The Angry Chef
Maybe the next Gordon Ramsey, minus the cuss words.
Wordless Wednesday
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Be Yourself
Miss is my oldest child. At the end of the summer she will be ten years old. I admire Miss for the person that she is. I could have only dreamed to have the kindness, confidence, and sense of self that she has at such a young age.
Miss gets along with everyone. It doesn’t matter the age, she fits herself right in to any group. She has a few little friends in the neighborhood that she goes to visit. One in particular I will call Y.
Miss and Y get along pretty well when they are together. But if you add any of Y’s friends from school into the mix it seems as though they leave Miss out.
They will tell her that we, her parents, are too strict on her. (This happened after I told Miss there was no way she was going to the park with a bunch of nine year olds at 8pm)
Y had a birthday party sleep over this past weekend and invited Miss. I told Miss that no matter what time it was if she wanted to come home just call and I will come get her.
Around two in the morning I get a call from Miss who is crying. She told me that all the girls are sleeping in a bed and are making her sleep on the floor. They were teasing her because I said no to the park trip, and they were whispering to each other about her.
I walked down the street to go get her. We got back to our house and sat on the couch where she cried and told me what had happened. As a mother I was getting upset with these little girls. Miss is a good and kind friend, and for someone to take that for weakness really got my blood boiling.
I asked her, “Did you come home because you wanted to?” She said yes. I was proud of her. Even though she was being ganged up on, and she could lose one of her only friends in the neighborhood. She stood up for herself and left. She could have stayed and took what these girls were giving to her, but she didn’t.
That night we talked about peer pressure. How some people can’t be themselves when other friends are around. I explained to her that some people act how others expect them to rather than how God intended them act.
I told her I was always proud how she never changed who she was no matter whom she was with. I told her that I admired her for that, and she was my role model in that way.
Miss got a big kick out of that, and she started to feel better.
When does the pressure of being the person others expect you to be stop? When situations come up around my adult friends and acquaintances there are times when I feel like a little girl at a sleep over being bullied into behaving a certain way. I will think of Miss in these situations and say and do what I know to be right. If they don’t like me afterwords, then they were never true friends to begin with.
Miss gets along with everyone. It doesn’t matter the age, she fits herself right in to any group. She has a few little friends in the neighborhood that she goes to visit. One in particular I will call Y.
Miss and Y get along pretty well when they are together. But if you add any of Y’s friends from school into the mix it seems as though they leave Miss out.
They will tell her that we, her parents, are too strict on her. (This happened after I told Miss there was no way she was going to the park with a bunch of nine year olds at 8pm)
Y had a birthday party sleep over this past weekend and invited Miss. I told Miss that no matter what time it was if she wanted to come home just call and I will come get her.
Around two in the morning I get a call from Miss who is crying. She told me that all the girls are sleeping in a bed and are making her sleep on the floor. They were teasing her because I said no to the park trip, and they were whispering to each other about her.
I walked down the street to go get her. We got back to our house and sat on the couch where she cried and told me what had happened. As a mother I was getting upset with these little girls. Miss is a good and kind friend, and for someone to take that for weakness really got my blood boiling.
I asked her, “Did you come home because you wanted to?” She said yes. I was proud of her. Even though she was being ganged up on, and she could lose one of her only friends in the neighborhood. She stood up for herself and left. She could have stayed and took what these girls were giving to her, but she didn’t.
That night we talked about peer pressure. How some people can’t be themselves when other friends are around. I explained to her that some people act how others expect them to rather than how God intended them act.
I told her I was always proud how she never changed who she was no matter whom she was with. I told her that I admired her for that, and she was my role model in that way.
Miss got a big kick out of that, and she started to feel better.
When does the pressure of being the person others expect you to be stop? When situations come up around my adult friends and acquaintances there are times when I feel like a little girl at a sleep over being bullied into behaving a certain way. I will think of Miss in these situations and say and do what I know to be right. If they don’t like me afterwords, then they were never true friends to begin with.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Invite God to The Party
Oney was our baby that gave us the most worries. Before he was born I had the tests done for Down Syndrome and Spina Bifida. The same tests I had with all my other children.
