I went to check on the kids and was surprised to see Owen wearing clothes. They were playing house and he was the daddy going to work. It didnt last too long. Pretty soon he was the daddy dinosaur going to work, of course they dont wear clothes, a tie maybe but thats all.

A funny: Owen had a large screwdriver in his toolbox. When I asked him where he got it from, he said "from Jeff's talking pet leopard seal." (jeff is our neighbor) Pretty good imagination I thought.

Perrie's Lunch and an Unexpected Visitor

Perrie ate Owen's lunch before he came to get it so I made her make him something (a PB sandwich) This is what she came up with. Instead of Owen, a surprise visitor showed up for lunch.

Little Plum in action

Callie eating a golden plum- Her very favorite. We've learned to just strip her down when she eats, however, she already likes to undo the tape on her diapers.

Real Moms Secrets Roundup

Real Moms Know Secret #10
A Mother Who Takes Time For Her Children Helps Them Build Strong Relationships
For Moms:Stay Engaged
Benefit for Kids: Healthy and Loving Attachments
The strongest and most consistent predictor of childrens mental health, adjustment, happiness and well being is the level of involvement of their parents in their life. Children with involved parents do better in school, feel better about themselves, are less likely to take risks or get into trouble. This is true whether your child is an infant, teenager, or any point inbetween.

Real Moms Know Secret #11
A Mother Who Laughs Teaches Joy
For Moms: Be Lighthearted
Benefit for Kids: Happiness and Joy
A big part of creating a happy family is those simple, joyous, fun moments of just plain laughing and enjoying each other. Sometimes you can plan them, but more often they are spontaneous and you just have to tune in and go with the flow. Relax and let go every once in a while. Let your kids see you laugh and have fun. It teaches your children one of the best lessons of resilience: to laugh and enjoy life.

I love this secret. We have wanted to have a food fight in our back yard. One of these days it will happen with whip cream, pudding, spaghetti and all kids of messy stuff. Holidays can be silly, like leprechaun tricks on st pats day or April fools jokes. Traditions like game night or camping can create great memories and fun or just building forts together and playing pretend.

Real Moms Know Secret #12
A Mother Who Takes Care of Herself Holds Together Her Happy Family
For Moms: Stay Balanced
Benefit for Kids: Happiness, Optimism, & Security
This secret makes all others possible. What your kids really need is a genuine, healthy, and energized woman who enjoys not only her family but also life. Stephen Covey calls it “Sharpening the Saw, or Self-Renewal.” You have to take time out for you so you can be more effective in your life. When you find time to nourish yourself (socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally) your family will be more likely to appreciate the real you: an interesting, evolving, happier woman who loves them and loves life. Simple everyday examples are working in the garden, reading or writing, taking a class, meditating, spending time with friends, soaking in the tub, exercising, making goals, or going on a date with your husband. These all teach children the importance of finding balance. Don’t get too caught up in schedules, cleaning or volunteering. Make time for you.

Ignorance is not Bliss

Ok, I’m reading too many health books lately but one leads to another. My latest is called "Disease Proof Your Child". Here are a few things I learned:

*A baby’s body is designed to breastfeed until age 2. They can absorb the antibodies for their fragile immune systems from mother’s milk up till that age.

*An adult’s DNA is wound up tight like a rubber band ball, but a child’s DNA is unwound and loose because it is still producing a lot of cells. Therefore it is very susceptible to damage.

*It can take 30-40 years for damage and disease to show up. Victims from the Hiroshima bomb did not come down with radiation cancer for 45 years! This means what you feed and expose your child to now (pesticides, hormones, antibiotics) very well might affect if they get cancer, heart disease, or diabetes when they are adults.

*Various studies indicate the more animal products in the diet, the greater the cancer occurrence, especially breast cancer and prostate. But the more fruit and vegetables in the diet, the less cancer they found.

*In our modern world vegetarians do not get enough vitamin B12, however, there is plenty of B12 in the bugs, bacteria and dirt that grows on nuts, seeds, grains, & plants. They just get washed off. So if you know where your food comes from, maybe we shouldn’t wash it so much. Papa says organic means buggy. I guess we really need those bugs after all.

August

August has flown by. We are sad to see the end of summer in sight.
Callie turned 6 months, sits up by herself and can roll anywhere she wants to. She was very eager to start eating real food and is slowly trying new things. Her favorite is plums! At our gardenspot there is a plum tree and she knows she is going to get one. I peel off the skin, hold tight to the pit and let her suck it dry. She devours it. (I've yet to get a picture, but am determined.) She loves people & being outside. We are blessed. She is a very sweet girl.


Owen continues his passion for dinosaurs. He is full of fun. Today at church he told his teacher his pet dinosaur was sleeping in his dad's pocket. He will start a 2day preschool this fall. We are excited for him to make some new friends.



Perrie and David went on thier annual backpacking trip and really had fun. She caught her first fish all by herself and learned how to fly fish. She really loves this one on one time with daddy. (I'm a bit jealous myself)

Real Moms Know Secret #9
A Mother Who Accepts Her Children’s Shortcomings Nurtures Resilience
For Moms: Be Accepting
Benefit for Kids: Optimism & a Bounceback Attitude

Stresses and handicaps are facts of life. Though we cannot eliminate childhood pressures, we can minimize their impact by nurturing our children’s talents and strengths.
Professors studied the childhoods of 400 creatively gifted and talented people, including Einstein, Roosevelt, Gandhi, Edison and Churchill. They were startled to discover that three-fourths of these individuals had trememdous handicaps in their lives, including physical, emotional & learning problems as well as alcoholic or abuse parents. What helped them become so successful? From an early age each individual had a significant someone help them recognize a hidden talent & encouraged its development.