Caribbean Night 2017

I have lived in the Northeast my entire life.

One of the many reasons I love it here are the four seasons. I would miss the snow and I would even miss the cooler temperatures. Having a birthday in February has also helped me to appreciate the month at the end of the winter season. However, once I'm past my birthday and several months of cold weather, I start to feel ready for warmer temperatures again.

Two Februarys ago Caribbean night began as an annual party for the four of us. We dance to steel drum music in the kitchen, make food inspired by the tropics, and head to the YMCA for a swim.

This year Sophia helped me make the entire menu from the children's cookbook her Aunt Becca gave her for Christmas. The dishes were:

Pineapple Slices with Basil Lime Dipping Sauce

Mango Chicken

Watermelon Granita

Coconut Rice Pudding

At the grocery store Sophia had also convinced me to buy the star fruit she spotted when we were picking out our pineapple. She and J weren't big fans of the taste so we used it as our decorative centerpiece.

Sophia was adventurous in the pool, practicing her swimming and even dunking her head. J was serene and in a rare state of weightlessness which my arms appreciated, even though he has been walking quite a bit lately!

As much fun as we had in the pool, Sophia seemed to enjoy the gym shower and hair dryer to the same extent. Winter helps me to appreciate the warmer weather, and living with someone who is thrilled by gym showers helps me to appreciate just about everything else. 



Kind & Gentle

This sign was recently hung by our front door.

It was intentionally placed where we would see it before walking back out into the world. The words are not new, they were written in the 8th Century and more recently (in the 20th Century) they became my favorite scripture.

I am grateful to the artist who used just six of the words from Micah 6:8 to remind my family of three guiding principles to strive for each day.

Growing up there was a "Family Mission Statement" next to our front door. I can't tell you any of the words from it, but I distinctly remember it being hung. I remember the intentionality my parents brought to their parenting and how it deeply mattered to them that my brother and I treated others with love. They taught us that God loved us and everyone else without exception.

When our first child was born we only had two rules with a total of four words for the first couple of years. They were, "Kind words, Gentle hands". Now that we have two children our rules have expanded to five words. They are: "kindness", "gentleness", "generosity", "patience" and "gratitude".

3 1/2 year olds and 1 1/2 year olds don't have terrifically long attention spans, which seem to be even briefer when you are providing correction, so typically we just say the word that is relevant.

 If someone is having a hard time sharing we say "generosity"; if someone found a curl of hair too irresistible not to pull we say "gentleness"; and if someone is whining about only getting a piece of chocolate instead of getting to consume the whole bar we say "gratitude".

We try to tell them what we want them to do instead of what we don't, and we cheer like fools when they make a good choice.

Joshua and I are trying really hard to live up to our family rules as well, however hearing "generosity" hasn't been particularly welcomed when someone suggests that their spouse might choose to share the cookie they are eating.