Raising Creative Children » family

Amazing Grace

Lorelei — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:06:48 +0000

Rhema Marvanne

Have you taught your child to sing? Music is an integral part of the young child’s experience. It doesn’t matter if you croak like a frog or Frankie Sinatra – just open your mouth and sing from the heart.

In the lesson plans I include four or five songs for you to teach your child. Some of them aren’t actually singable, but are instead “finger-plays” – a type of chant, usually rhyming, and always using finger and hand motions. Twos and threes especially enjoy finger-plays – think of the “Ensy-Wensy Spider” if you’re still not sure what I’m talking about, although that one is set to music.

Any child can learn to sing! It is easier than learning to play violin or piano, and Dr. Suzuki’s method has shown the world thousands upon thousands of tiny children who have learned to play either instrument with sensitivity and beauty. Singing is as easy as talking – you just talk on pitch!

Here is a precious news cast about a seven year old girl who brings joy to the lives of others through her beautiful, God-given talent. ReverbNation places her at the top of the chart for Christian Gospel singers. She filmed a scene for a new movie due to be released next fall, “Machine Gun Preacher”, about a drug-dealer turned Christian, who dedicates the rest of his life to saving children in war-torn areas.

The point here isn’t that we should push our children to excel, but rather that your child has the capability within him to do great things. It is up to you to provide a warm, safe environment and the freedom for him to explore and discover his own innate talent.

May you find your heart uplifted by this lovely little girl. I went straight to her website and ordered her CD for my mom!

May God bless you and your family,

Lorelei

Going Raw

Lorelei — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:12:52 +0000

As I reported earlier in Raw for Life, I won the Dr. Ann Wigmore Raw and Living Foods Home Study Program. I’ve had the course for a couple of months now, and I’m still not even half way through all the information! I’m on information-overload, I think. But the small steps I’ve taken have made a BIG difference! I’ve dropped a couple of pounds. I’m sleeping better at night. And I’ve cut some of my medications in half. I intend to cut out the cholesterol-lowering medication entirely after my next doctor visit. Now that I’m not eating meat or dairy products, I expect I’ll be able to control my cholesterol without medication.

Preschoolers Love Finger Foods

Raw Finger Foods Are Very Popular with Young Children

My finicky eater loves raw foods! Young children generally prefer finger foods over anything cooked, and they prefer their food separated. While many kids will eat apples or raisins or celery, they will not eat an apple-raisin-celery salad with mayonnaise. I’ve served raw apple slices with raw sunflower seed butter, which is very popular. I tried a raw carrot soup that neither of us liked much. I froze the left-over soup until I can find a way to make it more tasty. The literature I’ve read on raw foods allows sun-dried foods, dehydrated foods if dehydrated at less than 108 degrees, and frozen foods. Of course, fresh is always best.

Muesli – or Raw Oatmeal – Can Be Delicious

I learned how to make muesli – another food item my granddaughter loves. It’s raw oatmeal -which sounds faintly disgusting – but you soak it for a while to soften it, then serve it with fruits and nuts. We like it with banana or blueberries and a dollop of pure maple syrup. Yum-yum! Best of all, besides all that wonderful natural oatbran for its cholesterol-lowering ability, it’s quick and easy to prepare, and no yucky pot to wash. I think I like that part about the best. When you serve raw foods, there are no cooking dishes!

I haven’t learned to like “energy soup” yet. That’s simply a garden salad pureed smooth and you drink it. Lots of good reasons why energy soup is good for you. I just wish it tasted better! I like salad. I guess I’m just not a “soup” person.

Raw Foods Menus Are Posted

Raw Tacos - Food From Heaven

Anyway, I’m taking the long way around announcing that I’ve posted Week Two of the raw foods menu. I’m new to raw foods, so I’m not certain that my menus are complete or balanced. This is me, learning about raw foods, and what I’m going to feed my family next week. On Sundays it is our tradition to not eat breakfast before we go to Mass. Then we have a big brunch, so aren’t hungry for lunch. We have a mid-day snack, and then supper at the normal time. This coming Sunday, I’ll be making a raw Peach Pie! I can hardly wait! My mouth is watering already. Peach Pie is one of my favorites, but I don’t like “peach pie filling” that comes in a can. Too gooey. This pie has ripe, raw, sliced peaches with an almond cream topping and a ground almond crust. Maybe I’ll have to make the pie early and sample it, before I serve it to my family? It’s a good thing raw fruits are good for you. I’m really enjoying them a lot, and still managing to lose a few pounds.

