Just for fun …

I thought it would be interesting to see what MY children would say in response to those “Why God made Mums” questions.

So, I interviewed them (separately), and here’s the result …

WHY GOD MADE ME

Answers given by my delightful children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
Ethan: So they could have babies.
Tyler: So there can be enough babies.

How did God make mothers?
Ethan: He got some stone, and put skin over it? With eyes drawn on?
Tyler: Um …I don’t know.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
Ethan: Skin, blood … eyes, nose and a mouth. Oh, and ears.
Tyler: Love.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mum?
Ethan: Because he thought that we would be a good pair.
Tyler: Because this Mum’s special.

What kind of little girl was your Mum?
Ethan: Cheeky! And you didn’t eat your potatoes!
Tyler: Hannah.

What did Mum need to know about Dad before she married him?
Ethan: About what he does and stuff.
Tyler: That they were going to be married.

Why did your Mum marry your Dad?
Ethan: Because she thought he was good at building. And she thought he was cute.
Tyler: Because they loved each other.

Who’s the boss at your house?
Ethan: Daddy.
Tyler: Daddy.

What’s the difference between Mums & Dads?
Ethan: Dads are stronger.
Tyler: A Daddy is bigger than a Mum.

What does your Mum do in her spare time?
Ethan: Play with us.
Tyler: Work on the computer.

What would it take to make your Mum perfect?
Ethan: Give her more strength, and be able to hear better.
Tyler: Um …

If you could change one thing about your Mum, what would it be?
Ethan: To never growl at us.
Tyler: No more “kissing hand” when we say goodbye, only a high-five.

Don’t you just LOVE their answers to Q4? My heart melts!

Why God made Mums

This came in an email today, and I thought it was worth sharing.

WHY GOD MADE MUMS

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She’s the only one who knows where the sticky tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mum just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from mens’ bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mum?
1. We’re related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s Mums like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mum?
1. My Mum has always been my Mum and none of that other stuff.
2. I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mum need to know about Dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your Mum marry your Dad?
1. My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mum eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My Grandma says that Mum didn’t have her thinking cap on.

Who’s the boss at your house?
1. Mum doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because Dad’s such an idiot.
2. Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What’s the difference between Mums & Dads?
1. Mums work at work and work at home and Dads just work at work.
2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but Mums have all the real power ‘cause that’s who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend’s.
4. Mums have magic; they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mum do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don’t have spare time.
2. To hear her talk, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mum perfect?
1. On the inside she’s already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. You know her hair. I’d dye it, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mum, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I’d get rid of that.
2. I’d make my Mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Protecting you

Dear Ethan,

You are almost 7 1/2 years old. Today is not your birthday, it is just a day like any other day. But today I want to try and explain how I feel about you right now. It’s kinda hard, but I will give it my best shot.

You are growing up right before my eyes, in a way that I never anticipated before. Although your baby, toddler and preschool years went by quickly, as everyone said they would, it is only now that I feel you are growing up TOO quickly. Don’t worry, you’re not. You’re just being a regular 7-year-old kid. Obviously you’re growing at the same rate you always have, the same rate as every other kid. But to ME, it feels like you’re getting older so much faster.

There was a time where Daddy and I were the main influences in your life. We were the ones who fed and nurtured you as an infant. The ones who read you story after story after you discovered books in a huge way. The ones who taught you about the big, wide world. The ones who answered all of those incessant 3-year-old “why?” questions.

Now you are older, you have so many other influences and role models. Your brother. Your grandparents. Your aunties, uncles and cousins. Your teachers. Your friends. Other kids in the playground. Soon enough pop stars, actors and sportspeople will be added to that ever-growing list.

You have a pretty awesome brother. You have a wonderful extended family. You’ve had 3 amazing teachers since you started school. And so far, you have made stellar choices when it comes to friends. Aside from one small lapse of judgement a couple of months ago, which you have since rectified, you have befriended some of the most caring, kind and polite kids over the years. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of mates than the ones you have right now.

