Getting Over My Fear

I think you would enjoy hanging out with my friend Lance for a day. He is fun. He is a forty something guy in a hawaiian shirt and a pair of pink converse. People are drawn to him naturally. He will talk to anyone. It's fun to hang out with Lance.

What I love about Lance though is that he sees the opportunities around him to make a difference. Small things we can do to make this world a better place. Lance does this because he loves God. He doesn't do this for his own credit. He taught me how to 'love thy neighbor'.

We've all seen the opportunities, but how many of us have actually listened to that small voice? Lance just does it. He will push a car stuck in the snow bank. He will help a pregnant waitress working the late shift alone by clearing the tables as he quietly exits the restaurant. He will talk to strangers and give them encouraging words. I do see those opportunities often but I rarely follow my heart. I get scared. I make excuses and then I regret.

Today, I saw a woman with two children walking with many bags of groceries. I stopped and offered to carry her groceries. She lives 20 minutes away. She hesitated. I insisted. So, for twenty minutes, we chatted and got to know each other. My new friend is from Kashmir. She is beautiful. Her husband runs the new restaurant in town. She wants to learn to drive. She is unsure of this new town. Her husband works long hours. We arrived at her house and she said to me, "Please come in. I will make you tea". I accepted her offer and she made me a cup of beautiful tea infused with cardamom and clove served in a gold rimmed tea cup. We chatted some more. I asked her if she had any women she could spend time with while her husband is working. She said, "You are my first friend here", as she looked at me with beautiful deep brown eyes. I said, "You must come to my house soon and we will have more tea". She smiled.

Funny thing about this incident is that I have met her children before at my kids' school. They kind of rubbed me the wrong way at first and I've been avoiding them whenever I was at school. They were so friendly to the point of making me uncomfortable. They invaded my personal space bubble. I judged them. Today, I saw how small my heart has been. I am thankful for this second chance. Now, I have a new friend and I have the courage when the next opportunity comes my way.

Thanks be to God.

This Morning in My Kitchen....

Poor men. Sorry we put you up to this all the time. ;)

Makiko: (emerges from the bedroom dressed in jeans. After months of exercising, she thinks the jeans are fitting better)

"How Do I look?"

Scott: (Oblivious to her inner thoughts, fixing lunch for the kids in the kitchen. After a quick glance.)

"You look fine"

Makiko: (gives him the *stink eye)

"I mean, HOW DO I LOOK?" (now, the capital letters mean louder voice)

Scott: (stops his hands and takes another look)

"I mean, your hair needs to be combed, but you look fine"

After a little silence......

Makiko: "DO I LOOK SKINNY?"

Scott: (disappears for 2 seconds, runs back into the kitchen, with hands up in the air, gives Makiko a man hug, wide eyed)

"HOLY SMOKES! LOOK AT YOU!? YOU LOOK INCREDIBLE! LOOK AT YOUR SKINNY LITTLE WAIST!!!!!!!!!"

Scott & Makiko: Burst out laughing......

Another Epic Fail Moment

It's September and officially my garden zucchini production has become an annoyance than a joy. After staring at a huge mountain of yellow zucchinis and pattypan squash for a week, I finally decided to make zucchini loaves to put in my freezer.......at 10:30 at night.

Now, I do not own a food processor. My little food grinder broke last winter. So I am left with a cheese grinder. I start shredding my zucchinis by hand--the old fashion way.

Scott walks into the kitchen. "Do you want me to help you with something?"

"Oh sure". "Would you mind just starting the batter while I shred these? I can take over and finish later"

So he cheerfully starts on the loaf batter. This recipe makes two loaves. I have one loaf pan. Each loaf takes 1hr to bake. You do the math. While the first cake is in the oven, we decided to pick a movie on Netflix to pass the time. Scott picks a movie. He assures me it's a light comedy. I don't like it and I told him so. Without a word of complaint, he starts up another movie which is more girl-friendly.

I remember the first 10 minutes of the movie and I was gone. Fast asleep. I don't remember anything after that.

