Archives for category: Uncategorized

Holidays and Super Heroes

December 28, 2012 //
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“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?”  — Dr. Seuss

Jax, Ziva and I are howling Christmas songs  while on our way to pick up Luke from school. We are waiting through a red light and Jax suddenly asked, “Did the Romans place Jesus on the cross, in the sunlight, so he could turn golden like he is on the cross at Grandad’s church?”

I mentally broke away from the shopping list I was preparing in my head and replied “No, Jaxi, the Romans didn’t intend to make him golden. But now that you mention it… because of their choice,  Jesus is golden to us.”

His 4 year old face was washed with concern and after a long pause he finally said, “ Well I wish Daddy was there so he could have fought those Romans with his sword and save Jesus!”

Ah, the innocence and wisdom of a 4 year old! How incredible is it that these little human beings look at the world and everyone in it as having the purist of intentions (making jesus golden like the sun) or to protect those that they love. Jax, feeling that his daddy was powerful enough to fight off Roman Soldiers as one man, and save Jesus.

I was amazed, again learning more from him than I could ever teach. I was also humbled. We are so Mighty to them. In their world we manifest food, home, all of their needs and most of their wants. Many of those wants are so simple. Our time; the opportunity to look us in the eyes when they are discussing the dynamics of how they think Santa squeezes down the chimney; the freedom to be themselves and not the reflection of what we hope others will see them to be; compassion, hoping as parents, we remember how frustrating it was to learn how to tie our shoe or how painful it is to have an ear ache.

My moment with Jax reminded me that kids think their parents are Super-Heroes and that our mission is to champion FOR them and not fight at them or against them.

My wish for you this New Year is to be in the Present and enjoy everyone around you. Be the Super-hero your kids believe you are and Choose Happiness.

Laugh Hard. Love Strong. Live to Serve.

Kimberly Crawford

 

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Categories humor, Kids, Mother, parent, spirituality, teaching kids, Uncategorized

Mindful Speech: The Word Power Experiment

February 19, 2012 //
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Reblogged from The WholeHearted Mind.:

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Not long ago, I read a story about a distant island where villagers would gather around wooded areas and utter curses until the trees fell one by one. The land, thus cleared, would be used for their settlements.

Can this be possible? Can your words be wielded as swords? What else could your words do?

My children and I set out to test this theory.

Read more… 720 more words

What an amazing, authentic way to remind ourselves, and teach our children that our words and thoughts are one of the most powerful gifts we have.
Categories Uncategorized

Choose Happiness

February 10, 2012 //
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I sometimes get caught up in the push and pull of life. The demands that I put on myself and, in-turn, exert onto my family; my kids.

As I run around the dinner table, cleaning, serving… anything other than eating, I wonder why my kids aren’t sitting still to eat their dinner…. Duh, why would they if I’m not?

Tonight, Luke had an especially hard time transitioning to bed. He said, “I am so unhappy Mommy. You never let me DO anything!” He dove his head into the pillow,  bursting into tears.

Wow. I dropped everything to sit on the edge of his bed. “Lets talk, okay?” Luke’s bleary-eyed face slid out from under the pillow, “Okay.”

“Listen,” I said, “I believe the Universe gives us energy. We get to CHOOSE what we do with it. So, that means we have a choice to be happy or sad.”

“But being happy is SO hard!” Luke whined. I thought to myself, he can’t be serious?! He’s a 5-year-old kid who has almost everything he has ever asked for (…hey we don’t have room for a pony, sue me.)

We sat in his room and practiced being happy. Smiling like crazed lunatics on a Skittles high.

Finally ready to rest his head on the pillow, we said our blessings and told God that we chose to use the energy provided to us for happiness.

What a HUGE concept for an adult let alone a 5-year-old boy!

So I ask you, Do you think that happiness is a choice? Or is it dictated by the external influences of your day? Do you think “happiness” something you can teach?

Laugh hard. Love strong. Live to serve.