You are becoming your own person. You’ve got your own style. You’re discovering jokes that YOU think are funny, and then relaying them to us. You’re picking up sayings that we’ve never heard before. Thankfully, most of these jokes and sayings are really funny, and not at all inappropriate. We’re actually learning new material from YOU.

Still, I can’t help but want to protect you. Shield you from all the Bad Stuff that I know is out there. You haven’t encountered it yet, but one day you will; it’s inevitable. Just thinking about that ties my stomach into knots! Have we taught you well enough? Will you know that it’s okay to say “no” to things you don’t agree with? Will you have the courage to be strong and stand up for what you believe? How will you cope with peer pressure and other influences?

At the moment, peer pressure is not a huge deal. You are only 7. Your friends are GOOD kids. Right now, the worst kind of external influences (that are out of my control) are pretty mild. They relate to movies you might end up watching at a friend’s house, swear words you might hear in the school playground, or distasteful jokes you might pick up from a classmate. So far, you have displayed great judgement in all of these areas. Even at age 5, you said “no” to going to an M-rated movie (Spiderman 3) with a friend and his mum, because you knew it wasn’t something I would allow you to watch.

I know this kind of thing is only going to get harder – for BOTH of us – as you get older. Can I just wrap you in cotton wool and keep you home 24/7? Of course I can’t. You have to learn how to live in the real world, and going to school and having lots of external influences will ultimately help you to do that. You need to be exposed to different scenarios so you can learn how to cope with saying “no” or defending your beliefs, even when it’s uncool to do so. Your teenage and young adult years will bring more of the same, only turned up about, oh, ten thousand notches.

So … I promise NOT to shield you from everything. I promise to allow you to grow and learn. It’s hard for me to watch you changing. It’s hard for me to witness you becoming your own person instead of just my little boy, an extension of myself. But I must let you do it.

I’ll let you climb trees, ride your bike down steep hills, jump off high stuff, wrestle on the ground with your brother. I’ll let you do those things even though there’s a chance you could get hurt. And when you do, I’ll be there to bandage up your wounds and send you back out.
I’ll let you screw up every so often. I know there will be times where I, as the adult, will see a mistake coming. I’ll be tempted to step in and save your bacon. But I won’t. I’ll allow you to learn from your mistakes, suffer the consequences, and practice that thing called responsibility.

I won’t let you be a mollycoddled Mummy’s Boy. While you are still young, I will do things for you, because that’s my job. But I’m already giving you responsibilities around the house, and there’s a reason for that. When you’re older, I will make you cook meals, do housework, buy your own clothes, do the grocery shopping. Yes, that will be my gift to your future wife.

Until then, I will try to find the balance between protecting you, and letting you be independent. I know there will be some precarious teetering between the two, as I’m finding that balance, but I’ll do my best. At the very least, I’m determined not to topple over completely and land on my butt.

This thing called “growing up” won’t always be easy for you. I’ve been there myself, so I know. But you can rest assured that I’ll always be here for you. Anytime you DO want me to hold you, comfort you, protect you? I’ll be right here. Anytime you DO need me to tell you that everything will be alright? I’ll be right here.

Always.

Love, Mummy

Settling in

Tyler has been at school for 3 weeks now, and he’s settling in nicely.

At our school, new entrants finish early (2pm instead of 3pm) for the first 2 weeks. Tyler was still finding the days quite long, so his teacher and I agreed that he could finish early for another week. Although it’s a bit of a hassle for me to walk down to school at 2pm and then again at 3pm, it’s better than having a tired, grumpy 5-year-old to deal with in the afternoon. Also, I’m getting a bit of extra exercise!

Tyler has fitted into his class so well, especially considering the other children have been at school for 2 or 3 months already. The kids are friendly, and have really made Tyler feel welcome.