Next morning, I woke up. Scott had gone to work already as usual (he's usually gone before 7). I walk into the kitchen. I saw two beautiful zucchini loaves politely sitting on my kitchen counter.

This makes me either the biggest jerk or the luckiest woman on the entire planet....or maybe both.

At the Shopping Mall Yesterday....

I hate shopping. I really do. I hate aggressive sales person even more. I particularly hate those kiosks in the middle of the mall with really aggressive sales people attending them. Over priced dead sea cosmetics and fancy nail kits. They make you wash your hands in weird goo and put a little 'nail art' on your kids' middle fingers. I really love it when my kids give me the finger because they want to show me the cool nail art.

"Today only!"

"Only for you. I will give it to you for half price, but don't tell your friends".

And if you *politely* decline, they always give you and your children the silent treatment. "Why isn't he talking to us anymore, mommy?" "He was so nice a minute ago".

Yesterday was no exception. I was in a mall against my will. Kids wanted to take me into this shop and that. I avoided eye contact with all sales people with trays in their hands. Why do they have to wear lab coats to sell soaps? I was doing really well. Then all of a sudden, this guy came flying out of nowhere and had me 'cornered' in the middle of the mall.

"Can I ask you a question?" He said cheerfully.

"Sure." I replied suspiciously.

"How do you care for your girls' hair" He is looking at my 3 girls. I look over and he is selling ceramic hair straightener. "I brush their hair", I reply. At this point, he gives me the well-rehearsed reply. "you mean to tell me you don't care for your daughters' hair?!" "Why do you not curl and style their hair?" His hands are flying in the air to suggest he is in shock. "Drama Queen", I mutter under my breath.

Then I told him something which made me so proud of myself. Usually when I am confronted by aggressive people, I tend to let them dominate the conversation and get defeated. I always come up with good witty comebacks later. Sounds familiar?

I told him, "I don't believe I should be promoting vanity at such young age. They are beautiful just as they are" , I told him with a smile.

He got quiet for a moment. He then asked me what I did with my hair.

"I have the exact hair straightener you are selling and I love it", and I wasn't even lying when I said that.

I high-fived my confidence and walked away with my three gorgeous children. Then I remembered, I never did brush Tori's hair that morning.

Bootsy 2 days before she died.

Tears catch me off guard. They come at most unexpected times. The alarm clock shows 3:35 am. Even the clock is sleepy. I lay awake and remember she is not here. Tears come. I take an extra long shower and let the tears come.

13 years is a long time, but death always comes too soon. We buried a good friend yesterday. I had to think real hard to know what day it was. Somehow, in our sorrow, it feels like forever ago. It was only yesterday. I am trying hard to wrap my mind around it.

Bootsy had a massive seizure. 4 days later, she died in her sleep as the new day was about to be born. During those 4 days, we tried to keep her comfortable as we kept our chins and hopes up. Maya is away in Japan. "Can you hang in there until Maya comes home?" "But if you have to go, we understand". She would sit in front of our house in the shade of poplar trees and watch the world go by. She would wag her tail and try to get up to greet us, but after two days, the light in her eyes gone and she is distant.

Scott woke me up to tell me it's time to say good bye. We held her lifeless body and told her what a good dog she has been. I tell her I am sorry when I was too busy for her or I got annoyed with her. I touch her silky ears and try to remember how they felt in my hands. I bury my nose in her beautiful golden fur and wish the time would stop. I take her paws into mine for one last touch. It's always too soon.

Our other dog Ranger at Bootsy's grave

Scott took her to the top of a rolling hill and put her to rest, right beside our friend Zippy. He came home saturated in tears and sweat. "The only regret I have is I didn't sleep with her that night". During the 4 days, I would often find him sitting beside her gently stroking her and talking to her for a long time. Man's best friend. Silent and Loyal. She was gracious and faithful until the end. The last conscious thing she did was to get up and greet me when I returned home.

Flowers for Bootsy

13 years is a long time, but death always comes too soon. Tonight, we went to visit her grave. A beautiful spot. I can see her running through the tall grass. Poking her head out every now and then to check on me. She can smell the gophers and prairie chickens. She is grinning. tail wagging. Flood of memories. I let the tears come.

