Lead Me

Fathers play an unbelievably huge role in the lives of their children and wives. God has commanded fathers to be the spiritual leaders in the home - to love their wives as Christ loved the church, to disciple their children as they grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord. I am very thankful for Nathan's servant leadership in our family - though he is not perfect, I know that is the desire of his heart.

I watched a video today of a beautiful song by Sanctus Real called "Lead Me" - if only more fathers today would be passionate about being led by Christ in order to lead their families.

Lead Me by Sanctus Real
I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Click here to see the story behind the song.

Together or not together - that is the question!

Chores and allowance.

Together or not together - that is the question!

Every family has to decide for themselves what they feel is best, but since this is my blog, I get to share my opinion, which is, of course, the right one! ;)

Our children receive an allowance as a priviledge of being part of our family and because we want to teach them how to manage their money. You can teach your kids all you want about how to handle money, but it sure makes a lot more sense to give them a hands on opportunity to learn - reality is a great teacher! And if you give them the opportunity to learn to handle their money when they're young and dealing with small amounts, when you're still around to give them guidance, they will be much better prepared to handle the larger amounts that will come when they're older.

For us, allowance is a tool to teach them stewardship. We want to teach them to be good stewards of the money that God has blessed them with. We want to teach them attributes like how to be thrifty, trustworthy, shrewd, faithful, effective and generous.

It's also comes in very handy when you're at the store and they're asking for stuff (toys, candy, etc), I can simply tell them - "Sure, if you pay for it with your own money!". The amount you decide to give your kids will be determined by a number of factors, including how much you can afford to give, how old they are, what they are expected to be able to purchase with the money and how willing you are for them to learn things the hard way! We currently give Emma and Sophia $2/week and Olivia $1/week.


We have these My Giving Banks that are divided into three sections - bank, store and church. Each week they put 1/4 of their money in the church section, 1/4 of their money in the bank section and the rest they can put in the store section.

There are also these cute Money Saving Pigs that actually have four sections - they include an "invest" section as well. That is a really nice option! There are some great tips about how to teach your children about saving, spending, donating and investing on TheMint.org.

However you do it, teaching your children to distribute their money like this is absolutely essential - unless you don't want them to donate, save or invest their money - then feel free to just let them spend it! And, just like anything we teach our children, how our children see us managing our money will influence them a lot more than anything we may say. Make sure to walk the talk!

Now on to the chores....

They do chores because they are part of our family and we all pitch in to help contribute to the running of the household. Teaching them to do chores obviously helps prepare them to run their own households - something both genders need to know how to do. More than likely, they will live on their own for awhile before marrying, and even if they don't - their future spouses will appreciate them having this practical knowledge and putting it into action. It also teaches them responsibility, cooperation, determination, consistency and how to work hard. It also prevents them from developing an attitude of entitlement - where everyone else exists to serve them.

We have decided not to link the two together and here are some of our reasons why....

First of all, we don't feel like it contributes to either of those goals, especially not the second one. I don't want them to feel like contributing to our household is optional, or dependent on how much money they will get for the task. I don't want them expecting to get paid for every little thing I ask them to do. And, looking way down the road here - when they get older and start to earn their own money, I don't want them to not bother with the households tasks because they don't need their allowance money anymore.

Secondly, though they need to learn that work = money, they will have countless opportunities to learn that soon enough. They need to learn that some work you do for no pay, simply because it's the responsible thing to do. Nobody pays me for unloading the dishwasher, so why should I pay them to do it for me? And certainly no one's going to pay them to make their bed or clean their rooms when they move out. But their future spouses will certainly appreciate it if they do, just like we appreciate it now.

Third, we can still give them the opportunity to earn extra money by having them do extra chores - going above and beyond the normal expectations. Cleaning windows, cleaning out cabinets, repainting the shed, etc, are all good examples of wage earning opportunities.

Fourth, keeping track of what chores they have and have not completed, and tallying up what they are owed just sounds like a make-work project to me, and I don't know about you, but I certainly don't need any of those!

