A Long Overdue Thank You

At the end of a long day in these quiet moments, I thank God for my blessings. I have this whirlwind of appreciation building up inside of me and I just need to express it. This is a long overdue thank you letter that I've been meaning to start, and although I know I will never be able to write down each thing individually that I want to thank you for - at least this is a start.

Dear Mom & Dad,

First of all - I can't even begin to describe how important you both are to me. I think of how incredibly lucky I am to have you as my parents and my heart is so full. First of all - I love you both so much. Looking back on my childhood now that I'm an adult has left me so overwhelmed with emotions. I realize now just how much you've done for us. And that alone deserves a big thank you - one that I don't think I've appropriately done to date. Until I had children of my own I never fully understood all that you went through for your own children until now. The things that I was too young to understand, but do now.

Thank you so much for giving us such a good life. Looking back I always knew I was loved and felt it everyday. Thank you for the long countless sleepless nights that you let me crawl into your bed after a bad dream. For all of the things you gave up in life to have us, and for staying strong during the sick days. I can only imagine how hard the 2am hospital visits were on you when you had to work the following day. Thank you for all of the driving around that you did for us. For always reassuring us that you were only a phone call away, and for always loving us even when we were in the wrong.

Mom - You are so special to me. You've taught me so much my whole life and it has always been my dream to be just like you. Thank you for putting up with all of the diaper changes, and every time that we spit up on your clean shirt that you just put on. I understand the struggle now. Thank you for all of the time, effort, and love that went into packing our school lunches. I don't think I've ever mentioned it - but you always gave me a big smile at school from your hand written notes. Thank you for enduring the exhaustion. For bearing the days when the whining and fussing of multiple children seemed enough to send you running for the hills. You read us our favorite stories a million times over, and always let me pour the chocolate chips into the bowl when we made cookies together. Thank you for all of the driving that you did for us. Thank you for coming on our school trips, I was always so proud to have you on my school bus next to me. Thank you for being the strongest woman I know - thinking of all of that pain that you went through after breaking your ankle. Recovering with 4 children at home and yet countless times we would hear you singing, and you always kept a smile on your face.

Thank you for passing on the freckles gene to me. Knowing how much you've always loved them has made me embrace them and love them like you do. Thank you for always teaching me to show love to everyone around me. Thank you for all of the ping pong wars on Lincoln Ave, I always think about the times that we laughed so much we were sore for days afterward. Thank you for sharing your love of music with us. It's amazing how certain songs can bring back so many memories together. Thank you for all the days you cried with me. I always knew who I inherited my emotional side from. Thank you for your laughter. It's one of the best sounds there is. I love when we laugh together - and the way we can laugh when we're in the car lost somewhere. Thank you for teaching me all of your homemaking skills from how to sew a button onto a shirt to how to get your chicken soup just right. I will keep all of that with me forever. Thank you for staying with me after Landon was born. For sticking by my side for help and guidance. Thinking back to those days it's no surprise that I get emotional about it. You were there for so much and I don't know what I would of done without your support. I can never thank you enough for that comfort. You helped me and taught me new things each day, you comforted all of my worries and reassured me that I was doing a great job when I was so unsure of myself. Thank you for always reminding me that you're just a phone call away if I ever need anything. Thank you for being the most amazing Grandma I could of ever imagined for our boys. Seeing you with them gives me so much joy and I can't even begin to describe how much they adore you. And last but most certainly not least - Thank you for being such an amazing Godly example of what a mother really is, and always showing us so many acts of unconditional love. I love you so much, Mom.

Dad - There's so much that I want to express and I have no idea where to begin. Firstly, Thank you for hugging us. Everyday. Your bear hugs are something that we can never get enough of. Thank you for working the night shift all of those years to provide for your family. That alone was such a sacrifice that you made for us and I appreciate you so much for that. Thank you for raising us in the word and teaching us about the Lord Jesus and salvation. For this is the best gift you could of ever given us. Thank you for always offering to drive us where we needed to go somewhere and to pick us up anytime of the day. Or night. We always knew that we could count on you, and yet you did this lovingly and never complained.

Thank you for your humor. You've always been able to lighten up any mood with your jokes and laughs. People say I have that same trademark from you. Thank you for being so protective of us. Lord knows the things that could of occurred if you weren't. Thank you for investing so much time in raising us. You never failed to tell us when we were wrong. We may have hated it then, but definitely appreciate it now. Thank you for spending countless hours with us after you got home from work. I know now how tired you were, and yet you still made the effort to build forts in the living room and play play-doh with us. Thank you for video taping important experiences in our childhood. If it weren't for you we wouldn't have the videos we do today. Thank you for not getting upset with us when our report cards weren't perfect - and being so proud of us anyway. Thank you for braving the cold and building snowmen with us as kids. Thank you for always cuddling with us when we asked you, and for sharing your thumb that I always wanted to hold tight. Thank you for all of the hours that you spent giving us advice, and sorry for letting you down when we didn't always take it. Thank you for driving to Tim Horton's some Sunday mornings to pick up donuts for us. You always surprised us and made us smile every time. Thank you for letting us tag along with you to the farm, even though it was more work for you. Those special memories will never be erased. Thank you for working so hard to put food on the table - even when it was met with complaints and refusal to eat it. Thank you for being such an amazing Grandpa, and showing our children every ounce of love that you possibly have and more. The bond they have with you is such a gift. I can't thank you enough for each thing that you have done, and continue to do for your family. Thank you for your never ending love, assistance, and support in all that we do. Words aren't strong enough to explain how much I love you and appreciate you.

