can say they have more than enough encouragement. We can all use a bit more.
It makes me think of the Nike slogan: Just Do It. Having a grand thought or a nice idea is useless, if not acted upon.
"Beautiful thoughts hardly bring us to God until they are acted upon. No one can have a true idea of right until he does it." -Willeam R. Inge
So this all, like most of what I write about, is my own pep talk, but my hope also is to encourage from my experiences and struggles.
Not to forget, here are the slogans for Courage 2014:

Have Courage to say

Courage to do

Gods will,

He has for you.

 

Be a sample of Christ’s example.

Encourage through your courage.

Joshua 1:9 This is my command--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

 

 

 

Pounding Pansies

Pansies are my absolute favourite flower. They can leave a lasting impression when you put them face down, and pound them onto a piece of fabric or construction paper. So simple, so beautiful!

The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field: the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD'S love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children-- Psalm 103:15-17

The idea of something so beautiful being pounded for the purpose of getting a long lasting impression, makes me think about ourselves. The way life can be to an innocent child, or even a grown adult. The things that life seemingly pounds at us, can seem too hard to bear but the end result can, if we let it- leave beautiful, lasting impressions that don't kill us but surprisingly make us grow.

Gift Giving - Values Shift

Here is a reminder to myself and any one else that can relate...

Sometimes when your expectations are let down, what does it matter when life's surprises cover the multiple times in between?

There has been many times in the past when it comes to birthdays, Mothers Day, etc. that I had hopes of certain gifts or gestures that really were brought on by what may have been displayed in ads. or movies or heard from others. Expectations get let down, and some how I feel that this represents the love others have for me (probably due to my "love language"). But no one is perfect, life is always up and down, and no one can read my mind! (the - ! - is for me). So I need to take this time of being appreciated by my family and let it soak in and sink into my mind.

I came home from a conference this past Sat. and was surprised with a candle lit dinner for myself along with a dozen roses, each bearing a note stuck into the roses. Each said something sweet about me or to me. I was overwhelmed by the unexpected gesture. I felt so loved and I thought what does it matter if I don't get anything else this upcoming Mothers Day and when I didn't get my wishes fulfilled the past ones, when I know my family loves me everyday and they show it at random times of the year.

You know what, I believe the tradition of spend spend spending $$ on calendar occasions is mostly built up by commercialism anyways. Its nice to receive gifts but hasn't it been taken too far, for most of the holidays?

Its so hard to find anything that would be appropriate these days, because mostly everyone has everything they want!

The most reluctant gift most are willing to give is time.

I challenge myself and you to make that change. Give your time out of love instead of some stores merchandise, and see what happens. 

Hay! Where is the Spring Weather?

I must admit, I'm getting really anxious for the spring weather and growth. Just this morning it was snowing. Get this- school was even cancelled because of snow and freezing rain on Friday! I know that it will come. I just read this quote "The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time" -Abraham Lincoln. And so I am reminded that though things aren't appearing how I'd like or expect, I can choose to enjoy what the present holds. And the sky that was before me, full of huge clouds and white dusted hay fields were a gift that made me pull over to capture with a picture...be content with what you have; for God himself has said, “I will never leave you; never will I forsake you.”Hebrews 13:4-6. The beginning of this verse says...Your conduct must be free from the love of money, and... and makes me think on this blog post I added half a year ago. It was a plan to get out of debt by ceasing unnecessary spending for the period of time until we got debt free. Well...it lasted all of a month and a half. Christmas came and then the direction changed. I found it was an incredibly insightful month and a half. I found I became very much more aware of my spending, I still do find I am more careful and selective about what I spend my money on. As well we make the times we do go out to eat (which is very few and far between) more special because it is rare. Therefore truly enjoyed and appreciated by all. Beside the children's few gifts at Christmas time, getting and receiving things is not a regular occurrence. I am happy to say though that we are 75% out of debt since this started, which leaves a small portion for us to reach our goal. So were we too extreme, gungho? Probably, my husband and I are well know to be that way. Or quitters, bailing out? Could be, Its hard to hang in there for 360's! But I do know that balance is the key. Buying a coffee isn't a sin. Letting desires compromise priorities begs to be challenged. So what can I say? For now we are happy with keeping unnecessary spending to a minimum, because I truly do believe being in debt is not OK. Accumulating a mass of stuff is not what life is about, you cant take it with you. Life is about who you are living for and that is what brings true JOY in your life. Jesus, Others, lastly Yourself. Priorities, is when I am taking a step forward not backward, and every single step (choice) in life will do that: forward -or- backward.

