Love in Action Journey

I have been missing this cozy corner in blog-land for far too long. It's a rare quiet moment. The girls are out having fun at Holiday Club and boyzie is fast asleep. I have a silly grin on my face as I try remember how to use this key-board after way too long ;0) To kick off ... here are a few pics of my precious growing-up-way-too-fast treasures ...  Mr. Gabe is 5 months old already! He loves nothing more than being outside and out and about with mommy. He clearly has a big wide world of wonder to explore and is soaking it all up. I can't keep him inside for too long. I love his simple wonder at life around him. It's teaching me to find joy in the everyday simple things in life.  He is totally enraptured by all the love that his 2 best big sisters in the whole wide world lavish on him every day. Nothing makes my heart smile bigger than seeing the bond that these 3 share with one another. I love watching him laugh at all their crazy antics! They are such big help...

My girls are on school holidays for 3 weeks! Hip, hip ... HOORAY!! I LOVE the morning sleep ins. If the girls get up early they know to make themselves some breakie and watch some telly till I get up. I have to savor this easy routine until baby boy makes his big arrival in October ;0) Yesterday we had tea and scones with a sweet friend. She is a mommy of two darling little girls and also has a little one on the way. I gleaned a lovely idea from her. At the start of the school holidays she got each of her girls to give her 5 ideas of what they wanted to do throughout the holidays. Each day they are going to do one of them. I loved her idea! So today, the girls and I wrote out some fun activities that we would like to do in the holidays. We wrote them out and have folded them into our "holiday idea box". Each day we will draw out one of the activities to do for the day! They are sooooo excited and so am I.  It was so funny coming up with ideas of what they wanted to do the...

I so wish that I could paint the picture of myself as a perfectly controlled - always does the right thing and always knows the best answer or solution kind of mommy, but I am a work in progress =o) I have often said that parenting has been my greatest learning place about myself! Gosh ... sometimes I am so surprised at what kind of attitudes come out of me! Anyone else know what I am talking about? It is that inner war that Paul talks about in  ..... where your flesh wars against your spirit. You know the right response, but instead you react. This is something that the Lord and I are really working on. This weekend has encountered a couple of "strong words" between my girls and I. You know those moments when you have been pushed just a little too far?! And instead of healthy "strong words" ... anger seeps into correction and no one wins. While I have been working through this, the Lord reminded me of something He taught my hubby a while ago. When the kids ar...

My gorgeousness started something with the girls last year called "treasure box". This is one of the precious daddy-daughter times that he invests into them. They LOVE it and beg him for "treasure box". Their little eyes light up and they delight in knowing that they have daddy all to themselves :-) He chooses a verse, reads it to them, asks them questions about it, explains and answers any questions around it and then they learn it together. If time allows, either him or "little bear" writes it out and then little miss Leelee draws a picture on the card before filing it into our treasure chest (in our case a little red box that seriously needs some decorating). They usually do this before bed time if time hasn't run away with us. What a rich deposit is sown in those few short moments.  I am learning that it is often these small little moments of sowing that can reap the most beautiful harvests in our children's lives. The gift of time spent togeth...

A little while ago I discovered a very fun little game to get my two little princesses (who sometimes think that doing chores is waaaayyyyyyyy beneath their princess reality) to find fun in the challenge of keeping our home more tidy. Here is my little secret weapon ...  Thanks to this little dice my girls wake up begging me to do things like this ... (I know ... can you actually believe that they WANT to vacume?!)  Cooking with mommy is just the best (even if it is scary looking chicken soup - hee hee)!!! So how do I get the girls to help out ... well together we choose 6 chores (I think it is a good idea to rotate them and keep adding new ones to keep it fresh). We number them 1 - 6 and print them out to remember which number represents each chore. They then take a turn each day to roll the dice. Number 6 is the favourite in our house - helping to make supper. I can honestly say that since "chore dice" the kids LOVE doing their chores. They even rope their cousins into rol...

Raising my 2 little girls, I am always scrounging around for some great parenting tips. Here are 4 tips I read this morning that make so much sense!! "Parenting is not a call to be perfect - just to be real." 1) Learn together : intentionally look for things you can do together - read the books they love, watch movies you can both enjoy ... in essence, take notice of the things that interest them and find ways to share their interests. 2) Listen, listen ... LISTEN : Before you tell your child what to do or get angry with him/her, ask them to help you understand what makes them behave that way. 3) Live out your values : Modelling is the best teacher of all. You opinion about your child does matter to him/her.  4) Love unconditionally and tell your child so, even if you don't like the way your child is acting or the choices he's making. Make your home - and you - a safe place.  (taken from the book "Questions kids ask about sex: honest answers for every age")...