(Don't mind the grumpy face here - I believe this was because we weren't supposed to blow out mom's birthday candles...) 

Mom and Dad - Thank you for loving us even when it was so hard. Thank you for giving us such a safe, loving, and stable home to grow up in. We couldn't of asked for a better childhood and so many loving memories. Thank you for making parenting mistakes, for those taught us lessons too. Thank you for investing so much time in raising all of us. I'm sorry for not always giving you my best effort, and all of the times I've disobeyed you. For not always taking your advice when I should of, and for being selfish at times, and for complaining when you really needed my help.

Thank you for wondering "Is this right?" "Am I doing ok as a parent?'' about a thousand times in quiet moments. I wish my adult self was there to reassure you that you were doing Great. Thank you for all of the hugs and kisses that I didn't always ask for but got. They were way better than the toys and treats that we always asked for. Thank you for my siblings. For expanding our family and for giving me these everlasting relationships with people that I love so dearly. Thank you for being strict with some things but also giving us freedom. Thank you for praying for us each and every day. Sometimes in tears. Please keep praying for us, and to continue to show us your examples of strength and wisdom. Growing up we never had to worry about what we were going to eat or wear. But more important than being physically cared for, you nurtured us spiritually too. Thank you for raising us to know the gospel. I pray that I will be the same example to my children that you've been to yours. Thank you for all of the years you've worked so hard. And all that you still do today. There aren't enough words to express my appreciation for you. Thank you for constantly reminding me that these are all things that we as parents are supposed to be doing for our children. And Thank you for all of the things that aren't mentioned here. There are so many - But nothing you've done has gone unnoticed. I'm hoping that when I continue to say "I love you" each time that I see you - you will remember how deeply I mean it.

Thank you. I admire you. I respect you. I Love you.

S.D

11 indoor activity ideas for toddlers

This week I've been experimenting some different ways to keep my toddlers busy indoors. They've been loving having something creative and different to do and I'm thankful that I've been able to occupy them so well inside so that we can avoid the outdoors for a bit. Here are 11 simple activities to keep your little ones busy indoors on these super cold days.


1. Puzzles.
I busted out these puzzles from storage and Jeremy has been obsessed with them. My house is chanting "Thank you for finding some free time to clean me".

2. Use a yoga mat on the stairs to make a ramp
The boys were so excited to drive their trains and trucks down the ramp. Just make sure you don't leave your children unattended for too long - otherwise they'll be trying to use the yoga mat as a crazy carpet. Take my word for it. I eventually ended up taping the mat to the stairs for safety purposes. But otherwise...it works fabulous!

3. Hide & Seek
I encourage every parent to play hide and seek with their toddler. It's fun pretending you don't know where they are as you hear the giggles coming from inside the closet.

4. Toys in Play-doh
Find some small toys that your child adores. Wrap them into a ball of play-doh and let them peel it off of the toys. They will be occupied for approximately 43 minutes. At least my kids were! It didn't take them that long to find the toys, but they just kept wrapping them up and unwrapping them over again. I was able to wash my bathroom and fold 4 baskets of laundry in the process. I've never appreciated play-doh so much in my life.

5. Muffin tins
A muffin tin and some pom poms and you're ready to go. Jeremy loved putting the pom poms in each cup and actually cried when his bowl ran out. Landon preferred the googly eyes over the pom poms but he still got the concept. This is perfect for magnets as well or just teaching your child to separate colors.

6. Make a musical Instrument.

In our case the easiest instrument I could think of to make that my toddlers would actually enjoy was a maraca. How original of me. But these were actually fun for the kids to help me assemble! 2 cardboard tubes, some dried beans, popcorn kernels, and some tape to seal the ends with. Voila! The boys had fun running around with them and shaking away. Until it somehow became a weapon and they both ended up beating each other on the head with them. Thankfully the tape held up pretty good and there were no scattered beans on my living room floor. Once I inspected the premises and all was clear - it was time for apologies and a chat that we don't beat our brother on the head with anything even if it sounds cool. 

7. Build a train/school bus with your dining room chairs. 
I remember doing this as a kid and can't believe I haven't done this with the boys sooner. They had so much fun with their steering wheel plates and loved telling all of their bears to stay seated while they were driving over the bumpy tracks.

8. Colored bath water. 
Who knew that colored water would be so much more fun to play in and bath time would be better than dessert?

