Dinner time with a toddler can be so amusing.
My Little Monkey happens to be fairly picky about the foods he will actually allow to pass his lips. Of course he has his favorites....oddly enough his happens to be salsa with a small side of chips. But we can' have chips and salsa (or even tacos) for dinner every night, so we have been making increasingly stronger attempts at getting him to try new foods.
Even knowing that he won't so much as touch a food, we will stick some of it on his plate. Most nights he manages to dump the plate upside down before the prayer is over. We are hoping that eventually he will have seen a food enough times to get curious and taste it.
One food we recently succeeded in convincing him to try was pizza. And surprisingly, he didn't spit it out. (Hurray!) Yesterday, we had pizza again and he at 1 1/2 slices!!! (which is actually kind of a lot for him). Early this morning, he asked to have pizza again. Of course, I told him we would not be having pizza for dinner again because we had it yesterday.
Because of school/work circumstances, today became one of those as-easy-as-it-can-be dinners...meaning we had mac and cheese. Of course we put some on his plate (before the prayer so it could cool). No sooner had we closed our eyes than the plate got dumped. During the prayer he leans over and whispers to me, "I want chips and salsa.....chips and salsa." After the prayer, we scooped the mac and cheese back up onto his plate and told him he didn't have to eat it if he didn't like it, but he did have to look at it.
Then he did something unusual......he sat down. After a minute he he casually put his right elbow on the table and put his chin in his hand and asked "What food we got for dinner?"
I replied, "We have mac and cheese for dinner."
In total innocence (still with his chin in his hand) he says, "That's not pizza."
Jake and I just burst out laughing. Yes, Little Man, mac and cheese is not pizza.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
Adventures in the Bathroom
Did you know, it is quite possible the bathroom is the most entertaining room in your house???
Don't believe me? Let's examine some evidence from a toddler's point of view (okay, Mom of a toddler's point of view).
1- Bathrooms have toilets. Toilets are a pretty essential aspect of the bathroom, but its normal function for adults is just the beginning of the adventures to potty-training toddlers. And let's face it, the adventures with toilets begin long before the potty-training. In addition to being a place to potty, you can also read on the toilet (Sheep in Jeep is a great one), you can clean a toilet (which probably means you'll need to mop the floor---but Mom might freak out if you use the readily available water from the toilet). You can climb on toilets (made easier if you put the lid down first). Perhaps most importantly, you can flush the toilet, and what toddler doesn't enjoy that?
2- The bathroom houses the toilet paper. Toilet paper has some obvious uses, but to a toddler the possibilities are endless. For example, most adults only use a small amount of toilet paper per visit. Toddlers on the other hand find joy in putting square after square after square into the toilet. If you're lucky, your parents will be distracted just long enough to enjoy putting the whole roll into the toilet! (Not to mention the fact that putting toilet paper in the toilet means you'll need to flush it!)
3- Toilet paper is long. If you have a semi-straight shot at it, you can get the toilet paper from the bathroom on the north end of the house to the wall on the south end of the house in about 3 seconds. (It only takes a little longer if you have corners to maneuver). But the best part is, if Mom is busy with the baby, you can probably make two or three runs and get the whole roll out before she can stop you.
4- Bathrooms have showers. Most toddlers don't actually like showers because the water sprays on their heads.....however, shower-heads make spreading water all over the bathroom really fast! Additionally, Moms and Dads typically do like showers which provides adequate time to explore EVERYTHING they have told you not to touch in the past week.
5- Bathrooms have bathtubs. Unlike showers, many toddlers LOVE baths.This is a great time to play with the tub toys provided by Mom and Dad. Once you have become bored with the designed functions of the tub toys, most of them make great splashing tools for soaking Mom and Dad. Most likely, you'll have to suffer through Mom or Dad using a cup to dump water on your head. DO NOT BE DISMAYED, most likely, they will forget to take the cup with them when they go to check on your baby sister. You can then use the cup to relocate the water from the tub to the floor!
6- Bathrooms have sinks. Sinks are like mini bathtubs, but you don't have to take your clothes off to use them (and soggy clothes are great for carrying water all over the house!).
7- Bathrooms have mirrors. Mirrors are awesome. They show a reflection of the MOST ADORABLE person in the world! They also make a great surface for artwork (soap is usually a readily available paint substitute). Not only will you be able to enjoy your reflection and artwork at the same time, you'll probably also get to hear Mom's screams of delight when she discovers your master piece.
8- Bathrooms have soap. Not only is soap a great paint substitute (see above), it is great for making bubbles! The more the better. Pump soap has become quite popular in recent years and is of course the best for bubble-making. These bubbles can be used to enhance your artwork, add embellishments to your face, put on your hair like a hat, eaten, or just spread all over.
