Faith & Family
Too funny! This pic is my absolute favorite. We were at a
stop light and I encouraged them to give me a funny face and this is what I
got! The rest are our other random stoplight pics... Enjoy!
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| Meet My little Familia! I can't imagine life without these three!!! |
THE GRANDPARENTS - MAMU and PAPU
These are the most important and inspirational people in my life, my mother and father. If it wasnt for them, I wouldn't be where I am at today. They have encouraged me and have been my mentors through this winding road. The kiddos love them deeply and they (mamu/papu) love them as their own! I am truely blessed to have them and to call them my parents/grandparents.
The things our children will never forget.
It is important to give your child your full attention when they see you after being away. Let them know that you’ve missed them! Whether it be when you pick them up from preschool or daycare or if you are seeing them when they come home from school- give them your full attention. Get off of the phone, the computer, the tablet… and be all there for your child.
2). Seeing them was the best part of your day!
I try to greet our kids like my grandma greeted me when she saw me… like I had just made her day! When our kids wake up, I say “Oh, I am so happy to see you this morning! I missed you while we were sleeping!”
3). You treated them like they were important.
My parents have been married for over 35 years. I heard them enjoying each other’s company every day. They found ways to show each other that they loved one another! When my husband & I got married, my Dad said “Remember that if it is important to one of you, it is important.” I see my parents living this every day.
4). You Prayed together at night
Our kids know that every night, we are going to sit down and say our prayers together. We read a devotional that teaches real-life stories (being kind to others, treating your sibling with respect).
I always saw the way that my mom treated others and the way that she talked about others. It was never done negatively in front of us. She was always kind and if she had negative words to say about someone, I certainly didn’t know it.
6). You volunteered and they helped
It is so important to teach our kids to volunteer when they are young. Teach them the reason that you take meals to women that have babies or why you sent a card to that family when they had a death in the family. Take them with you to volunteer at shelters, nursing homes and food banks. Let them join in.
7). You had them read to you every day & you read to them, too!
Oh yes, I could go on and on about the educational benefit of reading (trust me- it is even more important than you think!) but I want to talk about the EMOTIONAL bond that happens when you read with your child. My mom used to sit and read to me every night. It didn’t take long, but here I sit, as an adult, remembering those moments.
Yes, every year on my birthday, my mom made my favorite dinner. We do this with our kids, too. We don’t go out to eat on their birthdays, instead we stay home and have all of their favorites! They love it!
Oh- sleeping in my parents bed when I was sick was such a treat. Add in eating rocky road ice cream in bed and I was one happy little girl… even with a high fever! I remember it so well.
10). Your cookies were awesome (because you let them help!)
Oh- sleeping in my parents bed when I was sick was such a treat. Add in eating rocky road ice cream in bed and I was one happy little girl… even with a high fever! I remember it so well.
That smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies and homemade Christmas cookies, baking in the oven when your kids get home from school or just because you want to fill that sweet tooth. There is a reason that you see it on commercials so often- because it is a happy memory.
11). They didn’t feel rushed with you.
Stop being so rushed. Let them dress themselves. Let them tie their own shoes. What does it really matter if you are three minutes behind schedule? I have to remind myself of this at times… Let them be kids, for they are only little for a while.
12). You payed attention when they talked…
I watched an episode on Oprah once, where Maya Angelou told Oprah that one time her son brought her a picture that he had made and when he showed it to her, she didn’t give him her full attention and just said something like “its nice”. He then took that same picture, ripped it up and threw it in the garbage can. When Maya Angelou she asked him why he did that, he said that it was because she didn’t like it because she didn’t look at it. She vowed then & there to pay attention to everything that he showed her. Our children are watching us and waiting for us to pay attention to them. To listen to them. I always felt like I had my Mom’s full attention, and I still do. I know that if I am talking to her, she is listening. What a wonderful feeling to know that someone cares about you enough to really LISTEN.
13). You used to LAY WITH THEM every night.
When our children ask us that question… Mommy, will you lay with me?What do we normally say? “Just for a second, sweetie. I have to clean up the kitchen and start laundry and…. ”
But… Do you know what? This is when the good stuff comes out. This is when I hear all of those stories, those little details that seven year olds don’t tell their moms anymore. This is when our mother/son relationship becomes a ‘one day best friend’ relationship.
But… Do you know what? This is when the good stuff comes out. This is when I hear all of those stories, those little details that seven year olds don’t tell their moms anymore. This is when our mother/son relationship becomes a ‘one day best friend’ relationship.
14). You used to get down on the floor to play with them (not just watch).
15). You took time to be intentional about being together.
We ate dinner together every night. We didn’t care if we were eating grilled cheese sandwiches and raman noodle soup, we were eating it together. TV was NOT allowed to be on during mealtime because we were TALKING as a family. I was the only child so it was a bit easier.