Transition to Raw Foods Gradually

What Could Be Better than a Georgia Peach

If you chose to try raw foods with your family, you may want to check out Creative Health Institute – from where I got the home study course. One thing I like about this “diet” is that you don’t have to commit to it 100 percent. There is such a thing as being “fifty percent” raw, or “eighty percent” raw. With most diets, if you don’t follow them exactly, then there is a sense of failure and guilt. But with raw foods, every little bit that you do only improves your overall health. There is no failure. Only success. Isn’t that the way we want our children to grow up? Eating good, nutritious foods that nourish the body as well as the soul?

For further reading, check out:
Raw for Life
Feeding the Finicky Eater
We Like it Raw
Transition Kids to Raw

Photo Credits:
Top: Photo by Tiffany Washko
Middle: photo by Geoff Peters
Bottom:photo by Bruce Tuten

Beautiful Dogs

Lorelei Sieja — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:00:15 +0000

Kipp and Morgan

“What beautiful dogs!” An older gentleman waves at me as he drives by.

I smile and wave back, rather proud of my Siberian Huskies as well. They are beautiful dogs. Pumpkin has the traditional black and white pattern and incredible blue eyes. Misha has brown eyes, but an unusual gray and white husky pattern, making her look more wolfish. Both are females, a little on the small side, and well-trained. They are striking dogs, by they are just dogs. It gets a little annoying sometimes that everywhere I go, I get dozens of comments like that. Would people still say that if I were walking Golden Retrievers, or German Shepherds?

“Aren’t they silly, Kaylee?” I kneel beside the stroller, checking to see that my granddaughter is still bundled up against the chilly wind of early spring. The daffodils are in full bloom, but four inches of fresh snow blankets the ground.

“Ah doggy! Ah doggy!” she exclaims. Yeah, no help there. She’s as dog-crazy as the rest of them.

Pumpkin obliges by licking her chin. Misha isn’t as friendly towards the energetic two-year-old. But then, Misha is seven years old and not that impressed by anything. Mushing season is over now. No more six mile runs along the snow-packed trails in Fort Custer Recreational Park. We all miss that. And with the slush still lining the streets, I’m not brave enough to start running the dogs along side the bicycle. Huskies require a lot of exercise. Somehow walking beside a baby stroller at Grandma’s pace just doesn’t cut it.

Pumpkin and Misha are Getting Ready for a Good Run

We see a woman in her front yard, removing the protective mulch from some rose bushes. She gasps as she notices my dogs. “Oh, my! What beautiful dogs! Do you breed them?”

I stop to visit. “I do. But I’m not planning for any pups until late summer.” It would be too hard to raise a litter in our second floor, one bedroom apartment. Besides the fact it isn’t allowed.

“You must give me your phone number! My son has been wanting a husky for years.”

Someone Loves to Swing!

Kaylee is restless. Riding in a stroller is not at the top of her list of favorite activities. She only endures it as it sometimes brings her to the park with the swings. When she realizes that we aren’t going anywhere, she wants out. I release the seatbelt and help her to climb down.

The woman talks on about her son. I’m only partially listening, as I keep one eye on my granddaughter.

“Huskies aren’t the right dog if you value your landscape,” I caution her. I’ve never had a problem selling puppies. I don’t breed often, only when I want to keep some of the puppies myself. I have had as many as thirteen dogs at a time – a very small kennel for a musher. I’ve lost a few to old age, and one Alaskan husky to illness. I don’t run dogs to win races – I just run for fun. But somewhere between age seven and ten most huskies are ready to retire. I only have three dogs under seven now. Time for another litter.