Most of the boys (and a couple of the girls) in his class bring their scooters to school, and ride them on the court outside their classroom at lunch time. Tyler didn’t have a scooter, but on Monday we decided to get him one as he was really keen to join in. As it turns out, he’s a real natural. He’s been riding it to and from school, as well as at morning tea and lunch time. And in just 4 days, he has pretty much mastered it (although today he fell off 3 times and came home covered in plasters). But having the scooter is really helping him socially, as it means he can join in a fun activity that the other kids already do together.

On the learning side of things, he’s picked up quite a lot in 3 weeks. He has already learned a few words – I, can, am, look. But I’m not that interested in how much he learns this term, as he will have a whole year in Year 1 next year to consolidate everything. Instead, we are treating this term as an “introduction to school”, and just want him to have fun, make new friends and enjoy himself. So far, so good.

In about 3 weeks time we will have an interview with Tyler’s teacher to see how he is getting on. She’s already shown me examples of his writing, and has talked with me about some of the testing she has done with him. I’m pleased with his academic progress of course, but I’m more interested in how he interacts with other kids and how he behaves in the classroom. Mrs O’Connell seems to enjoy having Tyler around, which is a good sign. On his 3rd or 4th day, she told me that he was a “breath of fresh air in the classroom”, which made me very proud.

As a mum, I really wanted both my boys to have a positive start to school, and I think I can say we’ve achieved that!

American Meatloaf

Last night I decided to make meatloaf for dinner. It had been ages since I’d made it, so I decided to try a new recipe instead of my Auntie Lynne’s old faithful (which I still love). This is an Alison Holst recipe that I have modified slightly.

The verdict? A big “thumbs up” from everyone!

American Meatloaf

3/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1 packet (~32g) soup mix (I used chicken & sweetcorn)
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 egg
500g minced beef or lamb (I used beef)

Topping:
2 rashers bacon
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
2 tsp brown sugar
2 Tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a loaf tin with baking paper.

Stir the breadcrumbs and soup mix together in a large bowl. Add the hot water and stir with a fork to mix. Add the sauce and egg and mix again, then add the minced meat.

Using your hands, mix the minced meat evenly through the other ingredients, then place into the loaf tin.

Cut the rind and fat off the bacon, and lay strips over the loaf. Mix the tomato paste, brown sugar and water together, and brush over the bacon.

Bake, uncovered, for 1 1/4 hours.

To serve, cut into thick slices and serve with gravy.

Serves 4

When I grow up

When I was a very little girl, I wanted to be a hairdresser when I grew up. Didn’t all little girls want to be hairdressers?

As I got a bit older, around 8 years of age, I changed my mind. I decided I wanted to be an air hostess (flight attendant). Then I went on my first ever plane trip and experienced the extreme earache that I now deal with on Every. Single. Flight. Yeah, that dream was kinda shot down, right there at 30,000 feet.

I can’t recall what I wanted to be after that, but by the time I entered my teenage years, I had decided that I wanted to be a doctor. That dream carried me all the way through high school and my first year of University. But after getting a taste of the wide range of subjects available in the area of Medical Science, I opted for a slightly different career path. I majored in Pharmacology (the study of how medicines work) and became a medical writer. I’m totally content with my choice of career. And they all lived happily ever after …

Lately, my boys have been talking a lot about what they want to do when they grow up. Ethan has been asking us what WE think he should do. I told him it is too early to know where his real talents and interests lie, but that he will figure those things out over the coming years. But I didn’t want to stifle his enthusiasm, so to further stimulate the conversation, I asked him what HE thought he would like to be.

His answer?

An ice cream truck driver.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the boy thinks ice cream truck drivers get all the free ice cream they want. And I’m guessing that could be part (or perhaps all) of his motivation behind this choice?

Tyler has already had a couple of ambitions in his few short years on earth.

Until recently, he wanted to be the guy who fixes playgrounds. Again, I think the idea of being able to play on said playgrounds before/after fixing them featured highly in his thinking!