9-Bathrooms have makeup. Makeup is great. Most Mom's put makeup on and you can barely tell. That is SO BORING! Makeup was designed to be seen. Mascara is the best because you can make war faces with it.
10- Last, but certainly not least: Bathrooms have toothbrushes and toothpaste. Many parents will buy you your own wonderfully tasting toothpaste and attempt to brush your teeth with it. Don't let them! That is such a waste of toothpaste! Toothpaste should be generously applied to the toothbrush and used to enhance the artwork on the mirror. Once the master piece is completed you can use it to detail the toilet (Mom will be so grateful!).
Don't believe me? Let's examine some evidence from a toddler's point of view (okay, Mom of a toddler's point of view).
2- The bathroom houses the toilet paper. Toilet paper has some obvious uses, but to a toddler the possibilities are endless. For example, most adults only use a small amount of toilet paper per visit. Toddlers on the other hand find joy in putting square after square after square into the toilet. If you're lucky, your parents will be distracted just long enough to enjoy putting the whole roll into the toilet! (Not to mention the fact that putting toilet paper in the toilet means you'll need to flush it!)
3- Toilet paper is long. If you have a semi-straight shot at it, you can get the toilet paper from the bathroom on the north end of the house to the wall on the south end of the house in about 3 seconds. (It only takes a little longer if you have corners to maneuver). But the best part is, if Mom is busy with the baby, you can probably make two or three runs and get the whole roll out before she can stop you.
4- Bathrooms have showers. Most toddlers don't actually like showers because the water sprays on their heads.....however, shower-heads make spreading water all over the bathroom really fast! Additionally, Moms and Dads typically do like showers which provides adequate time to explore EVERYTHING they have told you not to touch in the past week.
5- Bathrooms have bathtubs. Unlike showers, many toddlers LOVE baths.This is a great time to play with the tub toys provided by Mom and Dad. Once you have become bored with the designed functions of the tub toys, most of them make great splashing tools for soaking Mom and Dad. Most likely, you'll have to suffer through Mom or Dad using a cup to dump water on your head. DO NOT BE DISMAYED, most likely, they will forget to take the cup with them when they go to check on your baby sister. You can then use the cup to relocate the water from the tub to the floor!
6- Bathrooms have sinks. Sinks are like mini bathtubs, but you don't have to take your clothes off to use them (and soggy clothes are great for carrying water all over the house!).
7- Bathrooms have mirrors. Mirrors are awesome. They show a reflection of the MOST ADORABLE person in the world! They also make a great surface for artwork (soap is usually a readily available paint substitute). Not only will you be able to enjoy your reflection and artwork at the same time, you'll probably also get to hear Mom's screams of delight when she discovers your master piece.
8- Bathrooms have soap. Not only is soap a great paint substitute (see above), it is great for making bubbles! The more the better. Pump soap has become quite popular in recent years and is of course the best for bubble-making. These bubbles can be used to enhance your artwork, add embellishments to your face, put on your hair like a hat, eaten, or just spread all over.
9-Bathrooms have makeup. Makeup is great. Most Mom's put makeup on and you can barely tell. That is SO BORING! Makeup was designed to be seen. Mascara is the best because you can make war faces with it.
10- Last, but certainly not least: Bathrooms have toothbrushes and toothpaste. Many parents will buy you your own wonderfully tasting toothpaste and attempt to brush your teeth with it. Don't let them! That is such a waste of toothpaste! Toothpaste should be generously applied to the toothbrush and used to enhance the artwork on the mirror. Once the master piece is completed you can use it to detail the toilet (Mom will be so grateful!).
 |
| Picture of the bathroom that prompted the blog post....please note the foggy mirror covered in soap and lotion and the gathered up toilet paper on the back of the toilet. |
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Teddy Bear Traditions
One fun tradition in my family is that on a baby's first Christmas, he or she gets a Teddy Bear. Quite honestly, I'm not sure when or how that tradition got started since I don't have my own "First Christmas" Bear. (At least not one that Mom specifically told me was my first Christmas Bear) But I do know I have an affinity for soft cuddly Teddy Bears......and it would seem I am not the first in my ancestry line to have it.
Jake's family also seems to have a Teddy Bear tradition going and his mom makes each of her grandchildren a bear when they are born.
This past Christmas was (of course) Baby Girl's first Christmas. And just like my Little Man's first Christmas, this was her "Teddy Bear Christmas." She received a Christmas bear from Mommy, Grandma Jensen, and Great Grandma Brinkherhoff--maybe we should call her Goldilocks :)
We also decided to take a picture of Little Man with his first year bears. He has his "prayin' bear" from Great Grandma Brinkerhoff, Buster the blue bear Grandma Hathaway made him, the Brown bear from Grandma Jensen, and the white bear in the blue tux from Mommy.
