Hold your horses, not too fast and no violence involved. Many people are pissed at the way things are handled in court, much so that convicted killers, scammers and everybody in between go unpunished because of the legalities involved. Now let me ask you this, do you want to take them on with the backing of the law that so protects them, and gain the same protection for your and your family? Have you ever considered taking online law degrees with the many colleges offering them today, it’s easy as pie and you can do it while keeping your job during the day. many major colleges are now offering online law courses for those who want career advancement. For us, it would be the pure pleasure of learning hoe these criminals get away with the things they do.
Many of us are just plain tired and say that let them do the job for you, but most of the times, you’re not contented with the way they handle things. The law is a very tedious and tender matter that anybody without insight can easily get swallowed by the many such technicalities that are part of these laws. They are however the foundation of our society so whatever is within these laws makes modern life possible. Get down and dirty and get involved by getting yourself knowledgeable in the law that has failed you so much. Get involved and turn the law onto your side and keep the guilty ones out of the streets making them safer for our families, friends and everybody else.
Forgive me for neglecting this blog all week, it’s been a busier week than usual – I’ve attempted to do a “clean sweep“. But for once, it has nothing to do with cleaning or organizing my house or my kids, and has everything to do with me.
It all started with an email I received from my mothers group a few weeks ago from a fellow Mum who excitedly said she was organizing a “Life Planning” workshop. Now, I’ve always been interested in that kind of thing (having lined my shelved with too many “self-help” books in my twenties, then moved onto the “baby whisperer” and “how to raise a spirited child”), and coupled with our family’s latest dilemma of moving, it really should have been something I signed up for immediately. But no, it stayed in my inbox for weeks, until the (rightly) persistent Mum, sent a follow up email saying:
The workshops are designed to be a time set aside for some internal reflection – but nothing too deep or scary! So many of us spend most of our time worrying about the well-being of others (husbands, kids, friends, far-off family, the cat) that we tend to neglect ourselves. In these workshops we want to take stock of our lives, where we are and where we want to go. It is not about searching through our past or re-living our personal histories. It is all about finding out who I really want to be and how I can become that person.
I’m sorry if this all sounds too California-hippy-esoteric: the tone of the workshops will actually be very down-to-earth and practical (and hopefully fun!).
I had this nagging feeling that it was something I should do, but I let a few more days pass, asking my husband occasionally, “What do you think? Should I do it?” After he said, for the upteenth time, “YES! just do it already”, I emailed the Mum and said that I was interested and quickly hit the “send” button before I could change my mind. In a few minutes I got a reply saying that I was luckily the 10th and last participant!
So I was in. And with trepidation I went to the first session last Tuesday, which consisted of 10 women, all from pretty different backgrounds and nationalities, with one thing in common. In the flurry of our lives as Mom, wife, friend, daughter, employee, employer etc…., we all wanted the same thing – to be happier with ourselves and create a better life for ourselves and our families. Our facilitator Michel was a Life Coach, and together with his assistant, also a Life Coach (and retired Congresswoman!), went through the first part of the workshop which was about Life Mapping.
I have to say that it was a great experience – certainly NOT easy, but with the potential to be extremely rewarding. This week I’ve been struggling to find the time (and head space) to fill out some of the exercises they gave us, which I’ve found is like eating a very healthy (but tasteless meal). Its not very comfortable chewing on those weird grains, but you know its good for you and you’ll feel a lot better later.
Most first time parents due to inexperience, panic in the face of medical emergencies. Me and my wife for example have two totally different approaches to emergencies such as the frequent bumps and scratches that sends your child running to you so learning to recognize something serious is the key and experience would educate you best. My wife gets into a panicked state every time she sees blood accompanied by the uncontrollable cries of our child, I merely step back, take a look at the situation and analyze the situation if it needs medical attention or if first aid can do the trick. For example, an open wound and compound fracture is always serious so speed to the hospital for care. High fever during teething is normal and can be handled with analgesics while being in constant contact with your pediatrician who would tell you to get help if needed.
Having experienced medical emergencies as a volunteer which developed my abilities to recognize life-threatening and trivial injuries, just hope more people would recognize this as a vital skill to have for it helps you lower your insurance premiums. Do some research on the web for health tips that can add to your knowledge of which emergencies to treat seriously and which are mere casual. Information and knowledge is the key, the more trips you take to the ER, the more a risk you are for the insurance firm so they have the option to ask more for insurance.
