Blogging

It occured to me today that I'm getting used to this blogging-thing! It feels like a place where I can 'file' my thoughts away. I read this once: "If you take a little time a few times each week to jot down your thoughts, you will be amazed at the results. You will find that the small stuff in your life will feel more ordered, and the big stuff won't seem so imposing." Ahhh...so true!

Well, let's see. Lots to blog about today. First off --- eating healthy. I've been trying to have the family eat healthier after a recent scare I had with an abnormal blood test. It has been going reasonably well and the children have been gladly co-operating --- even taking Omega-3 supplements in oil/liquid form without complaining! A couple of days ago, my sister told me to watch out for the preservative benzoate and today, she told me about another one, sorbate. These two preservatives have apparently been linked to cancer.

So...I've got myself searching the cupboards for stuff with these preservatives and getting rid of them. The children started to sound worried and were asking if chips had these preservatives. Will I never buy chips ever again, they asked?!? Gasp! That would be just awful! I then asked them if they remember what the Bible says our bodies are? They promptly replied: the temple of God! I thought...good memories! I reminded them that it wouldn't be a good idea to put unhealthy stuff into our bodies for it would not be God-honouring. They were both very agreeable to that! I think that if we were to never buy chips ever again, it would be OK now. But, knowing me...I would certainly indulge every once in a while! :-)

Another thing I wanted to 'file' away today --- stereotyping! We were at the dentist's office yesterday. The very chatty hygienist wanted to let me know that my daughter will be turning quite 'bratty' as she's going to be a teenager soon. It was meant to be funny but I couldn't help but wonder why people choose to stereotype. In fact, God made each one of us unique, no two people are the same!

"For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."
---Psalm 139:13-16(NIV)

After I was done being 'upset' about the stereotyping, it occured to me that it 'just might be' possible that my daughter could turn bratty during those teenage years. :-) Can't underestimate those surging hormones! It occured to me that this is the time when she needs my guidance all the more --- maybe even more than when she was little --- to escape this 'bratty' phase.

I was then reminded of a book I once read called "Professionalizing Motherhood" by Jill Savage. The book changed my life and how I looked at motherhood! The author challenges mothers to make motherhood into a career and "to look past the surface of mothering to the incredible skills required to raise your children while nurturing your marriage." The author suggests that children will need a parent to be home full-time during their teenage years as those are the years that they will need support and encouragement the most!

While I totally agree with the author, my prayer right now is that brattiness will not come to live in our home!