Music makes me a light-hearted mother

Yoga makes me a calmer mother

Stress makes me realize I am working to be a more patient mother

Writing gives me an outlet as a mother

Wine makes me a relaxed mother

Going through hard times makes me an appreciative mother

Seeing my husband with my kids makes me a lucky mother

Comparisons weaken me as a mother

Letting go makes me a healthier mother

Feeling my kids’ heartbreak makes me praise my own mother

Working out makes me an energetic mother

Mistakes make me a wiser mother

Watching their light shine makes me shine as a mother

Seeing teachings of goodness and respect click in their little minds makes me a proud mother

Date nights with my hubby makes me a better mother

Tucking my kids in at night makes me a grateful mother

Prayer makes me a humble mother

Which in return makes me aware of God’s love…that makes me a complete mother.

What are some of your reflections? 

Photo Source: Full Moon Reflections by  peasap

“The moral of Pete’s story is: No matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song. Because it’s all good.” —Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes

Photo Source: Cat drinks lake by PhilaSilva

The end of the year at school is rapidly approaching. I have been thinking about what to get for the kid’s teachers as a gift. At Christmas, we did the giftcard route for Dunkin Donuts or Subway. I wanted another idea. I asked my four year old, “What does your teacher like?” His response was, “She likes it when we listen.” Ha! That is a GREAT present! Sign that idea up for Mother’s Day as well! Okay, so in addition to listening, we came up with the idea of making a personal necklace for her.

Here are some more ideas from ChumMom Contributors!

Contributor Jen Grider: One year I had parents email to me their favorite recipe, a picture of their child and a few words of thanks. I printed it all out, put it into an 8 x 8 scrapbook and gave it to them as a class cook book.

 

• Starbucks (in a coffee cup) – Thanks A “Latte”
• Target- Thanks For Keeping Me On “Target”
• Local pastry or ice cream shop (in an ice cream bowl) – Thanks For Being So Sweet
• Movie theatre or Redbox (in a bowl with popcorn, candy, sodas, etc) – So Glad You “Popped” Into My Life
• Grocery Store (attached to a steak sauce) – You are “A1″ In My Book

• Reeses Pieces – I Love You To “Pieces”
• Smarties – Thanks For Making Me A “Smartie”
• 100 Grand Bar - I Think You Are “Grand”
• Candy Jar (Filled with assorted candy) – Thanks For Being So Sweet
• M&M’s (in a jar with a bow on top) with the following poem:
• Green is for the inspiration you give each day
• Blue is for your patience in showing kids the way
• Orange is for your warmth and caring style
• Yellow is for the way you make everybody smile
• Red is for all the lives you’ve touched this year

        Other Ideas

• Flowers or a Plant - Thanks For Helping Me Grow
• Strawberries (in a basket with Angel food cake & whipped cream) - I Couldn’t Have Picked A Better Teacher
• Fruit scented lotions, hand sanitizer, candles, soap, etc (in a basket) – I Couldn’t Have Picked A Better Teacher
• Beach Towel, magazines, Tervis Tumbler or anything that would be fun to take on a summer vacation
• Anything monogramed

(For her daughter’s pre-school class) I was able to get all of the kids in class to put their handprints on a terracotta pot.  (I wrote the kids names in the handprints) and then “Thank you for helping us grow” around the top.  After sealing it I bought a potted plant for it.

 

If you know multiple parents in class it can be nice to pool money to get the teacher something that he/she would really love – maybe a gift certificate to a spa, manicure, nice restaurant.  This can keep cost down for the individuals but really get something useful for the teacher.

Another idea that Stacy had was to make the teacher dinner and deliver it to their home (if you are close enough with the particular teacher)

Such great ideas! My wheels are turning, thanks ladies!

Lack of core strength and joint stability is becoming a problem for the current generation of children.  Why?  Not enough playtime outside and tummy time as infants.  Tummy time for infants is extremely important, especially now that children are not sleeping on their bellies.  Tummy time allows infants to develop neck, core, elbow, shoulder and wrist strength in additional to whole host of other sensory functions.  The linked article goes into detail about why tummy time for infants in so important.

http://articles.ky3.com/2011-02-23/tummy-time_28623146

Lack of outdoor playtime is major issue.  If you’re over the age of 30, when you were a kid, you played outside all day until the street-lights came on.  All that running, jump-roping, for building, bike riding and neighborhood pick up games naturally kept our young bodies strong.  Computers, iPods and TV’s have replaced outdoor play for a lot of kids.  And, neighborhoods just aren’t as safe as they used to be.  So, parents are not as inclined to let their kids out to play for hours on end.