16). You took an interest in THEIR interests
I can remember everytime my parents routed me on... from elementary school to middle school, to high school and post secondary up til graduate school. They have always been my biggest fans no matter what the situation. I try as often as I can to do the same with my children.
17). You had FAITH IN THEM. (when they lost it in themselves)
When my daughter started reading, she really dreaded sitting down to read with me because she was still learning and because she is a perfectionist, she would become frustrated. But she knew that I had faith in her even when she didn’t have it in herself and now she can't put down books! She absolutely loves to read and her brother is right behind her.
18). You didn’t care if they saw you acting SILLY!
Do something that they love and do it because they love it!
19). You supported their teacher.
Your child needs to know that you supported their teacher. This teaches them to respect authority, because you did!
20). You didn’t care who was around- you hugged & kissed them!
21). You spent a lot of one-on-one time with them.
It does not matter how many kids you have- you can spend one on one time with them. Date each of your kids, it's important and it gives you the opportunity to show them you care about them for that moment. If we forget, our kids remind us!
22). You used to tell her how BEAUTIFUL she was (& is)
Tell your daughter that she is beautiful, because if she doesn’t hear this from you growing up, she will look for it somewhere else… my parents always told me (& still do)
23). You were always so proud to be with them!
Be proud of who they are and what they do. Don’t make excuses when you go out. feel proud to be with your children.
24). You always hung up their masterpieces
Display their art work in your home. Hang it on your refrigerator (our refrigerator is covered... but that's ok), hang it in their bedroom, in your bedroom, in your garage. Organize their school work & art work, but be sure to keep and display some of it, too!
25). You weren’t too proud to say I’M SORRY
My mom used to tell me that I was always good at learning when to say I’m sorry. I tell our kids that I am sorry when I lost my temper. Do you know what has happened? They have learned by example and are owning up to their own mistakes, as well.
26). You never compared them to others.
They are listening. They will take it to heart. Let them remember that you never compared them. If you want to raise your child to be a leader, you child needs to you stop comparing them to other kids.
27). You were “SO MEAN!”
28). You were not their friend.
My Mom and I have a great relationship. She is truly my best friend. As a teenager, I argued with her, but needed her, all at the same time. She and my Dad set high standards and my brother and I always aimed to reach them. It pays off. I do this for my kids as well.
29). Generosity was displayed in your house.
I grew up watching my mom give. She gives her time, her money, her possessions- she really lives by the “what’s mine is yours” rule, especially with her family. She has been a SHINING example of what a volunteer looks like (Hospice House, Meals on Wheels, American Cancer Society, etc…) and what a mother and grandmother looks like. She is generous and I want to be just like that. IShe elearned this from her mother (my grandma) and I hope that by watching me, my kids will feel the same way.
30). Patience was key and you had it.
Be patient in your home. Be patient with your kids and be patient with your spouse. Kids will have tantrums- and tantrums are OK sometimes. Understand that they are kids and gently correctly them and love them all the more.
31). You didn’t stress out about every little thing.
Did you know that they did a study and found that what kids want most from their parents is to see them being stress-free? You can be a stress-free mom and let your kids see you enjoying life, not worrying about it! Your kids will worry if you worry, so teach them not to ‘sweat the small stuff’.
32). You didn’t clean up their messes!
Seriously, I know that you think that you are helping, but you have to STOP doing that for your kids! Teach them HOW to clean. Teach them WHEN to clean. Teach them WHERE to clean. Don’t do it for them.
My mom really enjoyed being a mom- I could see it in her face, her words, her hugs… every day and she does the same to my kids as if they are her own. I want our kids to feel that same way. I want them to remember that I enjoyed spending time with them. I loved it, I wanted to do it, I ENJOYED IT. I hope that they never forget these 33 things when they get older and have kids of their own.
Easter: The real meaning
For Christians, Easter is more than just a nice Sunday dinner with family, tons of chocolate candy, or a visit from the Easter Bunny. Yet, it’s hard to show children the true meaning of Easter when the holiday has become so commercialized with things that have nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our kids should know the true meaning and special significance it has. Here are some small little traditions our family engages in during this significant holiday.
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The Easter egg is hollow just as they found the tomb; For it is meant to represent Christ has risen for you!
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Our Easter started a little something like this:
1. Birthday boy woke up to balloons filling his room, a stack of homemade buttermilk confetti pancakes, bacon and birthday gifts!
2. Discussed the meaning of Easter and recreated the story.
"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said." Matthew 28:6
3. Arrived at our church Lakewood, where we celebrated the real reason of Easter Sunday!
4. Celebrated at my grandma's house with a special Easter Lunch and surprise cake for my son on his birthday.
-Decorated Eggs with their great grandma (yearly tradition since birth)
-Made Easter Baskets for the neighbors children
-Hid eggs so the kids could find them and give away as gifts for the homeless.