9. Drawing faces on bananas.
Ok, yet another thing I have never thought of and it's absolute genius! Drawing faces on bananas. Crazy right? When I asked Landon if he wanted to watch a TV show or draw on a banana I definitely wasn't expecting him to yell out the second option. Something so simple, yet so fascinating! The boys were so excited to draw on them, and then eat them. Now we're out of bananas.

10. Pipe cleaners in a strainer.
Kids love this. The end. Don't be fooled by the looks on their faces. This task takes deep concentration.

11. Look at snow man pictures.
I think this was one of Landon's favorite activities. So simple - and yet gave him the most smiles. He would point out so many things in each picture and really got some cute conversations going.

These activities were tested by real busy body toddlers and they give them a big thumbs up! I made a list of a few more indoor activities that I'll be wanting to try out this winter so if they end up being a success like these were then I'll definitely be sharing them with everyone! 

Thanks for Reading! 

SD

Cookie Chaos (Christmas Cookie Recipe)

When I bake with my kids, I usually share a picture of the finished product. Often color corrected and cropped to hide the mess that we made. Let's just take a minute to admire these adorable Pinterest perfect pictures of little ones in the kitchen.

Aww, how sweet.

Last week I wanted to include my children in my baking surprise for my husband. The boys were so excited to help me bake some of Papa's favorite Christmas cookies. I was full of energy and optimism! If I could of fast forwarded 6 minutes into the future moments on that day and see what it would actually entail  - I would of told my poor little naive self to just do it alone during nap time.

The Christmas cookie adventure started out fun enough. Cheery Christmas tunes in the background, both boys each with a spatula in hand, smiles on their faces.

However within minutes :

• They were having meltdowns over who had the bigger spatula
• 2 eggs were broken on the floor
• My recipe card got ripped in half
• My youngest was eating the lemon zest
• My oldest had fallen off of his stool.
• The oven was smoking because it hasn't been cleaned in..well..let's not go there.

The flour and vanilla sugar were everywhere. Every single surface was sticky with eggs and raspberry jam. It was then that I realized that THIS is the reality of baking with toddlers. Little fingers eating chunks of raw cookie dough, splattered jeans, and a batch of burnt cookies since Mama was too distracted breaking up a fighting match to remember to set the timer.

While I'm a little jealous of the pinterest perfect pictures of pudgy toddler fingers decorating sugar cookies and siblings enjoying each other's company (and I'm guilty of sometimes only sharing those pictures too) that just wasn't reality for us that day. These are how my pictures turned out. And since this day has past us - I can actually laugh about it now. It was crazy.

What are some of the struggles you face when you're baking with your kids? Please share! I'd love to know that I'm not alone.

In the end it was all good. We toughed it out and finished our cookies with pride. Hugs, kisses, and I'm sorry's were exchanged. Papa LOVED his cookies, and we moved onto a snack and some playdoh. Separately this time I might add. That's a whole other story.

German Christmas Cookie Recipe

400g flour

200g butter cubed

3 egg yolks

100g sugar

1pkg. Vanilla sugar

juice and rind from a lemon

50g ground hazelnuts

Raspberry jam

icing sugar

Mix all ingredients together and chill dough for two hours. Roll out dough and use cookie cutters of your choice. Bake about 8-10 minutes, cool on racks, and then spread jam on one side, cover with another and dust with icing sugar!

November 5th, 2015

November 5th, 2015 is a day that I will forever hold close. Day's like today are rare - and so I must take the time to treasure it. 

November 5th, 2015 started off like any old day - but then I quickly realized how unique it was. Today was a day of everything "Yes, Mama." With a smile I might add. It was a day of constant sharing. A day where the words ok, sure, and alright, were the continuous response after they were asked to do something. Turns were taken. Hugs were given. And bickering children were no where to be heard.

The four walls of our house could not contain us today. The hot sun was so glorious, beating down on us and keeping our bodies toasty warm. This November day felt like spring had sprung over again, and we enjoyed every second of it's beauty.

Today was worthy of being documented. I need to always remember grace-filled days like this. The joy of playing an actual full game of hide and seek with my children in the park. Capturing these moments of pure joy and happiness. Their laughter. The squealing little voices. It's music to me. Today felt like a reward after all of the challenging days. On November 5th, 2015 - nothing felt difficult. There was an abundance of energy and patience for this day. There was so much joy, love, laughter, and peace.

A day where I was all ears for the big stories from little people that needed to be heard. I could give them every ounce of my attention. That which I wish I could give to them everyday. I've been craving this calm interaction. To teach Landon how to skip rocks and to enjoy Jeremy's little hand holding tight onto my finger for a long while.

Lord, I thank you for days like today. For an entire day that I could fully enjoy and devote to these children you have given me. To be able not to focus on the overload of my household and to be completely at peace to just soak up all of these moments. I couldn't of asked for anything better. 

November 5th, 2015 - Thank you for the memories. I needed this day.