Ten Things My Child Has Taught Me

It has been two years and nearly four months since I became the Bumper's mom. Here are ten things I have learned:

1. Start each day with Prayer.

2. If she is quiet she is usually into something. Sometimes it is a good something, like when I caught her looking at one of her books and she looks up at me proudly saying :"I read!" Sometimes it is not such a good thing, like when I caught her dumping the soil from the potted plants into her boots and she looks up at me proudly saying "I bake!"

3. Her first words may have been "Dada" and "Fish", but her favorite words are "No!" and "Mine!"

4. Pink Disney Princess light up snow boots are the perfect accessory to any outfit, including pajamas.

5. The five major food groups are: broccoli, crackers, cheese, green beans, and apples. That is until she changes her mind in which case they are: air, dirt, cat food, water, and juice.

6. Privacy is dead.

7. Sometimes Mom is the one who needs a 'time out'.

8. A kiss will heal all hurts, and little arms give big hugs.

9. The strength and duration of a temper tantrum increases according to the number of witnesses and my level of embarrassment.

10. End each day with Prayer.

The Serenity Prayer for Mothers:

May God grant me the serenity to accept my child for who she is,
The courage to discipline and correct bad behavior,
And the wisdom to know the difference.


Kim

Spring??

This morning I  awoke up to this:



and this:

Book Nerd

I am, as the title suggests, a proud book nerd; yet so far I have not said a word about books or reading. Why? Well as a new mother I am rather, understandably, obsessed with my little Bumper. I also have not had time to read anything, as I have been too busy catching up on sleep! This is shame because I am addicted to books. I love, love, love them!  I love the way they look, the way they smell, but most of all the way they can transport you to far away lands or teach you things you never knew. If anyone has ever seen the anime "Read or Die" I am that girl.

When I was first pregnant, I was placed on bed rest and had plenty of time to read. Unfortunately because I was so nauseous I had a very short attention span, so The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan had to be put on the back burner. Instead I found myself revisiting old childhood favorites. I  once again explored the American frontier with Laura Ingalls Wilder, I peeked into familiar haunts on Prince Edward Island with L.M. Montgomery and I journeyed past a lamppost in a forgotten wardrobe with C.S. Lewis.

I discovered something in those beloved, worn pages that surprised me: There was a time when society expected more out of children than we seem to do now. For example Ma Ingalls expected her girls to make their beds, and wash their cups and plates, and help with simple household chores at an early age, Marilla expected Anne to have some basic knowledge of housekeeping, and Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy were expected to be able to entertain themselves. The authors also had expectations of their young readers. In each of these works I found references to Tennyson, Emerson, Greek Mythology and the Bible. Children and adults were supposed to be able to understand these references, many of which I did not understand until after I went to university.

I want my little Bumper to grow up literate I want her to come to know God (and what better way than through his Word?).  I want her to have curiosity, a thirst for knowledge and a practical knowledge of homemaking, crafting, and gardening. The best way I know how to give that to her is to introduce those long cherished volumes to her and watch  her take off in her own direction with them.

The joy of reading. It is truly priceless.

God Bless.
Kim

Spring

On this bitterly cold day, I am thinking about Spring. The daffodils have started blooming and we have had some wonderfully warm days. The Bumper got to play outside two days this week. On the first day I took her out, it took a little coaxing but once she felt the warm breeze she was hooked. Everything about the backyard delighted her: the stray cats lounging in the sun, the remnants of last years garden (the compost pile especially fascinated her), the bright yellow daffodils lifting their heads to the sun, and the seemingly endless sticks to be picked up. Then she saw IT. A huge pile of sand and dirt left by the workmen who repaired the furnace. My little Bumper fell in love. She slid in the dirt, she climbed the dirt and she stamped in the dirt.

 On the second day however, she came into her own. She took her little pail and shovel, and while I tried to put the yard and garden in some semblance of order, and she dug and dumped over and over until she was covered in dirt from her eyebrows to her toes, and some places I didn't even know dirt could go. Bath time last night was so much fun, in went a dirty little Bumper and out came a clean, incredibly tired little Bumper who went right to sleep. This mama couldn't be more pleased. I can not wait until true Spring and then Sumer when we will have many more days like yesterday!

Kim

We are the Body

A new head of the Roman Catholic Church has been elected. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio has become Pope Francis - The Holy Father and Bishop of Rome. He is the first non-European Holy Father, the first from the Americas, and the first Jesuit. He addressed the crowd dressed simply in the white cassock. His speech was both welcoming and humble. First and foremost asked that the people pray for him. He will need all our prayers. My prayer is that he will be guided by the Holy Spirit, listen always to God, and do his best to follow Christ closely.

God Bless
Kim

A Rainy Morning

A week ago  I looked out my window and I saw this:

 

 

and this:

and this:

                                                     so I decided to do this:

  These scrumptious beauties were the result!

 

 

I had never made pancakes from scratch before, but they were well worth the effort and they provided lots of entertainment for the Bumper who was my enthusiastic little helper.
These were the best pancakes I have ever made. I did not even miss the eggs, and milk.
Today looks like it will be the same kind of a day. I find cooking with my 2yr old to a sheer delight and I can't wait to do so again.

I hope where ever you are is warm and dry.

Kim