There is Power in the Struggle

My family comes under scrutiny at times.  We aren't super conventional.  We go about things a different way.  My mother has told me "we live in our own little world", and I have to agree with her accuracy.  We live in a different world.  We live in a world of accountability.  We live in a world of responsibility.  We live in a world of failure, and failure being ok.  We do this because there is power in the struggle.

My kids don't have everything they want.  They share rooms.  This is unfair and unjust, I hear.  They "need" their space.  They are "entitled" to privacy.  I STRONGLY disagree.  I can't think of a time in their lives when they won't have to share space.  They will have room mates in college, or a lot of room mates if they choose to join the military.  Then they will have house mates while they figure life out.  Ultimately, they will probably have a spouse and kids.  There is no privacy.  there is no space.  There is coping and shifting.  There is struggle with relationship and communication.  There is power in the struggle.

Gannon doesn't have a phone.  At seven years old, he doesn't have a phone.  This is unfair and unjust, I hear.  He "needs" to be able to communicate.  "Times are changing" I hear.  Times aren't changing so much that my seven year old needs a phone.  Where in the world is he going to be, at seven years old, that an adult with a phone won't be within arms distance?  Why do I wan't to text my seven year old son at school?  I'm supposed to be at work, and he's supposed to be learning, NOT on his phone.  No phone means talking, board games, art projects, trampolines, and being different.  Different is a struggle, but there is POWER in the struggle.

My kids don't get paid for chores.  This is unfair and unjust, I hear.  I don't get paid for my chores.  No one hands me a five dollar bill and tells me what a good job I've done when the electricity stays on every month.  I don't get a pat on the back when there is breakfast food available.  When my kids don't get their chores done, they are yelled at.  What do you think happens if the electricity is disconnected, or there isn't food?  No one would say, "It's ok.  I know how busy you are.  We'll get it back on in the next few days...."  Chores are a struggle, and discipline is a struggle.  Working together to make the house run smoothly as a family is a STRUGGLE, but there is POWER in the struggle!

My parents taught me that I don't need the best of the best of the best, SIR.  My parents taught me to work for what I have, to trust God and do the right thing.  They also taught me that even then, there is struggle.  Life isn't fair.  It isn't right sometimes (and there is a difference between fair and right).  My parents taught me that money isn't everything, and that failure is inevitable and OK.  My parents taught me that it isn't the NUMBER of friends, but the QUALITY of friends that counts.  My kids don't have playdates every day.  Their biggest struggle is in our family relationship, but there is SO much POWER in that STRUGGLE!

If a butterfly doesn't struggle out of its cocoon, it will be a wet slop of an insect that can't fly on it's own.  That butterfly is the 24 year old kid that can't pay their own cell phone bill because their parents have always done that for them.  That butterfly will never be appreciated for the beauty of its color, because that butterflies wings are underdeveloped.  They probably believe that they are ENTITLED to fly, that it is their RIGHT.

I    SAY    NO!

Struggle through the hard times, and when you need to fly, you will and it will be breath taking and beautiful.  Struggle through and you will have success.  Not in everything, but you will have success.  You will have independence.  You will have an identity outside of me.

Alia, Gannon, Siri and Annika, I love you enough to let you struggle...because you need to be able to fly on your own.  My beautiful beautiful children, there is POWER in your struggle!

Trick or Treat

Halloween is always a fun day for our family.  It is a family tradition to do a family costume.  We have been anything from X-Men to the Dispicable Me family (see photo).  Generally we eat dinner, get dressed, and roam the neighborhood asking strangers for candy...This yeas we did it a little differently.  I decided to serve dinner AFTER trick-or-treating, one because I didn't have anyones costumes together till 6:30pm and two, I thought it was a good idea to eat dinner so that the whole of the stockpile wouldn't be consumed at once right before I school night bed time.

We sat down to eat after a long trek around the block, and I served everyone (Gordon, Alia, Gannon, Siri, Annika, Christian, Jenifer, Russell, Kage, and Nick) their lasagna.

I asked Kage (7) what he wanted to drink.  

This conversation followed:

Me:Kage, what would you like to drink?

Kage: What do you have?

Me: Well, I have milk, water, tea, wine, whisky (joking with him)

Kage: Oh, no, no alcohol for me.

Me: OK

Kage: Yah, it makes me too sleepy.

Siri:  I'd like some alcohol

Gannon: No, Siri, the law is no alcohol until you are 7!

Kage: Yah!

Gordon, Russell, Me, Jenifer and the Teens: ROFL!

A Rainbow Turns One

Second post today.  Gnarly!

