All posts in Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?

And Down To One Fish

by admin on February 23, 2012 in Adventure and Me, Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Life Keeps Changing, The Pet with No comments

 Well you never can tell with fish.  Yellow-whisker just didn’t seems as healthy from the get go.  The day before she died I was starting to warn the kids she seemed ill. 

We are now down to just Nia.  Sure didn’t take long for the first experience with a pets death to happen thanks to our new fish adventure.

The kids handled it well, although all differently.  Youngest two seem very unaware.  My eldest is just hoping we get a new fish; maybe a fancier one like a Beta next time.

My oldest boy, however, was the one who found her…  belly up… He looked so ash colored as he came and told me.  I took one  look at her and confirmed his suspicions.  He then looked really solemn.  I asked if he was okay and he shook his head ‘no’.  I said it was okay to be upset and when he started to cry I grabbed him in a big hug.  I assured him it is always a hard lesson in life to learn… that life ends.

After we hugged for a while he asked if he could go be alone in his room.  He then asked the sweetest question, so honest, “Is it okay if I am not okay for a while?  I still feel sad”.

“Absolutely okay my boy”, I assured him.

For now Nia is very healthy looking so we will stick with her and when she goes we will debate trying ONE Beta or just two new goldfish again.

TTFN

The Sun Is Gone!

by admin on December 26, 2011 in Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Feeling It (Thankful), Holiday Messages with No comments

Christmas was a full day.  We had all stretched our energy to the max by the time we where heading home from connecting with my side of the family that evening.  We had just pulled away from my brothers home when my youngest piped up. “THE SUN IS GONE!” he spoke with earnest concern.  We tried to ease his mind by explaining it would return come morning.  He then asked who runs the sun.  We explained God runs it, he he he.  At that point my clever five year old daughter jumped into the conversation, “Hows he control it?  With his hand or with a controller?”  Between giggles we managed to share how he generally speaks things into being.  He is that powerful that his very WORD makes something of nothing thus something happen. “I would like to control the sun,” she then added.

“And what would you do with it if you controlled it dear,” asked her Dad?

“Oh pretty much what God does with it,” she said matter of factly.

“If it works for him it must work of us I guess,” I chuckled in reply.

Indeed I am thankful for God’s control over it all.  This is a broken world, but he knows that, lived through it when incarnate in Jesus Christ, and has and sees the very biggest of plans and reasons to it all.  He holds the mysteries and we can only trust him as we haven’t his clarity on LIFE itself!

I have no idea where the kids little minds come up with this stuff but I know it all seems to fit in some way and this conversation really added to my Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

TTFN

Lovely Weather For A Sleigh Ride Together

by admin on December 21, 2011 in Adventure and Me, Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Holiday Messages, Little Things, My Romance with No comments
 Can you hear the sleigh bells jingling?  
Ring ting tingling too?!
Pops and Grams (my husbands folks) where kind enough to let us know about their community winter day in the park, Sunday past.  Oh what a grand opportunity to bask in Christmas feelings!  A sleigh ride is a sure fire way to take me back and make me all sentimental.  
We had neighbours, up north, who had two very strong (mid-sized) ponies to pull us on what we called hay rides; probably since there was a lot of straw involved.  We often came home with it up our jackets and down our ski pants.  Sleigh rides are so civil down south!  There was only one boy who kept hopping off and on and he got ‘spoken to’.  
(Garnet and I, our first photo together.  Also our first Christmas holiday together.)

Back home we spent more time wrestling off and on the ride then sitting and looking around.  It was one big brawl from start to finish.  Mr Hillier only ever stopped the ponies if we fell so far behind that we couldn’t catch up, weighted down, as we where, by our snow gear.  We laughed so hard and loved ever minute of it.  I remember it was one of the first things I had to do with him, when Garnet and I where dating.  My brothers took it upon themselves to immediately try to throw the city boy off.  It took a lot of work, Garnet is a stubborn and big fellow.  He was game right away though.  I remember I got him worse then anyone else; he was hanging on by his hands at one point and I coyly unhinged his fingers till he rolled away, carrying my brother with him.  My brother had been hanging on to Garnet’s foot trying to pull him off from that side.  My boyfriend landed safely… on top of my brother… knocked the wind right out of him, it was all terribly funny!

