Mother's Day

Well it was Mother's Day recently. We continued what has now become our tradition of B cooking me breakfast. This is what happened last year. It was so interesting this year as the level of help needed was very little. We've been cooking together quite a bit lately so he was really keen to do all of it himself.

 

The finished product!!

 

I received 2 lots of flowers this year so felt very spoilt!

B made me this picture with a balloon and crepe paper.

Then as a special treat I made myself a cake in a mug. This is one of those things that I regret finding on the net!

I don't enjoy the commercialism of Mother's Day but just spending time together and letting B do his own little special thing for me is much more meaningful. I would love to hear any traditions you have for these days in your family.

Keeping CHRISTmas.

A bit behind on the posting. I did mean to have this done before Christmas but got caught up with all the other things that needed to be done. It really can be an insane time of year. The lead up to Christmas with lots of tired, hot and grumpy people around. The end of the school year with lots of tired, hot and grumpy people and kids around. In the past I have tended to just roll with it as best I could and know that come Boxing Day can just collapse in a heap and watch the cricket.

Since B's arrival I have found my priorities have changed. I have always observed the CHRISTmas part of Christmas but my desire to focus on the real meaning of Christmas has increased. In previous years I have been able to keep the focus on Jesus really well, however, this year it has been a challenge. At kinder they went hard and early with Christmas stuff which really just revolved totally around Santa, Santa and more Santa. It has been a real struggle to counteract that, keep the focus on Jesus and not build any expectations in him about Santa.

We have a few traditions for Christmas.

One is to go to Target to purchase a gift for charity. I choose Target's program as it is linked to the Uniting Church. We have gone every year and B chooses a toy for a boy his age. So this year he chose 2 "Cars" toys. We usually do it in early December before the shops get too crazy. He was really sad that there are some children who would not get any presents for Christmas and was really keen to buy them presents. In fact, anytime we walked past Target in December he wanted to go in and buy another toy for another child!

Our Gingerbread

Christmas Tree cakes - red velvet cupcake with a strawberry on top covered with icing

We also make homemade gifts to give to friends and people that help B (child care staff, swimming teacher, etc). As he loves cooking we make gingerbread in Christmas shapes. We package them up in either a coffee cup or on a plate. He loves handing them out to everyone. We also made Christmas Tree cakes this year as well.

We have quite a few nativity sets around the house as well. I got a Fisher Price one which has been good as it is child friendly. This year I was able to put the more precious one out within his reach as well. He has loved interacting with the figures and moving them around and arranging them. At one stage Mary was riding to Bethlehem on a sheep!!

One day I was talking to a friend on the phone and she said that her daughter was dressing up as Mary. I told B and said he could put his Joseph costume on. I picked this up a couple of years ago post Christmas when the shops were clearing out their Christmas things. He thought that was a great idea and his stuffed dog then became baby Jesus and was wrapped in blankets. Then he got a box that we had lying around became the manger for baby Jesus. For the week before Christmas he went to a number of places in his Joseph costume carrying his manger.

Joseph with Baby Jesus

I also got a book called "The Legend of Saint Nicholas". It was really good to give an explanation of where the Santa tradition came from and that spirit of giving to others. Apparently there are other books in the series and I am looking forward to getting them for next Christmas.

I have wanted to make a Jesse tree. Unfortunately I didn't get around to it this Christmas but it is high on my list to make this year for next Christmas.

Our Christmas tree decorated by B and one of our nativity sets

I would love to hear of any traditions you have for Christmas, particularly how to keep the focus on Jesus and not the commercial side.





Mother's Day

Well today is Mother's Day. B has been quite excited about it this year and all week has been asking "is it Mother's Day yet?"

So to make the day extra special I asked him if he would like to cook us breakfast today. I thought French Toast would be an achievable meal for him to mainly cook on his own. He loves spending time with me in the kitchen and is a really good help but today I was the helper and he pretty much cooked it himself. It gave him a real sense of achievement and pride that he was able to do this for me. I had considered going out to breakfast but I am so glad we didn't. This was much cheaper and the learning and his sense of accomplishment was definitely worth it.

Dipping the bread

Flipping the toast

Topping it all off with berries and icing sugar

In church this morning our minister talked about the Julia Ward Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation of 1870 which was a proclamation for peace and that women should rise up for peace. I really like this idea rather than the commercial thing it has become now.

