The Laundry Faerie

Look what The Laundry Faerie sent to me!! Who doesn't love getting mysterious packages? And it even came in the middle of the night... just like a true Laundry Fairy, because as we all know Laundry Faries are nocturnal! Click the above link to learn more about my friend who also plays a Laundry Fairy at night!

Now to Pay It Forward. Here's how it works:

The first three people to leave a comment on this post will be my Pay It Forward recipients. You have to be an actual person, not a spambot, and you must have a blog so I can read your postings and learn enough about you to make an informed choice about what to send you. When you receive your package from me, post pictures on your blog of what you received, just as I have done -- then copy and paste this text and wait for three comments on your blog... and the game continues on. Ask me if you have any questions.

This isn't one of those games where we try to outdo each other with spending -- inexpensive but well-chosen and thoughtful little gifts are best.

If you think this sounds like fun, please post a comment to get in on this. (You will be required to send me your address privately).

Theno's Dairy

Theno's Dairy on the 202 from Redmond to Woodinville is the place to be in the summer! OK so it hasn't had any improvements for over 50 years! And you get to eat your ice cream in the parking lot.... but it's seriously the best I have ever had. YOU MUST try the canteloupe!


And don't forget the napkins!

Festivus - The Holiday Created by High Expectations

Why is my son perched on top of a stool set upon the coffee table in the living room? FESTIVUS! Or at least and anti-version of Festivus... Let me explain...

The high expectations of the holidays stressed out George's father on the popular TV show - Seinfeld, prompting him to start his own holiday called Festivus, a holiday in which you told you family members all the reasons why you were disappointed with them... and don't forget the dreaded feats of skill!

You might have figured out that I have high expectations for those around me. I leave no room for failure and expect everyone to do better than their best. While I do believe parents and teachers should hold their students and children to high expectations I realize lately I may have taken things too far.

As the school year came to a close, Awsumb's school teacher continued to remind me what a good boy Awsumb is and that he didn't need strict punishments. As all the children his age, Awsumb's big life lesson for the year was learning not to talk back. This included not arguing and simply doing what he was told, even if it didn't make sense. This also included being able to take criticism from teachers, coaches and parents without loosing his temper. During the year a few harsh punishments were dealt as Awsumb struggled to learn this life skill.

These punishments were given out of pure frustration for not being able to help Awsumb learn to deal with conflict in a better manner. Although it was comforting to know that many parents with kids this age were dealing with the same thing, we have always expected more from our son. From the time he was a baby we have expected him to behave like a mini adult. And because Awsumb is such a wonderful little boy, sometimes it's hard to remember he is just a kid.

Determined to break a chain of abuse from my own childhood I spent a lot of time during the toddler and preschool years reading about positive parenting. I could not simply do what had been done to me, because I knew years of belittling would break my child's spirit. Practicing positive parenting techniques helped me teach my child proper behavior by my own example and giving him positive feedback and even reward for his success. But as a child grows out of those days of simple parenting techniques are often set aside for bigger punishments and lectures.

This summer we have spent a lot of time working with Awsumb. Reminding him what a valuable part of our family he is and letting him know that his responsibilities and place in this house are important to us and to keep our family happy and healthy. After a particularly good week we realized Awsumb had really been showing us his true spirit. He has grown to fill the high expectations we have set for him as his kind heart and happy attitude have been on display for all to see. We are so proud of his efforts, but also realize that much of this is simply because of the positive feedback he has been feeding on, encouraging him to grown and shine more each day.

And so last night we decided to celebrate ANTI-FESTIVUS. I placed a stool on the coffee table in the living room and I asked Awsumb to climb up as Kenneth and I praised him for some of the wonderful things he did this week. We also thanked him for the fun times we shared working and playing with him. And of course our little boy just ate it up! We ended with our family cheer, "Try, Try, Try!" I think this will leave a more lasting impression on him that any punishment we could have given him for arguing and talking back.

Which brings us to...

7-11 Free Slurpee Day

2010 BRAIN FREEZE RALLY!

Click to read about our Epic Slurpee Run

What sort of positive parenting techniques do you use for your school children?

Do you celebrate any made up holidays at your house?

Twilight - What have you done to my wife?

I just really don't understand grown women being so obsessed with this drivel... Especially women that should have a little more eternal perspective than to be swept up in such nonsense... poor writing, characters and story not even fully developed... Nonetheless, it sure has captured tons of Desperate Housewives! Check out this hilarious video clip...

The Word is VORNADO!

That's right, it's hot here in the northwest this week and the word of the day is VORNADO!

Most people don't have A/C around here and honestly there is really only a few days or a week that's totally unbearable up here in the Seattle area. So you just have to spend the week at the pool, the mall or at the movie theater. I am pretty sure this is what led our first double header movie day! And of course because it's too hot to cook, eating out! And when we just can't take it anymore we can always just check into the Marriott.