As a result, hip, knee and ankle stability is often lacking in children.  Joint stability and core strength are a vital necessity for children and teens, especially for athletes. But don’t just think athletes are the only ones who need to worry about joint stability.  We have all seen, or heard of, devastating knee injuries to athletes, but a lot of knee and ankle injuries happen when kids are just playing around.  My older daughter, D, has sprained her ankle 3 times, none of which happened during an organized sport.  All occurred while playing with friends.

Children heal fast in general.  An injury that would wipe out an adult for months, may only sideline a kid for a few weeks.  It’s easy to minimize the injury because of the “kids are made of rubber” mentality.  So, many children don’t get an opportunity to properly rehab an injury.  Since kids are so quick to rebound, it really doesn’t take long to do a few exercises to rehab a mild to moderate injury.  Not rehabbing an injury, even a minor one, leads to a pattern of re-injury.  D does a set of stretches and stability exercises each day that take 10 minutes total.  10 minutes out of a child’s day is not a major time commitment.  We do them together and we each take turn deciding which one we will do next.   Since implementing those stretches and exercises, she has commented how much better her ankle feels and that it doesn’t hurt when playing on the playground at school with her friends.

It’s easy to see why rehab is important but what about prehab?  What is prehab? According to Core Performance:

“Prehab is a proactive approach to avoiding pain and injury. You’ll build strength and stability around your most vulnerable areas, while improving mobility, balance and joint function to decrease the potential for injuries.” http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/training/prehab.html

The big danger in overlooking joint stability and core strength is not just the immediate pain of an injury, but the life long effects of an injury.  I injured my hip in high school.   I did 12 weeks of rehab for it but then I was done.  Now I have pain everyday in that hip.  I believe if I had developed good core strength and worked on my joint stability at a young age, my hip would not bother me so much now.  If I skip a few weeks of doing hip adductor and abductor exercises, I regret it.  I have to do those every week now just to keep the hip pain at bay.  It pops if I just shift my weight from one foot to the other.  Sound familiar?  Have a knee that does that?  An ankle?  That skiing injury you had at 16 coming back to haunt you at 35?

While we can’t go back in time for a mulligan, we can help our children from following in our footsteps.  We can give them the strength and knowledge they need to prevent most injuries.  Can we prevent all of them?  No.  But the stronger a person is if they do become injured, the better chance they have at a full recovery with out future complications.

Some of you my say “But my child is very athletic.  He/she plays lot of sports.”  It is true that athletes have a lot of strength.  That strength can help buffer weaknesses for a time but it can’t completely compensate for those weaknesses.  The risk is even higher in non-athletic children or younger children who are not into heavy-duty athletics yet, because they lack both strength and joint stability.

And, don’t think all is lost for us adults.  It is NEVER too late to start building joint stability and core strength.  Just because you don’t have joint pain, that doesn’t mean you don’t have joint weakness.  I didn’t think I had an issue until Chris tested my joint stability in my ankles and hips.  I knew I had hip issues but I was stunned at how weak my ankles were.  Don’t wait until something hurts.  Remember, it’s better to prehab and than rehab.

Here are a few interesting statistics with the websites so you can do some of your own research:

According to Peak Performance, the risk of a knee injury for a female athlete is 4-6 times higher than for a male of the same sport. (http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/female-athletes-strength-training-exercises-for-knee-injuries-158)

A severe knee injury in childhood often leads to osteoarthritis in adulthood, prompting the need for a knee replacement.    According to AARP, the number of knee replacements has doubled in the last twenty years.  Currently, about 600,000 knee replacement surgeries are performed each year. http://blog.aarp.org/2012/10/01/knee-replacement-surgery-for-seniors-soars/

According to the NIH, 1.9 million children were treated in emergency rooms in 2002 for sports related injuries and the ankle sprain is the most common athletic related injury.  http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Sports_Injuries/child_sports_injuries.asp Check out the link above because it has a lot of good exercises (in general and by sport) that can be done to prevent these types of injuries.

