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The Three Wise Men, the Construction Worker and the Lady Down the Street

December 7, 2009 by Kelli

How’s that for a title?

I don’t have a nice, fancy nativity set. Actually, a few years ago, I got the Willow Tree Nativity set for Christmas from my mom. But I think, in an attempt to organize my exploding basement, I may have accidentally thrown it away the very same year I received it.

See – that’s what happens when you try and become organized. That’s why I choose to remain blissfully un-organized…

We do have, however, the Little People Nativity set and I love it! I love that the kids can play with it and I can teach them about the birth of Christ without being worried that they’re going to brake or harm a precious heriloom.

I also love that every day as I walk past the shelf where the nativity is housed, there is a new addition to the scene. It makes me laugh:

There are, of course, the three wise men (one black, one white and one Asian), the Angel, Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, a camel, a donkey and a sheep. Traditional, sweet, politically correct…

But if you look closely, there’s also an alligator from the Bayou:

A Panda from the Orient who stands alongside some random conductor guy who, I assume, works for Union Pacific:

Then there’s the construction worker and grandma from down the street:

And Lightening McQueen – because nothing says the birth of Jesus like a talking race car:

And, of course, not to be left out – Luke Skywalker and C-3PO have made it into the scene. Because Jesus loves the Jedi just as much as he loves you and me, I am most certain.

At one point there was also an older fella who I believe was Moses from the Little People Noah’s Ark set that graced the stable, but he seems to have wandered off for the time being. And I mean really, can you blame the guy? If I’d spent 40 days and nights aboard a ship full of animals, I might not want to hang around a stable either…

What I love most about the little scene my kids have created, though, is the fact that no matter how they lay it out – they always have all the characters pointed toward the center – Christ. And it’s a good reminder of what the season is all about, isn’t it? It’s about the birth of a Savior who came to save us all.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Filed Under: Christmas, Holidays, Kids, Kids do the darndest things Tagged With: Little People Nativity Scene, Willow Tree Nativity Scene

Attempt Number One – Meh…

December 3, 2009 by Kelli

I am attempting to overhaul our eating habits. In general we don’t eat terribly unhealthy, but I have gotten very lazy in my food preperation in the last several months, to where I’ve found myself feeding my kids endless amounts of already prepared, processed food that tends to be cheaper and easier to fix.

But I, myself, have felt very sluggish lately. And I’ve already told you about my severe hormonal imbalances, which are also causing stomach issues. I need to detox my diet a bit and I need to help my children understand that healthy food can be good.

It can, I swear! Ah – if I can’t convince you guys, I’ll never convince them!

I haven’t gone to the grocery store for awhile because I’ve been trying to get all the food I’ve previously bought out of the house first. Yesterday, however, when I opened up the refridgerator and a couple of moths hit me in the face, I decided it was time to hit the market.

I stocked up on a lot of fruits and vegetables. I tried to buy foods that were either gluten and wheat free or low on the glycemic index. I bought Almond Butter and Almond milk (I also bought cow’s milk, but I will use it sparsely). I stocked up on almonds and walnuts and dried fruit, which I plan to mix together to make a trail mix that my children will most likely NOT love.

I bought grass fed beef and hormone free chicken. I bought Salmon, which I plan on taking one bite of and then promptly giving the rest to my husband because…ew.

I also bought a box of Trader Joe’s dark chocolate dipped peppermint cookies because it jumped in my cart and I could not for the life of me put it back on the shelf.

Ahem.

So – I came home, put away the bags of beautiful, colorful groceries, placed my paper bags in the recycle bin (organic whole foods and recycling? GO ME!) and prepared lunch for the kids.

What did I make, you ask?

I made Gluten Free Brown Rice pasta and I added some sauteed bell peppers (my kids love green peppers) a little bit of Olive Oil and a little bit of cheese. It was scrumptous.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the kids agree…

Those were their plates after they left the table.

I was all, “Mmmm…Isn’t this delicious guys?” And they were all, “No.”

Okay, so I didn’t have very high expectations. My kids, in general, aren’t a huge fan of pasta. But I hoped the colors and the cheese and the all over beauty of my healthy creation would lure them in. Not so much. They did eat the Organic, whole yogurt I gave them, though.

Yay.