However, he has changed his mind now, and wants to work on a garbage truck. He says it will be fun to “ride along on the back, jump off, throw the bags in the back, and jump back on”. Hmmm. Definitely good exercise there, but I’m not sure he realises how much those trucks STINK!

While I am not one to dissuade my children from their desires and dreams, I have to be honest here, and admit that I have *slightly* higher hopes for them both.

Thankfully, my own experience has taught me that dreams do change over time, and once the right “fit” is found, everything falls into place. I also know, from experience, that those dreams can only come to fruition with the right nurturing and a lot of hard work. So at the end of the day, I will encourage my boys in whatever they choose to do, even if their choices take me by surprise.

I can’t wait to discover, along with my boys, what their next big dreams and ambitions will be. Judging by the conversations we’re having right now, I just know they will bring a smile to my face!

Today …

I am feeling …

Relieved. The church camp we organised is over, and it went well. Everyone enjoyed themselves, we had raised more than enough money to cover costs, and I don’t think I forgot anything!

Grateful. The weather forecast for the weekend was terrible … torrential rain and thunderstorms. We prayed, and God provided blue skies and sunshine (while it was raining almost everywhere else around us).

Sick. I woke up on Friday with a sore throat which got progressively worse throughout the day. Next morning, I realised my sinus infection of 10 days ago had come back. I left camp for an hour on Saturday to go back to the doctor, and I’m now on (another) course of (different) antibiotics. Let’s hope these ones work!

Tired. Didn’t get the best sleep over the weekend. A few factors, really. Being sick. Late nights. Bunk beds. Sleeping bag. Kids sleeping in same room. Say no more!

Warm & fuzzy. Nothing beats spending an entire weekend with a bunch of totally awesome people! When we came home, Ethan started to cry because he missed camp and didn’t want it to end. I SO remember doing that when I was a kid!

Excited. I have lots of fun things planned over the next 4 weekends. A trip to Whangarei to meet my new niece (Poppy) and nephew (Mark). My friend Heather’s Hen’s weekend in Waihi. Heather & Sandy’s wedding. A baby shower.

Happy. Because despite the challenges my family have been going through lately, life is good. Because things are starting to look up. Because I’m happy to be alive, to be loved, to be me.

Tyler’s first day

Today was Tyler’s first day at school.

He’s been looking forward to this day for more than 2 weeks, ever since his birthday. The (cold, wet) school holidays seemed to drag on forever for him!

Not surprisingly, there was MUCH excitement when Tyler woke up this morning. He woke early (6.30am) so came and snuggled in our bed until 7am. Thing is, he’d already put his uniform on!

Just before it was time to leave for school, I spied Ethan & Tyler sitting together on the couch, talking. They were having quite a serious conversation about school. Ethan was giving Tyler little tidbits of advice, about the easiest way to take off his school jersey, what food to eat at morning tea time, and where they would meet to play at lunch time. So sweet!

All 4 of us walked to school together (Rob doesn’t work on Mondays).
Tyler was so happy to finally be there, and he was great when we said goodbye. Before we left, his teacher (Mrs O’Connell) made a big deal about his recent birthday and party, and the other kids sang “Happy Birthday” to him. He was then paired up with his good friend, Logan, and said goodbye to us.

After leaving his classroom, I couldn’t hold back the tears. Thank goodness Rob was with me, or I would have cried all the way home! I managed to concentrate on my work for most of the day (although Rob & I did go out for lunch to help take my mind off things).

I couldn’t wait to go and pick him up (he finishes at 2pm for the first 2 weeks).

He had a great day.

Apparently Ethan came and found him at morning tea and lunch time, and played with him. I’m so glad he has such a loving big brother who always looks out for him (and I’m glad that Ethan’s friends are also really kind boys who don’t mind playing with a 5-year-old).

Tyler learned the words “I” and “am” today, and he has already read his reader 3 times (once to me, once to Rob, and once to Ethan).

