Strangers and Life

I am thankful for good strangers. Kady is our 4th child and is the child who has the most magical powers. She is a mini Houdini(Kadini). I'm sure of it!


When we were vacationing in Arizona at Christmas time, we stayed with my sister Wendy and her family. They live in a nice neighborhood with friendly neighbors.


One day we were out playing at the nearby park. My Brother-in-law Jonathan was playing soccer with some of the kids, while I was visiting with one of their friendly neighbors, who happens to be one of my sisters friend.


A couple of the kids wanted to jump on her trampoline so we hoisted some of the smaller ones over her fence. The older children walked around to the front. Kadini invisibly walked around the corner. I had not noticed that she had noticed her sisters leaving and wanted to follow.


This friends home is located at the corner of the street and so there tends to be a little more traffic.


It had not been more than 2 minutes from the older children going around, when the next thing I know a very concerned good stranger brings kadini up the sidewalk and asks if this child belonged to any of us, because she was wandering in the street and that they had almost hit her.


I've never been physically punched in the stomach, but the gut wrenching feeling I had at that moment is one I will never forget. This, mixed with frustration at myself that I hadn't noticed, joy that she had not been hit, utter humiliation, and the overwhelming feelings of gratitude to God for these very kind and good strangers, was a too much for me.


The kind stranger lady could have easily yelled her head off at me for my mistake at not being so attentive to Kadini, but she simply said "I am just so glad we didn't hit her!" I thanked her profusely and apologized for my negligence. The outcome could have been catastrophic had they not seen her. Just thinking about it makes me feel sick.


Kady is only 2, so getting upset and lecturing her on the importance of not walking in the street would have been wasted energy and breath. I simply brought her close to me and gave her an extra big hug. I told her I loved her and that we stay close to Mommy and Daddy so we can stay safe, and that I would do better at making sure I stayed close to her.


Whatever you believe in this life, I feel that we all feel at some point in our lives that there is a greater power out there. However you call that power is up to you. For me personally, I know that it is God our Heavenly Father.


He wants us to be safe. He will not force that on us though. He allows us to make choices and if they are not the best ones, He has lovingly provided a way for us to make it right so we can be close to Him. That way is through Our Savior Jesus Christ and His Atoning sacrifice for our sins. I am personally thankful for this great gift and the powerful effects it has on my life.


What we choose does not disqualify us from Gods love for us. No matter what He will always love us. Especially when we mess up. The kind stranger lady is evidence enough for me.

Simplify

This is one of my favorite words. People have asked how I am able to do all that I do. It is easy, I make everything simple for me. How do I make everything simple you ask? I get rid of "stuff" we really do not need. Even easier we try not to buy "stuff" we really do not need.

I think I was born this way though. Growing up sharing a room with my sister I would easily get irritated with her stuff just scattered all over the place. I literally took tape and divided the room, her side and my side.

When it comes to meal planning, I have a little file box that holds 3x5 index cards. On the cards I have written the different types of meals, with ingredients on the back, that are a success and I know our family will eat. So when I go and do my menu planning for the month I pull out the file box and waa-la I am done within 15 minutes. Simple for me.


Some tips I have for those who may be struggling with getting their children to eat what you have prepared.

Have your children help with menu planning.

For a family night have each child write down at least one meal they would like to have. Have a goal for them "We need 10 recipes for our family dinners" It is helpful to have some cookbooks out so they can look through them. Younger children know when they see something they like. I have asked Grandparents to get our girls kid cookbooks for presents and the girls have loved looking through them and telling me what they want to make.

You can then decide if you have any patience left by the time the meal needs to be prepared and if so, then you can have them help prepare the meal. It has been my experience that children are more likely to eat food they help prepare. This does not guarantee they will eat it, but more like a warranty with a lot of fine print.

Also I have learned to reduce the portion sizes I dish out to the kids. I got the divided into 3 section kid plates from Wal-mart. I believe they were .97 cents. They are in the baby section. I use them myself on occasion This gives me a better idea what a proper portion is, especially for younger children.

Menu ideas
-Nacho bar/tacos
-potato bar
-Alfredo noodles
-spaghetti
-lasagna
-Chicken curry
-potato bar
-Pancakes, french toast, big puffy pancake(German pancake) Eggs
-Pizza
-Chicken pea casserole (this is our girls all time favorite)
-Grilled chicken
-Sloppy joes
-sheppards pie
-Parmesan chicken
-Jambalaya
-pigs in a blanket or butterfly hot dogs You take the crescent rolls and roll the hot dog up. Or get the biscuits and cut them in half and then make an egg wash with food coloring and a little water and have the kids paint the butterfly wings. Make the hot dog the body. Bake as directed on the package. We I first did this was 6 months ago and thought to record it.





This is a fraction of my file. If you want any recipes let me know.

I tend to have meals that take 30 minutes or less to put together. Then I let the oven or crock-pot do the rest. Also meals especially during the week, that I can work on earlier in the day when I have more time. The younger ones enjoy pouring things into the bowl for me.