I wonder how they’re going to feel about the Almond Butter and Honey sandwiches that I will prepare on Gluten Free bread for dinner?

Any guesses on how long this dietary change of ours will last?

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Motherhood, Random

It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

December 2, 2009 by Kelli

We have Decked the Halls here in the Stuart home. The house smells of pine and there is a lovely glow as the lights from the tree, the mantle and the outside warm up the living area.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care…although they have been carelessly pulled down more than once by a certain soon to be two year old.

We’ve laid beneath the tree and ooh’ed and aah’ed as we looked up between the branches at all the twinkling lights.

Everyone had a turn placing the angel at the top of the tree. And Lee came out with scratches on his nose from his face being shoved into the branches of the tree.

When I took the picture of the three of them in front of the completed tree, Tia insisted upon having her picture taken with her best friend, her doll Jadem. Yes, Jadem.

Incidentally, I received that very doll for Christmas 22 years ago. I called her Jessie. I told Tia that and she looked at me as though I’d sprouted a second head.

“No, mom. ‘Dis baby ith a boy baby and boy babies ith not named Jessie. Hith name ith Jadem.”

And that was that.

Hope you’re all having a Merry Christmas season. Fa la la la laaaaaa, la la la laaaaa!

Filed Under: Christmas, Family, Holidays, Kids, Tia

Is this Russia?

November 19, 2009 by Kelli

Tonight was the semi-annual Russian-American School concert and it was nothing short of adorable (albeit a little drawn out…).

And because this is a mommy blog and I’m a proud cheesy mom, I am going to document tonight’s happenings with great zeal. Because that’s what I do! I don’t scrapbook people – this is all I’ve got.

There was singing, dancing, acting and so much adorability (totally a word) I left with a sugar high. Just take a look:

Isn’t she yummy? She did so well. She said her poem loud and clear and wasn’t nervous at all. It was an on night for sweet Katya (or Katinka as the Russians call her).

My performance shy first born chose to play it cool. But when he recited the poem I told you about a few weeks ago, he incited quite a bit of praise from the very proud and impressed crowd. And so as not to embarrass the poor child, I did not let out the “Whoop!” that so desperately yearned to escape. I simply gave him a tender golf clap and blinked hard against tears of pride.

I. am. a. dork.

And because I know you’re dying to watch, here is a short clip of them reciting their poems. Seriously, it’s 38 seconds long. Happy viewing and Happy Friday!

Filed Under: Family, Kids, Russian Tagged With: Russian American School

I blame it all on them

November 16, 2009 by Kelli

When I was a kid, I ruled at MEMORY. Seriously, I was untouchable. You picked up the shoe? Oh I’ll remember where it is. Ten minutes could pass and I’d still remember where that shoe sat, patiently waiting for me to find it’s match. Oh yes, my friends – I was hardcore.

I remember vividly sitting on the floor in my bedroom, my Walkman firmly placed over my ears, Leslie Gore’s greatest hits blaring (I was only allowed to listen to Christian songs or Oldies so I tended to rock out to Leslie Gore with all the fervor that my scrawny little body allowed). I was usually bundled up against the frigid Wisconsin chill that seemed to permeate the air 10 out of 12 months every year.

I was usually seated on the floor next to my black and white bed with the hot pink and torquoise accent pillows. They matched, of course, the black, white, turqouise and hot pink wallpaper border in the cream colored room. Ah, the eighties were grand weren’t they?

I would spread those memory cards out and play against myself, all the while belting out “It’s My Party and I’ll Cry if I Want To,” at the top of my lungs. Sometimes my parents or my brother would join me, perhaps in an effort to get me to stop singing…

Huh…

Whatever the case, I welcomed their company because it gave me a chance to show them who was MEMORY boss. Oh yes – I was an unstopable force.

Fast forward 25 years to today as I sat with my kids and played MEMORY. We also were fighting off a November chill, though it was decidedly less dramatic than the Wisconsin chill in my past. Michael Jackson’s Greatest Hits blared through the MP3 player (my musical standards are significantly lower than my parents were. Although I guess for my kids, Michal Jackson falls under the umbrella of Oldies. That’s depressing…)

And I got my butt kicked today. By Tia, then by Sloan.

Even though I cheated and peeked at some of the cards as we were setting the game up, I still lost by a rather significant margin.

