We're having fish...

The kids were excited to see me return from my quick trip to Canada. I sent them off to school this morning with hugs and kisses and all was well. After school, things were still peachy. We did the normal after school things -- emptying backpacks, looking through school papers, getting snacks, etc. I told Madison she could have a playdate if her friend was available. She was.

They played and had a fun time. There was a lot of peace, happiness, and NO WHINING in the Richards home. Then Madison's friend went home. And it started.

"What are we having for dinner?" Madison asked.
"You won't like it, but we're having fish. It has vegies and a yummy sauce on it and it's really good" (I'm not a fish lover myself, but I do like mild fish prepared with this recipe.)
"What? FISH? I'm not eating fish!" Madison complained.
"Well, actually, you are going to have a taste, then you can have leftovers" I said.
"No, I am NOT eating any fish," said my sweet, obedient daughter.

At this point in the conversation, it became "THE BATTLE OF WILLS" and I was determined not to let it go. I was going to win. And that is where I became the Wicked Witch, the worst mom, the control freak. I made an ultimatum: "You eat this tiny piece of fish (smaller than a dime) or you go to bed without eating".

She screamed, she cried. She screamed and cried. Surprisingly, (not) Madison is very stubborn. And once she makes up her mind about something she seldom changes it.

So guess what? She went to bed. At 7pm.

And apparently she is starving. Or so she says. Over and over and over again.

But I am mean and I am not giving in. She'll eat in the morning.

And it won't be fish.

A picture a day: the "365 Challenge"

So I've taken on a challenge this year that I think is awesome. It involves a camera, which can only mean good things, and scrapbooking, which is also excellent. The challenge is to take a picture a day (of course you can take more than one, but you need to take at least one picture EVERY day) and make a WEEKLY scrapbooking layout that includes your pics and some journaling. At the end of the year, what you'll end up with is a fabulous scrapbook that captures the little every day moments; the moments often overlooked or missed when trying to get that "poser" shot. This is about spontaneity and looking at the little things, then taking the time to make a few comments about those shots you capture that are meaningful to you. I dare you to give it a try.

"All in"

I don't know about you, but I've been of the opinion that a person doesn't need to go to church every Sunday to be a good Christian. Maybe that makes me a heathen, maybe not. Regardless of what you think of me, I do like to take a church break now and then; a "sick day" so to speak. "Moderation in all things" is something our church promotes and I freely apply it to most everything, including my church attendence. Taking a break keeps me sane. And I'm all for preserving my mental health as long as possible since I know, given my family history, that my mental health is a fleeting thing.

In mid-December I had a little guilt attack, realizing that my attitude about church attendence may start to impact my kids. I started giving some serious thought to how I felt about ALL things church related and realized that my attitude kinda sucked. And then I had this brilliant idea. The Richards needed a reality check. I decided that we should have a family vote: we would either quit going to church OR we would commit to be "all in".

The definition of "all in" was just that: we're in it, completely. We would commit to read our scriptures daily, have weekly FHE, say personal and family prayers, attend church weekly (or as often as possible given work schedules). Quite frankly, I really didn't care which way the vote went. On one hand, it'd be nice not to feel the pressure to go to church every week and experience guilt knowing there was so much more we could be doing to develop our spiritual selves. On the other hand, it'd be nice to have everyone's commitment and support to be "all in". We voted and it was unanimous... the result, "ALL IN".

It's been interesting to see and feel the changes that have been happening in our home over the past month. And it's been great to see the kids step up and remind Ken and me (mostly me) that we're "all in" and that it's time for prayers or scriptures. Though soooo very far from perfect, we have been doing really well with our commitment to be "all in" and are all taking baby steps towards doing the things that will help us build relationships with Heavenly Father and with each other. I think it's a good thing.