A Good Laugh

I was in the middle of my work and my girls were making an immense amount of noise.  My train of thought was now disturbed so I listened to what was going on.  They were bursting with laughter.  I couldn't even tell what they were saying.  Finally I heard Jessica say, "a bosc of bixed mixers".....what were they talking about?  I listened some more. Alyssa answered, "a box of bixits mixed"....then more laughter.  Tongue twisters.  They were trying to say -- A box of biscuits, a box of mixed biscuits, a biscuit mixer."  Pretty soon I got in on the action and I couldn't say it either.  We kept going back and forth trying to get it right.  Not one of us could say it right.  Tears started forming in my eyes I was laughing so hard.  It was just a tongue twister it wasn't really all that funny, but we couldn't help ourselves.  The laughter gushed out of us like water rushing from a broken dam.  We finally settled down but later in the car they started up again.  This time I had to tell them to stop.  I could hardly breath or see the road because of our wild merriment.  I guess some days we just need a good laugh.

Kathy      

Working Together

Last year my husband and I started a new tradition for our family.  We felt it was important for our kids to experience the tastes and flavors of other cultures, so we began our Foreign Food Fridays Feast.  Every week a different country is chosen. So far we have done 48. I search anywhere I can find authentic recipes:  friends, internet, library, etc.  Then I spend a number of hours in the kitchen preparing multiple dishes to represent the cuisine of the chosen nation for our celebration on Friday.  It's been a wonderful educational opportunity for all of us.  Though I'm not a chef, I love to cook and learn new cooking techniques and ways to use new ingredients.  The kids have learned to enjoy the new dishes we have tried though they still leave the occasional onion or pepper "hidden" on the side of their plate.  We have even added a few of the favorites to our regular weekly rotation.  There is only one problem with our weekly world travels:  the pile of dishes covering every square inch of my kitchen counters. Some nights I use almost every pan I have (which isn't all that many but they sure make a big pile).  After spending a couple hours cooking the last thing I want to do is clean up.  This is where my wonderful hubby steps in. He cleans every dish and every counter top until the kitchen sparkles again.  He tells me to go sit down and enjoy the kids or a book while he happily cleans up all my messes.  When he's finished we watch movies with the kids until half of us have fallen asleep.
Despite the benefits, I don't think I would continue our feasts if I had to clean up as well.  Working together, we have made Friday nights the most special night of the week.  

Kathy
 

Change is Good

Today I'm finally taking down our Christmas tree.  Yes I realize it is already February.  I don't really have any excuses for leaving it up so long, except that I like it. My kids like it too.  I tried to take it down about a week ago and my kids begged me to leave it.   Yes I could have taken it down anyway but why?  Just to show my kids that I'm the boss?  So I left it.
But now that it's February 1st, we have only 9 months before I have to put it up again.  Part of what makes the holidays exciting is the change from the everyday dreariness to the glowing lights and tinsel.  If everyday was glowing maybe Christmas time wouldn't be as exciting either.

Kathy

Perfect Start

My husband bought me a juicer for Christmas and we love it!  We start most days with a fresh glass of juice.  I vary the ingredients but usually I begin with about 5 apples, 5 carrots, a lemon and about an inch of ginger root.  This morning I added 4 leaves of kale and 2 leaves of collard greens as well.  These calcium rich greens give it a bone building boost.  Even with the addition of greens it tastes delicious.  The kids love it too and the best part is that it doesn't cost $8.00 for 12 ounces like it does in the grocery store.  
Do you have a favorite way to start the morning?

Today is Only What You Make of It

This morning my son woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  Right from the start he was crabby. He was also late, so instead of playing before school he had to rush around. "This is just the worst day ever!"  He said, burying his head into the couch cushions.  I didn't want him to go to school in a bad mood, but I didn't really know what to say.  He gets so caught up in a particular moment of displeasure.  He cannot see beyond the disappointment into the brighter future.  He fully lives each moment as it comes along as a single unconnected entity.  As his mom I know it's silly. If this is truly his "worst day ever" he will lead quite a charmed (and also uneventful) life.  But how do I make him grasp the insignificance of his sadness compared to the pain in the world?..... and should I try?

I don't know.  But I did know that if he went to school with a sour attitude his day wouldn't improve much.  So I scooped him up into my arms and sat him on my lap at the kitchen table.  He ate breakfast and I told him, "Buddy your day will only be what you make it.  You can stop this crabbiness right now and have a great day.  It's up to you not anyone else."  He didn't say anything.  I got up to make his lunch.  Pretty soon I heard him laughing with his sister.  Then he gave her a hug and told her he was sorry for being mean.

We had to run through the snow together to not miss the bus, but he climbed those steps with a smile not a frown.

Kathy

"You Cannot Gain Until You Lose" --Buddha

My students (who are also happily my daughters)

This last Fall, my students began to get serious about their training. They had worked hard and improved a lot. They went into the competitive season thinking they were going to trounce their competitors. All their effort would surely pay off on competition day, right?  Well things don't always work out as planned.  They skated well, but their competition skated better and we were beaten badly.
It was time to go back and figure out what went wrong. We analyzed video, refined technique, worked on speed, and spent more time on the ice than we thought possible. They were determined to be on top the next time.  
Over the weekend they had the chance to compete again.  This time their scores reflected their determination and they came in first and second. We happily celebrated.  But I also thought about the Buddha's saying (which I had just learned of), "One cannot gain until first he loses everything".  I realized that they needed to lose.  They needed to understand what was lacking and have the determination to make it to number 1.  Sometimes as  parents and coaches we try to shelter kids from losses, but maybe kids need to feel the pain of losing to become successful.    

Kathy

Good Report

Today I had to help my son take his science experiment into school.  On the way out I saw the principal of the school.  She stopped me.  She wanted to tell me what my son did the other day.  She said, at the end of the day when everyone was racing to get out the door, my son stopped to help a friend pick up his papers which had fallen all over the floor.  She said, "He was so nice to do that."  I thanked her for letting me know. Then I remembered, I had picked him up from school that afternoon and he was quite a bit later than normal coming out of the school.  I didn't bother asking him why he was late and it never came up.  He said he had a great day but that was all.  Why didn't he mention his wonderful deed?  To him, it wasn't anything special.  He just helped a friend in need. That's just what friends do.

Kathy