I blame it on the kids. My mind was like a vault before I had kids. I nearly had a photographic memory, which came in handy in college. I never needed a calendar or a day planner because I could remember dates and events without a reminder. Studying? I was a master crammer. I could visualize words on a page and regurgitate them on a test (as long, of course, as that test was in written form. If numbers or equations were involved I was totally screwed.)

These days I’m happy if I remember to take off my slippers and put on real shoes before I leave the house.

I think pregnancy kills brain cells. Then there’s the pushing, in which whole sections of the brain simply die. And the parts of the brain that were still firing on full capacity? Those areas are severely handicapped by the lack of sleep. Thus leaving you with only half a brain that’s only half functioning. So clearly us moms are at a severe disadvantage!

And then there are the hours and hours of kids songs, cartoons, Veggie Tales, Elmo and a whole variety of images and sounds the seems to stimulate our children yet drive us deeper into a semi-comatose state where we can no longer remember if today is Tuesday or Wednesday and what time does the bus come and when is that pizza party that I volunteered to help with?

Yeah, I blame it on them. That’s why my memory is completely shot. But I won’t tell them that. Oh no. I’ll let them think that they won simply because mommy was being nice. There’s no need for them to think any different.

Right?

Filed Under: blast from the past, funny stuff that happens, Kids, Motherhood, Random, Sloan, Tia

Intentional Parenting

November 5, 2009 by Kelli

In the few years that it’s been since Lee and I become parents to one child, then a second and finally a third, we’ve learned a LOT about this journey called parenting. A LOT.

And from what I hear we’ve only scratched the surface. *deep breath*

One of the things we are learning in large amounts right now is the idea of intentional parenting.

This is not a new or ground breaking concept. Plenty of people are parenting with intention and Lee and I were doing so to an extent before the year 2009 – but this year has definately been a year of growth for us in our parenting.

While we have been intentional in the past about teaching our kids basic, common sense virtures like sharing, kindness, obedience, etc…We’ve learned this year that we need to step up to the plate and really dig into this parenting thing.

Before, so much of our parenting took place only in the now. We were controlling the behaviors in the hopes that the immediate future would be impacted and changed, but we weren’t necessarily thinking of down the road.

Not that we were completely oblivious to the people our children would someday become. Like any parents, we often dream of who our children will grow into. We have hopes, dreams and ambitions for them. And the number one prayer of our hearts since the day any of them entered this world was that they would grow in wisdom and stature and they would find favor with God and man.

But back to intentional parenting. This year has been about learning how to parent our children with the future in mind. Why do we want them to obey immediately? Certainly immediate obedience makes our day run much more smoothly. But beyond that, a child who is taught to respect and obey his parents immediately will grow up with a respect for authority and a drive to complete tasks in a timely fashion.

But it’s a not a blind obedience that we’re asking for. Before this year, I used to think that because I said so was the parental charge for action. It was the acceptable excuse and was never to be questioned. Ever.

Now, while I still believe there is a time and place for because I said so, I try harder to give my kids a reason for their obedience.

You need to put your shoes on right away because if you don’t, we won’t be able to get to school on time and you will have to walk into your classroom late and that would be embarrassing.

You need to pick up your toys because if you don’t, mommy or daddy might trip over them and get hurt.

You shouldn’t run in the store because someone might not see you and you could cause them to fall and get hurt or break something.

We’re trying to instill in our kids a moral reason why they need to obey. Not just demand that they obey. We’re also reinforcing to them the fact that when they do obey immediately, things will go well with them. Life is much smoother for a child who knows how to respect the authority of adults.

Life is also much easier for adults who know how to respect their authorities. Isn’t it?

You see, we’re trying to be intentional about teaching our children how to live responsible lives. I require them to make their beds simply because it’s a responsible thing to do. We ask them to clean up their toys simply because they need to take responsiblity for the things that are theirs. So that someday, as adults, they will know how to live lives that are responsible and effective.

So that I won’t send off two boys into marriage and stick their poor wives with slobs who don’t know how to help out around the house (Lee is a great example for our boys in this area).

And so I don’t send off my daughter off to be a wife and leave her with no clue how to take care of a home, cook a meal, care for others.