Well the ride this Sunday was really genteel and sweet.  We climbed up and sat orderly.  The kids gushed about the horses and the ride.  My sister and I broke out in ‘jingle bells’ with her daughter and my youngest boy at one point.  All adding up to romantically Christmas-y memories to keep.  It was such mild weather for this time of year and thus truly was ‘lovely weather for a sleigh ride together’.
My youngest pointed out the ‘horse’s bums’ and my second youngest thought they might not be real horses but was pleased when we told her they are.  All four kids really enjoyed the hot chocolate served in the skating shed.  We finished this romantic evening with coffee and soup at Grams and Pops house, just a couple blocks from all the fun.  
I couldn’t help stealing glances at Garnet through it all, remembering our first sleigh ride together, up where I come from.  I can get so enamoured with him still.  Ahhh romance always adds to this time of year.  
Wishing you a very merry Christmas!
TTFN

Autumn Walks and Bearded Dragons

by admin on September 30, 2011 in Better Check Out Links, Bits Of My Personality, Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Little Things, Mama Heart Mushings, The Pet with No comments
(Yes this is a picture from last fall… with no camera I have to try to enjoy my favourite season without picture taking and so I have been looking through last years collection.)


Baby Boy, Riddick and I walked the big kids to the bus. As the bus pulled up my littlest guy yelled ‘LOOK a clue!’… he had been watching “Blue’s Clues” just this morning so I suppose he was still hunting down clues. It was so lovely that we walked slowly home kicking at leaves and talking about the wind… Baby Boy doesn’t like the wind… “Iz nice out Mama. Iz windy dow.”

We had to kick around at home for a while before going for our walk. We had decided to go to ‘Tumble Weed’, a thrift store just down our street, but it wouldn’t be open till ten and we where home by 8:30. When we did head out Riddick had to stay home so we could shop. My boy lead the way and so we took it very very very slow. I was such a well behaved Mama today and even pointed out possible distractions for him. “Look honey a big bunch of leaves! Throw them at me!”
Some how we still arrived at Sherbrook half an hour before the store was going to open!

Thank goodness for Bonny and Clyde! They are the residents bearded dragons and are still little and very social. They where watching my little man just as much as he was watching them. The lady who takes care of them noticed how nice Baby Boy was being and so showed him how she gives them a bath. “It is more of a shower,” she explained as she sprayed them down with a little spritzer bottle. They obviously thought it was cold as she blinked at her and tried to get away from the spray. She then set out their morning salad and we enjoyed watching their sticky tongues pop out and snatch food. She then got them to jump for us, a cute trick of theirs and petted them and carried them cradled in her hand. You could tell they just loved her, for as soon as her hand was in the pen they ran and climbed up her, even rubbing at her wrist almost like a cat or dog would. One of the few lizards awake during the day and even friendly when wild I could see why they where a popular pet. We decided we will have to come visit them again.

We did a little shopping and my little man found a noisy 50 cent truck while I was tickled over the two pretty tea cups I got (only a buck each). As we left Baby Boy thanked the volunteer at the store and said good bye to everyone we passed. He is a very friendly guy to all the residents there and we will have to pop in more often.

Walking home was just as slow but also just as lovely. Crisp fall air, beautiful colors and me and my boy holding hands meant I was in no hurry to get home. By the way we where home before eleven and so still have so much more loveliness, in this day, yet to come.

TTFN

Honest Family Meetings

by admin on September 23, 2011 in Bits Of My Personality, Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Feeling It (Thankful), Four Little Eggs In My Nest with 1 Comment
Honestly just be honest:)

(The family meeting assembly, even the dog is welcome to attend.)

We started having family meetings a few years back. It was instated as family habit when we realised the kids where old enough to get it, and we where all needing to talk about more as our needs became different and more complicated. Often they are called when we feel like the kids aren’t getting enough time to share with us… more often they are called when communication and cooperation have broken down between us and the kids and so we need to remind everyone of the rules and lay down some punishments when needed.