When I got the call from my Doctor’s office and the women on the phone told me that I needed to come to the office right away is a day I will always remember.
I rushed to the office and sat in the room waiting for my Doctor to come in. My heart was racing; I already had tears in my eyes. The doctor came in; he sat down and told me the tests had come back positive. It could mean Down Syndrome or Spina Bifida.
At that moment I became a hysterical pregnant woman. I was crying so hard I could not catch my breath. All I Could think of was that my perfect little baby was hurt, and there was nothing I could do about it.
The Doctor tried to reassure me but I could not process anything he was saying. I went home and called Big D, still hysterical, I am sure he could not fully understand what I was trying to say. Being my Knight in shining armor that he is, he rushed home and went to the Doctors office to get the full rational story.
We decided to get the amino test done to see if this was really what was going on. I needed to know because I was so distraught and depressed. I needed to know what was happing to my son so I could be prepared and come to terms with it.
We had to wait two weeks before we took the test; during that time I was a depressed emotional wreck. I turned to God and prayed like I have never prayed before. All I could think about was what was happening to my baby, and I prayed constantly every day.
I met an acquaintance who had a child with Down Syndrome, when I told her what was happening to us her first words were, “Congratulations, they are a blessing.” To be honest I got a little angry at her statement. I started to get angry with anyone who said things like, “You will love him just the same.” “Everything happens for a reason” and so on. I was sad, deflated and angry. I also felt guilty for having these emotions. I felt I was giving the impression that children with Downs were not satisfactory. I prayed even harder. God did lift that anger, and I began to feel comfort in people’s reassuring words. I felt so close to God even though I was suffering so much.
After the test was done we found out that in fact Oney was a healthy baby boy. I thanked God and my constant prayer stopped. My happy content life returned to normal and my prayer life diminished.
When Oney was a month old he developed RSV. The morning I found him cold and limp will also live in my memory forever. When Big D and I were in the hospital rubbing Oney’s little body to get him to start breathing again will never be forgotten.
Seeing my sweet little boy with a breathing tube and a feeding tube not knowing when or if I would ever take him home was something that tore my heart right out of me.
Again I turned to God. Constant prayer is what kept me from lying in bed and not getting up. Constant prayer helped me to be a mom to my other children, to get through Christmas without my little boy. God was with me I could feel him all around me.
We were finally able to take Oney home, I thanked God and my life went back to normal. Once again my constant prayer stopped.
"Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come and to stand before the Son of man." -Luke 21:36
What does praying at all times mean? It seems that the only time I did this was when tragedy struck, when God was the only person I could cling to. What about the times when life is a party, when things are good and God’s blessings are apparent? I have learned through tragic events that yes, even when life is a party I must invite God into my life through prayer.
I believe if my prayers never ceased through the good times, when the bad times came around I would not be searching so fervently for God. I would not in a frantic haste pray for Him to be at my side, because I would know that He has been there all along.
I don’t think I can say this enough, children can teach us so many things about God. They are blessing from God for a good reason. Children help us to understand what “Pray always” means. I have been blessed to have a life that is most of the time a party, having been blessed with that type of life I feel it is my obligation to continue to pray always, everyday for God’s grace, for others, for family and for the world.
God wants to be in my life when things are going great. Just as much as he wants to be my rock when things are going wrong. I won’t forget this. I will take what my little son has taught me. God will be there always through prayer when I am down and need Him. He will also be there when Life is wonderful because I will still need Him.
I look to God to help others and me out of the darkness; I will also remember to invite him to the party.
When I got the call from my Doctor’s office and the women on the phone told me that I needed to come to the office right away is a day I will always remember.
