The Ideal vs. the Actual

Parenting is all about striving for your ideals and living with the actual. Take Valentine's Day this year: I didn't have a lot of high ideals for it this year, but I ended up making a spontaneous Valentine's breakfast for the kids. I started just by making strawberry/banana smoothie and heart-shaped jam sandwiches and then I added strawberries onto the oatmeal, got out some red napkins and really tried to present it beautifully. By this time, the kids had come upstairs and I had to tell them to stay away for a few minutes to finish the surprise.

Well, boy #1 started getting all sorts of elevated ideas in his mind about this "surprise", and after being set off by one thing, he retreated upstairs while his sister came to breakfast. She decided to be helpful and tell him what the surprise was in order to encourage him to come down for it. Now the surprise was ruined AND he was disappointed by simply "breakfast with a Valentine's twist".

So much for that idea.

At the same time, I think we need to constantly try to create something a little extraordinary for our kids, with the intention of making them feel special or make a special memory. Even when those ideas seem to cank (how does one spell that anyway?), the effort is still important, (and I suppose, our reaction)...that's what family vacations are about, right? Planning one thing and having something else happen, but in the meantime we make a family memory. We do something out of the ordinary and that's what makes the difference!

Merry Christmas! What is a merry Christmas anyways? I think I would wish that inspite of the busyness of preparations and events, the stresses and emotion that often accompany family life, and the possibility that you may even be dealing with loss or loneliness this Christmas, that you can take a few moments and give thanks for what you have, make the effort to really look around you and drink in the beauty that is there (in the countryside as you're driving or in the faces of those around you), and savour good food and hopefully a few good laughs. More...

Sing. Light candles. Watch the snow fall. Lay on the couch and get mesmerized by the Christmas lights. Read a good book. Listen to music. Party. Watch a classic Christmas show. Make soup. Eat chocolate. Hold a warm drink in your hands and let it soothe you. Take a little extra care with one or two presents and make them a work of art. Use a little extra colour or glimmer as you set your table.

For me, I also hope to take a little time to reflect on the experience of Mary, on the wonder of that night, on the unusual ordinary-ness of a King born among animals and adored by sheep herders, and on the love that brought this story to life.

Maybe merry isn't the best word. Perhaps "wonder-filled" is better. The one conjures up red and green, deck the halls, ho ho ho, and let your heart be light (things I still enjoy). The other brings to my mind starry nights, the intricacies of nature, the faces of children, and a depth of feeling in both joy and sorrow. You can choose. May love, joy, peace, and hope fill your heart this Christmas.

The Brauns

Major Changes

Just found out that J1 is producing antibodies against gluten and that is likely the cause of his stomach pain and acid reflux. Although I'm glad to find out something concrete, this was one of my least desired outcomes. Taking wheat out of a child's diet is a huge undertaking. All of my quick meals, most of breakfast, the easiest snacks, and the fall-back for lunch-time involves wheat. I'm glad that grocery stores are more gluten-free-friendly now. It is definitely easier to do than even six months ago and certainly 2,5,10 and 20 years ago. It still is a stress thinking of making this change. We don't know whether it's a forever thing or whether it's a leaky gut, get intestines healed and then he's okay kind of thing. Next step is a gastroenterologist. (Probably not much fun going to happen there). We see her on Monday the 8th...and we just found out we're not supposed to go gluten-free until anything is confirmed by gastroscopy/biopsy...

There's been some glorious days for soccer in the last days of fall. R has just decided to take up the sport, which I'm really glad about. J1 is a pro. I have to really hustle if I want to have a hope at beating him.

We tried something a little different this year. It's a good thing we don't get a ton of trick-or-treaters, because it was fairly labour-intensive. But we had enough, and it was fun to develop the idea as we went (like the pumpkin/ribbon after the stapler didn't work properly).

Unfortunately, I was working on very little sleep, so I wasn't exactly the most pleasant mommy to work with.

Bye-bye October. Hello, November!

God's Promise in the Sky

I have been teaching R's class at church a song about the rainbow. It was special to see such a beautiful one on Saturday, like a promise of hope for the North End.

The Rainbow Song

by Sonya Braun

Red and orange

Yellow and green

Blue and purple

The prettiest thing you've ever seen.

That's the rainbow

Way up high

God's promise

In the sky

God told Noah

To build a boat

When he sent the rain

It would float

Then when every

thing was dry

This is what was

In the sky...

Gotta love 'em!

End of Summer Feast

My eldest suggested we have a "feast" today. I remembered there was a farmer's market at PineRidge Hollow this morning, so off we went . Picked up the sweetest corn on the cob ever, some carrots, and some "natural" farmer sausage from Matheson's farm. If the potatoes I bought earlier were local, we had a "Made in Manitoba" meal. Yummy. The highlight of today was Rod pulling me over to one of the stalls, pulling out a twenty and telling me to pick out a necklace. I wasn't sure which one I liked best, so he ended up picking out a winner: black cord, polished black stone with white swirls and two silver beads on either side. I love it! I haven't really worn jewellery since having children, so it was extra special. My youngest still wants to yank on it, but hopefully the novelty will wear off quickly and he'll ignore it.

The farmer's market runs every Saturday from 9-1 until September 20th. It's a bit of a drive, but I thought it was totally worth it.