Best!

Kimberly Crawford

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Categories humor, Kids, parent, spirituality, teaching kids, Uncategorized

Three’s A Crowd: Toddlers and Toilet Etiquette

January 15, 2012 //
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I was recently asked by one of my girlfriends,

“Will I ever be able to go to the bathroom by myself again now that I have kids?”

I laughed and thought back to being pregnant with Ziva. 

The first trimester of pregnancy is rarely fun for any woman, let alone a mom of two warrior boys under the age of 4 who have a panache for not standing still longer than 10 seconds.

Per my typical early pregnancy routine, I was perched over the trashcan in prime position to regurgitate my lunch. But today was special. I also had the “runs”… ah, what’s a mom to do…

So I am in the bathroom, trying to puke my guts out and I have a pouty 4 year old who is unsatisfied with the lunch menu. “You know I hate Mac n’ cheese! Why did you make it?! I won’t eat THAT. Its GROSS!“

As Luke is lamenting over the sub-par lunch menu, my clingy 2 year old is trying to attach himself to my leg. Remember, I am sitting on the porcelain throne as all this is going down.

In a sudden surge of authority, Jax decides he wants to help out. “Bend over mommy! Wipe now!”  His tiny fist was full of enough toilet paper it could have been used to gag a Giraffe.     “I wipe you! Mommy move! I wipe you now!” I attempted to swat him off me as my Gene Burns incarnate continued to verbally assault Restaurant Mom with poor reviews.

Seriously? SERIOUSLY?!

I just looked at my friend, smiled and said, “Nope.”

Laugh hard. Love strong. Live to serve.

Xoxo- Kim Crawford

 

 

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Categories Uncategorized

Blessings

January 1, 2012 //
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A sleepy house. Alone with my thoughts (sounds much more romantic than it really is.) 11:56 PM, 2011; reflection consumes me. I can’t seem to get past reviewing this very evening, let alone the year that has fallen through my fingers. 

 A few hours earlier, Mike danced around the kitchen creating his traditional Lobster New Year’s Feast. The boys were more interested in posing for pictures with the poor crustaceans than filling eager bellies. As Mike prepared the shelled beasts for their final bath, Luke pleaded for us to reconsider his request of keeping one as a pet. Not a chance kid.

When Mike presented the dinner, Luke wasn’t interested in eating the remains of his ill fated friend and gorged himself on gluten free noodles and salad. 

Jax was over dinner entirely and felt it was his sole mission that evening to be the table’s “lemon czar”. Even after taking away the bowl of quartered citrus, he’d somehow manage to make some re-appear.

“Where is he getting these?” I kept asking Mike, as if he had some inside intel and wasn’t sitting across from me, watching the same scene unfold. 

“Mmmmmooorre lemon?” he would purr as he strangled the pulp and seeds of the mangled fruit into the butter, nearly knocking the lobster tail off my plate. “Hmmm?” His eyes sparkled and I couldn’t help but laugh. At three years old, Jax has the crooked, Captain Jack Sparrow grin down and was showing it off while squeezing the life out of yet another rouge lemon.

With Ziva balanced on my lap, I surveyed my dinner table and smiled. I am blessed. Stealing a glimpse at each of them, I desperately tried to take a mental snapshot of the moment: A sentimental husband who worked hard to fulfill a family tradition, even though three of this years guests were 5 and under and would have been happy with noodles and jam. My oldest son, the “pet” collector. His heart so enormous, so tender, it sometimes takes my breath away. My son, Jax; juice dripping from his elbows and through his tiny fingers, his grin consuming his face. Offering me tart lemony kisses. My baby blessing; blue-eyed bunny-boo Ziva. Her eyes, a light-house guiding my sense of motherhood to a whole new horizon.

My heart breaks with gratitude. Happy 2012 my beautiful ones.

Laugh Hard. Love Strong. Live to Serve.

-Kimberly Crawford


Categories Uncategorized
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