First of all, I have to tell my dearest husband: Honey, I LOVED your post! Only you could have come up with reasons that make such brilliant sense…..and I agree with all of it, except that the idea of our children glued to the television screen (wii remote in action or not) for HOURS on end just doesn’t sit well with me, whatever the multiple benefits are. But because you were the Superdaddy while I was away – keeping our three angels happy, entertained and relatively healthy (I heard about the monster-size cones at Dairy Queen) while I lazed on the beach and drank cocktails, I won’t argue with you on this one – for now at least 
But back to my absence – going off with your girlfriends for a few days is one of the best things a Mom can do, and I highly recommend it. I am speaking of my best friends from high school, who I only see about once a year (if we’re lucky) as we live on opposite sides of the globe. To be honest, I wasn’t raring to go – they practically forced me on the trip, while I worried and hesitated, nervous that my little family couldn’t survive without me, or me them. Especially as I am still nursing Wills, the youngest. The answer to that one? f.o.r.m.u.l.a (I brought my breast pump too, of course) and some gentle (and unselfish!) encouragement from the hubby.
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Are you a good listener? I actually find it amusing that I got the idea for this post from one of those online quizzes in a social networking site. I like taking those quizzes when I am passing away time. They may not be as accurate as they can be but they are fun and sometimes, provides valuable insight – like this one. As I was reading my results (I am supposedly a good listener although I don’t always come across as one), I could not help by relate the topic to being a parent.
As Munashe shares in his blog, the art of listening is perhaps one of the most important – if not THE most important – things that a parent should develop. What does the art of listening entail?
I believe that it is more than sitting there and hearing the things that your child has to say. It is not a passive activity but an interactive one. You actively listen by understanding what your child is saying and contributing something to the conversation. More so, listening entails understanding that maybe, at times, your child just wants to be heard and does not really need to be told what to do.
I think that is one problem that arises when children share things with their parents – we sometimes automatically think that we need to provide a solution to whatever they are presenting. Have you ever thought that maybe your child just wants to rant and let off steam and be heard? I sure know that I feel that way a lot of times.
So do you take the time out to really listen to your child? How do you listen?
I don’t know if it’s because of the Christmas excitement – with all the shopping, wrapping, baking and school activities, but my children have become increasingly naughty, and that even includes little Wills, who has been waking up every 1 a.m and refusing to sleep for a full hour.
So in my battle weary Christmas frustration, I was thrilled when my best friend cleverly sent me an email about Krampus, Saint Nick’s devilish companion in Europe, who gets very very naughty children by beating them with sticks, filling their stockings with coal and throwing them in his sack (to be brought where, heavens knows). That night the screaming, wrestling, whining and fighting stopped, so you can guess who was introduced to the family Christmas tradition….
A bit severe? Well, the tradition of Krampus hails from Bavaria, where my Father-in-Law was born and raised, so I can argue that it is part in my children’s family heritage. Now, with the mention of one simple “K” word, my home is no longer a screaming pit of holiday nerves, but a harmonious Chipmunk-Christmas-playing-in-the background abode, that would make Martha Stewart proud. If only Krampus was around all year round…..
The word Krampus originates from the Old High German word for claw (Krampen). In the Alpine regions the Krampus is represented by an incubus in company of Saint Nicholas. Traditionally, young men dress up as the Krampus in the first two weeks of December, particularly in the evening of December 5, and roam the streets frightening children (and adults) with rusty chains and bells. In some rural areas the tradition also includes slight birching by the Krampus, especially of young females.
The present day Krampus costume consists of wooden masks or Larve, sheep’s skin and horns. Considerable effort goes into the manufacture of the hand-crafted masks, as many younger adults in rural communities engage competitively in the Krampus events.
In Oberstdorf, in the southwestern alpine part of Bavaria, the tradition of the “Wilde Mann” (wild man) is kept alive. He is described exactly like Krampus (except the horns), dressed in fur and frightening children (and adults) with rusty chains and bells.
As any Mom (or Grandma, or Aunt) will tell you, babies love jewelry, especially if its hanging from your neck, as they can grab, pull and chomp on it. NOT good if we’re talking about precious gold, bejewelled, fatally-chokeable stuff. GREAT if its bling which the kid can actually chew, tug and and not only will it not break, but it’ll look good on Mom too!
And that’s exactly what the very clever people at Smart Mom made – lovely pendants and bangles which Moms can wear precisely for their babies to chew on. And as a proud owner of an orange pendant and bangle, I can honestly say that baby Wills, LOVES it too. I love love love the idea, especially because of what it’s made of:
“…We use only the highest-quality, phthalate-free, federally approved silicone in our Teething Bling™ line. The material is non-toxic, latex-free, food–safe, even dishwasher-friendly! It is the same silicone used in many other popular teething products and SGS test reports are available upon request. Although we stress that this is adult jewelry not intended for children to wear, all of our pendants come with a breakaway clasp as an added safety feature.”