This is a blurb from Suite 101 on the benefits of outdoor play for kids.

http://suite101.com/article/benefits-of-outdoor-play-for-children-a183901

Photo Source: Kick Ball 6/30 by Gamma Man

I recently ordered a lot of pictures from our mini-session with Renee at A New Image Photography and love creating memories, but these projects can be a pricey investment, so anytime I see photo deals, I love to pass them along. Here are some photo deals for you to check out from Walgreen’s!

Click here and enter coupon code WHOLEORDER to receive $25 off of your $50 photo order–this coupon code expires 06/01

(5/1 – 6/1) Buy 1 Get 1 FREE 8.5×11 Black Classic Linen Book + Same Day Pick Up w/ code TODAYBOOK

(5/1 – 6/1) 50% off cards when you spend $28+ w/ code SETSOFCARDS

(5/1 – 6/1) 40% off Prints w/ code PRINTS40

(5/1 – 6/1) $10 off Canvas Prints w/ code CANVASORDER

Photo Source: My Camera by BigTallGuy

Catch up on Sarah’s Real Food Journey; Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

In continuing on our real food journey, I have had to look at food labels more in depth. Most health food advocates stipulate that anything with five or more ingredients is considered processed and should therefore be avoided, unless of course you make it yourself, then the amount of ingredients is null.

But the amount of ingredients is not as important as to what is being added to food. I have been so worried about GMO’s and high fructose corn syrup, and phosphoric acid, but I hadn’t been paying much attention to the candies and sweets my children would receive at school (okay, and that I would occasionally buy). The artificial food dyes and colorings never seemed like an issue to me. And it has always been a tradition, it seems, that my kids and I make some type of sugary treat each holiday that requires food coloring of some sort.

Food dyes and additives are added to make food look fresher and newer, food manufactures will say. Studies have shown that consumers like brightly colored foods because they appear healthier. But in reality, these food dyes and additives have been known to cause various forms of cancer, allergies, and hyperactivity in children. For years the Food and Drug Administration has gone back and forth about having to even label whether food dyes or additives have been added to the food. Some FDA members feel that there is simply no reason to label since these added features to the foods have little effect on health. This was an OMG moment for me! How can additives, that are known to cause health issues in adults and children, not need to be labeled?!!! It just goes to show you, that you cannot depend on food manufactures and the FDA to protect your health and do what’s best for you. These large companies are concerned with the bottom line and what sells, and products that look pretty and look bright sell, so toxins and chemicals are added so that we as the consumer will buy. It’s crazy!

So, what do we need to look out for? In a perfect world, you would shop on the outside aisles of your grocery store where the fruits and vegetables and meats and dairy products reside. In theory, all of the center aisles are highly processed foods. But I know as busy moms and dads, we do at times need to shop in the middle. So if you can avoid foods with any of the color ingredients: Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 1 are some of the most common says the Center For Science In The Public Interest (CSPI).  If you have time (and you really should make time) read the article below which includes a few excerpts from the CSPI’s report. You will be utterly shocked by their findings. Here is a brief portion of the article taken from CSPI’s website:

CSPI charges that the FDA is not enforcing the law in several regards:

• Red 3 and Citrus Red 2 should be banned under the Delaney amendment, because they caused cancer in rats (some uses were banned in 1990), as should Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6, which are tainted with cancer-causing contaminants.
• Evidence suggests, though does not prove, that Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, and Yellow 6 cause cancer in animals. There certainly is not “convincing evidence” of safety.
• Dyed foods should be considered adulterated under the law, because the dyes make a food “appear better or of greater value than it is”—typically by masking the absence of fruit, vegetable, or other more costly ingredient.

It should go without saying, and I will continue to repeat myself, but we need to look at the food we are eating. We as the consumer are in complete control of what we are putting into our body and our family’s body. Cheap and convenient food isn’t worth it in the long run if it knowingly causes a multitude of health problems. If the food cannot be found in nature or you cannot make it at home yourself, then chances are you should not consume it.

Try out various recipes, look on Pinterest, and find ways to make treats for your kids that are healthier. Or even better, offer fresh fruit as a dessert. They always say you crave what you eat, so if you begin to eat healthier food, your body will begin to crave those foods.

If fresh fruit doesn’t cut it for you, you can also find organic snacks for your kids at your local health food store or online. Abe’s Market is one of my favorite places to shop.

