Tag Archives: Family

2010 Goals

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Back when I started this thing years ago, I often used it to process my thoughts and plans. So let’s give that a shot again. Below are some goals for the first several months of 2010. With me in school and doing my teaching internship, things are likely to change very rapidly, so I’m only considering the next four months for now. That’s when I graduate and the salad bowl of life is likely to get tossed again. Come May, I’ll look at these again and renew or make adjustments as necessary.

Where relevant I’ve tried to include deadlines for starting and frequency; the more specific and measurable a goal is, the better it is. Without further ado… Continue reading →

2009 Resolutions

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January is the time for fresh starts, new goals, and all that. I’ve got a couple that I’m not yet ready to talk about, but let’s see what I dare put to paper… so to speak.

Family

  • More bedtime stories and snuggles.
  • A regular date night with Kerri

Faith

  • Regular observation of the Hours
  • More frequent intentional substance at church meetings.

Hobby

  • Create something at least monthly
  • Finish one book a month

Home

  • Get the attic in order
  • Get the deck in
  • Bunk beds for the boys
  • Paint our bedroom

Let’s stew on this for a bit and see where it leads us.

Morning with Nigel

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So here I am, up before eight on a Sunday morning. No where to be; no one coming over. Just up with the puppy… and Jake. He woke up about five minutes after us.

It’s quiet. We’re watching a little Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. I’m doing a little surfing.

It’s really nice. I could get used to mornings.

Wii!

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On Friday Kerri stopped into our local Family Video to clear our late fees and rent a couple movies: New releases – five nights – $1 each. We got a couple for the kids and a couple for us.

She also rented Mario Kart for the Wii. (Not $1 for five nights, but still a fair price.) We all got into it. Kerri and I both stayed up too late one night. Samantha and Jake are old enough and coordinated enough to complete most of the tracks. And Luke was happy so long as he had either a monkey, a dragon or a dinosaur on a cool motorcycle.

Next up: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

Lenten Update

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So, we’re just about half way through Lent, and I thought I’d provide an update. Kerri and I are still on the vegetarian diet, though it’s been a lot harder for her than me. She’s been craving meat, but I’ve haven’t missed that much. Can’t say as though I’m feeling compelled to stick with it being a vegetarian for the long term, but I can say that my perspective is changing. Meat is no longer mandatory. A good burger will still make my mouth water, but there are some pretty tasty veggie dishes that I wouldn’t even have considered previously. Diversity is an important part of a healthy diet, and this experiment will move me down that path.

As far as setting aside some devotional time individually, as a family or as a community… well, the best laid plans and that. I had my “Duh!” moment the other day. My work generally follows a tax calendar, so the winter months are among our busiest. Our busy season also happens to coincide with Lent, so my enthusiasm at the outset is often dampened by the reality of extra hours and approaching deadlines. While I love my job, I don’t like the fact that work dictates my life-rhythms as much as it does. Since retirement is still 60 or 65 years away based on my current projections, this is something I’ll have to keep working at.

Spirit-a-Go-Go – Assignment 1

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So, we’re doing a bit more for Lent around these parts in 2008. I already mentioned our fast. We’re also picking up on some more stuff within church and the family. Not one ashamed to use other’s work when possible, I thought Spirituality 2 Go, sponsored by Opawa Baptist in Christchurch, New Zealand, would be ideal. We worked through Assignment 1 with the kids yesterday, and here’s what we came up with for our trip into the desert. From left to right:
Spirituality 2 Go - Assignment 1

  • First off, our Lenten fabric is a section of dropcloth from the basement. It seemed lightweight yet reasonably durable.
  • Jake picked a warn, fleecy blanket, because deserts get cold.
  • Kerri grabbed a Bible and a journal.
  • All three kids grabbed fruit. I can’t help but smile at their selection: apples and pear.
  • Kerri and Samantha took care of water.
  • I went for a comfortable pair of socks and a bucket hat. Bald Man Blogging isn’t just a clever name, you know.

Had I done all seven items myself, I can’t say I would have wound up with much different.

Parenting with Perspective

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worn teddy bear
I came across Hour Challenge a little while ago, and have been enjoying it. This post caught my attention the other day, probably because I think about this with regard to my own kids a fair bit.

I see two challenges: The first is to raise my kids in such a way that they have a proper perspective on wealth. I want them to understand that we are indeed wealthy by any real standard, that our wealth carries certain responsibilities toward others, and that much of our culture will not support this perspective. I also want them to hold this perspective without feeling guilty for being wealthy, for just as most did not choose to be poor, they did not choose to be wealthy.

The second challenge in not suffocating their childhood innocence with heavy concepts too soon. So far, we have let their own curiosity and honest answers guide us. As Kerri and I work to maintain a proper perspective in our own lives and to live out of that perspective, we include our kids in our activities. They ask their own questions, and we give them honest answers. In fact, finding ways to answer them honestly, but in terms that they can understand, often proves to be incredibly useful in fine-tuning my own thinking about a topic.

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Getting Back in the Swing of Things

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Right, then…

Been missing this here blog. Have lots of ideas jotted and posts half-written. I guess I’m just a bit out of the swing of things. Let’s start with a bit of warm up.

How about a quick list of random things? Sounds simple enough…

fractal

  • Over dinner the other day my mother revealed that I’ve pretty much always been a person in need of routine and structure. Seems I am truly my father’s son in this regard. Not sure why this is such a revelation to me. Guess it has to do with learning something about myself through the eyes of another.
  • Reaped the first harvest of tomatoes over the weekend. Just a dozen or so cherries so far, but there are tons on the vine. The first cucumber surprised us, too. I hope the pumpkin produces…
  • Never having been one to put my head down and keep my mouth shut, I’ve been swamped at work. Seems I managed to get myself on the busy end of a company-wide reorganization. It’s been exciting, and I can’t wait to get a little closer to the finish line on this one.
  • Speaking of work, I passed an exam toward a professional accreditation last month. The second exam is late fall. Man… it’s been a while since I took a test. This one was an computer administered multiple choice. The content didn’t give me any particular difficulties, but my test-taking skills were both rusty and up until then untested on a computer. I hadn’t anticipated the impact of that change ahead of time.
  • Tavis just began, which means I’m late for bed. Patience demands sleep…. G’nite!

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Happy Anniversary, Kerri

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Ten years ago we were kids. I had more hair… but not much; and you had fewer grays… but not many.

Ten years on we are no longer kids ourselves, but rather parents of our own kids.

Ten years ago we were two very different people, different both from each other and from who we are now, making a commitment to grow together.

Ten years on we are still different… and we are still choosing to grow together.

Ten years ago we had a future full of possibilities open to us.

Ten years on we have fewer possibilities, but we have instead grown into our choices and our future looks richer than ever.

Happy Anniversary, Beloved

Heart & Soul

Always & Forever