5. Arrived home, relaxed and watched "The Bible" as a family before bedtime.
Creative Ways to Teach Your Children about Easter
Make Easter baskets for others.
To show your children the love and kindness that God wants us to know, have them make Easter baskets for kids in need. Our family did this last year; my children had a great time filling the baskets with not only the typical Easter treats, but also with Easter eggs filled with scripture verses that they decorated and folded inside.
Decorate Easter eggs.
Still dye Easter eggs with your kids, but do it with meaning. Use symbolic colors to show the story of Christ. Black can be for our sins. Red can represent his death. Blue can be the color of sadness while he was on the cross. Yellow can represent his resurrection. Purple is the color of royalty; use this to represent Christ as king. Green can be for being made new. Be sure to leave some white eggs for our sins being made clean.
Recreate Jesus’ story.
Using crafts around the house let your kids draw or create art that honors Christ death and proclaims his resurrection. You can even use homemade felt board to tell the story. Cut out a cross, a tomb, and the figure of Jesus and attach Velcro to the back. On Good Friday, arrange the craft to show what happens, according to God’s Word. Then, move him to the tomb. On Sunday morning, before the kids get up, replace him with a white cloth to represent his resurrection. Explain to your children after they wake up that Jesus has risen from the grave and our sins are made clean by his forgiveness.
Take the bunny out of the basket.
By all means, put together Easter baskets with your kids. It can be done without involving the Easter Bunny. A new Bible, jewelry that honors their faith, candy that doesn’t represent anything aside from spring and other fun things that are God-centered would all make great additions to an Easter basket.Celebrate new life.
To me, Easter represents new life. This year, my children will receive fish and new fish tanks as a part of their Easter surprise. My parents always got us new animals for our farm. We would get baby chickens, ducks, and even one year a lamb.
As our sins are forgiven, we are given new life because of our Savior’s sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection three days later. Reiterate to your children that we are made new by God’s forgiveness.
Prepare a special Easter dinner.
At the family meal, talk about what they learned at Sunday School that day. Many focus on the death of Christ at Easter; be sure to let them know that Jesus rose from the grave.
You don’t need to eliminate the Easter Bunny all together. Just make sure your kids understand why we celebrate Easter.
Still thankful for everything.
I realized how much I take my life for granted when I really need to give Thanks for appreciating life in itself. I think I focus too much on the negatives instead of the positives, on what I don't have, what I've lost, how far I still need to go. So here it goes... Even after November (the month to give thanks), life still goes on, and I need to start being more thankful and give thanks for all that I STILL have.
I'm thankful to God for my two beautifully intelligent children and for my wonderful parents who have raised me to be who I am today, a responsible loving mother whose priorities will always involve my children first.
Make Easter baskets for others.
To show your children the love and kindness that God wants us to know, have them make Easter baskets for kids in need. Our family did this last year; my children had a great time filling the baskets with not only the typical Easter treats, but also with Easter eggs filled with scripture verses that they decorated and folded inside.
Decorate Easter eggs.
Still dye Easter eggs with your kids, but do it with meaning. Use symbolic colors to show the story of Christ. Black can be for our sins. Red can represent his death. Blue can be the color of sadness while he was on the cross. Yellow can represent his resurrection. Purple is the color of royalty; use this to represent Christ as king. Green can be for being made new. Be sure to leave some white eggs for our sins being made clean.
Recreate Jesus’ story.
Using crafts around the house let your kids draw or create art that honors Christ death and proclaims his resurrection. You can even use homemade felt board to tell the story. Cut out a cross, a tomb, and the figure of Jesus and attach Velcro to the back. On Good Friday, arrange the craft to show what happens, according to God’s Word. Then, move him to the tomb. On Sunday morning, before the kids get up, replace him with a white cloth to represent his resurrection. Explain to your children after they wake up that Jesus has risen from the grave and our sins are made clean by his forgiveness.
Take the bunny out of the basket.
By all means, put together Easter baskets with your kids. It can be done without involving the Easter Bunny. A new Bible, jewelry that honors their faith, candy that doesn’t represent anything aside from spring and other fun things that are God-centered would all make great additions to an Easter basket.Celebrate new life.
To me, Easter represents new life. This year, my children will receive fish and new fish tanks as a part of their Easter surprise. My parents always got us new animals for our farm. We would get baby chickens, ducks, and even one year a lamb.
As our sins are forgiven, we are given new life because of our Savior’s sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection three days later. Reiterate to your children that we are made new by God’s forgiveness.
Prepare a special Easter dinner.