But when we have a couple hot days. And by hot I mean high 80's and 90's, which can feel miserable here, you start to think, "Maybe we should get A/C?!" Unlike other places I have lived and visited one really "feels the weather" here in the northwest. Which is funny considering the climate is much more mild year round.

Yeah, it's wet, but usually between 50-70 year round. And like the grunge bands of the 90's we all simply dress in layers and sometimes are known to wear socks and sandals!

And because of all the moisture when the temps dip into the 40's or heaven forbid the 30's it's just freezing... and vice versa in the summer. 80's are hot and 90's can be simply miserable. But every season I try to conserve energy. In the fall I see how long i can last until I turn on the furnace. I think last year I made it until November. And in the summer we just leave the windows open at night to let in the night air and hope for the best the next day.

So when we have a day like yesterday and the temp reading on my car said 97 and you spend the day working up a storm without air conditioning and the evening at a baseball game in the hot sun, somone is bound to end up with heat exhaustion!

And the word of the day becomes VORNADO. A vornado is not just an ordinary fan you have used in the past. It's really and air circulator! We have beeen using these for years and have them strategically placed around the house. Last summer during a record breaking heatwave we made the mistake of picking up an extra small traditional fan.

We were lucky to find anything because during a heatwave around here the stores are wiped out of fans. We have been so spoiled by our VORNADO's all these years that we forgot how little a regular fan really does except make a loud racket and blow hot air on you. A Vornado placed correctly in a room will move the air in the entire room. There's nothing worse than hot stagnet air. Being able to blow the cool air around the whole room can make quite a difference in your overall comfort.

Vornado's are often priced $20 more than a regular fan, but well worth the cost! If you are in the market for a fan check out your local Vornado display!

Special thanks to Pemco Insurance Northwest Profiles! To learn more about the strange folk that inhabit the Northwest, be sure to check out all the Pemco Insurance Northwest Profiles on You Tube! These just crack me up! Don't miss Blue Tarp Camper!

Sillouette Art

Awsumb Kenneth Hardy - May 2010

Kerry Cook sillouette artist visited my sons school recently. A true sillouette artist simply looks and cuts, using no shadow or tracing. I LOVE sillouette art as it is so classic. Freehand cut sillouettes are really a lost art. I think this artist did a wonderful job at capturing my little boy. If you have the opportunity to have your child sit for a sillouette artist don't miss out!


Jennie Elizabeth Awsumb 1940

I believe my Great Uncle Kenneth Awsumb, who recently passed away may have cut this sillouette of my Grandmother. Kenneth Awsumb was well known for his handmade greeting cards, which we looked forward to every Christmas. Even if he was not the one who created this image of my Grandmother, I know he would appreciate the art!

15th Wedding Anniversary

My Grandfather, Ardin W. Awsumb died just before my 10th Wedding Anniversary. The funeral was bitter-sweet because although we lost Grandpa, during that week I made new memories of my little boy and my own father as they worked with my Uncle C.K. preparing to close up my Grandparents house. After the funeral we were numb and the day of my 10th Anniversary was pretty quite. The day after, however we decided we needed to pull ourselves together and we spend the day in Disneyland with our little one.

This year Kenneth and I celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary in the San Juan Islands. This was the first trip in 15 years that I have been on with Kenneth - WITHOUT a laptop! We didn't even have a cellphone connection while on the island. We rented a log cabin, which Awsumb begged for us to stay in every summer here after. And although the accomodations at Lakedale Resort were pretty nice (a full kitchen, electricity, a master suite, and a loft bedroom for Awsumb with his own bathroom) and the brocure called it "Glamping" I still can hold it over Kenneth's head that he took me CAMPING for our 15th Wedding Anniversary!

We had the most spectacular dinner at The Duck Soup Inn, which is worth the drive including a 2 hour boat ride to San Juan Island just for dinner! Open only on the weekends and serving organic, local, fresh ingredients... this is a true gourmet meal!

We spent the afternoon of our Anniversary picnicing at Lime Kiln Lighthouse and watching for whales. It was a wonderful weekend to just get away and be together and have nothing to do.

Check back for more photos!

When we arrived home we found out my Great Uncle, Kenneth Awsumb had passed away.

(Memorial continued in second post...)

What's for dinner? RESERVATIONS!

You know you have raised your child right when you go out to dinner and he demands his own order of king crab! That's right, at not even nine years old Awsumb has pretty grown up and expensive tastse.

Our family has always enjoyed eating out. All those years before we had children, as Kenneth always likes to say every night was date night. When Awsumb came along things didn't change much. I admit I can be somewhat of a food snob. When Awsumb grew old enough to order off the child's menu I was less than impressed with the offerings. Even specialty restaurants all have the same menu for kids, chicken fingers and fries - yuck!