Learing from Mistakes

Now I know…

 

::Even though I’d like to do less work on the weekend, because it’s the weekend, I now realise there is just more to do because everyone is home, making more of a mess in the house.

 

::Just because I like trying new recipes, doesn’t mean everyone else does. “What your not excited about beans in cookies?”

 

::There is no proper schedule for house keeping.

 

::We all need the space, patience, and time to be each our own person.

 

::Beer does not taste good in soup or bread. It’s just good for a drink.

 

::Life never gets easier. You either learn and move on, or adapt-whether the situation is good or bad.

 

::A large amount of chopped onions in the freezer stinks up the freezer and even the room the freezer is in for a while L

 

…now I just need to remember all the mistakes I learned from! J

Falling Down

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 1 Cor. 10:12

 Things can be even worse than what they seem. Take for example a large Manitoba Maple tree we have in our back yard. Its there in front of the tree house. Its plain to see that its not in the best of state. And ever since we moved here we have been meaning to trim off the dead branches. I didn't want to give it up, the only option we ever contemplated was trimming the branches and even to my horror my husband wanted to cut them all off and start fresh. But that never happened. We considered putting the tree house in it but thankfully we decided it would be easier if we didn't. We had my long clothes line attached to it. My husband has climbed the tree a few times. So we never would have guessed that while I was sitting in my sitting room, on a drizzly afternoon, facing the window that is in view of this tree that I would out of nowhere hear a gentle collapsing sound of this whole entire tree come down!!

 Well I'll tell you, the first thing out of my mouth was praises to the Lord that no one was outside and got hurt. That of all the times they are outside playing, this day was drizzly off and on so I let them stay in and watch a video. Oh I was so thankful.
 When I went to go investigate the inners of the tree, it practically felt like a sponge. The wood exposed by the roots that were pulled up was squishy and wet feeling. Chunks could be torn off by my husband.
 And so it goes to show by example that as in the physical world things could be a lot worse than what they seem, so can situations in ones life. We see the doctor because he/she has the know how and tools to find out how we really are doing physically. And so we need to go to the Wonderful Counsellor (Isaiah 9:6) the Great Physician, so He can show us how we are really doing Spiritually, which in essence is all of whom we truly are. I recently read 1 Corinthians chapter 2, and was lead to pray for His discernment in my life through the study notes in my bible. Shortly after that I was challenged by an accident I had in the house. That made me see how I needed to rely on Christ and how my love for Him makes me grow the most. I believe praying for that discernment had been in preparation for what was to come that day. I see a little unhealthy bit of branches here and there Lord, help me to figure out why. Guide me Holy Spirit to cut off these dead branches, so they will not bring me down.  Almost a week later in my devotional Proverbs 27:12 is written: The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. And it suggests in this devotion to pray that God will give you a spirit of discernment so that you will not fall into danger. With a close intimate relationship, we are making it possible for ourselves to be open, receptive, and able to hear what He is trying to say to us.
 Does there always have to be a reason why things seem to start going wrong or bad. I don't think so, because there is someone who is always working at bringing us down, who will use anything to do it. But God is stronger than Satan and God can always use for good what was intended for bad. (Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me but God intended it all for good.)

Hello!

(insert cute squeakie tone of voice) "Hello, My name is Buttercup. I was adopted a month ago and I'm 12 weeks old. My new family LOVES me so much. I am super cute, can u blame them?"

My oldest, Holly was allowed to buy herself a puppy with money she saved up. And so we all have the advantage of helping out and enjoying Buttercups company as well. She is such a blessing. A lot of work and patience is needed but I believe she is being used to teach us all many good things. And the fluffy snuggles and stinky kisses are a huge added bonus!

Garden Notes and Being REAL

Lil' watermelon

Green Beans

One lone tomato

Green Onions (obviously :P )

Harvested...

Cucumbers!!!

Lots of beans!!!

Radishes!!!

Well I am quite pleased with how the garden has been progressing. My fears of growing from seed are pretty much relinquished, with the exception of my peppers. I'll definitely use seeds again next year but I love growing peppers so I'll figure out a sure way to get them going next year, and have a few plants as well just for back up. The sandy soil I have will need more improving for the next year as well. But I am so happy with how its turning out.