Here is an example of how easy my recipes are

Sloppy Jo's
How ever much ground hamburger you will need to feed your crew
Ketchup
Mustard
Hamburger buns or hot dog buns

Brown your hamburger. Drain and rinse if needed. Return to stove. Just squirt how much ketchup and mustard to make sloppy looking. Heat through. within 10 minutes done. Serve with fruit, hot veggi like corn and maybe some steamed potato wedges you cooked in the microwave. Our girls love this!



The key really is to find out what your kids want to eat. For instance. My one friend wrote......."We're down to spaghetti and meatballs and mac and cheese at my house. ug. Tacos on a good day, but really they just eat the cheese. Anything else is greeted with sneers and gagging noises."

You know they may not have variety but at least she knows they like Spaghetti and meatballs and mac and cheese. I say to this, that is why we give kids a multi vitamin to compensate for what they may be missing.

I feel that there are waves our children go through. Almost like a feast or famine mentality. There are some weeks where it seems they can not get enough to eat and whatever is placed before them they devour. And then there are weeks where I make the exact same meals and I think, "Gee I wonder if I am going to start seeing their ribs poking out of their bodies soon!"

After I realize they are going through the famine phase I make sure to not make a lot of food because I know it will get wasted.

I know for sure that they will eat whatever fruit and veggies I put out, so remember to have a good lay out of fruits and veggies. And ones you know they like. Canned mandarin oranges are a favorite here and the baby carrots.

These are just a few ways that have helped me to simplify my life with a young family.

If all else fails you can always resort to a meal of chocolate. You will find within the video that the side effects are minimal.




p.s a little secret on how to add more nutrients to your food. I food processor a variety of veggies, and then add them to my sauces and soups. It adds a lot of superb flavor and added nutrients without the little people knowing.

Sunday Stories

I grew up in a large family, at least in the worlds standard of family size. I have 4 sisters and 1 brother. No family is perfect, and ours was no exception. For me, I am grateful for the experiences I had growing up and have many more fond memories than bad ones.

Today a wonderful lady(Margaret Dana Jorgenson) gave a great talk in church. The topic was "Service in the family." She choose to talk about the service we render to our posterity and those who have come before us. She expressed at one point how important it is for us to document the stories that happen in our lives. Perfect! Soooooo........


For posterity sakes I will have "Sunday Stories" be a time where I document stories that have happened in my life thus far. These stories are from my own perspective. The great fun with memories is all who may have been involved will undoubtedly have different ones.

First Memories- Part one

One of my first memories I have as a child (2 or 3 yrs old) is of a home located in the small city of Clawson Michigan. I remember the lighting in the whole home being dim. I do not know why I remember this but it is what sticks out in my mind. Maybe that is how all old homes were.


I remember a bedroom with bunk beds in it. I do not recall if this was my two older sisters room or if this was my twins and mine. Nevertheless I remember liking to play on the bunk beds in this room.


We nicknamed this home "The Mouse House" because I guess they wanted to share the home with us, and took the command to multiply and replenish the earth seriously.


I remember one such experience with a little mouse wanting to come and play. My sister and I were on the stairs playing and in my mind I recall a mouse coming out of a crack in the corner of a stair. My sister and I then screamed and ran into the aforementioned bedroom, and flew onto the bunk beds.


I could see the stairs from the bunk bed I was on, and so when I saw my Mother coming up the stairs, I also got to see her reaction to the little mouse. As she came running and screaming into the bedroom she jumped on the beds with us. The next thing I remember is my Mother laughing so hard she could hardly breathe. I remember thinking how strange it was that she was laughing, because I felt so scared inside, but then thinking, " if she is okay with it, I guess I will be okay with it too."


I remember frequently taking walks with my Mother to elderly neighbors' homes and checking up on them. I owe a lot of my love for working with elderly people to my Mother. She always seemed to be involved in doing some kind of extracurricular services in my years of growing up.
What a treasure for me to know even at this very young age, that there were others outside of myself that needed help.


I am sure she had her own reasons, but I would like to think that, for her, being a Mother of 4 very young children was somewhat demanding and it probably felt nice to get outside of her own worries and visit those who otherwise may not have gotten many visitors. I did not recognize this at the time, but this was the beginning of her teaching me one of life's great lessons, how to serve.

My Wonderful Mother

Fancy That Friday

fan⋅cy-
–verb (used with object)
21. fancy up, to make superficially showy by way of improvement: an old car fancied up with a bright new paint job.

Last night I decided to try something new with my hair. I got this idea from a post my sister did.

After my shower I went to work

I divided and twisted and rung up into little buns

It took me about 10 minutes

I was not sure how it would turn out

RESULTS

Not too bad from this angle

A little frizzy on this side

The lighting was just right on this angle

I purposefully do not have a view of the front, but trust me it did not look as superficially good as the other angles. This experience also helped me to not envy those who have to manage naturally curly hair. I can not seem to figure out how to get my hair up in a barrette and make it look okay.

I did my best though, to "fancy up, to make superficially showy by way of improvement", because any who know me know that being fancy, in the true definitions form, is NOT my forte.

