Happy Mothers... Day!

My kids...a long, long time ago.  I love being a Mom!

I don't know about you but I'm not a big fan of Mother's Day.  There is usually a nice program at church devoted to mothers but those talks, instead of inspiring me, tend to remind me of my inadequacies and failings.  So, even though my children are super sweet and help make the day special, I know I could be and should be better.

Today was different.  Instead of going to our local church, my husband and I drove down to Portland (Oregon) to spend the day with a daughter and her husband.  We got to hear the traditional Mother's Day talks at THEIR church  :)  But, that's not what I'm going to talk about.

As I was driving down (it's a two hour drive), I was thinking of Mother's Day...particularly what everyone says... Happy Mother's Day.  Three words.  Happy. Mothers. Day.  Let's dissect those words...

Happy - A feeling of joy and happiness ( I know I'm not supposed to use a word in its definition but this is my blog post so I can do it anyway!).  Sometimes elusive.

Mothers - A role we fulfill either until we die, or forever (whichever you believe).  Sounds like a blessing or a curse  :)


Day - A day is just one of 365 in a year.  24 hours.  Quite a small period of time in the great scheme of things.

So, what I got out of this rambling train of thought is I think we should focus on the first two words...happy mothers...rather than the day.   A day is fleeting, but being happy mothers will affect our children forever.  Not only that but wouldn't you rather be happy?  It's totally within our control, whether we choose to be happy or let circumstances bring us down.  Why would anyone choose to be crabby or morose.

Yes, we can all be better mothers but that shouldn't stop us from being happy even in our imperfect state.

So, HAPPY MOTHERS day!

Are our kids missing out?

I've been reading about a study conducted by the Center on Everyday Lives of Families (CLEF) at UCLA on the family life of 32 middle-class families in Southern California.  It's been a fascinating read (maybe because some of the families studied are from the neighborhood I grew up in).  Researchers went into these homes and documented (through interview and videotape) everything the families did for one week.

How can anyone be inside on a day like this?!

One of the findings that I found surprising is how little time families spend outdoors.  Even though most of the homes had comfortable backyards with children's equipment and playthings, pools, lounge chairs, and other recreational equipment, these spaces were rarely used.  The children spent most of their time indoors,  plugged into electronics and the parents were outside even less.  Considering that the study was done in Southern California where the weather is mild all year long, this is especially disturbing.

If this is the trend of most families today, our children are missing out on an important part of childhood...that of being outdoors, enjoying the sunshine, exploring and playing, using their muscles to grow strong and healthy and developing their creativity. 

With Summer approaching, this might be a good time to evaluate how you and your children are spending your leisure time.  Are you inside, even though it's a beautiful day outside or are you showing your children how much fun they can have if they just turn off the electronics and head outdoors to play with the dog, or run through the sprinklers, or shoot a few hoops, or look for bugs.  How about making this the summer you spend more time outside rather than inside!


Note - The study on families can be found in the book, "Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century"  by Jeanne E. Arnold, Anthony P. Graesch, Enzo Ragazzini, and Elinor Ochs.   2012

Not Your Usual Spinach Salad

Not your usual Spinach Salad

This is the perfect salad for a warm Spring day...colorful, healthy and so tasty!

Spinach Salad
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
2 handfuls fresh spinach, chopped
about 10 strawberries, sliced
2 oranges, peeled, sliced and quartered
1 small bunch green onions
1 T. sunflower seeds (or 2 T. sliced almonds)

Dressing - Mix the following in small container:
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1 t. olive oil
1-2 t. sweetener (sugar, agave, Splenda...)
1 t. flaxseed (optional)

Mix greens with cut fruit.  Drizzle dressing over all and toss.
This salad makes a good main dish salad if you top the salad with sliced grilled chicken.  Yum!

Glub, glub

My family had been invited to tour a friend's new home, complete with inground swimming pool.  Seeing that pool was so exciting to my three year old son that he let go of my hand, ran and jumped into the deep end before I could stop him.  Completely taken by surprise, I jumped in, grabbed his floundering little body and deposited him on dry land.  His response?  "Mommy, I go glub, glub."

Yes, my son, you went glub glub and Mommy practically had a heart attack.

Little kids are so fearless and water is so enticing.  It's fun to take a bath in water, splash around in water, make a mess in the kitchen sink with water...it's no wonder they are drawn to it.

Which is why I'm a firm believer in teaching water safety to kids...the younger the better, especially if you live in an area where your children have access to swimming pools.  Many parents get their children involved in sports at an early age but I really, really think the first sport/activity should be swimming.  While some sports teach team sportsmanship, swimming teaches a life-saving skill.  

Your child will have many opportunities to be around water...a beach party, a scout activity, boating and/or fishing, tubing the river with friends, summer camp and so forth.  Teach your child to swim and he can thoroughly enjoy those activities and not be left out because he's the only one who can't swim. 

Let's have a safe summer!

Tummy problems for Chuck

Chuck (4) threw up this morning.  :(

Me, "I'm sorry you're sick, Chuck."
Chuck, "I think it was too many treats.  It happens that way sometimes." (ever the pragmatist)
Chuck (in a somber tone), "Or maybe it's diabetes."
Me, "You don't have diabetes  :)"

I love the way children listen and process the things they hear around them.

"Those who do not learn from the past..."

A famous quote that is often applied to the condition of war is "Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it."  (George Santayana).  Now, I'm not saying that raising children is a form of war  :) but the quote can also be applied to family life.

How?  We all grew up in a family.  That family had its successes and challenges.  Our parents did many things right and some things...wrong.  Do you remember saying when you were a teenager that you would NEVER do (whatever) when YOU had children?

Well, now it's your turn.  You are the parent.  You have the opportunity to raise your children any way you please.  Are you going to remember the experiences of your youth?  Are you going to try to repeat the good things your parents did?  Are you going to try to find other ways of dealing with problems that didn't work for your parents?

It is a good thing that we don't have to start from scratch when we start our own family.  We have had experiences that will help shape the decisions we make.  By remembering those past experiences, we can have an idea of what the outcome will be with our children.

It's all up to us how we apply that knowledge.  We can use it as a stepping stone to improve our role as parents or we can use it as a stumbling block to hold us back from being the best parents we can be.

What's cooking? Wednesday - Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

Oranges, bananas, carrots, peaches, protein powder

This has been one of the family favorites so far!  Super healthy and so good tasting!

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

2 oranges, peeled and cut into quarters
2 bananas, peeled and cut into quarters
2 carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 peaches, pit removed and cut into pieces
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
enough water to make blending easier.*

Blend until smooth and creamy.  Love it!

*If you are using frozen fruit, increase the water.  If using room temperature fruit, decrease the water and add a handful of crushed ice.

VitaMix Orange Creamsicle Smoothie