'Create the opportunity' This phrase has been rattling around in my head for the past week and a half. As I sat with Owen's speech therapist in our weekly session last week we were practicing some signs and vowel sounds, when she said something that just struck me. She said that when working on Owen's speech development we need to 'create the opportunity' to use signs and words to describe our actions.
Makes perfect sense, right? Say we're eating dinner and he's obviously anxious and wants more... don't just give in. Ask him first while using the sign for 'more' and try to have him mimic your words or actions to 'create the opportunity' to exercises his skills and abilities. I guess in some sense we've been doing things like this for some time in our day to day with the kids. Example: when Owen might be interested in a specific toy or snack- we put it on the coffee table to make him use his muscles to stand. We have been doing things like this for Ashton since we first recognized his gross motor delay.. put the toy just out of reach so he has to work for it, only let him walk while hanging on to one hand instead of two while he's distracted, ect, ect.. I think all parents do this to some degree to nudge their children along as a way of nurturing their skills and abilities to their full potential .
It occurred to me that as adults we don't flinch at the though of maybe taking an extra minute to create an opportunity for our children, but when it comes to ourselves... we typically don't give that though a single moment of regard. We many times look over those moments that could be pivotal in creating opportunity for ourselves. Whether that opportunity be personal, professional or for pleasure... we need to remind ourselves to be consciously aware and willing to stop and hit the pause button to take that moment- create that moment. Carpe diem folks!
I'm not talking about getting a shower in while the kids are napping or loading the dishwasher while you talk to your Dad. That's multitasking... I'm talking about seizing those moments to nurture your own skills. abilities and interests for personal gain or the greater good of mankind. As adults- we can't be too proud to set the bar a touch higher than we are comfortable with, to apply for a job that might be a little more than you think your resume qualifies you for, to have faith in God and the universe for the unknown, to know that even when things seem impossible they just might work out... and in the most surprising and wonderful ways.
I know that in some way, shape or form I was meant to have that phrase roll around in my head and on the tip of my consciousness for the last week. I don't claim to have any type of ESP, but as most of you have read in my previous blogs- I have faith in a master plan and that phrase was a piece that was suppose to mean something to me. The good news, I picked it up! Have faith, have hope and have a minute to create an opportunity.
Love and Hugs to you all,
Sarah
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Water, Water Everywhere...
There are many hobbies and interest I've put on the back burner since starting a family. I'm not resentful in any way to sideline some of the time for my personal interests to rediscover the world of duplo lego blocks, crayons, playdough and cartoons. I have definatly developed a love for those things in the most recent years too.
For the most part, I try to encourage and incorporate my own interests and the shared interests of Shelby and I into fun activities for our children to enjoy too. It's pretty easy to get the kids outdoors, into the kitchen, in a book or in the boat without much of a production... I'm thankful to my Dad chose to include me in his hobbies and interests too. Most of all, I am glad that he shared his love of fishing with me. I LOVE TO FISH! I'm proud to say that I can tie my own line, bait my own hooks and land my own fish. I understand thermoclines, structure, the importance of presentation and weather patterns on the behavior of fish. Fishing is an activity I enjoy above most others.
Shelby just got back from a nice Canadian fishing trip with most of the Fox clan. I am incredibly glad that he was able to go with for the week. I had some severe reservations about him leaving me home with our three babies for an entire week, but the kids and I kept busy and the week actually went by pretty fast... and Shelby played the thoughtful husband card well. He had a very nice potted deck planter scheduled for deliver on the 4th day that he was gone. It was a very nice pick-me-up to help this Mommy make it through to the home stretch. He was sure to add some comic relief to the situation by picking out a planter card that read 'Wishing You Success'.
It killed me to pack Shelby's clothes, get the gear and food ready for another Canadian trip without me. I couldn't help but selfishly think... It would seriously take me 10 minutes to pack a bag, grab my gear and go. It'll take me less than 8 hours if I drive straight through... I've done it alone before. I've got my passport up to date... now, I just need somebody to watch the kids for a couple of days and I could go too.
Truth is, they already had four people in our boat and five wouldn't have been much fun- even for a couple of days. I had capable and caring hands that I could have left the babies with, but the timing was off. Shelby knows just how much I love and miss going with him- and I'm sure he wouldn't have been surprised in the least if I had shown up ready to go fishing. Canada is my little slice of heaven. I love the peaceful solitude of the lake and the disconnect from the wired world... the only technology that we have that works up there is our depth finder and camera- and that's how I like it.