"If it hurts so much, why would you get a dog?", I've been asked.

Because you are their whole world.

Rest in Peace, beautiful girl. Thank you for the wonderful 13 years together.

Becoming a Canadian

I was 14 when I fell in love with this 'strong and free' country. I became a Canadian 14 years after that, in the summer of 2000. When I go to the United States, people often tell me that I 'act and speak like a Canadian'. I take it as a compliment. I love Canada. I am proud to be a Canadian.

Coming from a country with a long history (2,670 years to be exact) and a strong sense of culture and heritage, being a Canadian can give me a sense of identity crisis. Today is Canada Day. We celebrate 144 years of Canada being a self-governed country. I typed in google: Canada's national food. The first hit: Ginger Beef. Second: Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. I laughed but was not surprised. People say, Canadians are so nice and friendly and that we say "sorry" a lot. I know it is a dangerous task to generalize a whole nation of people--all 33,739,900 of us, but I tend to believe that. A few years ago I was walking through a crowded IKEA store. I kept bumping into people with my cart. It was my fault. But every one of those people I bumped into said, "sorry" to me. I fell in love with Canada all over again--in IKEA.

When I became a Canadian, I had to learn its history, culture, geography and politics. The immigration department sent me a little booklet to study. "You must write and pass the citizenship test in order to become a Canadian citizen", the letter stated. I learned about fur trade, Confederation, John A. McDonald, parliament government system and even memorized the words to O Canada, our national anthem. I nervously walked into a government building to write the test. 5 questions total. Multiple choice. One of the questions stated: What is the emblem on the Canadian flag? Options: 1) Eagle, 2) Maple leaf, 3) Rainbow, 4) Beaver, 5) Queen Elizabeth. I passed the test with flying colors and proceeded into a crowded court room for the official ceremony. I looked around to see people representing many countries all over the world. Young and old. Some seemed emotional. I realized then, that this 'strong and free' country has so much to offer to so many of them in that court room that day. I wondered what story they have to tell. I am sure many of them had lost everything, escaped danger and gave up so much to get where I was. I recently met a woman who has not seen her children in 16 years and and another who lost her family farm in order to pay the bribery--all in order to come to Canada. I know no such hardships. I do not know war or poverty. I was in that court room simply because I married a Canadian. I did not have to give up anything. While witnessing the emotions in the room, I fell in love with Canada all over again. Hope and freedom it gives to so many. Open arms and open doors to those who have lost everything. I love this country. I am proud to be a Canadian.

The ceremony proceeded and the judge spoke about 'Canadian pride'. Cultural Diversity. That's our pride. He read off the countries represented in that court room that day. There were at least 20 countries represented. I saw beautiful women in Saris. Turbans and hanbok. The judge gave us each a paper Canadian flag. He brought an old tape recorder with a sound track for O Canada, which we sang proudly together. After finishing our singing, he flipped the cassette and played the other side which was "O Canada" in French. We all looked stunned and watched in silence as the judge sang alone with the cassette. It was quirky and sweet. Nothing fancy and majestic. We shook hands with people around us and left the court room.

Maya--Japan Bound

I just booked a plane ticket for Maya to go visit her grandparents in Japan this summer. She is ecstatic. 2 years ago, when this idea came up, and she was absolutely against it. Now, she has a permanent grin on her face and every now and then, she would say, "Thanks for letting me go to Japan, Mom". My heart is excited and terrified all at the same time. She is growing up faster than my heart would allow. I am so proud of her bravery. I am proud of her because I can trust her to take on such a big adventure at such a young age.

To be honest, I have not done a good job of teaching my children about their Japanese heritage. I don't speak Japanese to them. My kids cannot, for the life of them, use chopsticks. They are Canadians, through and through. Since she was very little, Maya has always wanted to go to Japan. The desire is so intense--more than just a little kid wanting to go to an amusement park or an ice cream shop. I could sense that she really wanted to know this part of herself --like a missing piece of the puzzle. I never knew if it was ever going to be possible for our family to go, but always hoped she could go while she is still young.