Remember how I said I have an affinity for teddy bears.....well, since we were taking pictures of the kids with bears, we brought out all their BEARS (not all their stuffed animals).
And here is what happens when we add Mommy and Daddy's BEARS......
Monday, January 20, 2014
Let's Do It Again!
Toddlers can be so persistent.
Have you ever had to watch a toddler for a while? Particularly one who wants something he should not have? Or been playing with a toddler who is learning a new skill or doing something a little bit new?
If so, you know that repetition is pretty much a way of life for toddlers. They can ask for candy a thousand times and seem not to be deterred in the slightest that you have said no all one thousand times. If you are "helping" them build a tower, just as you are finishing it, they'll want to knock it over and have you "build it again."
Tonight, we were teaching Little Man about the roll of prophets in the Lord's church. To demonstrate Jake helped Little Man build a house on a board, then he took the board out from under the house. Of course the house fell down. I don't think the dust had settled before Little Man exclaimed, "Let's do it again!"
Jake commented on how the Lord probably said the same thing each time He called a prophet to establish/re-establish His church.
Jake's comment made me think about how often the Lord has had to re-establish His church here upon the earth because wickedness overtook its members.
It also made me grateful God is willing to try over and over again with each of us, much like that loving parent who builds the tower over and over again.
But it also made me think about how we need to be persistent like little children in our attempts to live the gospel. We need to have the persistence to start over when our spiritual towers fall down. We need to have the enthusiasm to try over and over again to get something right. And when we aren't quite perfect, hopefully we can have that youthful energy to say "Let's do it again!"
Have you ever had to watch a toddler for a while? Particularly one who wants something he should not have? Or been playing with a toddler who is learning a new skill or doing something a little bit new?
If so, you know that repetition is pretty much a way of life for toddlers. They can ask for candy a thousand times and seem not to be deterred in the slightest that you have said no all one thousand times. If you are "helping" them build a tower, just as you are finishing it, they'll want to knock it over and have you "build it again."
Tonight, we were teaching Little Man about the roll of prophets in the Lord's church. To demonstrate Jake helped Little Man build a house on a board, then he took the board out from under the house. Of course the house fell down. I don't think the dust had settled before Little Man exclaimed, "Let's do it again!"
Jake commented on how the Lord probably said the same thing each time He called a prophet to establish/re-establish His church.
Jake's comment made me think about how often the Lord has had to re-establish His church here upon the earth because wickedness overtook its members.
It also made me grateful God is willing to try over and over again with each of us, much like that loving parent who builds the tower over and over again.
But it also made me think about how we need to be persistent like little children in our attempts to live the gospel. We need to have the persistence to start over when our spiritual towers fall down. We need to have the enthusiasm to try over and over again to get something right. And when we aren't quite perfect, hopefully we can have that youthful energy to say "Let's do it again!"
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Winning Battles, Losing Wars
Thankfully I have never had to live in a war zone. At least not the kind where bombs were exploding around me, or soldiers were marching through the streets of town. I'm young enough that I don't remember the cold war, and the other major wars we learned about in school were over long before I was born.
My personal experience with large scale conflicts is restricted mostly to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the ensuing "War on Terror." And that has, gratefully, been from the long distance position of listening to the news.
My experience with the news tells me that there are many small things that happen every day--but you never hear about them. It is only when something major or "news worthy" happens that an event makes the printed page...or radio announcement.
And I suspect that it is rarely those large events that win wars.
Though I have been blessed not to have a large amount of experience in the wars of the world, there is another type of war in which I am a soldier. Everyone is a soldier; whether they know it or not; whether they want to be or not. It is the war between God and Satan for souls.
This war rages everyday in the life of every person. Often it is so "uneventful" that I forget I am actually in the war zone. I live my life trying to do the "mundane" daily things that my religious leaders have asked me to do--not really feeling like I am influenced much by the war. But sometimes there are major attacks that bring the war not only to mind, but also to conversation and politics.
One such attack in that battle is the overturning of the Utah constitutional ban on Gay and Lesbian marriage. I realize people have differing views on the matter. But this is my blog, so my views take precedence here.
I believe God has given men and women sacred roles not only for this earth life, but also for eternity. Satan understands that and has done all he can, throughout the history of the world, to prevent us from reaching the full potential of those roles. Part of those roles are for us to help each other become perfected through marriage and the physical and emotional intimacies of that relationship. Only in that sacred relationship can we receive all that God truly wishes for us to have in the eternities.