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts, whether your baptism be that of water or tears!

Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have taught them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosom of the devastated earth, a voice goes up with our own. It says, "Disarm, Disarm!"

The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail & commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesars but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.

There has been a huge amount of controversy going around at the moment about the Time Magazine article "Are You Mom Enough?" We are all mum/mom enough. We do our best to nurture, teach, care and love for our children and if they know that then THAT IS ENOUGH! A friend of mine wrote a really great blog about this (click here).

This photo is all the things I have received for Mother's Day. A lovely friend sent me a card of support after my last post which was really lovely. I have other friends who have given me flowers and a card every Mother's Day from B which is very much appreciated. Then B made a card for me at kinder complete with a box of chocolates and a couple of lavender sachets.

In the card B made for me at kinder they got him to say his own message which was: "I love my mum because she has a key card KIA car and she always plays with me." This was a really lovely message as being a single parent I sometimes feel like I do not play with him as much as I should as I am the only one to do all the jobs needed around the house. It's nice to know that he still thinks I ALWAYS play with him. Although I'm a bit over playing with toy cars I just keep thinking that one day he won't think playing with Mum is cool.

So, Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. And to those of you in my life that have not been blessed with motherhood thank you for the mothering roles that you play in B's life and the lives of the other children in your lives. It really does take a village to raise a child and I certainly appreciate the help and support I receive on this mothering journey. It is with that help and support that I can proudly say I AM ENOUGH!

Easter Traditions (Part 2)

Well Easter is over for another year and I think we really established some important traditions for future Easters.

The Hot Cross Buns were a hit (see previous post) and very much enjoyed.

On Good Friday this year I chose to make our own Fish and Chips. I was brought up with the tradition of no meat on Good Friday and it is one I have always kept with. There were a few reasons for making my own: cost, healthier option and I couldn't be bothered waiting for 1-2 hours for the fish and chip shop.


Fish & Chips with the last of the tomatoes from the garden.

Before bedtime on Good Friday we made Resurrection Biscuits. Basically they are just a meringue but as you make them all the ingredients represent an important part of the Easter story which we talked about while we were making them.


Biscuits all ready to go in the oven.



You then put them in the preheated oven, tape it up, turn it off and then leave until Easter Sunday. It represents the tomb and how Jesus' disciples had to wait and that they were sad between Friday and Sunday. (It's a bit hard to see the white masking tape on the white oven but I'm sure you get the idea)

Oven all taped up from Friday to Sunday.

Then, on Easter Sunday you can open the "tomb" and crack open the meringues!!



He is risen!!

Overall, we had a lovely Easter with lots of focus on the story of Easter. I was very impressed with his understanding and willingness to talk about it.

Easter Traditions (Part 1)

With B almost 4 now I thought it was a really good time to start establishing some Easter traditions in our family.

I always make my own Hot Cross Buns every Easter and I usually don't have make or eat any until Easter week. I think that is a fairly good achievement as they appear in the supermarkets in January now! I have previously made these on my own after B has gone to bed but this year I decided that we could do it together. Cooking is one of B's favourite activities and it is something we really enjoy doing together.

Kneading the dough.

 

He may have overkneaded the dough but it is one of the things I have learnt to let go of.

Rolling the dough into balls.

 We enjoyed one for afternoon tea today but there are plenty left for breakfast tomorrow. As I was putting the crosses on the buns I asked B why I was putting them on. His reponse: "Because Jesus ate them!" Well I suppose it's nice to know that he knows the connection between the food and Good Friday but I think I still have a bit of work to do!



In the oven.

 

All done!!



A church that I attended many years ago used to have a Haggadah feast on Maundy Thursday which was a ceremony based on a Passover meal. At this we were served lamb and potatoes. I decided that we could have our own type of Passover meal tonight. I cooked to a Middle Eastern theme tonight - Morrocan lamb, Morrocan roast vegetables, flat bread and hommus. Before we ate dinner I read the story of the Last Supper from B's Children's Bible and then we enjoyed our meal together. I then did a happy dance as he ate his pumpkin without any prompting!!!!



Children's Bible

Middle Eastern meal

There are a few other things I'm planning to make over the weekend so that is why I have named this Part 1. I have really enjoyed making new traditions for Easter and keeping the focus on Jesus.

Do you have any traditions in your family? I would love to hear them.