Although I am absolutely overwhelmed to let my little girl get on a plane all by herself to cross the ocean, I feel in my gut this is the right time and it will be an amazing opportunity.

Someone asked me the other day, when I was in Japan last. I responded, "oh about 10 years ago....in 1993". Wait a minute, that's 18 years ago! Sometimes, I long for the intense heat of the summer. I dream of showing my girls the Japanese countryside I grew up in. Catching cicadas and praying mantas and listening to the crickets at night. Going to get fresh peaches and fish that were just harvested/caught in the morning. The Hustle and bustle of the city centre. Food stands and fireworks.

What will Maya see? Who will she meet? I wonder if she will meet my neighbor who let me borrow the book, "Never Ending Story"? I am sure so much has changed but so much are still the same. As much as I want to be there to take her down my memory lane, I am glad she gets to go on her own. She will go without mom's agenda. She is free to decide what she wants to see and to experience Japan in ways that are meaningful to her.

We will look for books about Japan and make a list of things she wants to see and do. So far, she wants to go to Tokyo Disneyland. :) Maybe I might even give her a crash course on the language and how to use chopsticks.

Summer Activity List

The Summer Vacation is upon us. In order to keep my children occupied and happy, I thought I'd make a list of activities so we won't be sitting around going...."mom, we are bored!!" Here is my list. I am trying to keep it simple and cheap and yet fun. Living in a small town requires some creativity....and that is okay.

* Make postcards and send them to friends near and far

-this helps us keep connected to our friends. It will make friends happy. Encourages creativity as we will be making them. It will help kids learn how to address letters and learn to write and spell better.

*Make Tinfoil Hats

-just because. It's silly. It's fun. It's cheap.

*Splash Park

-because there is a new one in town and it's free. Also try the one in near by towns

*Library

-because they have air conditioning. My girls love reading.

*Take care of our flower & vegetable gardens

-Share the loot with neighbors and friends

*Sprinkler under the trampoline

-So so fun!

*Sleep on the trampoline

-I might regret saying this.....

*Cook with each of the kids

-So they can make a meal from start to finish.

*Giant Bubble Experiment

-found here

*Set up Maya's loom

-seriously, in 2 years, she made 2 projects because I'm too lazy to set it up for her.

*Study Constellation

-maybe we can do this while we are driving down to the States.

*Use our fire pit often

-gives us time for slow down visiting time

*Rag Curls...

-because they are girls and school nights don't allow this often.

*Go to the OCEAN

-Oregon coast....we are coming!

*Learn to play Yatzee

-I bought it a year ago and we still haven't opened it.

*Homemade ice cream

-dust off the old ice cream maker

*Family Movie Night

-my goal is to actually stay awake for the whole movie....

*Teach girls sewing

-I have my heart set on making these hats for my girls in the next week to welcome them to summer vacation.

*Lemonade Stand

-It's the symbol of childhood summer memory

*Go to the river

-because it is the closest thing to the ocean here and we love it there.

*Make friendship bracelets

-You just have to when you got girls.

*Looking forward to the lazy summer days.....Come by and join us in our adventure*

Almost 4.

4 seems so much bigger than 3. As she masters more skills and takes pride in her independence, there is a feeling of relief and panic mixed in one. Relief that she doesn't need me to do everything for her, but panic because like water, the childhood is running through my fingers.
I always wanted 3 kids. And there she was. She is nothing like her older sisters. She is spirited. She is unpredictable. To be honest, she has been the one that has most frequently challenged my patience and made me question my ability as a mother.
But perhaps because of her, I will be more patient. I will be more accepting of the unexpected. She will make me a better mother.

Ironic.

Mismatched socks. Fairy wings. A pair of silver mary janes. She takes me by the hand to shows me the world through so much innocence and excitement.

"Look mommy, Robins!"

"I love these flowers, mommy!"

