Happy Birthday, Momma!

Happy birthday to my wonderful mom!

Since becoming a mom myself, I have grown to love and appreciate my own mom in so many new ways.

I love that she puts family first. I love that I can just show up on a bad day and she knows exactly what I need. I love that she doesn't pretend she has it all together. I love watching her be a Grandma to Ethan. I love that when she says she'll pray, I know she will.

Mom, I'm thankful for the love you've shown; the tears you've cried with me; the thoughtful advice you give when I ask; the prayers you've said (many more than I'm sure I'll ever know),and the joy of being not just your daughter, but your friend.

Happy birthday, Mom!
I love you!

As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be

My little boy is growing up.

It's a good thing.
At least that's what I keep telling myself. Andrew always tells me, "That's our job as parents - to raise our kids into adults." That may be our job, but it's not really something I want to think about - not when my baby is not even a year and a half.



Ethan went pee on the potty tonight - for the second time. It's so exciting! I freak out and give him high fives and cheer and all that lame stuff moms do. Then it hits me how quickly he's growing up, so I cuddle up and read some stories and then turn off the light in hopes of a good snuggle. He started breathing deeply and I thought he might be asleep, so I settled in a bit more - praying, reminiscing, and enjoying some good Momma-baby time. The next thing I know, I have a little hand on my face. I look down and he says, "Bed?" and points to his crib. Ouch. Please don't let the snuggling days be over yet.



My baby is growing up. He's probably considered a toddler now. There are times I miss the baby days, but I am loving getting to know my little man more and more every day. He is developing such a personality...strong-willed, funny, and boy does he know how to push my buttons. He's got a lot of his daddy in him :)


I'm so blessed to be his mom.

Wordless Wednesday: Baby Sis is getting married this week!

http://www.lovablelittletreehuggers.com/blog.html

A Peaceful Retreat

Mom, Rach and I went to Ste. Annes, a beautiful spa in Grafton, ON a few weeks ago. We spent 2 glorious days in our bathrobes - savouring girl time, walking around in our robes, enjoying being pampered, and indulging in fabulous food.

I enjoyed their food so much, I purchased their cookbook! Here's my favorite recipe.

Granola

Ingredients:

1 c. raw & slivered almonds

1 c. raw & sliced almonds

1 c. pecans - chopped

1 c. hulled & unsalted sunflower seeds

1 c. hulled pumpkin seeds

1 c. unsweetened, desiccated coconut

1/2 c. sesame seeds

1 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. unsalted butter

1/4 c. honey

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Method:

• Preheat oven to 325 F. Cover large baking sheet (I used 9x13 pan instead) with parchment paper.
• Combine all nuts, seeds, coconut and spices in a mixing bowl, with the exception of the cranberries.
• In a small sauce pan, melt honey and butter together over low heat. Pour over nut mixture, combining well.
• Spread evenly onto baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned to your liking, turning after first 15 minutes.
• Add cranberries and continue to bake for another 5 minutes.
• Allow mixture to cool thoroughly and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Taken from: "Everyday Recipes from Ste. Anne's Spa" 2009

ENJOY! I love it with yogurt and fruit, or on it's own...it's so tasty.
Here are a few pics from our little getaway.

I love my mean mom

I heard this today and thought it was cute - and true in so many ways.


Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me: I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.


I loved you enough to make you go pay for the bubble gum you had taken and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it."


I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.


I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.


I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.


But most of all, I loved you enough...to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.


Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too. And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.


Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother in the while world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.


Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less...

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash, and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.


She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!


Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. The had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.


Because of our mother, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property, or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault!

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was.


I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean moms!

What do I love?

"I love that show..."

"I love Smarties..."

"I love Brad Pitt..." (I know, I totally just aged myself)

We use the word "love" SO loosely in our society. At youth group, I'm always hearing a girl talk about how much they love a movie, a pair of pants, or Justin Bieber.

Thinking about that today, I've been thinking about what I really love.

♥ quality time with my hubby

♥ waking up and reading books with Ethan before I get out of bed

♥ watching our parents be grandparents

♥ the blessing of a church family

♥ my relationship with my mom

♥ friendships that can pick up where they left off, despite time and distance

♥ how God reveals Himself through His creation

♥ open-mouthed, slobbery kisses from my sweet boy

♥ sharing in youth ministry with my husband

♥ my bond I share with my sister

♥ watching Ethan learn

♥ good talks with close friends

♥ Andrew's borderline obsession with making me smile

♥ the way that God provides

♥ dance parties in the kitchen with my little man

♥ enjoying a quiet cup of coffee before the rest of the house wakes up

♥ the awesome example that my parents' marriage is to us

♥ Ethan putting his hands out to hold ours and saying "pay, pay" (pray) before we eat

There's much more, but I have a sweet little boy who just woke up and needs some lovin.

What do YOU love?

Reflections of 2010...

This time last year, we were new parents of a beautiful baby boy, I was on maternity leave, and we were renting a house.

As we turn the page to 2011, we have a 15-month-old who keeps us incredibly busy and continues to bring us incredible joy, I own an online natural parenting store, and we own our first home! What a year!

Over the past 12 months, I have continued to fall more in love with Ethan and more in love with my job as a mom. I was made to be a wife and Mom – I’ve been saying this since high school, where my economics teacher would make fun of me and tell me I couldn’t live off of love….I’m proving him wrong. I have never felt so fulfilled and so at peace about where I am in life. I can’t imagine being back at work and leaving Ethan every day; I would be missing out on so much! I love that I have the privilege of watching him learn new things every single day – I’ve watched him take his first steps, learn his first words, and figure out life as a one-year-old. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I own a business! What the heck?! How did that happen? This time last year I wouldn’t have thought I had it in me…sometimes I still don’t know. But, with immense amounts of encouragement from my wonderful husband (and some incredible family and friends), I took the plunge and am now the very proud owner of ‘Lovable Little Tree Huggers.’ Starting my business has enabled me to share my passion for cloth diapering, baby-wearing, and natural parenting with friends and strangers alike; it has given me a sense of independence, and it has given me the opportunity to meet some great new friends and other stay-at-home-Moms. I love what I do, but most of all I love that it allows me to stay home with Ethan and savour the joys of motherhood.

Not only do we now own a business, but we bought our first home in 2010! After essentially giving up on the fact that we would ever own a home in the area we're currently living, things just about fell into our laps and we were able to buy a house that we have quickly made a home. We are excited about renovating our kitchen and powder room in 2011 and about making more family memories in our first family home!

As we say goodbye to 2010 and remember all of the excitement and memories made, I also feel a sense of loss and mourning. In 2010, a dear friend passed away very suddenly, sending my life into a cloud of sadness and many, many tears. Life didn’t seem fair. He was far too young and had so much potential…he was going to do great things. I grieved for his parents; I grieved for his brother and sister; I grieved for my parents and for other friends affected by his death; and slowly over the last couple of weeks, I think I have started to grieve for me. There are many, many memories that I look back on and am thankful for, but I feel like there were also many memories waiting to be created. As I begin 2011, I remember my friend. I remember vacations together in our childhood, I remember conversations with him that went way over my head, I remember the first time he met my son, and more than anything, I remember his laugh. I cling to the fact that he is with God and he is at ultimate peace…sometimes that gives me peace too. Until I hear his laugh again, I’ll remember his life, and in his memory I will cherish every day I am given.