With that aside, I had a bit of time to recollect my thoughts recently. And I thought on how I wanted this blog to be about keeping it real. Also I don't want there to be an air of how this is how to have the perfect life. I try hard to make the most of life, enjoy the simple pleasures of life with my family, but by no means is it easy or perfect. And by saying this I will include the fact that I did start the summer rather reluctantly, for the simple fact that I know my children and they are approaching the age that they are not as easily occupied or amused as easily. So I worried about how they would handle the days being at home a lot more. And moms crazy activities are not quite as entertaining as they used to be. Can I also include that they love to drive each other mad?  Now with it being half the summer over, I see how my fears did come true. I'm truly hoping that they did not come true on my own accord (with almost being in expectation of it). On top of this is the fact that every mother faces, that kids are demanding of your time, patience, and energy. And for me its all way too much to handle lately. I truly feel alone in how I feel so overwhelmed. Sometimes it feels like, it doesn't let up. UNLESS I am re-leaved for some period of time. Which in my case is not enough for me. And that is reflected in how I react to the kids. And I feel its not fair for them. And so I guess I am learning for real how I need to take care of myself so I can better take care of those entrusted to me by God. I so want to do the best job I can, and loosing my temper or feeling like I'm gunna turn into the HULK is not where I want to be. God Himself took time for himself, and He is my example. So should I be so afraid, or prideful, or ashamed to say: I need some time to myself? I teach my kids about diversity so often, I truly believe that its so awesome how God made everyone different, but I wont allow myself to accept me and the fact that I need a lot of time to get my bearings, recharge so I can be in best shape mentally. I hate feeling inadequate for the job of mothering and am afraid of anyone thinking the less of me. This all made me think of the serenity prayer.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Ahhh... Being real is a relief. It really is giving God the reins.

Scones and Community Clean-Up

I have been making a bunch of different scones lately. And then I remembered these super yummy Maple Pecan Scones, from my cookbook - "The Pioneer Woman Cooks". So I made a batch of these. You can find the recipe here.








 I saw a good idea for a summer activity to do with the kids: to do a community clean-up We set out on our clean up, early in the morning before it got to hot. Along with us, we brought our own garbage pokers, fashioned from sharpened sticks, recycle bags, gloves and bug spray. We walked along our favorite path, and the highway we trek on mostly. We filled 3 bags in 2 hours. I was so impressed with the enthusiasm and effort, from the kids. So we went out for fresh cut fries at a near by fry truck.
I wonder if they will be up to doing the other side of the highway next week?

Doesn't this make a good garbage picking outfit?

Digging in to a New Plot (Metaphorically Speaking)

My sister, helping me make my new garden plot!

 Digging into a new plot could very well sound like starting something new in life. Or  digging in sounds parallel to going deep, to bring to light, issues in ones life.
 Here is a spot that looks fine, grass is growing, why would there be any reason to question what is underneath. But once that shovel breaks through the turf, then all is revealed: the grass can be pulled back like sod to reveal that the earth below is not as rich and healthy as one would have thought. It is mixed with sand, and rock. Now that it is exposed it reveals why the grass gets so easily scorched and dead half way through the summer there. Also its obvious that this plot needs an overhaul. Dig deep and turn the soil, dig out the rocks, pull the weeds and add to this plot what it is lacking: compost, manure, and black earth.
 So my parallel to this would be: We cant pretend buried hurts, fears, dysfunctions, bitterness, resentment, is OK to leave buried deep as long as they have been there for so long, that it looks OK when it is left alone. In Psalm 19:12 it says- How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults-. Sure you can smile, look put together, but once something or someone treads that plot that you leave alone, it can get disrupted and your thoughts are: Why am I reacting this way? Why am I so sensitive about that? Why does this bother me so much? Why cant I get over this set back? Why can I not progress in this area? What is holding me back.............?
 Dig in. Bring to light in your mind what is not letting you progress in an area of your life. Acknowledge that buried issue, take it out, and hand it over to God. (Eph. 4:21-23 NLT) Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
 I'm not keeping those big old rocks in my garden! Those weeds are coming out! Because I want beautiful things to grow here. (2 Cor. 5:17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone the new has come in.
 And now that I think about this walk I went on recently this spring, I noticed how those who have planted delicate little trees, they placed a little fence around it. Or flower gardens are edged with a little barrier of rocks, or fence. In this same way we need to protect our new growth. It is hard work, and the new growth is delicate. We need to protect it. Checking over the area for the old trying to come up again, or something else corruptive trying to invade the new growth. (Psalm 91:9,10) If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.
 Its HARD WORK but the result is so much more full filling when the job is done right. The garden flourishes, and thrives, with a thorough job. I've had gardens that I didn't properly maintain. And they were a sad sight, and it was easy to see that they lacked care, and maintenance.
 So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation - garden of your life. (James 1:21 MSG)

Well this is the new spot of a bigger garden for this year. A bigger adventure that I am hoping will ensue a bigger harvest : ) More work I know but I believe it will be worth it. Which goes along with the fact that my gardening feats are not solely inhabited out doors, but also are an ongoing job in my own heart. The words above are really a reflection of my desires and ongoing strivings of my own heart.