Most days we are lucky if we see a single boat that isn't part of our crew- we probably will see more bi-planes than boats. With our paper maps in hand we plot out the lakes we want to hit and the new ones we want to find. We find the ugliest abandoned pulp roads and plow down them. We don't leave camp without a chain saw, axe, fix a flat, winch or marine radio. We don't care if our truck gets scratched or boat gets a little bump from a rock, because it will happen- they're just battle scars and part of the fun. Most of the landings we go down are a few kilometers long and you'd be lucky not to need any of the tools I mentioned to get to the lake.... and that's my heaven. It's full of rocks, pine trees, crappy roads, campers, campfires, bears, moose, islands, rocks and FISH. I love to rock a pair of awesome shoes, makeup, funky hair cut and all things girly- but I'll trade them any day for a day on the lake with my favorite fishing partner, St. Croix rod, and tackle box that's at least 5 times bigger than my purse.
Soon enough we'll be able to take our Canadian trip as a family again- that was fun! All three kids enjoy the outdoors and fishing as much as we do and sharing that love with them is the best! Ashton is a Canadian veteran and has been there twice and Kiera has been there once. Even though both Ashton and Kiera had been to Canada by the time they were Owen's age, fear is what keeps me from bringing Owen this year. His daily medications add a layer of complication to the trip. Giving him meds while away from home isn't the problem, it's getting him the meds he needs if we have a problem.
I can't help but shaking the thought of 'what if' we hit a rock and punctured the hull of the boat, what if Owen falls in the water, what if his meds are lost, what if we can't warm him up after falling in and we don't have the emergency meds to give him, what would we do? How would we get him the care he needs? He's just so little yet and can't tell us what he needs or how he feels.. What if he gets bit by bug and has a reaction... where would we take him? what if...
I know most of these thoughts are leaning to the neurotic side, but I can't help but contemplate the possibilities. We could play it safe and not visit the remote areas that we so love, but I think we would be shorting them and us on the experience of 'our' Canada. I think in another year or so I'll feel better about bringing my little buddy- when he can more easily communicate how his body feels and tell us what he needs. That's probably the biggest hurdle of our hormone management... it's all on gut and patterns for us until he can tell us different. I need more certainty to feel secure enough to bring him along- I'm sure he won't mind this year ;)
For now, I am happy to settle with a quick run to the nearest lake with the boat and bait. It doesn't really matter if the lake is frozen or not... we're fully equipped for both and so are the kids! Our trips to our local lakes have gotten more exciting with the addition to the kids- because they aren't staying home! It's very obvious that our kids love to fish too- they frequently practice with their kiddie poles in the house and turn practice into play when we hit the water. These days they usually catch more fish than Shelby and I do- and we don't mind a bit.
I think there is a sort of irony in the 'master plan' when we consider how much Shelby and I both love fishing. Shelby and I don't really get into televised sports or any other sports for that matter, we don't have many other hobbies that require huge chunks of time, and we most always agree on our fishing spending splurges. If we had a choice of most activities and fishing.. we would rather hit the lake and we're thankful our kids seem to feel the same way. You don't have to be physically tough athlete, you don't have to be able to walk or run perfectly, you aren't ever too young or too old- you just have to be able to hold a stick or willing to ride along on the water...
The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of that which is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.
For the most part, I try to encourage and incorporate my own interests and the shared interests of Shelby and I into fun activities for our children to enjoy too. It's pretty easy to get the kids outdoors, into the kitchen, in a book or in the boat without much of a production... I'm thankful to my Dad chose to include me in his hobbies and interests too. Most of all, I am glad that he shared his love of fishing with me. I LOVE TO FISH! I'm proud to say that I can tie my own line, bait my own hooks and land my own fish. I understand thermoclines, structure, the importance of presentation and weather patterns on the behavior of fish. Fishing is an activity I enjoy above most others.
Shelby just got back from a nice Canadian fishing trip with most of the Fox clan. I am incredibly glad that he was able to go with for the week. I had some severe reservations about him leaving me home with our three babies for an entire week, but the kids and I kept busy and the week actually went by pretty fast... and Shelby played the thoughtful husband card well. He had a very nice potted deck planter scheduled for deliver on the 4th day that he was gone. It was a very nice pick-me-up to help this Mommy make it through to the home stretch. He was sure to add some comic relief to the situation by picking out a planter card that read 'Wishing You Success'.