I am not trying to scare you out of eating, just merely passing along what I have discovered. If someone would have told me about all the junk that is found in ‘food’ these days, we would have changed our eating habits a lot sooner than we did. Stay informed, stay educated, and stay in control of your health.

To catch up on Part I of Malorie’s Picky Eater click here.

I have a confession to make. In my years practicing as a dietitian I have worked with many parents that are trying to find a way to deal with their picky eaters. I have given suggestions based on things I have learned in college, grad school, lectures, seminars, past experiences, etc. However, I had never been a parent myself dealing with this issue. Enter Makenzie Blake, 15 months old. Now I must admit, Makenzie LOVES to eat and she likes a variety of foods, but depending on how the food is presented to her it can cause arms flailing and food being flung across the room. Sometimes a picky eater may like a lot of foods but is particular about  how the food is presented. One strategy I have found helpful is to make different types of patties or loaves that Makenzie can eat herself. These are great serving options as you can create a wide variety of combinations and is more or less a “meal” formed into one food item.

This leads me to my recipe this week. These patties are great for little ones and adults. The “meat” of this recipe is the high-protein, gluten-free  whole grain quinoa. Quinoa is extremely versatile and can be used in a variety of recipes. It is nice alternative to rice and can be used in casseroles, soups and desserts! This recipe makes 12 patties which is plenty for the family plus leftovers. Hope you enjoy, I know Makenzie did!

Quinoa Patties

Ingredients

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you beautiful mothers! Being a mother isn’t always easy. We sacrifice our time, our heart, and in a nut shell…ourselves. It is the most challenging, yet the most rewarding thing we will ever do. Everything in life worth something always takes a lot of work…we wouldn’t change it for anything….but wanted to pass this laugh along!

Two of my dear friends, Molly and Sandy, seem to let everything roll off their backs.  When something happens that threatens to derail them, I always hear from them, “At least…”  I used to marvel at how they could keep everything in perspective instead of wallowing in self-pity.  For a while now, I have been trying to adopt the same philosophy.  It’s not natural to me but I try and I have to say it works…most of the time.

Like the time I was tutoring and made it through half of my class before I realized there was a produce sticker stuck to the crotch of the pants…that read “PEACH.”  It even had a bar code.  At least, I noticed it half way through class and not at the end.  And, at least no one asked me just how much my “peach” cost.

How about the time I was in a hurry to get dressed for work and when I zipped up the side zipper of my pants, I zipped a little of my muffin top into it.  At least, I didn’t bleed too much and it was a good motivator to get into the gym.

How about the time I was pregnant with D and I made it to work before realizing that I had one brown shoe and one black shoe on that were different height heels.  At least it was an excuse to get a new pair of super cute kitten heels before my meeting with my client.

Let’s see…how about when I was in such a sleep-deprived post baby state that when I applied my sanitary napkin I didn’t press down firmly.  So, as I hiked my drawers into place, the pad folded in on itself and adhered itself to my body, not my panties.  At least that Brazilian was free.

How about the time I was watching my daughter do the monkey bars and I turned and walked face first into a cross bar, breaking my nose.  At least it was the fourth time I had broken it and I knew what to expect.

How about six weeks after that when my younger daughter head butt me and broke my nose for the fifth time.  At least…well, I don’t have one for that.

How about how out of shape I felt when I pulled a muscle shaving my legs.  At least I had done the other leg already and didn’t end up with one hairy leg and one clean leg.

How about the time when it was that time of the month and I was getting dressed when my husband let the kids into the bedroom and my youngest asked, “What’s the really big fuzz hanging from your butt?”  At least he had a good giggle at my expense.  Me…not so much.

How about the time when my daughter took a good hard whack to the arm during a soccer game and I sent her to school the next day with a kiss, an “I love you” and a “suck it up you’re fine” only to find out later that day it was indeed broken.  At least she got a cool pink cast and can tell her therapist to blame me for all of her problems when she’s an adult.

How about the time when I sent the same daughter to school with a tummy ache only to receive a call at 8:30am that she had thrown up her breakfast.  At least I was home to get the call.

How about the time our dog got into some black beans, which I was not informed about, and the next morning our carpet looked like it had been decorated spin art style…ALA dog poop.  At least we found out what happens when dogs eat black beans.  And, at least my husband got up to help me clean up the horrific mess.