She seems surprised that I would discourage a sale. “What do you mean?”

“Huskies are big diggers. They will dig up your garden. I run electric wire fencing a few inches above the ground on the inside of my dog yard to keep them from digging under the fence, and another electric wire along the top of the fence so they don’t jump over. ”

She isn’t deterred. That’s good. I don’t mind sellling a puppy to someone as long as they know what they’re getting in to. I always offer a money-back guarantee, no questions asked. I’d rather take the puppy back than risk it winding up in a shelter. “Just let me get a piece of paper, and I’ll write down your phone number,” she says, taking a step back and tripping over my granddaughter.

Kaylee cries, but she isn’t hurt. I kiss her owies, and comfort her.

The woman is startled. “I didn’t even see her! I didn’t notice you had a baby with you.”

Apparently she missed the large beige Jeep jogger-stroller as well.

We exchange phone numbers. I help Kaylee back into her stroller and continue on towards the swings at the corner park. I wipe the slushy snowfall off one baby swing before helping Kaylee into it. She adores swings, perhaps even more than dogs. She laughs, kicking her feet with exhuberance. I love her enthusiasm. She isn’t thinking about naptime, or what to have for snack, or whether her braids are straight. Every ounce of her being is concentrated right here, right now, on this baby swing.

Not me. I’m thinking about what I might blog about next. I’m recalling things like search engine optimizations, key words, and social media. I’m wondering if my blog will achieve a massive following, and what will I do if it does. I’m also wondering what to defrost for dinner, and do I have to go anywhere tonight, which will mean having dinner ready early. My mind is divided, only partially enjoying the moment with my precious granddaughter. I pull out my cell phone and snap a picture of her big grin, then send it to my daughter.

Why do so many people admire my dogs, and not my granddaughter? She really is adorable, with her French braids that curl down around her shoulders. Kaylee was born with more hair than any of my kids had by the time they were two. She has big blue eyes, and round, pink cheeks. She’s a little on the small side, but then, so am I. I’m not even five feet tall anymore, having shrunk 1/4 of an inch since my last doctor visit.

Pumpkin and Misha in the Lead, Blue and Bear in Back

I’m afraid that the reason why so many people admire my dogs, taking the time to tell me how beautiful they are, yet ignore my absolutely adorable granddaughter is because people do not value children any more. We’ve come to see them as burdens and financial liabilities. I heard one mom snap at her husband during a bitter divorce, “You get the boy. I’ll take the girl!” Her children didn’t even warrent a name, as though hoisting their son off on her soon-to-be ex was a sort of punishment. And it’s criminal the way someone who abuses animals may serve more time in prison than someone who abuses a child.

Without children, there can be no future. So many small towns and cities are bemoaning the loss of their public schools, as they’ve been forced to close their doors and merge with other school districts. It’s not just that families are moving away from their area, but that the families who do stay are having fewer children, or none at all.

I wish that there was a way to turn this around. To restore children to their rightful place of honor in our hearts and in our society. Children should not have to earn our respect by collecting soccer trophies or beauty pageant ribbons. We need to show respect for childhood by giving them the gift – no, the right - to a long, and happy childhood.

Building Family through Tradition

Lorelei Sieja — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:00:55 +0000

What Memories Will Your Children Take With Them?

Family traditions strengthen the family, reinforce interconnectedness, and build a sense of identity. Through traditions, our children develop a sense of belonging. So much bang for your buck! You should spend a little time thinking about the traditions you’d like to create, because whether you intentionally create a meaningful tradition or not, they happen. What would you rather plant in your children’s memories – “On Sundays we always had to waste an hour in church, then everyone went back home to watch T.V.” or, “Every Sunday after Mass we went out for brunch. We’d sit around the table and tell bad jokes. Sometimes the waitresses would just look at us and shake their heads, but it was great.”

