Stress Buster

Does anyone remember the Milton Bradley game, Hungry, Hungry Hippos? I used to love playing that fun game with my sister as a kid and wondered whatever happened to our set. Well, this past Christmas, my daughters' godmother sent them Hungry, Hungry Hippos, and I don't know who was happier, me or them. (The former, of course!)

The game is definitely a stress buster as long as you don't play too competitively. I can become rather competitive especially when my hubby plays, and it hurts the palm of my hand. It's a joy to see the whole family be involved in such a mindless, boisterous, and giggle-producing game. It helps us to relax as a family, and I love how both my 3 and 7-year old can enjoy it together!

Mommy Musings

Parenting is downright humbling. I feel like each day I am being schooled on how to be a more godly person and to develop more godly character because there is more to live for than just myself in this life. My children are my legacy. I honestly cannot imagine my life without my children. Don't get me wrong, it's hard work being a parent, not to mention how physically and emotionally draining it can be, but it is also coupled with much joy, purpose, and meaning.

Hubby and I have been trying to engage our children in a weekly "family devotional" time on Sundays. I guess the operative word is "trying". It is quite a challenge to get both a 3 year old and 7 year old to sit and focus for more than 15-20 minutes. However, I keep telling myself that we, as parents, should not, at this point, be results-driven, but to try our best on a weekly basis to instill in our children (on their level) simple Biblical truths/lessons which our church also teaches them.

For the past few weeks, we have been talking about what it means to have determination. Determination is deciding it's worth it to finish what you've started. This was the godly trait we want to teach our children. Along with that, we taught our children (namely our 7 year old) the memory verse from the Bible that goes hand in hand with that:

"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." from the book of Hebrews (12:1).

The highlight of our family devotional time together was when we allowed the girls to run a "pretend" race on the first floor of our home. They have so much energy so it was a perfect tie-in, and we stressed the importance of finishing the race and not coming in first. This is a lesson that my older child consistently needs reinforcement in learning. We also taught them that everyone's "race" is unique and different in life since God has designed or marked out a plan for each one of us and that we need to live our lives trying our best to honor His plan for us by learning to be more like Jesus.

This family time has personally been time well-spent despite the sacrifice of some planning time and not being able to get as many things (such as chores) done on the weekend. It has given me a focus and more clarity on how to live the Christian life...Will I run the race God has marked out for me as wife, mother, and teacher in such a way that will honor and glorify His name? Do my heart, thoughts, actions, and behaviors reflect those of someone who is a Christ-follower?

Through my recent musings, I have learned that I need to surrender to God and embrace His plan for me. I never relied on Him more since I became a parent. I know that I need to develop more trust and faith in Him. Believe me, this is not a piece of cake or a stroll in the park for someone who is a bit of a control-freak and who has a Type-A personality. It's scary to release control over things especially when it comes to caring for your children. However, I know that I am not going to get through this life as a parent if I don't realize that He is ultimately the One in control and I need to hand over everything (all my worries, fears, etc.) to Him and know that he is Father to all.

Snow, Again?

The kids were quite depressed when the remnants of snow from our last big blizzard were pretty much gone. Above, you'll find our "snowman" family that we created from the piles of snow from that first snowstorm of the winter season. My older daughter likes to refer to the snowmen as "marshmallow" people since we totally cheated by using sand pails and our recycling bucket. We used bottle caps for the big snowman's eyes. Well, there were no corn cob pipe, button nose, and two eyes made out of coal. The snowman on the far left represents my older daughter and the two little mounds near it are her dog and doll. Anyway, I hear we're due for more of the white stuff this coming week. Break out the sleds!

New Year's "Intentions"

I was pondering my goals for 2011 and did not want to make traditional "resolutions" as they may be broken way too soon. I am trying not to fall off the bandwagon prematurely so these are my top ten "intentions" for 2011.

1. Reconnect with God through prayer and reading the Bible. I highly recommend http://www.youversion.com for a personalized reading plan for the Bible. The website offers many different plans and time frames for reading the whole Bible or just partial Bible.

2. Spend quality time with my family which includes alone time with my hubby, too!

3. Make healthy choices for my body, mind, & spirit (I guess that means some exercise and eating mildly unhealthy junk food in moderation )

4. Be proactive with guiding my children through their spiritual development (weekly family devotional time)

5. Laugh and giggle more like my children & don't take myself too seriously!

6. Be grateful for all God has given me. (Less complaining)

7. Be more compassionate and less judgmental towards others.

8. Be more comfortable in my own skin and not care what others think of me.

9. Read more books for leisure (I am a reading teacher after all!)

10. Learn something new and be creative (Still figuring what this could be...maybe scrapbooking?)

Happy New Year!

Ringing in the New Year...at the library? Well, that's what happens when your mom is a reading teacher. I brought the girls to the library the other day for a New Year's Eve story time, and they created these festive, fun masks. Reminds me of Mardi Gras. They were able to decorate these masks with colorful feathers and faux jewels using these ultra-cool self-adhesive glue dots that really made my day since it kept their fingers clean. Whoo-hoo! The best part of the story time was when they were able to use noisemakers after they did the countdown. My little one was so proud that she was able to blow her noisemaker like a horn.

Wishing you all the best for 2011!

Gingerbread Galore

These books are on my radar to read with the kids as a follow-up and extension to The Gingerbread Man. Apparently, these books have a similar storyline and similar catchy rhyming phrases, but different characters. I'm basking in gingerbread glory! Hopefully, they have these treasures at our local library or we'll have to head to the bookstore!

My colleague at work also told me about the Gingerbread Man Superhero! and the Musubi Man: Hawaii's Gingerbread Man. Talk about gingerbread thematic overload!

What's in my Book Bag This Week?

One of my favorite books to read to the girls this season is The Gingerbread Man. It is a classic tale about a gingerbread man cookie who is made by a little old man and a little old woman. The Gingerbread Man in turn decides to run away from them and from other various characters including a butcher, cow, and sow (pig). In the end, it is a sly old fox that gets the better of him, and the fox enjoys him for a snack.

Our favorite part of the book is when we chant "Run! Run! Fast as you can! You can't catch me! I'm the Gingerbread Man!" I love the predictable story line and catchy phrases that rhyme. It's perfect for even the youngest of readers! The girls and I even did an impromptu short play based on the book using plastic figurines we already had at home. It was pretty hilarious to say the least.

In honor of The Gingerbread Man, we erected our very own gingerbread house this week (see above picture). What a labor of love! I got hand and finger cramps using that darn piping bag. The girls had loads of fun putting the candy on the house. You can smell the sweetness of gingerbread coming from our dining room. Anyway, we think the Gingerbread Man wouldn't mind running to this house and calling this his humble abode!