Allowance can be used as a teaching tool where chores are concerned. For example, if a child is consistently not performing their chores, I can decide to use their allowance to pay their sibling to do the work for them. If it's cleaning their room - odds are good they don't want their sibling cleaning it, nevermind having to pay them to do it! This is getting them used to reality as well. I can decide to wash my car, or I can decide to go to a car wash and pay them to do it for me. Same idea here - natural consequences. The job needs to get done, if you don't do it, you need to pay someone to do it for you.

Alternatively, you can use other incentives to get chores down - whatever works for you!

So, that's my 2 cents. What's yours?

Coming up....

Coming up in our household this week.....

The regular schedule of...
Sophia's hockey practices/games (2 or 3 times per week)
Emma's dance and jazz classes
Sophia's jazz class
Olivia's pre-tap/pre-ballet class
Emma & Sophia's piano lessons (taught by me)
my community choir practice (I accompany the choir on piano)
Nathan's hockey
Girls Club at church for Emma & Sophia
Coffee Connection for me (ladies morning out at church - babysitting provided!)

And the week will end with a girls weekend away!! Nathan's mom is turning 60 this year and she's taking me and his two sil's on a girls shopping weekend - yay!

Post subjects that are coming up on the blog this week.....
How and why we do chores and allowance in our family
Chore chart samples I've found online
Update on controversial ethical information I've blogged about before

Stay tuned!

What Do I Know of Holy?

One of the biggest things that I've been learning this year as I've been reading through the Bible and studying it together with some friends on the Bible In a Year and Beyond blog is that I really have had no clue about the holiness of God and what that means.

I think this is a danger common to those who were blessed to grow up in Christian homes. It is easy to become a little Pharisee - comparing yourself (who only commits "little" sins like tattling on your sister or lying to your mom) to real sinners (who commit "big" sins like adultery, theft and murder) and thanking God that you're not like them. Perhaps only sub-consciously. But it's there.

I know it was there in me.

It's also difficult to talk about the fear of God, the wrath of God, the holiness of God, especially in our society where it's all about tolerance. Unless you're being intolerant of the judgemental Christians who think Jesus is the only Way to heaven.

No, it's much easier to talk about God's love and His mercy and His forgiveness.

Don't get me wrong - God's love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and compassion are incredible, undeserved gifts He longs to bestow on us all!

But the truth is, it is only when we grasp the reality of God's holiness, it is only when we understand the depth of God's absolute intolerance for sin of any kind, it is only when we allow ourselves to dwell on the fear of God and His wrath, it is only when we acknowledge how truly undeserving we are, it is only then that we will truly be able to grasp the extravagance of His love, the depth of His forgiveness, that His grace truly is amazing and that His mercy is undeservedly limitless.

For our God is holy.

And the one song that has reduced me to tears countless times is the one I have chosen to sing in church tomorrow morning....

What Do I Know of Holy? (recorded by Addison Road)
I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life "its" name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?

Book Review: Coppermine by Keith Leckie

About the Book: In 1913, two Catholic priests disappear in the remot Arctic region known as the Coppermine. Northwest Mounted Police office Jack Creed and Angituk McAndrew, a young Copper Inuit interpreter, are sent on a year-long odyssey to investigate the fate of the lost priests. On the shores of the Arctic Ocean, near the mouth of the Coppermine River, they discover the mutilated remains of the missionaries. Two Inuit hunters are tracked and apprehended, and together the four begin the dangerous, arduous journey to Edmonton. At the top of the world, the brutal Arctic winter descends, and the fight for survival, and justice, begins.

My thoughts: Inspired by real life events, this excellent work of fiction combines history, mystery, adventure and romance while exploring the differences and similarities between the Inuit and the Western "civilization" of Edmonton, all set in the frigid white north of my home and native land.

The interplay between the characters is fascinating, especially when the two Inuit are put on trial and the reason behind the murders is gradually revealed, and you're on the edge of your seat awaiting the verdict of the jury.

The storyline was fantastic, the history was even more intriguing than I was expecting, the portrayal of the Inuit worldview was enlightening and the plot twists were unexpected. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Definitely two thumbs up!

Thank you to Penguin Group for providing me with my complimentary review copy of Coppermine.

