Does Your Child Measure Up?

Today I came across a wonderful blog article that made me tear up a little at the innocence of youth and thinking of any and everything I can do to try to make Liam's the best that it can possibly be for him. I do what I can, and am not too far off on what this had to say, which is amazing that I can compliment myself on that. We are so hard on ourselves as parents, and I love reminders that our cooking and reading, and play doh and mud everywhere is important when I start to worry about whether or not Liam is where he should be in life. I always remember with speech and how boys talk slower what a friend on mine once said to me. As long as they can talk by the time kindergarten starts, they will be just fine haha. I know I sometimes measure Liam up to others and hear the eloquent speech of some girls in his class and wonder if he is behind. I have to step back and remember that Liam can convey whatever he wants in his shorter sentences and don't need to throw in extra words, and that I almost always know what it is that he wants or needs or wants to say and that is all that really matters, because he can create some amazing things and his intelligence DOES shine through already! 

This article was geared at 4 year olds and my son is only 3 but the sentiment is the same for any age child, especially this delicate toddler and approaching early primary school age years.  The premise of the piece is that parents are always trying to measure and size their parents up to other kids of the same age, younger and older to see if they own children are on track and where they need to be as far as intellectual and physical developmental level.  I know that I have found myself doing it with Liam as well.  And I have had had other parents grill me about Liam's ability to see where to place their children in regards to my child.  Now I am not saying that having pride in your child is a bad thing.  This is a wonderful thing.  You SHOULD be proud of your child no matter where they fall within this spectrum.  I know that there are certain things that the pediatrician will want to know about where your child is so that they can determine if they need to look into any learning, mental, speech disabilities, but otherwise your child could be on any level.  Traditionally, girls learn to do a lot of things much faster than boys.  I have to constantly remind myself of this when I find myself measuring Liam up to girls in his class that are almost a full year older than him.  As a toddler a year is a HUGE difference, and the majority of girls become much better speakers so much faster than boys.  

What was the meat of the message and the most important thing that we ALL need to remember as parents is that the most important things that we will teach our children are things like love.  Ways to adapt to life in the world, how to stand up for themselves, how to find compassion and appreciation for life.  How to be gentle and kind to creatures and people who may not be as strong or as able as them.  They should know how to give and receive love.  They should know that they are safe when they are with you and that you love them whether they are right or wrong.  They should know independence and curiosity in the world around them. They should know balance and limits and how to push past limits in a positive way.  They should know that there are both good and bad consequences to anything that they do.  They should know how to handle themselves in an emergency situation, how to contact help or go to someone safe for help.  They should know how to trust their own intuition and how to listen to and trust their judgement.  They should know when to walk away from a situation that does not feel safe.  They should know what would not be acceptable, how to say no when something is not right.  They should know how to experiment and enjoy the world around them.  They should know the grandeur of storytelling and learning the beauty that is a storybook.  They should learn how valuable books really are.  They should know how to create and destroy and recreate something.  

I could really go on forever, but I think you get the point.  The most important thing we need to teach our children is how to be who they are in the most extravagant, beautiful and magical way no matter what that means. They should know that they are loved and supported and safe.  The speech will come when the time is right, just like the math and the reading on one's own and writing.  EVERY child is a beautiful and unique snowflake.  They will ALL learn differently from one another and they are each their own individual.  We should embrace that in them and help them blossom into the most beautiful flowers that the world has ever seen.  This is really the best way to make a difference in the world...  By being the best parents we can be, by not sweating the small stuff, leading by example and most importantly by teaching them that only in love will there be peace.  

If you would like to find the original article it can be found at: What should a 4 year old know?

