The Tricky Nativity Story

My husband recently pulled out our plastic bin with Christmas books. It makes it special that the children get to see these books just once a year. Some books we receive as gifts, others I pick up myself. Anyhow, tonight my older son picked one out for us to read. It's funny, for me, children's pictures can be very manipulative. Isn't the expression a picture is worth a thousand words? I also think a picture is worth a thousand words plus people's personal political/cultural/religious beliefs. I've quickly learned that most authors of children's books express their personal beliefs in the books. That comes out through both the words and the pictures. That goes to say for the Nativity Story also. So back to our bedtime story. Here I am, reading the Nativity Story, and we get to the part of the shepherds. Well let me rewind. Actually, I found one of the angels kind of funny looking. So I was thinking to myself, what are we going to find next. And wouldn't you know, we get to the shepherd part of the story, and there are women shepherds. My son's like "Mom! Look, the shepherds are women." And I was like what? And he start laughing. And I told him this book was a little tricky book and wanted to trick us. I was so happy my son recognized something wasn't right. Children like to have a clear sense of what is right and what is wrong, what is acceptable and what is unacceptable, what mommies do and what daddies do, what boys do and what girls do. When people start to blur the lines, children get confused. But with formation and keeping an attentive parental eye, children will be sharp enough to speak out and say that they don't like the blurring of the lines when they are blurred.

The Joy of Christmas Cookies

I finally got the courage today to attempt to make Christmas cookies. It's been years since I've done it. I waffled back and forth as to which recipe I was going to attempt, and then finally settled for the Martha Stewart recipe - how could you go wrong with Martha. So, before naptime, I decided we'd conquer the dough. Having a two year old and a four year old help you every step of the way makes it a little more challenging. As we made the cookies together, childhood memories came flooding back, and I remembered what a special time it was when I made these cookies with my mom. So much care is taken. So many thoughtful steps. There are so many little details, that I found I had to reteach myself some steps along the way. Like try to keep the shapes close together. Take a lot of care in getting the dough out of the shape. It seems, when we start off from scratch, and then get to the final product, you experience a great sense of achievement and happiness, especially since it was a team effort. I can say it's almost a character-forming experience. It's so opposite of everything in our culture today which is instant. The effort and the wait was worth it. I must say, the cookies were delicious!!

Positive Effects of Co-Sleeping

Leaving children to go work I'm sure have the same affects...http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1083020.ece

Oprah Knows That Children Need Their Moms At Home

Every since I first became a mother, I’ve become passionate about the need to reform society’s attitude regarding the importance of a mom staying home to raise her children. Not a dad, not grandpa or grandma, not a friend and certainly not a daycare. A mom. A mom, at home, all day, with her children, caring for the home, making a home for her children and her husband. To tell you the truth, I always feel a little awkward, afraid to hurt people’s feeling, wondering if I’m being too radical when I share this passion that I feel to the core of every bone in my body. But then I keep going back to the children. Children need their moms. I have experienced it with my own children. God designed the family a certain way. God designed men and women a certain way. Both the father and mother are needed desperately by their children, however, each with distinctive roles. God designed women to nurture. He created breastfeeding as the most beautiful way to start off the relationship between child and mother. Through breastfeeding, the baby is a hundred percent dependent on his mother for his development and survival. But not only physically, but the bond that is created through breastfeeding is also the beginning of an attachment that is healthy and critical to the child’s development. Expressing, I don’t think, was a part of this original plan.

Through what I read, see on TV or simply live, I am always affirmed in this ideal. Just tonight, I watched Barbara Walters interview Oprah Winfrey. Barbara asked Oprah if she regretted not having children. She introduced this question with a description of the troubled relationship she had with own child. She basically admitted that because of the priority of work in her life, it prevented her from being a good mother. Her own daughter was always so sad for not having her home with her. Oprah responded that she is grateful she did not have children, because she knew her career demanded so much of her and essentially, she did not want to neglect a child because of it. So I find it amazing that two of America’s most powerful professional media women have admitted, however directly or indirectly, that work gets in the way of mothering and mothering gets in the way of work.

But you may ask, the rest of the population of mothers is not Oprah or Barbara Walters. To which I respond, it doesn’t matter what work you do, it’s the fact that your work is taking you away from raising your children. I know. I lived it. Circumstances demanded that I work from home. And, it took me away from my children. Besides taking me away from my children physically, it also robbed me of my energy and patience when I was with them not working. There are only twenty four hours in a day. So hours spent away working, mean that they are not being spent with our children and caring for the home.

Even now, being in the home full time, raising my children, taking care of the home and my husband, I can barely get it all done. So, throw work on top of that, and something gets neglected – the home, the husband or the children. It’s simple mathematics. There are only 24 hours in a day.

Before and After Clean Up

Before and After. Feels so good to get this done. Now just maintaining it! I organized according to activities and themes.

All Decked Up On The Deck

The boys were dying to get out for some fresh air the other day. Although it was quite cold, I threw their hats on, and let them venture out to the deck. I could watch them through the window as I fed baby Benjamin. Little did I know I was in for a show. John Vicente, my four year old, likes to put on costumes, usually of pirates, soldiers and cowboys. I had put some winter scarves and hats of mine on the deck table, to get rid of that musty smell (it gives me allergies). Well, John discovered my beret, and then from there, there was no turning back. He threw on the beret and a scarf to go without it. He looked so cute, like a little French man. Then he decided he would dress his little brother similarly, as he was enjoying it so much. Well, it was the cutest sight watching a 4 year old trying to dress a 2 year old. John wrapped William up in a scarf, and then he tried, a little clumsily, to get a hat on William. He neglected to take off the hat William already had on. Finally, he took the original hat off, and then managed to get the beret on William, all the while causing the two of them to tumble over. By this time super go-go William had had enough of being still and wanted to take it all off. So in comes mom, got him all decked up, matching his brother. And then I couldn't resist taking picture. So here it is.

Slingy Mamma

I did it. I’ve learned how to use a button-free sling! I’m still not an expert, but am getting the hang of it. My little guy actually fell asleep in it today. Sometimes when there is so much going on with big brothers, it makes me feel better be able to carry B.A. around in the sling. And it obviously makes him feel better too. Nothing better than being snuggled close to your mommy.