The Ring With The Blue Stone

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children, Dad, death, Diana Schwenk, family, foundation, gift, good character, grief, growing up, History, Hump Day Chronicles, lessons, life, Life's like that, love, memories, Mom, parenting, safe, Stuff my parents used to say and do, values

My parents in 1960 and the ring with the blue stone

When you want to build something, you start with a good foundation. When you want to understand something, you start with the fundamental pillars of the subject. In other words, you learn the history, the mechanics of it, the whys and whats and wheres.

In the same way,  when you feel lost, it helps to go back to where you began so you can remember where you came from, what you have learned about this business of living, what you truly long for in life, and how you can get it and how you can share your gifts with the world. Sometimes you grab onto a symbol of the past and carry it with you like a talisman that you can look at, or touch when you need to be grounded.

Since Dad passed away, I’ve been in kind of a fog. I got the basics covered, you know…  I wake up, brush my teeth, shower, dress, exercise, go to work, eat, go to bed and start it all over again the next day. 

But I’ve lost a bit of my oomph.

A bit of my zest for life.

Dad was always my rock.

He had this way of making me feel secure and letting me know that he was there for me, no matter what.

My Plan B, if Plan A should fail.

Although I rarely resorted to Plan B, I knew I could if I had to, I knew it was there if I needed it.  

This past New Year’s Eve, as I was deciding which piece of jewelry to wear for an event I was attending, I came across the ring with the blue stone. The ring that cost forty dollars in 1960 and took Dad several weeks of saving so he could buy it for Mom to celebrate their first anniversary.

Dad was so upset when Mom gave me that ring almost thirty years later. But I’m so glad she did, so I could find it on the last day of 2016 and slip it on my finger. And with the wearing of it, remember the values he taught me and the traits he exemplified; like a good work ethic, empathy, diplomacy, loyalty and strength of character.  

What a gift!

What a great foundation from which to find my way again!

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

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Humourous and Practical Tips for Parenting

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children, daughters, Diana Schwenk, family, growing up, happy, joy, love, memories, parenting, single

Parenting is the hardest, yet most rewarding job ever!

And it doesn’t need to break you…or your bank account. 😉

Granted the tips I’m about to share with you work best before the school years.

When school starts other parents will ruin it by all the activities they enrol their children in – and believe me – you will hear about it all – that kind of news travels fast!

But if you start early enough with my parenting tips you can nip it in the bud.

“… but mom, Susie’s family goes to Mexico every year…or but mom Johnny has a wii…or but mom Petey has an ipad or iphone… or but mom…well you get the drift…

Really? Well if Susie, Johnny or Petey jumped off a bridge, would you jump off the bridge too?

Anyway, I digress…

You can manage your child’s expectations by:

1. Keeping them ignorant of all the cool and popular stuff out there for as long as possible;

2. Building up bubbling excitement for any old lame thing you’re about to expose them to;

3. And making them feel like they’ve just won the lottery when you finally allow them to do said lame thing.

Here are just a few ideas:

The butter knife.

A great activity on a wintery but sunny day. Pull out the butter knife and cast spots of lights on the walls by catching the sun’s rays on the knife and reflecting them on the walls. If you have a cat – bonus! – you’ll have hours of enjoyment making your cat crazy as it tries to catch the lights.

Button and String.

Cut a piece of thread 18 to 24 inches long. Thread it through one hole in a button and out another hole. Tie the ends of the thread together. You now have a loop of thread with a button in the middle. Hold each end of the loop in each hand loosely so that the button is hanging down…you know…like a necklace.

Move your wrists in a circular motion, twirl the button round and round until the thread is sufficiently twisted. Now the fun begins. Pull the string in and out and listen to the buzzing noise as the button spins wildly!

Field Trips

Who needs Disneyland when we have Shopper’s Drugmart?

My kid would have done anything to go to Shopper’s. I just had to play it up a bit.

I would tell her that I wasn’t sure she could handle the excitement, that I wasn’t sure she was old enough to appreciate the experience thoroughly.

“Mommy puhleeeaasseee…I can do it, I swear! I’m a big girl now…you even said…”

I’d hum and haw and finally give in, but not before setting the ground rules.

You can’t ask for anything.

You can’t act out or throw a temper tantrum, because if you do, I will NEVER, EVER bring you again, understood?

To this she would solemnly nod agreement and would present her most sincere and grown-up facial expression.

Once I had all the body wash, eye make up remover, etc., I needed we would head home. Later, I would smile to myself as she related her pharmacy adventure to Oma or Uncle Mike on the phone.

Cardboard boxes, macaroni necklaces, writing and illustrating her own books were all activities she enjoyed immensely.

Why?

Because she didn’t know any better.

Even mommy needs a break sometimes

Sometimes I got tired and needed a little time to myself.

At times like this I would say,

OK let’s play movie stars! Pretend that we are actors in a movie about a mom and a little girl. In this movie the mom is reading a book. But that’s not the important part of the movie. The little girl who is the STAR of the movie is in her room. She is a very smart and pretty girl and figures out a million things she can do to occupy herself for an hour.

You laugh- but t worked!

And she was always so good about going to bed without arguing – after all the next Shopper’s Drugmart trip hung in the balance.

How about you?

Do you have any parenting tips?

Please share them below in the comment section.

Prepare them for how the world really works

Tags

growing up, independent, kids, parenting, Saying no

In the real world, you don’t always get what you want. You will be better able to deal with that as an adult if you’ve experienced it as a child. – Dr. Phil

Please……

You were right Mom and Dad. NO is not the end of the world.

NO taught me that I would have to choose carefully.

NO taught me that I would have to save for what I want.

NO is a necessary part of growing up.

NO meant that if I really want something, I have to work for it.

NO taught me the value of money and that there are more important things than money.

NO taught me to withstand defeat.

NO made me independent and more determined than ever.

Saying NO is one of the most loving things you did because…

What I want is not always what I need.

Disappointment hurts, but it doesn’t incapacitate me.

I know my strengths, I trust my instincts.

I know what heights I can climb, even when things don’t go my way.

And I know the glorious view that awaits me when I get there.

Is it hard for you to say NO?