Oh, and what about the time I licked what I thought was blueberry muffin off of my wrist only to find out it was poop that leaked out from the diaper that I was getting ready to change.  At least now if I say something tastes like crap I know what I’m talking about.

See, it’s just a matter of perspective.

Photo Source: Shave and a Haircut, Two Bits by katerha

While winter is generally mild where I live, it always seems that when school is either delayed or cancelled due to weather, it happens on Friday.  What is so significant about Friday?  It’s the only morning I don’t tutor.  Which is the only morning I can get to the gym and then have lunch with D while still having an hour left over before having to get M from preschool.  I look forward to my Friday morning workout to get ready for the weekend whirlwind.  Once 3pm on Friday hits, it seems 7pm Sunday even in only minutes away.  I blink and the weekend is gone.

On one particular day, I had an 11:15am session lined up with Chris when school was delayed 3 hours.  Which meant preschool was cancelled for M, D wasn’t getting on the bus until 10:00am, and the gym cancelled it’s childcare for the morning.  So, Chris told me to bring M with me, which kicked off her obsession of working out with me.  She had so much fun that day that the next time I had to bring her, Chris came up with things for the two of us together.  There are a few pictures too!

One thing I really like about having Chris include my kids is he talks me through the reason as to why we are doing certain things.  Some are simply for fun and to keep them engaged, but most of the exercises he has me do with them build stability and strength in their ankles, hips, knees and core.  The next post will outline why building core strength and joint stability is so important at a young age.

Bounce Like Tigger

While waiting for our session to start, M got bored and lined up a few BOSU’s and started bouncing on them.  Chris walked in and immediately commented on how great that was her knees and ankles.  After I got warmed up, he had us both bouncing on them.  At first I felt ridiculous and assumed it was to get her warmed up…until I was informed just how good it was for me too.  She thought we were running, bouncing and hopping on the pretty blue bouncy side of the BOSU.  What we really were doing was building knee and ankle stability, strengthening our glutes, calves and quads, and increasing our heart rates for some calorie burning fun.

Doesn’t this look fun?

First, bounce from ball to ball with both feet.  Tell them to bounce like Tigger.  What kid wouldn’t get a kick out of that?  Bouncing is what Tigger’s do best, right?   Aim for the center of each ball and use your ankles and knees to cushion your landing so you don’t go flying over the next one.  Once you get a feel for the spring, mix it up.  Run across them, hop on one foot and then the other.  Take turns leading.  Have your child hop across and you catch them to get the arms involved it.  If they are light enough, lift them high in the air before setting them down for another turn.  See how many areas of the body can be worked with just a few tweaks on the same exercise?  It’s the best form of multitasking around.  Do this for several rounds.  Try to move fast to get your heart rate up.

If you don’t belong to a gym, place strips of tape on your floor 18 inches apart and do what is outlined above.  You will still get a great workout and build stability.

Weights on the BOSU

Next have your child balance in the center of the BOSU.  They can lift a 3 pound weight or kettle bell over their head (as pictured below).

The weight doesn’t need to be heavy.  Just enough to change their center of gravity so they have to keep making balance adjustments with their ankles, knees, hips and core.  This exercise not only works the arms but is a huge core builder.  Coach them on keeping their tummy tight to help keep them on the BOSU.  This exercise can be done on both sides of the BOSU, both require activating the core to maintain balance.  Barefoot (or just in socks) is really great for the arch of the foot too.

While your child is doing that, you stand on two BOSU’s and do overhead presses with a weight bar.  Place each foot in the center of the BOSU’s.  As you raise the weight over head, keep your tummy tight.  You will have to make adjustments with your ankles too to keep your balance.  Do 10 – 15 reps for as many sets of these as you can (aim for 4 but really try to do at least 2 sets)

I you don’t belong to a gym, do this while standing on a throw pillow (or two).  The squishiness will provide the unstable, yet gentle, surface required for making the balancing adjustments.  And for the weight, have them use a can of soup or a 2 pound bag of rice.

Batter Up 

Kids can get bored really fast so you need to change it up and make it fun.  Set aside the weights.  Stand on the BOSU’s like you did in the last exercise.  Have your child get an inflated exercise ball and a foam roller or plastic baseball bat.  If you don’t have a roller or a bat, have them throw it back to you.  They can even stand on their own BOSU if they want to.