Lunch Bags

Boy, have lunch bags come a long way since we were in school baby! Gone are the hard plastic containers with the thermos in the top half.

Before this year the girls had been using some really cute princess lunch bags that I had custom ordered with their names inscribed on the backs from Identity Direct. But the oldest two are starting to get a little old for princess stuff, so this year they wanted new lunch bags.

I was thrilled to spy these at our local fabric store, and they were on sale for just over $10! Aren't they beautiful?!

Emma's is the leopard print bag and Sophia's is the giraffe print bag. Olivia got a lunch bag when we were down in the States, but when we bought it I didn't realize it had two separate compartments, neither of which fit my super cool Tupperware banana keepers. Plus, I just found it annoying to have to pack stuff in two compartments. So, this week I went back to the fabric store hoping that they would have the zebra print in stock and they did! In fact, it was the only one they had left! (Though they may get more back in stock, in case anyone from my neck of the woods is wanting to go get one too). So, Olivia's is the zebra print bag.

Other than the insulated interior, they look like purses! And check out how roomy they are....
I've got a Tupperware sandwich keeper, a Tupperware banana keeper (they totally work to keep the banana from ripening in the lunch bag), a muffin and a juice box with a ton of room to spare! There are also side pockets on both sides which are ideal to throw their snack in.

After telling/showing my sister how awesome these lunch bags were, she went and picked some up too.

While at said fabric store, I also spotted some larger tote style bags and I thought it would be perfect for the church bag I always have to bring along to carry home all the kids' take home papers, as well as books and DVD's from the library. It's hard to tell how large it is from this picture, but it's pretty big. I wish it was a little bit smaller actually, but better too big than too small in this case.

Aren't we stylin'?!

Picture Day!

So today was Picture Day at school. Which means last night we were pouring over hairstyles trying to pick what we were going to do - has to be something that looks good from the front - it's Picture Day after all.

There are numerous hairstyle websites out there, but these two are my favourites...
The Story of a Princess and Her Hair is a fabulous blog. You can see their hairstyle gallery on Facebook and when you pick your favourite style there is a link back to the specific blog post with the tutorial on how to make it. Perfect!
Babes in Hairland is another great blog with lots of pictures and instructions.
Thankfully both blogs tag their posts so you can easily search for what you want - like for Picture Day, I picked "Mostly Down" and got some great ideas. And they had to be easy cause I didn't have time to practice - you know, since I left this to the night before - surprise, surprise!

Anyway, I think they turned out great!

Here's my oldest princess sporting this hairstyle....

The picture on the left was taken after school, and it was super windy today, which usually means frizz crazy hair for Emma, but it's actually looking pretty good still! And here is a view from the top - not so sure any of that will show on the pictures, but oh well - it looked super cute anyway!



Sophia wanted her hair the same way I did it for our fall family picture day - simply parted down the middle, with one braid on each side, and then bring the braids up and cross them and pin in place. Voila! Front and top profile pictures so you can see the details. Sophia looks less than impressed - she was in a hurry to get out the door this morning and I'm snapping pictures!



Olivia wanted hers to be the same as Emma's. At least Sophia picked a slightly less time consuming option. Weaving in hair ribbons is not something I do every day! Oh, and I used a crochet hook cause it was handy at the time! (crochet hat pictures to come shortly!) It turned out really cute, and I got at least one really amazed reaction at Costco today when I took her and Jacob shopping. The front profile picture is also from after school. Emma took Olivia's picture this morning, and let's just say it didn't turn out as cute as this one ;)


I'm reinspired to try cool hairdo's on the girl's hair after finding these blogs again after a long hiatus. And I have to do something in the girl's hair anyway. Their hair gets soooo tangly if it's just left down like this (not looking forward to combing it out tomorrow, let me tell you!). They usually have a ponytail or two, or a braid or two anyway. Probably wouldn't take much more to fancy it up a little. That would mean investing in a few cute flower clips and other hair accessories. And is it just me, or is there a black hole of hair accessories in your house too?! It seems like I'm always having to get more hair ties.