The meetings are always based around one statement that has been essential to running this crew and that is ‘we are a big family and MUST work together and help out so that everything runs smoothly and for the betterment of all.’ At the meetings everyone gets time to share concerns and just stuff… even our two year old… who usually just talks about Lightning McQueen or the adventures of some other favourite character. Everyone is allowed to say exactly what they feel before things are resolved and dealt with. We all practice sharing and also listening in this way.

Last meeting I shared that I don’t like birthday parties. To my surprise all the kids replied was ‘we knew that already mom’. I explained how I just wish we could come up with something that still makes them feel special but doesn’t involve so much expense, stress and creativity… I am not a creative birthday party mommy. The idea of a sleep over with one friend after a day of playing and a cake and present time came up and all the kids loved it.

Well that was easier then I thought it would be…

In a matter of minutes something I had been wrestling with for some time had been resolved. The kids then wanted to direct the meeting toward school stories they had to share. That was it! The conflict I had felt, the stress, the worry about letting my kids down was all washed away and I realised they where fine with the truth and so should I. Don’t have to be like all the party planning mama’s out there, who are gifted in that area. I am different; my kids know it and like that about me.

Why am I feeling like writing this today? Well I just survived my last planned and themed birthday bash, relying heavily on my husband to help me through it, and I am super happy it is the last. Keeping it simple from here on in:)

Feeling thankful for our family meetings, for open communication with my kids and for being different and having kids who don’t mind that at all.

TTFN

Monsieur Moustache

by admin on August 24, 2011 in Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Mama Heart Mushings with 1 Comment

While I wasn’t impressed that he decided to spend his last dollar on one of those cheep toy dispensers at the mall I must say he looked terribly cute walking around the mall with me, wearing his mustache. He got a lot of double take looks and it only encouraged him. He kept doing ‘the smolder’ and saying ‘well well (clearing throat) hello there, hello there’ while swaggering around like a very sophisticated chap.

TTFN

Updates and TIME

by admin on June 25, 2011 in Bits Of My Personality, Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Feeling It (Thankful), The Jogger Within? with 1 Comment
(SUMMER!)

I am not accustom to catch up posts, but with the death of my personal computer I have been left with no choice but to put a little update up and do the best I can with borrowed time on other persons computers.

Things have been up and down in the health department. I am currently finding it a struggle to get into the specialists I need to see, because of how unusual my birth defect is, most doctors don’t seem to understand how it works or what it is exactly. HOWEVER, I have been able to get into the specialist for my families genetic disease and that is a big relief. I can honestly say I have a next step and plan to get things done that need to be done for me and that is a long way from my overwhelmed feelings and dread of the idea that I might have to be a squeaky wheel.

With school wrapping up just around the bend I am so very pumped about summer. We have been finding plenty of excuses to get outside, from meals on the patio more often this year to going to more community events. We just got back from an art sidewalk sale in a near by neighborhood. It made for a lovely weekend afternoon for the kids and I. I had just got back from a run and had more then enough enthusiasm to head out with the kids for the majority of the day.

Speaking of my run… ah it is a lovely part of my life right now. I find I bound out of bed on the days I get to run at the river with my girlfriends. There is so much activity down there, it is so beautiful, it just inspires me to get out more, in our city. Today was special because I have been pretty sick for a bit and couldn’t get out like I enjoy. It felt extra good to get out there. I opened my runners shoe box and smiled. I sighed as I said, under my breath, “I missed them.” The house was all still asleep, or so I thought, Garnet heard me and snickered I am sure… I like my running shoes and so I suppose I am becoming a passionate jogger.

As I was waiting in the back yard for my ride I heard a window open and saw a little face peek out at me from his bed. “What are you doing mama,” my oldest boy asked?

“I am going for my run dear”, I couldn’t get over how cute his sleepy face was.

“Oh yeah. Are those your new shoes” he asked with a wide eyed look?!