Frozen

This was the first movie that Liam ever saw in the theater.  Grandma was here and insisted on taking Liam to his first movie, and auntie Shayna came along as well.  I was very worried about Liam going to see a movie and actually sitting still through it at his age (he is three in case you don't know).  He actually did remarkably well...  Now as far as the movie selection, the big Disney movie showing at that time was Frozen.  It started off kind of awkward with the new revival initiative of Disney to try to add on snippets of old black and white Mickey cartoons at the beginning of movies.  Now Disney makes a living on mostly children's movies, and in so doing you think they would have picked a bit more of a tasteful excerpt.  Instead we had a cow flashing her udders and someone kidnapping and trying ti simulated take advantage of Minnie Mouse....  Now I didn't have a problem seeing it myself, but I did think that Disney studios have to know the society of parents and children right now and that it probably wasn't the greatest choice to show before a kid's movie....  With that being said let's move on to the actual movie.
Frozen is about two sisters Anna & Elsa.  Elsa is the elder sister and has a magic with ice, winter, snow.  This is something that can be used by evil if anyone were to find out and so her parents force her to hide it from everyone so that no one will ever be hurt, forcing her to look herself away while growing up.  Anna is the littler sister that has no idea why her sister is locking herself away and is spending her life being lonely.  When Elsa accidentally released some of her power on her coronation she runs away leaving Anna to fend for herself.  Anna only wants to find love and to have her sister as a friend, so they set out on a treacherous journey with unlikely allies in an attempt to save her sister and her kingdom.

Voices featured in this movie:
Anna is voiced by Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars, Sarah Marshall, Gossip Girl)
Elsa is voiced by Idina Menzel (Rent, Enchanted, Glee, wife of Taye Diggs)
Kristoff (an unlikely ally) is voiced by Jonathan Goff (Glee)

Frozen is a 3D computer animated musical fantasy comedy movie.  It was released in 2013 and is the 53rd Disney movie to be released.  It is loosely based on the story the Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson, which may explain why it has a bit of an older feel to it.   So far is has grossed $764 million worldwide and has won several awards.  The awards won include Golden Globe & Critic's Choice for Best Animated Feature as well as Critic's Choice award for Best Original Song for "Let It Go" also sung by Idina Menzel.  Frozen became Fandango's top advance ticket seller among animated features beating out Brave.  It is the 4th highest grossing 2013 film.


Disney has been looking at producing their version of the Snow Queen since the 1940s but had trouble getting the story to a place where they felt that the audience could relate to it.  They had a hard time modernizing it and trying to lighten up an originally dark and seemingly inhumane story.  One main way in which this happened was by making Anna & Elsa sisters.  In the late 1990s Disney picked the story back up and worked on it for almost a decade before it was scrapped again in 2002.  In 2008 a new idea with the film was pitched by director Chris Buck under the title of Anna & the Snow Queen with plans to use traditional animation and portray the Snow Queen as light-hearted as opposed to a villain, but by early 2010, there were again complications with making the story work.  In December of 2011 after the success of Tangled Disney decided to again pick up the story and move forward with 3D and a new development team.  With the character Anna now being written by Chris Buck as the Snow Queen's little sister they were able to show new dimensions in the relationships of the characters while subtracting a lot of the darkness away from the story.  Jennifer Lee (one of the screenwriters from Wreck-It-Ralph) was brought onto the team.  Her work and involvement became so involved and extensive that she ended up being promoted from screenwriter to songwriter and pre-devlopment and was brought up to director alongside Chris Buck.  This was a major accomplishment as in all of these years Jennifer Lee became the first woman to direct a full-length animated motion picture by Walt Disney Animation Studios. 

Frozen had a very nice clear and crisp picture.  It was definitely a musical and seemed like there were more songs than dialogue.  The songs were quite pretty though and easy to sing along.  I did however feel that the theme of the movie was more directed at the tweens-pre-teen age group as opposed to the younger crowd.  There wasn't much for a young child to relate to like there is in some Disney movies.  Liam was definitely enthralled with the snowman Olaf and I myself found Sven the reindeer to be the best character in the movie.  I did notice that with the older theme, that when the sister Anna finds her independence and possibly older, slightly darker stage that her whole appearance changed, her hair was now in a messed braid instead of in a tight orderly braid, and she was wearing a lower cute almost sheer dress, it was definitely showing that becoming darker is sexier and more appealing...  but perhaps I was reading too much into it.  On a positive note it did a great job of showing the independence of women and was the first Disney film to question a woman marrying a man that she just met.  There was the grand theme that true love comes in many forms.  My adult self sees Disney movies in a different light and as a mother knowing how much every little detail is sponged into the minds of youth.  Overall I give this film 4 out of 5 stars.  I would give it 5 stars because it had great songs and great characters, but it seems like there were a lot of holes in the story and if given more time it could have told more about the story instead of just touching upon elements such as Anna's power and the Trolls.