"Worms!!!"
The world is a beautiful place through the eyes of a toddler.
This past year, two of our good friends became very ill. Tori was the one to pray for them. Everyday. Every chance she's got. She said some profound things in her prayers. We saw miracles and they are now healed and well.
It is a beautiful thing to watch your childen make this world a better place by just being who they are. I hope my eyes are open to see it, instead of focusing on the troubles and inconveniences.

I think tomorrow, we will walk to the park and I will push her on a swing high up in the air to hear her belly giggles.

Spring--Here to Stay!?

Yesterday, I finally went outside with my camera in search of spring. It's been a very long winter. The last few months, I have been in survival mode. Not the best place to be. I am glad spring is here. Mosquitos are terrible, but I hope to get outside as much as I can. Renewed desire to live with a heart full of joy and excitement for life. Life is beautiful. I am glad that being a mother forces me to slow down, helping me appreciate beauty of life which goes so often unnoticed.

Dogs

My friends' dog is dying. This particular dog has been a part of our family for several years now. 'Zippy' would come stay with us when his owners were away. I personally had never had a close encounter with border collies until I met Zippy. I always found his neuroticism rather entertaining. Zippy is such a 'homebody' he hated being away from his home and owners. He pouted and went on hunger strikes when he came to my house. Once I found him sitting up on Maya's bed with his snout pressed into the corner of the wall.....pouting. He has this uncontrollable urge to howl at the train. He loved chasing bubbles. Eventually, he accepted us. We loved having him around. When we got the word that he has aggressive cancer, we went over to say 'good-bye' to him as a family. Today, he will go to doggie heaven. I asked my friend, "is it weird to choose when he will go?"--playing 'god'.....strange.

When I was a child, the only thing I ever wanted was a dog. We finally got our first dog when I turned 15--a female Golden Retriever. She died when she was 2 years old. Poisoned from eating the grass saturated in pesticides. There were several dogs in the neighborhood that died from the same thing that year. The city neglected to inform the residents when they sprayed the weeds around town. I went to see my friends while my parents went to retrieve her lifeless body from the vet....to avoid it altogether. I was a teenager who did not know how to express my feelings. By the time I returned home, she had been cremated and gone. I never got the chance to say good-bye. My mom told me how she cut all the flowers from her garden to put around her in the box she was laying in. The regret I felt that day has been with me for a long time. Watching Zippy struggle to his feet to greet me brought it all back.

Silent and loyal. You are their whole world. Dogs spend most of their life waiting for us to come home. They shower us with unconditional love and teach us what it means to be alive.

I woke up with a knot in my stomach. Today is the day. I know he wasn't our dog, but he was a big part of our lives. We will miss him. My girls cried when I told them about the cancer. I cried as I listened to my friend talk about how he plans to say good bye. I am glad Zippy will not be in pain anymore. Please do not argue with me whether dogs go to heaven or not right now. I know heaven is a beautiful place, but why is it so difficult and painful? I try to imagine Zippy running towards the sunset through heaven's meadow filled with flowers. It's beautiful. Rest in Peace, Zippy. It's been a wonderful adventure. I'm glad we became friends.

Lately

During the month of March into April, I have been consumed with "Guys and Dolls". I have *reluctantly* jumped into the world of community theatre. 3 months ago, when the director asked me if I would consider taking a part in this production, my reaction was "theatre isn't my thing, I have never acted before". Now I love it. I have a small role as one of the hotbox dancers. It's a fun role. We get to act all giddy and sassy. We get to sing and dance. I don't have any speaking part, so it's a good way to get introduced to the world of community theatre. I have been getting to know some great people which has been fun as well.

We have just finished one week of performances which have been well received and fun to perform. At the same time though, sacrifices had to be made by my family. I am forever thankful for the understanding and the patience Scott and girls shower me with daily. I do not think I have heard one word of complaint from them. Instead, they are excited for me and they are my biggest fans. It's like this. Scott comes home and we may have 5 minutes of exchanging few words and I head out, I come home after 11:00pm and by then everyone is in bed. Scott is off to work early so I usually don't get to see him in the morning. In times like this, I am reminded of what an amazing man he is and how strong our marriage has become over the years. Last week, he called me before coming home to ask me just this, "what can I do when I get home?" On this particular day, he had been working since 5:00am. He never makes me feel bad about coming home late or being away all the time, which puts my heart at ease and I am able to enjoy what I do. I hope I can be like that also. To encourage and to be supportive of all that Scott does. I was thrilled to be able to send Scott on a little trip today. Some good friends were going away to the nearby city to check out a motorcycle swap. So, I talked the guys into inviting Scott to come along. He was thrilled.