But it must be done in God's way.
I do not believe Gay and Lesbian relationships follow God's way. In fact, I believe them to be sins because they are so contrary to the way He has ordained.
Many people (and political correctness) call for me to "let it go" or even to agree that Gays and Lesbians should be married. But I can't. I'm a soldier in God's army. And I know it. And I want to be. And it is because I care for them and society as a whole that I will continue to oppose Gay and Lesbian marriage.
The overturning of the Utah constitution and the recent rulings of the Supreme Court concerning marriage are battles Satan has won in the war for souls. But Satan will not win this war. In the end we know that God will banish Satan and his army and they will be miserable.
But it is not the overall war that leads me to voice my opinion. The overall war is decided. Our individual wars are not. Participating in a Gay or Lesbian relationship jeopardizes an individual's eternal salvation. Those who feel they have "won the battle" because of the rulings that Gay marriage is legal are "losing the war" for their souls. And it will be a difficult road back for them--if they choose to try to make their way back.
I know many think that my opinions mean that I "hate" gays and lesbians. I don't. But please don't expect me to give up my beliefs to make you comfortable. I believe that I should not only live by the gospel of Jesus Christ, I should encourage others to do the same. And I should support measures that legally encourage the gospel to be a part of everyone's lives and oppose those legal measures that would weaken the gospel in others' lives.
Christ called the sinners to repentance and bade them to follow him. He did not condone their sinful acts, but He loved them. I may not do it perfectly, but I am striving to do the same.
For those looking for information about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' stand on the matter, I would recommend the following:
The Family a Proclamation to the World
The divine institution of marriage
My personal experience with large scale conflicts is restricted mostly to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the ensuing "War on Terror." And that has, gratefully, been from the long distance position of listening to the news.
My experience with the news tells me that there are many small things that happen every day--but you never hear about them. It is only when something major or "news worthy" happens that an event makes the printed page...or radio announcement.
And I suspect that it is rarely those large events that win wars.
Though I have been blessed not to have a large amount of experience in the wars of the world, there is another type of war in which I am a soldier. Everyone is a soldier; whether they know it or not; whether they want to be or not. It is the war between God and Satan for souls.
This war rages everyday in the life of every person. Often it is so "uneventful" that I forget I am actually in the war zone. I live my life trying to do the "mundane" daily things that my religious leaders have asked me to do--not really feeling like I am influenced much by the war. But sometimes there are major attacks that bring the war not only to mind, but also to conversation and politics.
One such attack in that battle is the overturning of the Utah constitutional ban on Gay and Lesbian marriage. I realize people have differing views on the matter. But this is my blog, so my views take precedence here.
I believe God has given men and women sacred roles not only for this earth life, but also for eternity. Satan understands that and has done all he can, throughout the history of the world, to prevent us from reaching the full potential of those roles. Part of those roles are for us to help each other become perfected through marriage and the physical and emotional intimacies of that relationship. Only in that sacred relationship can we receive all that God truly wishes for us to have in the eternities.
But it must be done in God's way.
I do not believe Gay and Lesbian relationships follow God's way. In fact, I believe them to be sins because they are so contrary to the way He has ordained.
Many people (and political correctness) call for me to "let it go" or even to agree that Gays and Lesbians should be married. But I can't. I'm a soldier in God's army. And I know it. And I want to be. And it is because I care for them and society as a whole that I will continue to oppose Gay and Lesbian marriage.
The overturning of the Utah constitution and the recent rulings of the Supreme Court concerning marriage are battles Satan has won in the war for souls. But Satan will not win this war. In the end we know that God will banish Satan and his army and they will be miserable.
But it is not the overall war that leads me to voice my opinion. The overall war is decided. Our individual wars are not. Participating in a Gay or Lesbian relationship jeopardizes an individual's eternal salvation. Those who feel they have "won the battle" because of the rulings that Gay marriage is legal are "losing the war" for their souls. And it will be a difficult road back for them--if they choose to try to make their way back.
I know many think that my opinions mean that I "hate" gays and lesbians. I don't. But please don't expect me to give up my beliefs to make you comfortable. I believe that I should not only live by the gospel of Jesus Christ, I should encourage others to do the same. And I should support measures that legally encourage the gospel to be a part of everyone's lives and oppose those legal measures that would weaken the gospel in others' lives.
Christ called the sinners to repentance and bade them to follow him. He did not condone their sinful acts, but He loved them. I may not do it perfectly, but I am striving to do the same.
For those looking for information about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' stand on the matter, I would recommend the following:
The Family a Proclamation to the World
The divine institution of marriage
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