You can visit Disney's Official Site here: Frozen

I suggest not watching this hilarious unnecessarily censored video of excerpts from the movie unless you have seen it already,  It could ruin it for you.

Humility in Life

Today was another one of those days where everything seems to be going wrong and it feels like a "Monday."  I woke up 20 minutes late, I was rushing all morning and finally getting back to schedule, drop Liam off and come out to leave for work and my car won't start.  It was obvious that my battery had died, so I went back inside and asked if anyone could help me jump start my car.  I had jumper cables and just needed another car.  It was all women that I could find and they all found ti hard to believe that I would know how to use jumper cables and wouldn't assist me.  Everyone just kept telling me to call roadside assistance and couldn't fathom that I only had liability on my car like I was a crazy person.  Eventually a man in an Air Force uniform came along and offered to help, I told him I just needed a car and I could do it, he insisted that I go sit in my car and he would handle it.  Unfortunately I come from somewhere where people do know how to use jumper cables so I was too trusting.  I was trying to watch from under the hood from the inside of the car and something seemed to be off.  The guy was seeming a little too nervous to me.  So I got out of my car to assist him when my car started smoking and there were sparks.  It turns out that he had hooked up to my fuse box instead of my battery.  Although I am grateful for his effort in trying to help me, I wish he would have decided otherwise if he didn't know what he was doing.  Needless to say this ended up costing me close to $250 and a few hours of my time, but luckily it appears that my car is drivable again.


At this point I was definitely not feeling at the top of my game and wasn't in the greatest mood.  I was doing my best to try to look at the bright side of the situation when I heard a man speak that changes my day and my attitude around completely.  This man was in a very sad state of mind.  He was a low point in his life and he chose to be brave and share his struggles and he talked about having lost everything in his life that mattered to him, his job, his home, his wife and most of all his children.  This story touched my to my core.  Here I was down about something so trivial when I have so much to be thankful for.  I get to wake up to my amazing son, I get to laugh with him, hug him, kiss him, and put him to bed every night.  I get to watch him learn and grow before his eyes.  I could lose everything in life but as long as I still have him, I will always have something to be thankful for.

Since we are on the topic of humility I came across something else the other day that also touched my heart and made me so sad in less than one minute.  I feel like this message of this video definitely needs to be shared, and so I am now sharing it with you.  I could go on and on about this message, but for now I will let the video tell the story and we can address this topic at a later date.  Take this powerful message to heart. 

Chicken & Dumplings

Such a delicious Winter meal when the cold is coming in and you aren't feeling at the top of your game.  I prefer this to Chicken Noodle Soup when I am wanting to eat something that is wholesome and creamy and still has the broth and chicken to make you feel better.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts (Chopped)

2 Tbsp Butter 

6 Cups Chicken Stock

3 Celery Stalks (Chopped)

5 Carrots (Peeled & Chopped)

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

1/3 Cup Flour

Seasoning (Alpine Touch, Thyme, Oregano, Parsley, Crushed Rosemary, Garlic Powder)

Dumplings:

2/3 Cup Milk

2 Cups Bisquick Mix

 Directions:

Add the chicken, butter and seasonings to a frying pan and cook on medium-high heat until thoroughly browned.  

Add the chicken stock, celery and carrots to a pot and bring to a boil.  Boil until the chicken is done and then add the chicken.  Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.  Add the cream and flour and cook on low-medium heat for another 10 minutes to thicken.  Turn to simmer.