I love it when Scott and I are willing to sacrifice our needs for the sake of the other. We are willing to cover for each other instead of pointing fingers at each other. No blame shifting game. I thought we were best friends when we married, but after almost 15 years, it just keeps getting better. How can that be? I am grateful. I never thought it possible to love someone as much as I love my man friend.

Beautiful People

I have not looked at these photos in a very long time. These pictures are almost 20 years old. I have not told the story of how it all began -- how I fell in love with these beautiful people.

My mother's younger sister, my aunt Yoshiko has developmental disabilities. I do not know all the details of what her disability is or how she became disabled. Growing up, we used to go visit my grandma twice a year. I did not know how to interact with my aunt. Fear of unknown, perhaps. Different. Was I scared? No, I don't think so. My aunt is the most gentle person. But I remember this awkwardness. I knew I was to be kind to her, but didn't know how. My aunt does not speak. She makes these grunting noises. As far as I know, she never went to school. I have never seen her leave the house. She wore diapers.
When I was in college, I decided to spend two summers working at Upward Bound Camp in Oregon State. It is a camp for persons with special needs. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I knew I was supposed to be there. Knowing that I was supposed to be there did not make it any easier for me. Many times, I wanted to quit. But this is where I fell in love with these beautiful people. People who live with developmental and physical disabilities. The work was hard. Majorities of our tasks were looking after the campers' daily physical needs, such as hygiene, medication and assisting them with their meals. It was while changing soiled diapers of a grown woman and holding a drool covered hand of a man, I saw my pride. Filthy pride....but they showed me what love was. They did not judge me. We became friends and made wonderful memories together. We went fishing and hiking together. We skipped rocks in the river.

"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action."
-Mother Teresa-

Here I am almost 20 years later, I am beginning to understand the meaning of the mother Teresa quote. I work with individuals with developmental disabilities in my community now. "Making Room"....this is what I am hired to do. Community inclusion. Giving them the best possible quality of life. Helping them find their gifts and abilities. Helping them fulfill their dreams.

I know it wasn't my aunt's fault that she never went out. There was no room in the community. The society doesn't want to acknowledge their existence. The society doesn't know what to do with them. In many countries, these people are sent away to orphanages and institutions to die.

What if my aunt had the chance to go to school and learn to read and to write? What if she had the chance to go fishing and go camping? What if someone had taken the time to find out what her dreams were and helped her fulfill them? I know my grandma loved her. I know my mother loved her. But what if.....

Things are so much better now here in Canada. There are programs, supports, organizations available to help individuals with disabilities have the quality of life they deserve. But I want to ask each of us to look into our hearts. Be honest. When we see a person with disabilities, what is in your heart? Do we pity them? Ignore them? Judge them? Avoid them? Are we uncomfortable? Programs alone aren't going to give them the best life possible. They need a community around them. People who will support them and help them achieve their dreams. They need friends just as we need friends. Will you be that person to someone with disability?

Today is World Down Syndrome Day. This is a day set aside to promote awareness and understanding towards people with Down Syndrome. I am asking myself, "what tangible things can I do to seek a better quality of life for individuals with Down Syndrome (or any other disabilities) in my life?" --Even if I was not hired to do so. And what motivates me to do this? I do not want to be motivated by pride or pity. I do not do this because it makes me feel better about myself. If that's what motivates me, I might as well just go home and forget about it. It isn't something 'special' we are doing. We do this because we are all humans.

A small gesture. Kind words. Making room in your life. It means the world to them when your actions are motivated by love. And I promise you, you will be blessed and changed forever.