Anyway, I highly recommend checking out those hairstyle sites if you have girls. They've got holiday themed stuff and everything (love the Valentine's stuff in particular!). They also have some hair do's for girls with a bit shorter hair, and for babies. Be prepared to waste spend a lot of time browsing the sites!

Waffles Extraordinaire!

Our kids LOVE waffles.

In an effort to make eating waffles at least somewhat healthier, we have stopped buying waffles at Costco and I have started making them.

To assist me in the process of making waffles for 4 kids, I purchased this awesome 6-slice waffle maker by Cuisinart. LOVE it! So, I mix up a big batch of waffles (don't worry, recipe's coming!) fresh one day and then I freeze the rest of them - homemade healthy Eggo waffles just waiting for the toaster! Makes for a super quick breakfast too. Now, if there was only a way to make syrup healthier....


Best Waffle Recipe Ever
6 eggs
3 cups flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce (I use one container of the Motts applesauce we always have on hand)
5 1/4 cups milk
3 tbsp white sugar
4 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp cinnamon (secret ingredient!!)

Preheat waffle iron.
Beat eggs in KitchenAid food mixer (LOVE it!) until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients, just until smooth.
Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. (For my waffle maker) Pour 1 1/4 cup of batter evenly onto hot waffle iron, going close to the edges). Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.
Freeze leftovers in a single layer on a baking sheet (I use tinfoil in between layers so I only need to find room for one baking sheet in the freezer), then transfer to ziplock bag (or other container) for a super easy breakfast option (simply pop in the toaster, just like Eggo waffles).

Enjoy!!

*Feel free to play around with the flours and the oil/applesauce to make it healthier. I made it today with 2 cups white flour, 3 cups ww, 1 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup oil, 1 cup applesauce and couldn't notice a taste difference - but there's definitely a health difference!

Edited to add: Here's the recipe for the white waffle sauce mentioned in the comments - my personal favourite waffle topping (combined with fresh strawberries of course - hmmmmmmm!)

New gadget

My sister Andrea has been going on and on about this bad-boy. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Garmin Forerunner 305. And apparently it does everything but actually run for you. It calculates time, distance, calories burned (based on the very accurate info about yourself that you will honestly input into it), maps your course for you, and comes with computer software to analyze your runs, and plan future ones.

Andrea definitely highly recommended it and indicated that I would be a total doofus if I wanted to keep running and didn't get one. Ha ha, ok, maybe she didn't say doofus. But I know she loves hers!

So, Nathan picked one up for me el cheapo while he was down in the States this past weekend taking in his first live NFL game. Well, he didn't buy it at the game. You know what I mean! And el cheapo still isn't overly cheap, but I digress.

This bad-boy is currently being charged up as we speak (errr, as I type and you read), and I can't wait to try it out on my run tomorrow!

The streets I run on are still not listed on any maps (new development) and I often took paths between streets making it virtually impossible to figure out the distance I was running. No more!

Thanks to Andrea and the Garmin 305.

Miners' Shirts Give Glory to God

The Chilean miners wanted to publicly thank God for their rescue, and they were able to do so with the help of Campus Crusade for Christ who designed the shirts based on input from the miners.

So, what exactly was on the shirts?

Of course, it's all in Spanish....

The front of the shirt says "Thank you Lord!"

The back of the shirt is Psalm 95:4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.

And below that it reads "To God be the honour and the glory"

And on the sleeve, in really big red letters, it says "Jesus"!

I saw the word "Jesus" on the sleeve of their shirts during the rescue, but no newscasters mentioned anything about any of the other writing!

I love the quote by the youngest miner of the group, Jimmy Sanchez, who indicated that there were actually 34 in the mine "because God has never left us down here".



Other articles....
* Christian Post: Miners Clad in Jesus Shirts Give Glory to God
Christian Examiner: Chilean Miners Say 'Thank You, Lord' for their rescue
The Jesus Film Project website: Chilean Miners Glorify God
CNN: The Story Behind the Chilean Miners' Jesus T-Shirts
Charisma Magazine: Miners' Jesus T-Shirts Spark Flood of Interest

*My favourite article - love the reference to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.