Dreary Wet Days, Call for Art and Indoor Tent Projects

 Well the forecast called for beautiful March Break weather, but the weather has been doing otherwise. The kids made tents, then in the afternoon I took the opportunity to do the flying geese project. I got deeper into the facts as to why geese fly together in a V formation, with some google help. I found out that they do this because it makes it 70% easier for them when they all fly together, because they each create an up draft for one another. Also, because of the placement of their eyes, being on the sides of their head, they can see each other better being slightly to the left or right when they are behind one another. They are so much a team that when one is injured or for some other reason needs to leave the formation and land, two other geese will stay with it until it can take off again, and then they join another formation for easier travel to catch up with the old flock.
 This was a great teaching tool, while I used verses:
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Hebrews 10:2-25
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
1 Thessalonians 5:14-22
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ...

We glued verses on construction paper, painted as sky's. And glued little paper birds, in V formations.

For this days M.B.A.H. "cooking class" we made Hamburgers which was my eldest daughters pick. It was supposed to be Veggie Burgers, but to my husbands great dismay (cough) I didn't have black beans on hand for the recipe. So it was tough, but we had to settle for hamburgers (cough). This was by far the easiest recipe with them, but my son would under no circumstances mush the meat together and form patties.

We just mixed some chopped onion, pepper, salt, Worcestershire sauce, some wheat germ, a little oatmeal, 2 eggs, and a little milk to make these. They were good, between a homemade bun.
 A real hit guys, Grandma even came for her all time favourite: burger.

M.B.A.H

March Break At Home
 I know I'm definitely not the only family not flying off to a tropical destination this March Break. And so with my kids getting a bit older it makes it a bit tougher for them not to get bored easily. I decided it would be a week of cooking and baking "classes".  Also I made a rule: As much time you spend outside is as much time is allowed on entertainment (movies, wii, Internet). I made a sign out/in sheet to track their time. So far it is working out excellent. It kind of is a whole other activity in itself, teaching the kids to be more aware of time, and I think they think its fun.
 Yesterday morning I had them each figure out a meal they wanted, and I picked one as well.
Here is what is on our blackboard:

This first recipe was my pick. Easy Cabbage Roll Casserole was a great recipe to start off with. It really was easy, and very good.
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 med. onions, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tp. salt
1/4 tp. pepper
1 -221ml can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1- 284ml can condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup long grain rice
4 cups (we actually ended up using 8 cups, and was still great) shredded cabbage
1/3 cup tomato juice or water
sour cream

> In frying pan over med. heat, cook first 5 ingredients. Drain fat, return to heat, add tomato sauce, water, 1/2 the can of soup, mix well and add rice.

> In slow cooker, place half of meat mixture, then half of cabbage. Repeat
> In bowl combine tomato juice with remaining soup, mix and pour into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours.

Very Well done, guys!!

 More to keep them busy: They are both reading a Diary of a Wimpy Kid, book each, and I'm gunna try to throw in some crafty art projects. I'm thinking something to do with the Canadian Geese flying home now. We saw them yesterday and they had some questions. I'm hoping to go deeper with that.

Family Fun with sneaky lessons

 In the spirit of Family day this past Monday in Ontario, it really inspired us to do some fun activities. All winter I have been wanting to have a fire outside. We have never done this before, during the winter. So we had some hot dogs and called that dinner. It was cozy, a bonn fire is definitely a nice idea for the winter. We sat close, warmed our hands. When that was done we went in for veggies with dip.

 Another activity we did was a great idea from the "Thriving Family" magazine(http://www.thrivingfamily.ca/). It gave different ideas for cabin fever rescues. The kids all participated in the Helping Hands Scavenger Hunt. Their list consisted of:

• a good pair of pants they had out grown, for donation 
• 3 good shirts they have out grown, for donation
• 2 nice toys, for donation
• 4 socks with holes, to be thrown out
• a nicely written letter for a relative far away
• a treat picked out for a classmate (not including a friend)

The kids had fun racing around, and they accomplished a lot in the meantime! The winner got a big cookie.
 We also had an evening of reading together. We each picked what we wanted to read to everyone. Violet wanted a picture book "Saying Goodbye to Lulu", Lake picked "Captain Underpants", Holly picked a girly novel, my husband picked the news (the kids were surprisingly interested), I picked my healthy eating book "You Are What You Eat". It was a good idea we got from the "Do Good" book we look through. It was a neat way to share our differences and be cozy together.

Here is the latest pile on the coffee table, that I have started looking through, hopefully the kids will join me.