It’s definitely going to take me some time to get used to having TWO school boys. I missed my little guy a LOT today. But I’m glad his first day was a good one.

Unrelated

I’ve got a few things to share today, all completely unrelated. In lieu of linking unrelated topics together in a clever fashion, which I do not have the energy for, I will resort to bullet points.

* My newest nephew, Mark Caleb Hannah, was born at home at 11.50pm last night (8 October), weighing 9lb 11oz. Can’t wait to meet him in a couple of weeks, along with my newest niece, Poppy, who was born last month.

* I have spent the majority of the past week in bed or on the couch. SICK. At first I thought it was the flu (fever, very sore throat, headache, body aches, etc). By day 3, I realised it was a sinus infection. My GP prescribed a rather toxic antibiotic. It has to be taken with LOTS of water and LOTS of food, and I can’t lie down for at least 30 minutes after taking it. If I do, it could “burn my insides”. So far, no burnt insides. And I’m *starting* to feel better again.

* The school holidays are almost over. We haven’t done that much, as Ethan was sick the first week, and then I got sick. But we did go and see “Up” at the movies, which was fantastic. My favourite kids movie yet! We also made pikelets, fed the ducks at the pond, made & played homemade board games, built stuff with Lego, had McDonalds for lunch, rode bikes, watched DVDs, played at Kids Republic (it was Rob who took the boys there, but it still counts).

* I am TRYING to mentally prepare myself for Monday. My baby starts school, and I am NOT ready. A few minutes ago I started freaking out because I don’t know if he knows what to do when the bell rings at lunchtime. How will he know it’s time to go back into class? Okay, I am having heart palpitations just thinking about it, so I will say no more.

* Rob & I, along with the others in our Home Group, are busy organising our church Family Camp. ONE WEEK TO GO! Things are going pretty well, but I still feel the burden of ultimate responsibility on my shoulders. Rob & I organised camp last year, and it was a great success, but I am nervous that it won’t go so smoothly this time. I hope I have thought of everything. I lay awake for 2 hours last night, ticking things off an imaginary list in my head. Despite the fact that I have actual, real, paper lists and have already ticked things off on them!

* I need a holiday.

* Tomorrow night, I have a date. With my Dad. Oh, and my sister is coming too. Leah & I are taking Dad out to “dinner and a show” (a concert performed by Handel’s Consort & Quire). It was our joint Father’s Day present to him.

* I dyed my hair black yesterday. Only it doesn’t really look that much darker. I should have used 2 boxes of dye instead of 1. Oh well, I’m getting it cut this afternoon anyway!

* There are only 11 (eleven!) weeks until Christmas. I LOVE Christmas, and I don’t even mind the long/stressful/busy build-up, but SRSLY!? Didn’t we just have Christmas 2008? Where has the year gone?

Challenges

As I mentioned in my last post, life has been a bit of a “challenge” lately. However, I’m coping. Although things are not easy, I’ve been feeling really uplifted by the numerous phone calls, texts and emails from friends who really care. Not to mention the comments on here. Your prayers and encouragement mean SO much to me – and I thank you.

Onto some different “challenges” now! Good ones. Scrapbooking ones.

First up is the latest challenge at Scrap The Boys (deadline is Saturday 31 October). This month, you need to use the following advert as inspiration for your layout:

The Creative Team have come up with some amazing layouts to excite and inspire you. For my example, I took inspiration from the advert’s colour scheme (blue, red & black on a white background), the circle elements, and the text/journalling around the outside of the circles:

MY LITTLE SPIDERMAN

Yesterday I posted a new challenge at The Sketch Book (deadline Sunday 11 October).
The challenge is to do a layout about YOU! Journal/list a number of truths/facts about yourself. You may choose to have no photo, or include photo(s) of yourself on your layout. The number of truths/facts should match your current age. For example, mine is called “31 Things” because I’m 31.

31 THINGS