I rushed to the office and sat in the room waiting for my Doctor to come in. My heart was racing; I already had tears in my eyes. The doctor came in; he sat down and told me the tests had come back positive. It could mean Down Syndrome or Spina Bifida.
At that moment I became a hysterical pregnant woman. I was crying so hard I could not catch my breath. All I Could think of was that my perfect little baby was hurt, and there was nothing I could do about it.
The Doctor tried to reassure me but I could not process anything he was saying. I went home and called Big D, still hysterical, I am sure he could not fully understand what I was trying to say. Being my Knight in shining armor that he is, he rushed home and went to the Doctors office to get the full rational story.
We decided to get the amino test done to see if this was really what was going on. I needed to know because I was so distraught and depressed. I needed to know what was happing to my son so I could be prepared and come to terms with it.
We had to wait two weeks before we took the test; during that time I was a depressed emotional wreck. I turned to God and prayed like I have never prayed before. All I could think about was what was happening to my baby, and I prayed constantly every day.
I met an acquaintance who had a child with Down Syndrome, when I told her what was happening to us her first words were, “Congratulations, they are a blessing.” To be honest I got a little angry at her statement. I started to get angry with anyone who said things like, “You will love him just the same.” “Everything happens for a reason” and so on. I was sad, deflated and angry. I also felt guilty for having these emotions. I felt I was giving the impression that children with Downs were not satisfactory. I prayed even harder. God did lift that anger, and I began to feel comfort in people’s reassuring words. I felt so close to God even though I was suffering so much.
After the test was done we found out that in fact Oney was a healthy baby boy. I thanked God and my constant prayer stopped. My happy content life returned to normal and my prayer life diminished.
When Oney was a month old he developed RSV. The morning I found him cold and limp will also live in my memory forever. When Big D and I were in the hospital rubbing Oney’s little body to get him to start breathing again will never be forgotten.
Seeing my sweet little boy with a breathing tube and a feeding tube not knowing when or if I would ever take him home was something that tore my heart right out of me.
Again I turned to God. Constant prayer is what kept me from lying in bed and not getting up. Constant prayer helped me to be a mom to my other children, to get through Christmas without my little boy. God was with me I could feel him all around me.
We were finally able to take Oney home, I thanked God and my life went back to normal. Once again my constant prayer stopped.
"Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come and to stand before the Son of man." -Luke 21:36
What does praying at all times mean? It seems that the only time I did this was when tragedy struck, when God was the only person I could cling to. What about the times when life is a party, when things are good and God’s blessings are apparent? I have learned through tragic events that yes, even when life is a party I must invite God into my life through prayer.
I believe if my prayers never ceased through the good times, when the bad times came around I would not be searching so fervently for God. I would not in a frantic haste pray for Him to be at my side, because I would know that He has been there all along.
I don’t think I can say this enough, children can teach us so many things about God. They are blessing from God for a good reason. Children help us to understand what “Pray always” means. I have been blessed to have a life that is most of the time a party, having been blessed with that type of life I feel it is my obligation to continue to pray always, everyday for God’s grace, for others, for family and for the world.
God wants to be in my life when things are going great. Just as much as he wants to be my rock when things are going wrong. I won’t forget this. I will take what my little son has taught me. God will be there always through prayer when I am down and need Him. He will also be there when Life is wonderful because I will still need Him.
I look to God to help others and me out of the darkness; I will also remember to invite him to the party.
Friday, July 4, 2008
America
I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. ~Abraham Lincoln
How often we fail to realize our good fortune in living in a country where happiness is more than a lack of tragedy. ~Paul Sweeney
"Our country, right or wrong." When right to be kept right; when wrong to be put right. ~Carl Schurz
I believe in America because we have great dreams - and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true. ~Wendell L. Wilkie
Oh, it's home again and home again, America for me!
I want a ship that's westward bound to plough the rolling sea
To the blessed land of Room Enough beyond the ocean bars,
Where the air is full of sunlight and the flag is full of stars.