You squat down and hold that position.  Throw or gently bounce the exercise ball so your child can hit (or throw) it back to you with the roller (or bat).  Here is the picture below.

Alternate bouncing it straight ahead and a little to each side.  Leaning to get the ball activates everything from the rib cage, down back and front.  Be sure to stay in a squatting position the entire time.  Your legs, butt and arches of your feet will be on fire but you will thank you later.  You will wobble.  That’s the point.  Keep making adjustments with your hips and ankles to stay balanced.  There is where the strength and stability building happens.

Again, stand on throw pillows if you don’t have access to BOSU’s.

Slamming

Grab a few medicine balls, ones that don’t bounce if you have them.  If all your medicine balls bounce, do this exercise on a mat to dull the bounce so you don’t pop yourself or your child in the nose.

Both of you stand next to each other with your feet shoulder width apart.  Raise the medicine ball above your heads and slam the ball into the floor as hard as you can.  Don’t just use your arms.  As you bring the ball down, crunch your abs hard.  Almost like you are making a “C” with your torso.  Pick the ball back up and do it again.  Repeat this for 1 whole minute.  Rest 15 seconds, do it again for 1 minute.  See how many slams you can get and try to beat it each time.  Do this cycle 3 times.  What a great way to let out some frustration.  And, kids love to throw stuff.  How fun would it be for them to know they can throw this thing down as hard as possible and no one is going to tell them to stop?

A variation on this is while you are slamming, have your child dribble a medicine ball continuously until you are done.  They don’t have to do everything you do the way you do it.  Just keep them moving.

If you don’t have access medicine balls, again use a throw pillow.  Slam that sucker down has hard as you can and crunch your abs while doing so.

Pushups 

Wrist and grip strength is really important as well.  Now that babies are sleeping on their backs, many kids don’t develop adequate wrist strength because they don’t have to push themselves up off the mattress when they wake up.  It’s even worse for kids who didn’t crawl long before they walked.  We see this in D.  She crawled for only 6 weeks before walking at 10 months old.  M on the other hand, crawled for several months before walking.  She has a much stronger grip and better endurance for fine motor skills such cutting and coloring.

Push-ups are a great way to build wrist strength in kids but they can be mundane after a while.  Mix it up.  Do them on a bench or half wall.  Race around and see how many places you can do 5 or 10 push-ups.  Or, you can do them using a BOSU.  It requires you to really tighten your tummy and glutes and works your wrists to keep your balance.  You can place a hand in the center of two BOSU’s or you can flip one over and grip the edges and balance it on the blue side.  Try both.  Both provide different levels of stability.  Pause after 10 and do a 30 second plank.  See who can plank the longest.  Kids love a little competition.  Here is a picture below.

By now, you’ve guessed it…put your hands on throw pillows if you don’t have BOSU’s to use.

Give these a try with your kids.  You both will be sore the next day but the fun will make it all worthwhile.

Here are three different coupon codes for Kmart. See which one fits you best for your shopping needs:

Get $5 off of your $50 order–go to KMART and use coupon code KMART5OFF50

Exclusive Mother’s Day Savings! EXTRA 10% off Clothing, Fine Jewelry & Fashion Accessories orders of $59+ with code LOVEMOM

Photo Source: money and savings by 401(K)2013

This was not supposed to be a two-part post. I had written my post “The Biggest Cheerleader” and then about two days later I had a strange encounter that reinforced my daughter’s line of thinking. So strange or perfectly placed in my life, that I really wanted to share this with you all. It happened during my confession at church. I know that I have brought you all in the confessional with me before, bare with me once more.

Let me paint the picture for you. My daughter was preparing for her reconciliation with the priest. Her class had scheduled the kids for confession for the same night where all members of the church are welcome to come and there are about seven priests from surrounding areas that come to help out. Well, it started with a dinner they had for the kids receiving this sacrament. After the dinner, the kids had a chance to ask the priests any questions they had. Que my 19 month old to squirm during dinner and cry out while the children are asking their questions, some pretty loaded theological ones, while I am trying to balance plates, drinks, and toting a portable booster chair into the church on one side and my son on the other. This is how it started.

As we are having our dinner, we see that our group is scheduled for another location, not the confessional that we had practiced for a couple days prior (due to the large number of kids they were all divided up into different stations where different priests were assigned). This is not a big deal, but I do believe it adds to the place I was meant to be that happened to have the priest I believe I was meant to hear….being in the right place at the right time?

