Praying For...Tyson...that he will learn to love and serve his neighbor and Jesus Christ with joy...that his neighbors will soften and allow them to celebrate childhood, guarding the innocence and safety children in each their own sphere of influence.
Cucina Fresca...I made a huge discovery with my green smoothies, which has taken them up a few notches in taste. I juice and zest a couple lemons, adding this and a bit of stevia. Now, my smoothies taste like frozen berry lemonade. Wow! My grands can't get enough and even beg me to make more. Have you ever heard of a child begging for spinach or kale? It's a first for me.
Pen and Brush...the grands also love drawing lessons from some of Mark Kistler's books. We enjoy drawing together morning and night.
Bibliophilia...we also discovered a wonderful read aloud, A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home by Henry Cole. They like it so much; they asked me to send it to Tyson for his Grandchild of the Week. I'm previewing The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane for Sammy this week. Sure hope it's good.
Grand Gossip...we stopped a couple fun places on our journey. I wasn't sure how they would like a two day journey broken up by monuments and points of interest. This was my answer as we pulled up to the hotel the first night. 'This is the best vacation, EVAH!!!' Six-year-olds are easy to please and tell it like it is. Saturday, at Mom's cake and ice cream birthday celebration, he said. 'Even though this isn't fun, it's sort of fun.' I can't win them all.
Garden Gate...sadly, I lost some more plants in the high heat last week. Well, I don't want to have plants that need babying anyway.
For Your Viewing Pleasure...I took the grands to see the movie, Max, which was enjoyed by all. The six-year-old thought it was a bit scary though. We talked about the wonderful way the main character aired disagreements with a meek, gentle, but confident voice. We talked about loyalty of friends two and four legged, too. It is a great movie, IMHO.
Puppy Prattle...it is a lot slower to train dogs without a prong collar, but it also doesn't break the spirit. Dash has learned to heel quite easily without jerking or pinching of the neck. If she begins to pull, I simply turn in the opposite direction and back again, as I quietly say 'heel.' It breaks her concentration and puts her focus back on me without pain. I love this method, however I'm not sure how to teach a down stay to a dog that is not food or toy driven. When I figure out what motivates her, I'll find success. I've also house broken her to the tile portions of the house again without force or violence of any type. She tells me, when she needs to go out. Hurray! We take a walk around the block 3-4 times a day. I praise her highly for her deposits, which seems to be motivating for her. I still don't want to try her out on the carpet though. I'm not ready to watch her leave a mess on my nearly white carpet.