It killed me to pack Shelby's clothes, get the gear and food ready for another Canadian trip without me. I couldn't help but selfishly think... It would seriously take me 10 minutes to pack a bag, grab my gear and go. It'll take me less than 8 hours if I drive straight through... I've done it alone before. I've got my passport up to date... now, I just need somebody to watch the kids for a couple of days and I could go too.
Truth is, they already had four people in our boat and five wouldn't have been much fun- even for a couple of days. I had capable and caring hands that I could have left the babies with, but the timing was off. Shelby knows just how much I love and miss going with him- and I'm sure he wouldn't have been surprised in the least if I had shown up ready to go fishing. Canada is my little slice of heaven. I love the peaceful solitude of the lake and the disconnect from the wired world... the only technology that we have that works up there is our depth finder and camera- and that's how I like it.
Most days we are lucky if we see a single boat that isn't part of our crew- we probably will see more bi-planes than boats. With our paper maps in hand we plot out the lakes we want to hit and the new ones we want to find. We find the ugliest abandoned pulp roads and plow down them. We don't leave camp without a chain saw, axe, fix a flat, winch or marine radio. We don't care if our truck gets scratched or boat gets a little bump from a rock, because it will happen- they're just battle scars and part of the fun. Most of the landings we go down are a few kilometers long and you'd be lucky not to need any of the tools I mentioned to get to the lake.... and that's my heaven. It's full of rocks, pine trees, crappy roads, campers, campfires, bears, moose, islands, rocks and FISH. I love to rock a pair of awesome shoes, makeup, funky hair cut and all things girly- but I'll trade them any day for a day on the lake with my favorite fishing partner, St. Croix rod, and tackle box that's at least 5 times bigger than my purse.
Soon enough we'll be able to take our Canadian trip as a family again- that was fun! All three kids enjoy the outdoors and fishing as much as we do and sharing that love with them is the best! Ashton is a Canadian veteran and has been there twice and Kiera has been there once. Even though both Ashton and Kiera had been to Canada by the time they were Owen's age, fear is what keeps me from bringing Owen this year. His daily medications add a layer of complication to the trip. Giving him meds while away from home isn't the problem, it's getting him the meds he needs if we have a problem.
I can't help but shaking the thought of 'what if' we hit a rock and punctured the hull of the boat, what if Owen falls in the water, what if his meds are lost, what if we can't warm him up after falling in and we don't have the emergency meds to give him, what would we do? How would we get him the care he needs? He's just so little yet and can't tell us what he needs or how he feels.. What if he gets bit by bug and has a reaction... where would we take him? what if...
I know most of these thoughts are leaning to the neurotic side, but I can't help but contemplate the possibilities. We could play it safe and not visit the remote areas that we so love, but I think we would be shorting them and us on the experience of 'our' Canada. I think in another year or so I'll feel better about bringing my little buddy- when he can more easily communicate how his body feels and tell us what he needs. That's probably the biggest hurdle of our hormone management... it's all on gut and patterns for us until he can tell us different. I need more certainty to feel secure enough to bring him along- I'm sure he won't mind this year ;)
For now, I am happy to settle with a quick run to the nearest lake with the boat and bait. It doesn't really matter if the lake is frozen or not... we're fully equipped for both and so are the kids! Our trips to our local lakes have gotten more exciting with the addition to the kids- because they aren't staying home! It's very obvious that our kids love to fish too- they frequently practice with their kiddie poles in the house and turn practice into play when we hit the water. These days they usually catch more fish than Shelby and I do- and we don't mind a bit.
I think there is a sort of irony in the 'master plan' when we consider how much Shelby and I both love fishing. Shelby and I don't really get into televised sports or any other sports for that matter, we don't have many other hobbies that require huge chunks of time, and we most always agree on our fishing spending splurges. If we had a choice of most activities and fishing.. we would rather hit the lake and we're thankful our kids seem to feel the same way. You don't have to be physically tough athlete, you don't have to be able to walk or run perfectly, you aren't ever too young or too old- you just have to be able to hold a stick or willing to ride along on the water...
The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of that which is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.
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