My answer was to simply have Awsumb share with us. Before I knew it his favorites were sushi, ahi tuna, crab, etc. And, as Awsumb once told a waitress, "Don't forget the parsley!" Awsumb also learned which garnishes should come with which dishes.

We recently took a friend of his along with us and as the friend ordered the usual 'chicken fingers and fries' Awsumb started lecturing him on ordering the type of food that a particular restaurant specializes in. I am glad he has such varied tastes, but I am not sure I am ready to start regularly paying for his own king crab order!

I prefer to eat at non chain restaurants that use local ingredients. Restaurant.com is a great way to try out some of these independent restaurants. $10 buys you $25 at a local restaurant of your choice. Use the code FATHER to receive 70% off your coupons making it $3 for a $25 coupon. ENJOY!

Imaginary Jobs

The Tooth Fairy... just another one of those "imaginary jobs" of Motherhood - love that and totally stole it from a friend! Some times all of these extra imaginary jobs we have to do can be overwhelming. Especially when you feel the need to have a different costume for each one!  (I was recently asked if I had a "Laundry Fairy" costume!)  I don't have a Tooth Fairy costume today, but I was a Tooth Fairy for Halloween in 3rd grade.

You know when you have those dreams about showing up to school or work naked?  I don't have those dreams, but I do dream about showing up for school and not wearing the right cheer leading uniform. Well, my first day on the job as the Tooth Fairy was like that... instead of not wearing the right thing I didn't have any cash!

Awsumb was so nervous about his first loose tooth that he didn't tell me until it was just hanging there. In true "Dennis Awsumb" fashion I said, "let me just wiggle it" and ripped it out! And because I didn't know he had a loose tooth I couldn't prepare ahead. And well, that's about how the next 7 loose ones went as well.

The night I ripped the first one out I only had a $10 bill. And because Kenneth was so mad that I had just ripped the tooth out I felt bad and wrote Awsumb a special note with sparkly pen from the Tooth Fairy... something about being brave. Well, that was a big mistake, from then on Awsumb expected $10 AND a special note. Although I know he loved the money, he really loved the notes too and keeps them in his keepsake box.

Just like so many of the other imaginary and real jobs of Motherhood there is no manual. So of course I learned some of the best ideas AFTER Awsumb had already lost most of his baby teeth ... if you are lucky enough to read this before your babies teeth fall out you can take advantage...

1- Leave a special note from the Tooth Fairy. Use glitter, sparkly pen or special paper.

2- Gold Coins or $2 bills are available at the bank upon request. Get a few now and set them aside. They will be super fun for your child to find and make a great keepsake.

3- Money from around the world. Ask people you know traveling to different countries to bring back coins or a small bill. Explain to your child that the Tooth Fairy travels all over the world and often has the wrong currency. Help your child find the country on a map and take the opportunity to do a little research together.

4- Glitter! Don't forget to leave a trail of glitter! (If you suffer from OCD skip idea #4... cleaning up glitter is just too maddening!)

What do you do when you don your Tooth Fairy costume?

Making The Home A Sacred Place

Through my daily struggle to break the chains of abuse from my own childhood I must be continually conscious of my parenting decisions. This is why I carefully study the women around me and why learning about attachment parenting, positive discipline and the continuum concept have been so important to me.

I was just reading this talk from Elder M. Russell Ballard given to Mothers and Daughters April 2010 regarding the divine role of Mothers.

I would like to share with you a few passages that are significant to my own life...

"I understand that some of you young women do not have mothers with whom you can discuss these issues. And many of you women do not presently have daughters in your lives. But because all women have within their divine nature both the inherent talent and the stewardship to mother, most of what I will say applies equally to grandmothers, aunts, sisters, stepmothers, mothers-in-law, leaders, and other mentors who sometimes fill the gaps for these significant mother-daughter relationships."

He goes onto talk about the importance of being nurturing....

"Teach your daughters to find joy in nurturing children. This is where their love and talents can have the greatest eternal significance. Consider in this context President Harold B. Lee’s injunction that “the most important . . . work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes.”

Elder Ballard defines a nurturing parent in The Sacred Responsibilities of Parenthood, a speech from August 2003.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World "teaches that "mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children." Nurturing refers to parenting behaviors such as warmth, support, bonding, attachment, recognizing each child's unique needs and abilities, and attending to children's needs. Nurturing in and of itself is more important in the development of a child than is any particular method or technique of child rearing. It hardly needs saying that nurturing is best carried out in a stable, safe family context."
And finally my complete objective as I strive to be a good mother...

"A mother's nurturing love arouses in children, from their earliest days on earth, an awakening of the memories of love and goodness they experience in their premortal existence, Because our mothers love us, we learn, or more accurately remember, that God also loves us."
To my Auntie Laurel and other women in my life who "fill in the gaps" to help me feel God's love - Thank you! When we strive to provide a place for our children to launch from and return to each day, where they know they will feel God's love... what more can we do?