Combine the milk and Bisquick mix in a bowl until sticky.  Using a spoon or your hands drop small sized blobs (they expand once the liquid gets into them) until the mixture is gone.  Sprinkle some garlic powder on top, cover the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

Add caption

Add the chicken, butter and seasoning to a skillet

Add veggies and broth to a large pan, and continue cooking the chicken

Add the chicken to the broth

Add the flour and cream to the broth

Mix together your dumpling dough in a separate bowl

Add the dumplings to the soup and top with garlic powder

Serve & Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cupcakes!

I know that this deviates from the norm of me cooking from scratch and that we just made these from a box, but it was still fun for Liam and I and very delicious and worth the photos!  Just wanted to share the fun that we had following someone else's directions for once!  I definitely recommend it though very delicious and lots of fun and a wee bit messy!  It is really hard to get out, so I recommend an apron or not wearing a white shirt like I was haha. 

Meditation Jar: Our Attempt

I posted a blog a couple of days ago with a few DIY kid projects that I wanted Liam and I to try.  We decided to try the meditation jar ourselves.  It turned out quite well overall.  Liam had a wonderful time and it was minimal mess.  We had one small mishap when I accidentally hit the table and spilled one of the bottles before the water was in it, but we cleaned it up easily.
We followed the steps but not in the exact order.  The two changes we would make would be that  we should have put the glitter in after the water so that there was no glue globs and that we would not have put as much food coloring in, but with Liam in charge it still turned out great!  The pictures don't show the glitter as well as in person.
I was really excited to try this out as the alternative to timeout to see if it would be effective on Liam or not.  Later in the day we did end up needing to use it, and when it was a time that I would have put Liam into timeout, I had him take one of the bottles and shake it up.  The first time he wanted a different color than the one I handed to him but then he calmed down right away.  However the second time it was amazing, once I could get it into his hand and have him shake it up and tell him to watch the glitter fall to the bottom, almost instantly he was calm and didn't even need to wait for the glitter to finish falling and he could go on with his day!  I truly couldn't believe it.  I know it sounds really hoaxy, but I swear that is exactly how it worked.  No idea if it will continue to work this way or not, but it's nice to at least have another effective step of some way to get Liam in control of his feelings and change the situation without timeout. 

Supplies:
- Plastic Bottle (or you can use the mason jar or baby food jar that was in the original post)
- Glitter Glue
- Food Coloring
- Warm Water

Directions:
Mix about 1 tablespoon of glitter glue with 1 cup of warm water...depending on the size of your bottle. We decided to do more than one so that there would be options.  I noticed that each time it was needed Liam wanted to try a different color.  I also changed to a  plastic bottle from glass so that it was not as easily breakable.  

Here are our step by step photos!  Enjoy and good luck, I would love to see any photos and hear any stories of anyone else who has or does try this out!  Good luck, it worked fabulously for us.

Getting our supplies ready

Adding the Glitter Glue

Adding Food Coloring

Add Warm Water & Shake

If You want to see the original DIY:Activities Blog Click: DIY Kid Activities

Decide What I Cook! January Edition!

Here we are, the first chance in 2014 to get your vote in to decide what I should cook.  I will cook the winning dish and post the recipe with my alteration or improvisations as well as step-by-step photos!  This doesn't work unless I get voter participation, so it all depends on you as my readers!  I leave the voting open for 7 days for everyone to have the chance to get their votes in!  Thank you all in advance for your continued support and participation!  To vote just comment a letter and number to indicate your choice.

Main Dishes:

Option A: Herb & Citrus Roast Leg of Lamb
You can never go wrong with delicious lamb, and this one looks quite succulent.

Original Recipe: Herb Citrus Roast Leg of Lamb














Option B: Sauteed Scallops with Parsley & Garlic
Scallops are my favorites of all the shellfish, and this recipe sounds delicious!

Original Recipe: Sauteed Scallops











Option C: Plum Pork Tenderloin
Plum and Pork make a savory combination.

Original Recipe: Plum Pork Tenderloin











Option D: Sweet & Sour Chicken-Apricot Skewers
I am intrigued by this recipe and would love to try it.

Original Recipe: Sweet & Sour Chicken Apricot Skewers











Desserts

Option 1: Black Forest Pavlova with Espresso Cream
Orgasm in my mouth...  need I say more?