Please take a moment to read this post by my friend Krista. As a part of World Down Syndrome Day, she is asking us to give towards adoption grant (through Reese's Rainbow) for a little boy named Bennett. Reese's Rainbow is an organization which promotes and provides support for international adoption of children with Down Syndrome. I have decided to support Krista's effort by giving away some of my handmade bags as incentives for you to give. PLEASE check it out and consider giving.

Learning

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.

~Clay P. Bedford

Sometimes, we must tell ourselves to slow down and look around. Listen to each other and talk. We are in such a hurry all the time.

During the month of February, our little town has been the sanctuary for Bohemian Waxwings. They are beautiful creatures. We have a bit of obsession about birds. If you didn't know, you may have just dismissed them or not even notice these beautiful birds. My girls and I took some time chasing them around town. One day, these birds decided to have a party in my front yard. They were there all day and we were able to get some photos and we took a look at them in the bird book. Maya is hoping to draw a picture of them. Now we know there are three different kinds of Waxwings. We have seen two of them. The last one being Japanese Waxwings, which we are quite certain, are the coolest of them all. ;)

Mona asked me one day, "Mom, where does the sidewalk end?" I didn't really know what she meant. I asked her to explain. She went into this elaborate story about what may be at the end of sidewalk. She thought perhaps it may end in Africa. I love her curiosity and imagination. So, I shared with her the poem "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein. According to the poem, we can find "the moon-bird rests from his flight to cool in the peppermint wind" at the end of sidewalk. Mona was beaming as she heard this. "What is a moon-bird?" "What does peppermint wind feel like?" Another opportunity for some learning and to stretch our imagination.

I believe that the learning becomes fun and meaningful when the information is absorbed within the context of real life. Some of my favorite moments with my girls have been like that. We may be cooking dinner together, weeding and watering the garden, or sitting on the hood of the car looking at the constellation. It doesn't have to be complicated. If we take the time to look around, we would find that the opportunities are plentiful.

The Last Few Days

We had the Scrabble tiles out the other day and my older girls were just spelling some words. Tori got in there and started lining up letters too. She'd try to name letters which of course, were all wrong. Then I thought, "I wonder if she can recognize letters for real?" So, I got a piece of paper and spelled her name out for her: "T-O-R-I". I asked her if she could pick out these letters out of Scrabble tiles. She did it at the first try. WOW. She then proceeded to write her name down. "R" was a bit tricky, but she did it. It became a game and she did this over and over for 2 days. Delighted. Then she wanted to know how to spell other names. Her sisters, parents and friends.

What I loved about that particular moment was that learning happened by Tori guiding herself. I didn't sit her down to teach her. Tori was in charge. She wanted to learn and she was ready and I was able to catch her in that moment when her curiosity met the learning opportunity. It was so natural and delightful.

These moments are like fuel. They encourage me and affirm me in my abilities as a mother and give me that little push to keep on parenting these sweet little people in my life. Parenting is delightful, but it can be rather mundane and exhausting....both mentally and physically.
My girls had 4 days off from school this week. I asked them to make a list of things they wanted to do during that time. We tried our best to get lots of things from the list accomplished. As parents, we dictate so much of their little life. They have so little say in what they may want to do. I am learning that in a safe environment of our home, we can slowly give them the opportunity to be in charge.

Mona wanted to cook dinner. She chose to make soup and biscuits. She cut the biscuits out with a heart-shaped cutter. Maya found a recipe for a cheese cake in one of her novels. She copied the recipe, got all the ingredients from the store and pretty much made the cake from start to finish all by herself. She surprised her dad with the cake because his birthday is coming up in a week. The cake was delicious!! She wanted to invite a friend over for a sleepover. They all wanted to spend their money at the book store, so we ventured out in the cold and we were glad we got out of the house. They all wanted "rag-curls".

When given the opportunity to choose and to be in charge, I saw my girls come alive. They got along better with each other and we all had lots of fun. They were so pleased and proud of what they had accomplished. A few things didn't get done, but perhaps, we will put that on the list for the next weekend.