~Henry Van Dyke
Happy 4th of July!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Thursday Thirteen
Thirteen Of My Favorite Love Songs
1. Love Song -Elton John (This was our wedding song)
2. In Your Eyes-Peter Gabriel
3. Two of Us- The Beatles
4. I Don't Feel Like loving You Today-Gretchen Wilson
5. Crush-Dave Matthews Band
6. Helplessly Hoping-Crosby,Stills,&Nash
7. Silver Springs-Stevie Nicks
8. Johnny and June-Heidi Newfield
9. Forever and Ever Amen-Randy Travis
10. Release-Pearl Jam (This one reminds me of Big D, that is why I consider it a love song)
11. As Long As The Grass Shall Grow-Johnny Cash
12. Blue Eyes Crying in The Rain-Willie nelson
13. Secret Garden-Bruce Springsteen
Thursday Thirteen
1. Love Song -Elton John (This was our wedding song)
2. In Your Eyes-Peter Gabriel
3. Two of Us- The Beatles
4. I Don't Feel Like loving You Today-Gretchen Wilson
5. Crush-Dave Matthews Band
6. Helplessly Hoping-Crosby,Stills,&Nash
7. Silver Springs-Stevie Nicks
8. Johnny and June-Heidi Newfield
9. Forever and Ever Amen-Randy Travis
10. Release-Pearl Jam (This one reminds me of Big D, that is why I consider it a love song)
11. As Long As The Grass Shall Grow-Johnny Cash
12. Blue Eyes Crying in The Rain-Willie nelson
13. Secret Garden-Bruce Springsteen
Thursday Thirteen
Wordless Wednesday
Birthday cakes Big D and I have made for the kids.
This one was a bit difficult. It turned out a little messy, but Lil D loved his Lego cake.
Wordless Wednesday
This one was a bit difficult. It turned out a little messy, but Lil D loved his Lego cake.
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Adventure Academy
My Husband always has great ideas for helping the kids think and learn. He thought it would be fun to come up with an educational board game for the kids. It is a cross between Trivia Pursuit and Dungeons and Dragons. This is one of my favorite ideas of his because it's fun and we can all do it together.
The idea of the game is the kids come up with characters. I will be in charge of writing the characters backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses. There will also be a narrator during the game that comes up with adventures the characters will go on.
The object of the game is to roll the dice and get around the board. If you land on a question mark then the player has to answer a question to move on. The questions will include what the children are learning in any given subject. The questions will be geared towards the age of the child, that way all the kids can play.
Along the way there will be clues to a riddle. If a person lands on a magnified glass they will receive a clue that will get them a step closer to solving the riddle.
The first player to make it around the board and answer the riddle wins.
Big D took his old Dungeons and Dragons’ board and modified it to fit our game.
We decided to try it out. We didn’t have time to come up with the educational questions so we played with Nickelodeon trivia questions. We plan on making our characters out of modeling clay, but for our first game we used Dungeon and Dragon pieces and a Sponge Bob character.
Here are the clues for the riddle of our first game.
Can you solve the riddle?
The idea of the game is the kids come up with characters. I will be in charge of writing the characters backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses. There will also be a narrator during the game that comes up with adventures the characters will go on.
The object of the game is to roll the dice and get around the board. If you land on a question mark then the player has to answer a question to move on. The questions will include what the children are learning in any given subject. The questions will be geared towards the age of the child, that way all the kids can play.
Along the way there will be clues to a riddle. If a person lands on a magnified glass they will receive a clue that will get them a step closer to solving the riddle.
The first player to make it around the board and answer the riddle wins.
Big D took his old Dungeons and Dragons’ board and modified it to fit our game.
We decided to try it out. We didn’t have time to come up with the educational questions so we played with Nickelodeon trivia questions. We plan on making our characters out of modeling clay, but for our first game we used Dungeon and Dragon pieces and a Sponge Bob character.
Here are the clues for the riddle of our first game.
Can you solve the riddle?
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