Original Recipe: Black Forest Pavlova











Option 2: Pear & Pistachio Crisp
I really wonder what this combination would taste like.

Original Recipe: Pear & Pistachio Crisp









Option 3: Caramel Filled Brownies
The delicious warm gooeyness....  Yum

Original Recipe: Caramel Filled Brownies








Option 4: Apple Bread Pudding Cake
Bread Pudding... Good...  Apple...  Good....  Cake....  Good what could go wrong?

Original Recipe: Apple Bread Pudding Cake









There are your choices!  Now get your votes in :)  Thank you in advance.

Temple of The Winds: Sword of Truth Series

I know I have been slacking in my reading and book reviewing, I started this book quite some time ago, and with work, the holidays, company it took a lot longer than anticipated to finally make it through the rest of this book.  The Temple of the Winds is the 4th book int he Sword of Truth Series and really touches upon quite a few areas in the beliefs of all of the characters within.  Just when you think that maybe everyone can have some peace for a minute more Hell breaks lose with the continued forward press of Jagang.  This was the first book that didn't really feature any epic battle scenes yet.

This book follows Blood of the Fold and we are opened up to a Wizard that is sent by Jagang to kill Richard.  Ever being more than it seems, Richard is presented with a bound fork prophecy that reads:
On the red moon will come a firestorm. The one bonded to the blade will watch as his people die.  If he does nothing, then he, and all those he loves will die in its heat...  To quench the inferno, he must seek the remedy in the wind. Lightning will find him on that path, for the one in white, his true beloved, will betray him in her blood.

With this huge disaster hanging over there heads they must set out to find the meaning and again look to find ways to get around the prophecy.  Overall int he series I would say that this book is more of a fill int he background of the wizards from the old war and let us learn more about prophecy and Nathan.  There is a lot of setting up events and making you feel bleak and hopeless in this book.  I think it sets up for book 5 quite nicely (Soul of the Fire). 

We have a lot of the same characters from Blood of the Fold that return to our story to include of course Richard and Kahlan, Zedd who is with the Prelate Anna, Verna & Warren.  As I said before we get to know Nathan a lot more in this book as well as his traveling companion Clarissa who is new to us.  Cara, Berdine & Raina the mord sith are still around protecting Richard and we get to know two other characters, the healers Nadine from Richard's homeland and Drefan from a brotherhood of healers.  And of course it wouldn't be a book without a little bit of meddling from the witch woman Shota.  Last but not least Jagang plays an ever present background of threat hiding behind his minions and dark sisters. We are missing in Adie humor unfortunately throughout this book.

Once again we have to wonder if Richard & Kahlan are doomed to be separated by events and prophecies beyond their control and wonder if they will ever get married.  Richard must sacrifice all of himself if he is to make the New World come together in an effort to stand against Jagang's Imperial Army.  We get to see the inner working behind the diplomacy of his efforts and wonder at what the future might bring.  We know the war is coming but when will it strike and how? 

One cannot forget that there isn't a Sword of Truth book without a Wizard's Rule.  As with the 3 before we are not introduced to the Wizard's Fourth Rule: There is magic in sincere forgiveness, the magic to heal. In forgiveness you grant, but more so, in forgiveness you receive. —Chapter 41, p. 398, U.S. hardcover edition.  It is explained in the novel as follows: "Forgiving and being forgiven are powerful elements of healing for the soul. Forgiving others grants by the giving of forgiveness but more so one receives self healing by the necessity of letting go of bitterness through forgiveness of others." 
The wizard's third rule: Passion rules reason. "Letting your emotions control your reason may cause trouble for yourself and those around you."
And back to the wizard's second rule: The greatest harm can result from the best intentions. "It sounds a paradox, but kindness and good intentions can be an insidious path to destruction. Sometimes doing what seems right is wrong, and can cause harm. The only counter to it is knowledge, wisdom, forethought, and understanding the First Rule. Even then, that is not always enough. [...] Violation can cause anything from discomfort, to disaster, to death."
And of course the Wizard's First Rule: "People are stupid."  "People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People's heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool.
 If you are interested in reading my book reviews of the three previous novels you can check them out at:

Blood of the Fold: Book 3

Stone of Tears: Book 2

Wizard's First Rule: Book 1

Lilo & Stitch

This is the beginning to a run of 3 other movies that were all definitely watchable on repeat with a toddler.  In time I will review them all, but I can't review the following story without starting at the beginning.  Lilo & Stitch is one of those Disney movies that I somehow missed until I watched it for the first time with Liam.  I must say that I was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed the storyline.