Well, today we celebrated Annika's first birthday party!  She turned ONE on October 1st.  She's the "different" one in our family for sure.  Everyone of my kids were born on the 25th of various months, but her.  Everyone is O+, but her.  Everyone is defiant, but her...so far.  You have to understand what a HUGE celebration this was for us.  Read my previous blog post and you'll have a much better understanding.  What a celebration!  Our last and only Rainbow Baby is a YEAR OLD!!!!!!!

For her party, I did a theme with "Our little Pumpkin is Turning One".  I used Heritage Makers to create her invites.

Therefor, Pinterest became my new best friend.  I had to have Pumpkin EVERYTHING!  Well, at least fall everything.  

I made Candy Corn Chex Mix

 http://www.plainchicken.com/2012/10/halloween-chex-mix.html

Pumpkin Spice Apple Dip

(http://fitmommydiaries.blogspot.com/2013/09/all-things-pumpkin.html?m=1)

Even a Jack-O-Lantern Veggie Tray!

The kids got to paint pumpkins for favors, and the LOVED it!

But most of all, the Birthday Girl LOVED her cake!

There will be more pictures on Instagram with #Annikais1 if you'd like to search for the cake smash, presents, etc.  They should be up later.

I hope you enjoy the post. 

Also, for folks with Rainbow Babies, we gave her the book "Someone Came Before You", which we LOVE.

Honestly

The honesty of children never ceases to amaze me.  This morning as we are preparing for Annika's first birthday party, Gannon and Siri were talking at the breakfast table.
Gannon: Siri, you look funny.
Siri: What?!  You don't have any right to say I look funny!  I don't look funny, I look cute!  This outfit is Cute!
Gannon: No, no, you look funny because you have snot coming out of your nose.
Siri: HRUMPH!

You NEED this

I know most of these blog posts are about the kids. Cute, Funny, Short.
Today I am going to post a recipe.  I got it off Pinterest, I'm not going to lie.  But really it is the most AMAZING thing you have ever eaten in your life.  It isn't hard to make, and it goes QUICK!
It tastes JUST like a Snickers bar!
Here Goes:
Servings: 24 Ready in: 1 hour, plus 1 hour chilling time
Ingredients:
FIRST LAYER
1 cup milk chocolate chips
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
SECOND LAYER
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
¼ cup evaporated milk
1 ½ cups marshmallow crème
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup salted peanuts
THIRD LAYER
14-oz. bag caramels, unwrapped
¼ cup evaporated milk
FOURTH LAYER

1 cup milk chocolate chips

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

Directions:
1. Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. FIRST LAYER: In a small bowl, combine chocolate chips and peanut butter. Heat in the
microwave in two 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval. Stir until creamy and pour
in an even layer into the bottom of the prepared pan. Place pan in freezer.
3. SECOND LAYER: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the
sugar and evaporated milk and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and immediately stir in marshmallow crème, peanut butter and vanilla.
Add peanuts and stir until incorporated. Pour mixture over the chocolate layer from the
freezer and spread evenly. Place back in freezer.
4. THIRD LAYER: Add the caramels and evaporated milk to a small saucepan. Cook over
medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until caramel is melted and smooth. Remove pan from
freezer and pour caramel over the second layer. Place back in freezer.
5. FOURTH LAYER: In a small bowl, combine chocolate chips and peanut. Heat in the
microwave in two 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval. Stir until creamy and pour
in an even layer onto the top.
6. Refrigerate for an hour or so.  Then eat the crap out of it.  Yup.

Keys

I play keyboard in my church band at Revolution Church.  Playing keyboard with a "mouse" keyboard and a computer is VERY different than playing my grandmothers Wurlitzer.  I've struggled with learning the technology part of things, and have even been dubbed "technotarded".

Over the past three days, I have had every problem known to man with the keyboard.  Things aren't syncing, they aren't saving right, two slides are going up when I assign one, and then, today, it just stopped.  Everything was programed correctly, and there was just no sound.  NOTHING.

I was about in tears.  Gordon came home and fixed it.  I don't know how, I don't really care, but it was fixed.  Gannons radar picked up that a technological device was open for destruction and honed in on the Axium49.  I fought like a well trained ninja.  The keyboard was safe.  Gordon was enlisted to have a "respect other peoples things" conversation with the boy.  I'm not 100% sure what was said, but I know about 15 minutes later, Gannon looked at me and said,

"Mom, when will you pass this demon-possessed keyboard down to me?  When you get a different keyboard?  'Cuz these are REALLY good Keys!  REALLY really good!"

Fired

As heard from upstairs:

Gannon: SIRI, If you don't get in here right now, I'm going to fire you from helping me clean my room!

Siri: mumble mumble mumble, UGH!

Gannon: MOM!  SIRI JUST FIRED ME FROM PLAYING WITH HER, AND NOW SHE FIRED ME FROM LOVING HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Siri: *Sweetly sings song in background.