“Yes. Do you like them?”

“They are so cool” he sleepily said with a nod.

I was keenly aware of the example I was setting for my kids, thanks to his and my little exchange. Mom being active has become a regular thing for my children now. They expect me to have a long hike or run early every Saturday. My parents where both very active outdoor sportsmen and hard working farm folk so I had an excellent example growing up too. With our city lifestyle I have had to find a very different way to set an example for my crew, but I am glad I have found it. Not that their Dad isn’t a superb example too. He is an avid mountain biker and a dedicated road bicyclist. I hope they will find healthy activities that they enjoy and can make a regular part of their lifestyle.

A little bit by choice, and a little bit thrust upon me, I am thankfully pulling back lately. I find the city life hard, but I am focusing on making it work for me, instead of me working for it… I am learning about how much I need personal space and CALM mom and kid time… like what I had back in the day, when we lived in a small prairie town. I am learning more about myself and my kids all the time… while I take the time… and I am enjoying time NOW!

TTFN

Check Out Adventures

by admin on June 16, 2011 in Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Mama Heart Mushings with No comments

My two year old has social skills, a style, all his own.

Yesterday we where at the check out with a weeks worth of groceries. He had been super patient. Talking with me sweetly and pointing out colors while the clerk ran everything through. Finally the clerk mentioned how good he was being and asked my little man how he was today. My son looked at him dead panned and yelled “GREAT!” The clerk laughed and said that was the most honest response he had gotten all day. He then asked what he had been up to today. My boy thought about it, and again with all seriousness burst out, “Been a super hero! Du-du–du–du“, the last bit being a superman like song and he threw his arms in the air in a taking off kinda flying position. I asked what super hero he was and he said “Du-du–du–du! SUPERMAN” with his arms still up in the air!

(Enjoying a mall play area.)

I must mention that the whole time this conversation was going on I had a four year old, in her own little world, dancing in a flow-y flower-y kinda way beside me singing nonstop, and not too quietly, “Float, flutter, FLY! Float, flutter, FLY”! We where quite the show for the clerk and the gentlemen behind us.

TTFN

Check Out Adventures

by admin on June 16, 2011 in Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Mama Heart Mushings with No comments

My two year old has social skills, a style, all his own.

Yesterday we where at the check out with a weeks worth of groceries. He had been super patient. Talking with me sweetly and pointing out colors while the clerk ran everything through. Finally the clerk mentioned how good he was being and asked my little man how he was today. My son looked at him dead panned and yelled “GREAT!” The clerk laughed and said that was the most honest response he had gotten all day. He then asked what he had been up to today. My boy thought about it, and again with all seriousness burst out, “Been a super hero! Du-du–du–du“, the last bit being a superman like song and he threw his arms in the air in a taking off kinda flying position. I asked what super hero he was and he said “Du-du–du–du! SUPERMAN” with his arms still up in the air!(Enjoying a mall play area.)

I must mention that the whole time this conversation was going on I had a four year old, in her own little world, dancing in a flow-y flower-y kinda way beside me singing nonstop, and not too quietly, “Float, flutter, FLY! Float, flutter, FLY”! We where quite the show for the clerk and the gentlemen behind us.

TTFN

Be Well

by admin on March 29, 2011 in Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Mama Heart Mushings with No comments

Dear little daughter, I am sorry you are ill today… sorry I made it about me the moment I realized you where going to loose your breakfast. It didn’t ruin my day to stay home with you, it just changed the day. Today is about you getting better.

I keep peeking in on you and sigh with thanks that you are sleeping comfortably long into the day. You managed to keep some food and drink down, and took your medicine like a gem. You amaze me with your ability to smile at me when you are sick. As I tucked you, once again, under the blue patch-work quilt we both exchanged love you’s and I felt the shame about being selfish in my reaction this morning slip away. You feel no ill will, just ill tummy and I love you for it. Be well little lady… be well daughter of mine.

MY GIRL –“Mama I think I am sick.”
MYSELF — “Where is your sick honey?”
MY GIRL –“Right here in my belly button.”

TTFN

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