Tradition is Not the Same as Routine

Traditions are different from routines, in that they are special occurrences. They have a set ritual, and occur at the same time every year. Routines are ordinary everyday things. In many homes, putting up a Christmas Tree is a tradition. But in some homes, that tradition has become more of a routine. It isn’t special. It has more a feel of a chore – just one more thing that has to be done. If that is the way it is in your home, I challenge you to find a way to turn it into a tradition, or perhaps decide not to do a Christmas Tree any more.

Christmas Tree Traditions

Trimming the Tree Can Be a Beloved Ritual or Dreaded Chore

What day do you put up a Christmas Tree? What day do you take it down? Where do you put it? How can you make it special? Is there a special place you like to get the tree from? What about finding a cut-your-own tree farm, and making a whole day of it? Some tree farms do most of the work for you, offering popcorn and hot chocolate as part of the package price of the tree. Once you get the tree home, who makes a fresh cut across the bottom? Who gets the tree stand? One child might hold the water for the tree, another could help untangle the strings of lights. The youngest child in our family always got to unpack and set up the nativity set.

After the tree is up, perhaps each child can hang his own ornaments. We did this in our family, as the inlaws gave each child a new keepsake ornament every year. We had to buy separate ornament storage boxes eventually, but then when each child matured and moved out, he took a piece of his childhood tradition with him. I imagine that setting up the tree will always be something special for them!

Perhaps after the tree trimming part, there could be a traditional dinner. Something quick and easy, because you want this day to be fun, not something you dread. When I was a little girl, my parents always had “smorgasboard” for the tree-trimming dinner. Mom put out cheese and crackers, jello, raw vegetables, and punch. Dad used to make his famous “Raw Beef”. Yeah – ground sirloin, mixed raw with chopped onions and tobasco sause, served on a wedge of cocktail rye bread. Nowadays most folks would think that was gross and unsafe, but boy, when we were little, we lined up around the table begging Dad to hurry up so we could eat.

And finally, the tradition could end with sitting in the dark with only the tree lights on, and admiring it. Perhaps sing a few carols, or read a Christmas story. Or just sit together and talk about the tree, and how it is the prettiest tree you’ve ever seen.

What Traditions Will You Create for Your Family?

Why am I blogging about Christmas Trees now, at the end of February? Because establishing meaningful family traditions takes thought, time, and effort. This magical moment with you family isn’t going to happen if you forget to plan. You have to schedule that trip to cut the tree. You have to know where the tree stand is, and be sure to have the lights unpacked, spare bulbs on hand, and the creche dusted.

And maybe this is on my mind now because Christmas is just over, and for the first time, I didn’t have my Tree Trimming tradition. I missed it. But I’m living in one state with my husband, one daughter and a grandchild, while the other three are back in the state we just moved from. We put up three different trees this year. I got to see all three of them, but I wasn’t a part of the tradition. It’s hard getting old! But I was with my oldest daughter while she and her two-year-old put up their tree. Already she is planning the traditions she will share with Kaylee.

Decide What Traditions Your Family Will Embrace

I realize that not everyone celebrates Christmas. So right now, list the major holidays in your home. What traditions do you already have? Is there something you could add to make them even more special, or to make them perhaps more fun? If your Christmas Dinner means you have to spend five hours in the kitchen, then perhaps it’s time to consider the “Christmas Potluck”.

You want to have a balance. Not too many traditions, or they lose their meaning. Not too few traditions, or you miss a lot of opportunities to build family. There isn’t a magic number of traditions, and the more kids you have, the fewer traditions you might need if you celebrate each child’s birthday. Don’t forget, by the way, to celebrate each child’s birthday! I’ve heard too many children say that their birthday was never special because it was too close to Christmas Eve, or because it always fell when everyone was on vacation, or because of some other lame excuse. If you’re going to celebrate one child’s birthday, then you must make sure that every child’s birthday is special.

So, if someone were to ask your child about your family traditions, how do you think he would answer?

For Further reading:
12 Unique Birthday Celebrations
Traveling with Tots
Twelve things to do with your child’s art

Photo Credits:
Top:http://www.flickr.com/photos/pencapchew/ / CC BY 2.0
Middle: photo by David Goehring
Bottom: photo by Jim Sorbie