At the family meal, talk about what they learned at Sunday School that day. Many focus on the death of Christ at Easter; be sure to let them know that Jesus rose from the grave.
You don’t need to eliminate the Easter Bunny all together. Just make sure your kids understand why we celebrate Easter.
Still thankful for everything.
Woke up this morning, thanking God for EVERYTHING I have and still have, knowing daddy is smiling down on me super proud. I have so many goals I want to achieve that he knew about and know he's right there still routing for me.
I realized how much I take my life for granted when I really need to give Thanks for appreciating life in itself. I think I focus too much on the negatives instead of the positives, on what I don't have, what I've lost, how far I still need to go. So here it goes... Even after November (the month to give thanks), life still goes on, and I need to start being more thankful and give thanks for all that I STILL have. I'm thankful to God for my two beautifully intelligent children and for my wonderful parents who have raised me to be who I am today, a responsible loving mother whose priorities will always involve my children first.
- Parenting will always consist of it's challenges and rewards but I will forever instill positive morals and values into them because one day, they will be a HUGE part of my legacy. Just remember they are always watching and I believe, by far, the most difficult task in parenting is trying to be the person you want your kids to become.
I'm thankful for the ability to give life (my daughter and son). I see so many woman out there wishing and hoping to have a child, who are unable to have one. I am not in their shoes, nor do I know the pain they endure everyday as they see all the mothers around them.
- Being a mother has taught me so much. Patience, understanding and love. To love and to be loved, when no one else will, your child will always love you. One of my goals is to, (if I do not have another child of my own), to either adopt a child or to be a surrogate mother for a woman who can not have children
I'm thankful (believe it or not), to have literally hit rock bottom, to have felt tremendous heartache within a short period of time this year and to realize God truly does have a plan for each of our lives.
- Although these experiences have scarred me, hurt me, and crushed me, they have also made me grow into the stronger woman I am today... to smile when I don't feel like it even through all the pain.
I'm thankful for having grown up an only child and for having my parents spoil me because of it. Even though I am 27 years young, my mommy and daddy will always be "my mommy and daddy".
- My parents have taught me so much as a child as I carry that on while being an adult and an individual woman of her own stature. I may not be perfect but my imperfections make me who I am. They play a huge part in my life and with daddy gone, my mother fills that void. She is my best friend.
I'm thankful for all of my dearest, most truest genuine friends, who have been extremely supportive, who show their sympathy, who take time out of their day to check on me and who come to me with open arms feeling my pain.
- My friends are the ones that don't judge me, who love me, who motivate me and who welcome me into their hearts freely as I do the same for them.
I'm thankful for my close immediate family, cousins, aunts, uncles... as they have been there for my mommy and I through thick and thin.
- They understand what true love and forgiveness is, even when we have disagreements with each other. They know how to say sorry and/or when to apologize. They know what family truly means.
I'm thankful for being able to share my "diary" with fellow bloggers and to have attained a gift for writing. I write to help myself heal and to share my voice of what a young mommy experience's daily.
- I am meeting new mothers and different individuals from all around the world whom we collaborate with, share our stories and inspire each other daily. Without each other. blogs would be obsolete.
Father's Day unlike any other.
It’s Father’s Day and I miss my Daddy so very much. I’ve been dreading all the “firsts” since he died but this one’s definitely one of the hardest. All the school events he wasn't able to attend, all the extracurricular activities he wasn't able to video record, all the special acknowledgments he wasn't here for, and all the future one's he will miss (like my birthday), is a tough pill to swallow. But you know what truly keeps me going? GOD. Only he gives me the strength to keep going.
I decided to call all his friends days before as well as today for comfort. They agreed to stay in contact with me and encouraged me to contact them whenever I needed. I loved hearing stories from my Dad's friends as they truly knew who he was as a person and enjoyed sharing their memories with me. Each story was like a hug from a friend or a hug from my Daddy, as stories generated a personal memory of him. With each story, I’d hear about the many wonderful attributes that made him: integrity, humbleness, empathy, vision, courage, passion, intelligence, the love for Christ and most importantly, the love for his family.
I never imagined I would be writing this today. Just last year on this very day I was throwing a retirement/anniversary party for my parents and "My Gift to the Parentals" was written. Today Father's Day is not like any other before. I will always carry my daddy in my heart and treasure him forever because I know he would have wanted that. I know he knows that he was my main man, my main squeeze and my father til the end. I am happy to say that he is not suffering anymore and watching proudly down on me, my mom and his grandbabies.
For those who have lost their father, here's an idea to do with your kids every year. Huddle up with them tonight and videotape them telling their favorite story about their Grandpa. Save it and as they grow older share the experiences on Father’s Day and as the collection grows, they can keep it for when they have children of their own.
Love you daddy. Happy Father's Day!!!
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