So, anyway, we have our dinner and mass. My son very figety and starting to get very vocal, I walk him to the back, still not wanting to miss out on this occasion with my daughter. We get dismissed and go to our stations, letting the children go ahead of us. So, now we wait as these kids are having their first confession. My son is beside himself and wants down, but when I let him down he is gone like a bullet out of a gun. So, I try to hold him which seems as useless of a gesture as giving a pig in mud a bath. My other son is complaining he is bored and not being the best listener, either, but doing it in a way that probably bothers me more than the surrounding people. So, I am in this juggling act of containing my youngest, making sure my other son is being respectful AND trying to be there for my daughter as she is a little nervous as we are standing in a line with no where to go all the while the time is ticking past bedtime at this point.

After the first few turns of confessions, I feel that I am done. My patience has exited my body along with the sweat from wrestling with my son. What else can we add to this stressful situation? Throw a bloody nose on top of it! My oldest son now has bright red blood running down, teetering on his face, just threatening to plummet and stain the carpet…oh, and we had no tissues. I’ll cut to the chase, by the time I entered for MY confession, I had wracked up some frustration and thoughts and my destination was well suited for me.

“Forgive me father for I have sinned—I am too harsh with my kids sometimes”

As he asks me what the reasoning is for my harshness, screams from my 19 month old are heard from my kneeler. I bite my tongue as I almost said, “You hear that father?? That’s why.” I thought it better to give a simple answer of “stress”. This man was wonderful. He started talking to me about with young children you do have to be teaching them rights and wrongs and molding them. He added a bit of comic relief giving me an example of a prayer I could say to God when I am overwhelmed being very open with God about the feelings I am experiencing. But what he said to me next grabbed my attention as my head was wrapping around the irony of the message he placed on my ears. He said, remember, even though parents are molding their kids and correcting, we also need to remember to praise positively, we (as parents) are our children’s biggest cheerleaders…..say what??? Two days earlier I had just written about the way I loved my daughter’s interpretation of God (one that I felt was cute and unique) cheering his children on….now I am in a confessional, a different one than scheduled, and I am being told I am my children’s biggest cheerleader….coincidence? A pretty big one if it is…I could be wrong here, but I’m thinking not….

Photo Source: Praying Hands by redfern.biz

I have been on a kick lately to doing little things to get my family to eat healthier. I have been going through the archives on this site and making Dana’s healthier Blueberry and Apple Muffins, her Cabbage Rolls, Malorie’s Veggie Chilli and putting into action her advice on sneaking the nutritious into the meals. Sarah’s series on Real Food has been such an eye opener for me and has ignited my desire to read labels and change my grocery shopping habits. I’m a fanatic by no means, but I have been feeling so much better in the subtle changes emotionally and mentally.

I have been using Ground Flaxseed on a lot of things. I sprinkle some on my kids pb&j sandwiches, sprinkle it on my oatmeal and recently just found out that you can also use it as an egg substitute….which leads me to my next concoction….my pancakes I made this morning!

On the weekends, we normally cook pancakes. Our family goes through about two batches in one morning. (We use Aunt Jemima mix…I’m sure there is a healthier way, but baby steps!) A lot of times we add different ingredients/fruits to give it a twist. This morning I tried a couple of different things and they turned out so good and wait for it…the kids loved it! If I can get a way to get through a meal where I feel that the kids have eaten somewhat healthy and my meal doesn’t consist of negotiating how many bites my kids have to eat before being excused it is a win!

Here’s what I did, follow the instructions on the box using these substitutions:

• Instead of oil, use the same measurement of unsweetened apple sauce.
• Since we did two batches, it called for two eggs. I used one egg, then followed the directions on Bob’s flaxseed to use the flax as an egg substitute for my second egg.
• I added a little bit of cinnamon to the batter.
• Chop up some apples and grill them until they are soft (I sprinkle these with a little cinnamon as well). Once they are soft I just add it to my poured batter circles on the grill.

Another idea for fruit instead of apples would be blueberries, blackberries or bananas and pecans. Of course, another favorite is chocolate chips, although not healthy, is a wild hit at our house.

Happy Creating!

“If you give a man a fish you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime.” –Chinese Proverb