It’s intentional, you see, this thing called parenting. And it’s hard. It’s really, really hard. It’s so much work. It takes so much energy and time. And my kids are still young. God help us when the game of life gets more complicated than cleaning up a little Play-Doh and picking up LEGO’s.

This concept of intentional parenting is very deep. And if you’re interested in more, I highly recommend the study Growing Kids God’s Way. It’s an excellent study on the the why’s and how’s of training up morally responsible, enjoyable, godly children.

And now I am off to intentionally get my younger two out the door to a gymnastics class.

Filed Under: discipline, Family, Kids, Life, Motherhood Tagged With: Growing Kids God's Way

The Day a Boy Became a Man

November 4, 2009 by Kelli

On December 21, 2003, Sloan’s first tooth popped through his swollen little gums.

And on November 3, 2009 that very tooth fell out.

And, in his mind, he has now become a man.

He came into our room this morning much earlier than I would have liked filled with awe and excitement as he held up the three crisp dollars the Tooth Fairy left for him. She also wrote him a letter congratulating him on his tooth loss – because she’s cool like that.

He was very concerned about her taking his tooth, so I let him write a note last night asking her if he could keep it.

And now I have a question for you, internets.

What do you do with kids teeth when they fall out?

Should I keep them in a little baggie and tuck them away in his baby book?

Because – um – ew.

Filed Under: Kids, Life, Random, Sloan Tagged With: Tooth Fairy

Memory of Halloweens Past

October 30, 2009 by Kelli

This morning, the kids got up long before Lee and I were ready. So as we laid in bed, they pitter pattered out to the living room. From the warmth of our bed, we could hear them digging through their little halloween buckets where the candy they racked up yesterday trick or treating at my dad’s office awaited their arrival.

Twice they came into our room to ask if they could have a piece. Twice I played bad cop and said no, not until after breakfast – because eating a sugar-filled-teeth-rotting-sugar-exploding morsel is way better after you’ve eaten a bowl of cereal. (eyeroll) Really, I just didn’t feel like I would be doing them justice as their mother if I allowed them candy at 6:30 in the morning.

Moments after their second rejection, I heard Sloan tell Tia that they should dump their buckets out and count their candy to see how much they had.

So with a tumble and a THWOP we heard the innards of their plastic buckets fall to the floor and the delighted giggles of two very excited children. After saying a silent prayer that they would have the same amount of candy I heard Sloan count to 14…twice.

“Tia, we both have 14 pieces!” he exclaimed. “That means we don’t have to fight!”

Yes. And it meant that mommy could lay in peace for a few more minutes. Praise God Almighty from Whom all blessing flow!

As I thought of them counting their little piles of candy, I remembered my trick or treating days when my brother and I would come home and share the same ritual. We would dump out our pillow cases of candy and take an inventory of our loot. Then, of course, the trading and bartering would commense.

I tended to trade the Twizzlers and M & M’s for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and Skittles. Of course, I also hoarded the Bottle Caps and Pop Rocks and we both handed off the Sugar Daddies and Suger Babies to my dad, because those are his favorite. And we threw away the Nut ‘N Honey’s because, ew…

Then we would diligently count how many pieces of candy we had and hoot and hollar if we were fortunate to pass the 100 piece mark then squeal with delight if passed 200. We would plan out what we would eat when and how long it would take us to devour our treasures.

(Come to think of it, I wonder if my mom ever threw away a few pieces of our candy every day without us knowing so that we would ultimately not end up eating that much junk. Not that I do that…ahem.)

When it was all said and done and Brett and I were equally pleased with our final count, we would sit back and eat as much as mom would allow and rehash the night’s events remembering which house gave the best candy, who had the best costumes and how we nearly froze to death in the frigid Wisconsin weather.

Then we would head to bed, our stomach’s aching from over consumption and our head’s spinning from the rush of sugar.

Those are sweet (pun definately intended) memories. I miss my brother.

What are some of your favorite Halloween memories?

Filed Under: blast from the past, Family, Halloween, Holidays, Kids, Motherhood Tagged With: Halloween, Tick or Treating

My shy little goofball

October 28, 2009 by Kelli

Today Tia got to wear her costume to school. She’s Princess Leia.

She has been so excited about it all week.

This morning, she put on her costume an hour before we had to leave and asked that I take her picture:

She was most excited about her “for weal” Princess Leia hair.

