Welcome to my Home Continued

Why, yes. My kitchen is small. Just the way I like it! You see I used to have a large kitchen and it filled me with guilt. Guilt you laugh, but many times I have felt guilty or resentful for the large kitchen I had.



Guilty for not using it more. I am so not a gourment cook nor do I have an avid interest in cooking. Baking you ask? That is pretty laughable. I dislike baking. I would rather cook a five course meal for fifty than bake a batch of cookies. I find baking to be rather time consuming and anything you spend that much time on is going straight to the hips.



The cooking a five course meal for fifty that I referred to? That is the resentment that I have felt in the past. You see when you have the "space" it seems that family all of sudden doesn't have the "space" for family functions. So I was hostess to many many family functions. The upside of course is that I don't have to leave the comfort of my home and that my friend is the only upside. I say with a sense of humour.



I find that in my kitchen all I need is the bare minimum, a stove, fridge, microwave, dishwasher and limited cupboard space. The less space I have, the less stuff I will have to fill it up. Oh yes, I do have two coffee makers. One is for company and one is for personal use. Both my husband and I work different shifts and the one cup coffee maker is perfect for us to start our mornings, whatever time that may be.



The artwork on the fridge is done by our family. Our youngest loves to draw and she is constantly making new pictures. That picture you ask is my husband and his two girls and my son. That was taken the first time we took his two younger girls to the Rocky Mountains, more specifically Banff. They were quite enthralled with the scene, very much like my son when he saw the mountains for the first time. All the children know that we plan to retire one day in the mountains and they have expressed how that would be so "cool".



Oh the magnets! Yes they are meant to remind us all things in life that we sometimes forget. This one? Yes, this one has been given special attention. You are so right when you say that it something that should be on the fridge door of all parents.



Children Learn What They Live
If a child lives wih criticism,
he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility,
he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule,
he learns to feel shy.
If a child lives with shame,
he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance,
he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement,
he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise,
he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness,
he learns justice.
If a child lives with security,
he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval,
he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
he learns find love in the world.



Our children? Does it seem to be working with our children? Well, our children each have their own challenges that go way beyond what we can control. So we try our very best to give them these lessons while in our household. And you know, it seems to work. With a mixed family challenges are many, especially when there is possibly different parenting styles. Overall, the children understand this and try their very best to learn how to live with confidence, patience, faith, love, and above all like who they are without comparing themselves to one another.



In our home our children are treated like young adults. Given respect, admiration and encouragement. They appreciate that we treat them like we treat each other. There is always an abundance of hugs and kisses and of course, "terrorizing". All of our kids know that if they want to be treated like the young adults they are then they must act it. When they begin to act like  little kids, they will be treated like little kids. Which usually snaps them out of it pretty quickly.


Rules in our home? Yes we certainly have rules. We have two! Yes, only two. How can only two rules work in a household with four children? Well that is quite simple. You have two simple rules! Of course, I would love to share them with you.


Rule one is to treat each other with respect. This means you wouldn't hit your best friend because she sat beside you, so why would you hit your sister? Would you sit on your best friend knowing her knee hurt? So why would you sit on your brother's knee knowing he hurt it?


Second rule. It is YOUR choice! You make the decision. No one else, so you will own that choice. Choices have consequences, some good, some bad and some ugly. But at the end of it, YOU made that choice and YOU will be responsible for that choice.


Of course these two rules work. Yes, even the youngest understands how it works. It cuts out on alot of arguing when someone is trying to prove why they are right and the other was wrong. One question is asked.."Who made that choice?"


By all means I would love to get into the two rule theory but for now should we continue our tour?