And best of all, the Moms who made this great product are also giving a part of their proceeds to charity, like Cure Search and Dress for Success.
So if you haven’t thought of a Christmas present for another Mom in your life, or as a treat for yourself, Teething Bling is a fantastic idea.
It’s all about Christmas these days, and since this is the first year that my daughter Nat has actually written to Santa on her own (in the past we’ve just “emailed“- and I did all the writing!), I thought it would be a special treat for her and her brother Ollie to receive a real letter from Santa. It is also the first Christmas where her reading skills have improved so much that she is finally able to read it herself – and best of all, and still believe! (my 3-year-old on the other hand, will be thrilled with that fact that something in the mail is actually for him)…..And what is Christmas without a bit of magic?
Online there are loads of places where you can get this sort of “Santa” letter, but the one I am using is owned by a stay-at-home-Mom like myself, called Secret Santa Mail.
It is pretty straightforward and easy (you can pay by PayPal, which I always prefer over using my credit card online), and all you have to do is to supply them with some information about your child, accomplishments and what they want for Christmas. They also offer two packages, both of which come with little extras if you choose, like Christmas stickers or a Santa teddy bear – a lovely touch that makes it more special, I think!
So with bated breath, I’ll be waiting for the letters to arrive….most especially to see my children’s faces when they open them!
I have never been one of those people you’d call “super” organized. But after having my third child early this year, I’ve found that one of the best ways to keep my sanity, and for things to run (relatively) smoothly in my growing household is to try and be as organized as I possibly can. That’s always been a rather daunting word in my vocabulary as no matter how hard I try, there is always some amount of chaos in my home.
But with the “busiest” time of the year upon us, and indeed, a New Year a mere month or so away, its a good time to start, and for somewhat disorganized Moms like myself, the first thing I would do is to create a Weekly Schedule and Menu. I promise, its worked wonders for me! Here’s how:
Tip 1 For the Disorganized: The Weekly Schedule
1. Every Sunday, I set aside about half an hour to make our weekly schedule and menu. I take a cookbook or two and sit with my laptop for about half an hour at a time when the kids are busy (a dvd is a good idea) or better, napping.
2. For simplicity sake, I make a chart like above (sorry I haven’t been able to scan mine!) section off each day onto 3 sections. Morning, afternoon, evening. Each day having its own column.
3. First, I put in the family activities for the week. For example:
Monday- Morning -Oliver has no class/ Cat grooming at vet 11 a.m.
Afternoon – Boys playgroup @ home 3 pm./ Nat, gymnastics 4.30
Evening- Mark (hubby), meeting, home late
4. Then, with my cookbooks (or online), I look for meal ideas for the week and type them in the appropriate time. With the activities of the family already there, I know who’ll be around for what meal (and snacks), and best of all, I can make the weekly grocery list, knowing exactly what I need, which helps keep me in budget. I also look at previous weeks menus (kept neatly in my desktop file), to see what worked well and what didn’t.
5. Edit, print and stick it on the fridge. And voila! The family is set for a week of organized bliss.
Madonna's sprained ankle
Since my sprained ankle, I’ve been stuck at home for the past three days, trying very hard not to go mad. You see, I’m the kind of person who can’t sit down for more than half an hour at a time (uh-oh, now I know where my daughter gets it). My bottom actually starts hurting and I have to get up and busy myself with something, anything, on my feet. That’s why I love to cook, I find it somewhat gratifying to labour in the kitchen, over a hot stove for hours on end. No stools needed, thanks.
So you can understand that the doctor’s instructions of RICE or Dr.ICE for the past 48 hours has not been fun. Well at least I’ve been able to catch up with my photo album-ing (forget scrapbooking, that was B3K – before 3 kids!) which have been sorely neglected as my husband always likes to point out (he did so admire the book I did for our firstborn).
While the kids are at school and baby Wills is asleep I’ve also managed to catch up on my DVD watching, which has been impossible in recent months (ok, years). Like most other Mothers, we are no doubt at the bottom of the dibs-on-the-tv list- with kiddie shows, sports and even Baby Einstein taking precedence over things like that latest Spanish film with subtitles that make everyone in my household pull faces.
Speaking of television, I’ve also discovered that quite a few celebs have been seen up and around town sporting their sprained ankles, giving me a boost in thinking I can make it to the supermarket this afternoon and look as cool as Madge (pictured above). Poor thing, it happened right before her 50th birthday bash last August too. Another celeb sporting the same injury as moi is one of my daughter’s favourites, Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers fame. Nobody really know how he got it, because like Madonna, they seem to think there’s some reason for secrecy here.