“Thsee mom? I wook just wike Pintheth Yay-ya,” she said.

When we got in the car to go to school she asked me 100 times if I remembered her Princess Leia hair.

When we arrived, I secured it to her adorable little head and in we marched.

Then…

Someone laughed and told her she looked adorable…

And someone else told her she looked just like her older brother in that wig…

And someone else clutched her chest and grinned as she walked past…

And before we even made it to her room, Tia yanked the wig off her head and thrust it at me.

“I not want to wear it anymore,” she said.

And no amount of assurances that people were only smiling because they thought she looked cute would convince her to put it back on.

So I fashioned her hair into two pigtails and sent her on her way sans wig. Then I went to the lobby to wait for her class to return and show off their costumes and sing us a few songs.

Apparently she went to the bathroom before coming out to sing because her dress was tucked into her pants.

And instead of singing the songs that she’s been so boldly performing for us at home, she sucked on her finger.

And then she got tired and sat down.

The End.

Filed Under: funny stuff that happens, Halloween, Holidays, Kids, Kids do the darndest things, Tia

Yeah, but we already knew that…

October 27, 2009 by Kelli

*Warning – the following post contains blatent and unapologetic bragging. Read with reckless abandon and feel free to spontaneously applaud whenever you are compelled.

We had our first big kid, elementary style Parent/Teacher conference today! Seriously, I am so not old enough for all of this.

So there Lee and I sat across the table from Sloan’s kindergarten teacher and she dove right in to his first quarter report card. And after that meeting I just needed to brag for a minute because my kid is THE AWESOME!

As far as develpomentally, he’s right on track. He is reading basic words. He can write very well, but needs to work on his lower case letters, he can count to 39 (but then skips to 90 and finishes up to 100 – can you blame him? I’d hate for someone to ask me to count to 100 too. Bo-ring…let’s move on!)

He does have a few problems with phonics, which is understandable since he’s learning to read in two languages right now. He sometimes mixes russian letters with English. For example, he spelled ‘can’ C-A-H. Because in russian the ‘n’ sound is the letter ‘H’.

But it wasn’t the skills that got me all hopped up. It was the fact that his social skills were all top marks. He was described as a leader, obedient, happy, a good listener, eager to learn and a great kid.

C’mon – tell me something I don’t know!

Seriously, Sloan is a great kid. He’s passionate, for sure. But all around, he’s a really, really good kid. I’m glad he’s mine.

Lee and I have worked hard this last year with Sloan. We’re still working hard (will we ever not work hard?) to channel his abundant zest for life in a positive and productive direction.

We really want our kids to be conscious of the world around them. We’re constantly stressing to Sloan that when he respects his elders, those in authority, that things will go well with him. And today we get to reward him and show him once more that his respect for those around him is only to his benefit and his gain.

We have also worked hard at giving Sloan the confidence to take the lead among his peers. Sloan by nature tends to follow others. He so badly wants to be with people and a part of a group that he will do whatever he think needs to be done in order for that to happen.

We have been stressing to him the importance of being a leader, of standing up for what he knows is right and of being an encouragement to people he comes in contact with. In general, these are things that come naturally to Sloan. Remember this? But he does need a few reminders, on occasion.

You know, because he’s a normal kid.

Anyway, my kid rocks. He seriously does. And since I’m already in the bragging mode, I’d also like you to see this:

This is part of the play that Sloan will be performing with the kids in his russian class. The section at the bottom is Sloan’s. It’s by far the most difficult text he’s had to memorize so far and he’s doing amazing. He also has to learn a short poem about a bear, which he committed to memory almost immediately.

I’m just in awe of the way he is learning this language. I feel like I’m doing him a disservice because I don’t know the language well enough anymore to speak consistently with him.

Which, incidentally, his russian homework is kicking my butt! I feel like I’m in college again trying to translate all these pages so I can help Sloan understand what’s happening.

Oh, and Sveta – I might have to ask you for a little help translating this play because good grief! 🙂

Okay everyone – I know you’re so glad you spent five minutes of your time listening to me ramble today. Try not to be too dissapointed when I tell you I’m finished bragging now. You’re all free to go about your day.

*wink, wink*

Filed Under: Kids, Motherhood, School, Sloan Tagged With: Russian American School