It is fun to try something new and unexpected sometimes, even when the results are not what you had hoped.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for the different ways we all learn. I am mostly a "seeing" learner.

I am thankful for this tool that I just recently found. It helps me stay focused when I study the scriptures. You just click on the type of scripture you are studying from, like Old Testament, and then you pick the book of the scripture,like Genesis and then you pick the chapter. How about we pick chapter 1
And then what I do is at the upper left hand corner there is a button that you can click on that allows you to listen to the scripture. I use this in conjunction with me reading along with them. Thankful indeed!

Here is a quick little read that briefly defines three different ways how we learn.

just click on the title if you would like the unedited version
Which One Are You?
By Randall Shirley


How do you learn?

Do you ever wonder why some people are known as "straight A students" while other people struggle in school - even though they're smart?

Do you know people who didn't finish high school, and have found great success in their careers?

People learn in different ways. And no one has a better learning style than anyone else. Some experts say there are as many as seven different learning styles; but it's easier to narrow it down to three types of learning . . . we'll call them:

1. Listening learners
2. Seeing learners
3. Touch / experience learners

It's simple really. Think about one of life's earliest lessons - often taught by our mothers: The Stove Can Burn You.

1. Listening learners heard their mother, believed the information, and never touched a stove.
2. Seeing learners watched their brother touch the stove, and never touched it.
3. Experience learners touched the stove; but only once!

"My dad is a self-made millionaire with his own business, yet he can barely read the headlines in the newspaper. I don't think he's ever read a book. He's probably dyslexic, but he's 70 years old, and when he was young they didn't know how to teach for that style of learning. He's one of the smartest people you'll ever meet, and most of his "learning" has been through experience and believing in himself."
~ A WorldWide Learn user

Most people combine the styles of learning

Here are some everyday problems you might want to learn about.

How would you learn more? Think about them - no way of learning is better than the others. Remember, the way you learn is perfect for you.

Problem #1: You need to paint a room. How much paint and what supplies do you need?

Listening Learners might: Call a painter, a friend, or paint store, and ask them for instructions before starting. Might attend a course on painting at the paint store.

Seeing Learners might: Look online for answers, read several websites. Go to a bookstore and find books and magazines about home improvement and painting. Go to the paint store and read the back of paint cans. Watch a course at the paint store.

Experience Learners might: Go buy a can of paint, a brush, and start painting. If there's not enough paint or you have the wrong brush, you just buy more. Eventually you learn how much paint and what supplies are required.

Problem #2: Your boss wants you to plan a summer barbecue for 25 coworkers and their spouses/partners.
You've never planned anything before. How would you learn what to do?

Listening Learners might: Call a friend who throws great parties, and cry HELP! Attend an upcoming party, and ask the host lots of questions. Call a party planner in the phone book and try to squeeze some tips out of them. Attend a class on event planning.

Seeing Learners might: Search for "party planning tips" through Internet search engines. Look for books about catering, event planning, and party games at the library.

Experience Learners might: Dive right in-walk around to coworkers' desks to ask them how many people are coming. Find a place to hold the event, buy lots of food at the local deli and determine in your head if it's enough. Hire a country band you heard at the bar last week, and learn by experience that alcohol melts through paper cups!

Problem #3: You need to certify in First Aid so you can become leader of a Scout Troop. You haven't studied First Aid since you were a child. You decide to take a course at the YMCA.

Listening Learners might: You find yourself at the front of the class with a pen and paper, writing notes about everything the teacher says. You might be nervous about actually doing mouth-to-mouth on the dummy.

Seeing Learners might: You get a book about First Aid from the library and do some online research before ever attending the class, and immediately start reading the classroom handouts before the instructor even calls roll.

Experience Learners might: You walk in, see the dummies, bandages, splints, and other equipment and can't wait to try it all - the lecture might be dull and boring to you.


"Jody Brown was the smartest girl in my high school - that's what I thought back then. She got perfect grades in every course. Her handwriting was perfect. She did really well in all the science classes, and always had a book in her hand. Today she's a top-rate software developer.
On the other hand, I rarely read in school, and was sent to the principal's office more than once. No one ever called me "smart." I loved to talk a lot and make up stories. I've spent my life writing stories. Today they are published in magazines and newspapers, and people actually pay me for them.
I saw Jody recently, and she told me she couldn't imagine writing stories. It turns out that we're both smart, we just learn in different ways. And we both think the other person is smart!"
~ A WorldWide Learn user
Learning Challenges

If you or someone you know has learning challenges, such as dyslexia or ADD (attention deficit disorder), never be afraid or ashamed to ask for help. Adults with learning challenges are still learning, just in different ways. There are probably experts in your community who can help improve reading ability and focus ability-leading to improved life skills. Contact the following for help:

* Reading improvement: call your local library-ask about adult reading improvement programs.

* Dyslexia: contact your local branch of the International Dyslexia Association, www.interdys.org.

* ADD: contact your local branch of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association, www.add.org.

If you're interested in working with people who have learning challenges
check out the online programs in education: child development; child psychology; teacher licensure; and special education degree programs