Lilo & Stitch is about a Hawaiian girl whose parents have died and she is being raised by her big sister Nani.  She feels very alone in the world and wishes for a friend.  Nani takes her to the pound to get a dog and she ends up adopting Stitch.  Far from a canine, Stitch is actually an alien that is on the run from the law of his own planet and is hiding out as a fugitive on Earth.  He is the creation of an evil scientist who has been sent with an Earth expert to capture him and bring him back in for justice.  There is a larger Elvis presence throughout the film and his impact on Hawaii and Lilo.

Lilo & Stitch was released in June of 2002.  It is the 42nd animated Walt Disney feature.  It was written and directed by Chris Sanders who also wrote all other Lilo movies as well as both Croods movies, How to Train Your Dragon, Mulan I and II, The Lion King, Aladdin and Beauty & the Beast. He also plays the voice of Stitch.  It was nominated for an Academy Award for best Animated Film but did not win. 


There are a lot of famous voices in Lilo & Stitch
Lilo is voiced by Daveigh Chase (Samantha in Donnie Darko and in S. Darko)
Stitch is voiced by Chris Sanders who also wrote the screenplay
Nani is voiced by Tia Carrere (Wayne's World)
David (Nani's love interest) is voiced by Jason Scott Lee (Bruce Lee's Dragon)
Cobra Bubbles (Social Worker) is voiced by Ving Rhames (Mission Impossible series)
Jumba (Stitch's creator) is voiced by David Ogden Stiers (Cogsworth, MASH)

Chis Sanders (the writer and director) had originally created the story about Stitch in 1985 for an unsuccessful children's story pitch.   The storyline required a remote non-urban location and was originally going to take place in Kansas.  Deciding to change the location to the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i was a major decision, as no Disney movies had previously taken place in Hawaii.  Dean Deblois cowrote with Sanders ad he had done with Mulan previously. Disney wanted to keep this low-budget so everything remained pretty small until final production which lead the set and character designs to Sander's own personal style.  On location research the tour guide for Kaua'i explained the meaning of the word "ohana" in regards to family.  This ended up becoming a major concept for the movie.  Tia Carrere and Jason Scott Lee (Both raised in Hawaii assisted in rewriting the script to show true Hawaiian dialect and colloquialism).

Sanders chose to use watercolor backgrounds that had been long abandoned by most Disney films at the time.  They were used in films such as Dumbo and Snow White.  This was to flow with the story and with Sanders unique artwork.  He wanted the artists to be more in tune with their medium.  As you may notice the people in Lilo & Stitch are portrayed vastly different from people in any other Disney Animation.  The body shape especially with the extra long legs and the torsos always stood out as different to me, and now I know why.  Sanders also wanted the extra terrestrial objects to be similar to marine life.

Deleted Scenes include a major change int he original story where Stitch was an intergalactic gang leader and Jumba was one of his followers but that changed to Jumba being Stitches creator.   Also at the end Stitch originally flew a Boeing 747 to rescue Lilo but after the September 11th attacks this was changed to have Stitch flying a spaceship instead. 

Lilo & Stitch opened at #2 less than $500,000 behind Minority Report with $35 million.  Overall finishing with $273 million worldwide. 

Overall I find that this is a wonderful story and possesses a lot of great elements and lessons that don't always exist in Disney movies and can be hard to get the message across including death of parents, being raised by your sister, Social Workers, aliens, depression, bullying, etc.  I give it 5 stars out of 5 and highly recommend it to anyone.  Check it out if you missed out on it like I did and revisit it if it has been awhile.

The official Disney site: Lilo & Stitch