Playful Parenting!

Four Ways to Practice Playful Parenting
I loved this recent post at Simple Mom with four tips for being a playful parent. I am especially encouraged and challenged by the first and fourth tips.

Start the Day with Play
The first tip challenges the very start to my day. Too often I quickly feed the kids and start into my chores, leaving them to occupy themselves until I am ready to go. But I happen to know from experience that giving them my attention first thing in the morning normally leads to a more peaceful day (especially the afternoon).

The "Cereal" Trick
The fourth tip challenges my response to their desires throughout the day, particularly those we cannot meet. The name, the "cereal trick," comes from the story of a child who wants a specific cereal that they don't have. "I wish I could magically make a box appear," is his mother's understanding, sympathetic response. "Sometimes just having someone understand how much you want something makes the reality easier to bear."

Check out this post and enjoy some playful parenting.

Arbroath Abbey

After touring Edzell Castle, we headed south to the little coastal town of Arbroath to visit the ruins of the Arbroath Abbey (and to eat Arbroath Smokies, but that is for another story). 

The abbey was founded in 1178 for monks of the Tironensian order by King William the Lion. The abbot's house, the guest house and the gate house are still relatively intact, but the abbey church has fallen into ruin.

We loved exploring these beautiful buildings. The stones contained the same red coloring of Edzell Castle only a short distance away. And we enjoyed the improving weather as well. The rain stopped and the sun came out shortly after we arrived.

 

There is some incredible history that occured here, the most famous being the Declaration of Arbroath to Pope John XXII after Robert Bruce defeated Edward II of England at Bannockburn in 1314. The letter laid out Scotland’s case that it was an independent, sovereign kingdom and should no longer be excommunicated from the church.

 

The stunning front windows of the altar area draw your view toward the front of the church. Standing among the fallen pillars, you can imagine the worship of the past echoing through the cathedral.

The interior of the abbot's house was incredible. I loved the arched ceilings and central pillars. Joshua was not fond of the darkness inside the house, and I can only imaging how dark it was years ago only lit by candle, especially in the middle of a Scottish winter.

Abigail more bravely explored the house and enjoyed the break from the wind. By the end of our visit, we were all in short sleeves (except Joshua, who always wears his sweatshirt) and rejoicing in the sun.

Visit our photo album for more pictures from our visit to Arbroath Abbey - July 2010.

Edzell Castle

Now we begin the adventures of our second weekend with a car. I just finished our trip to St. Andrews, which took place in mid-June. In mid-July we rented a car for a second time, and explored more of northern Scotland.

Our first stop was Edzell Castle, about an hour south of Aberdeen.

After all the gray castles, made of granite and other almost colorless rocks, the red coloring of this castle was a beautiful contrast. You can especially see the coloring in this close up of the outer wall.

One of the most amazing features of this castle ruin was the incredible walled garden.

I love the plant boxes the lines the walls. There were lovely carvings in the walls and the garden house was still in great condition.

We also enjoyed the fields of sheep and goats on the other side of the castle walls. They must have been gathering the animals for sheering or something else because there were an amazingly large number of them all in the adjacent field. The goats sounded comically unreal -- like a person poorly imitating a goat -- with a low "mmaaaaa." Too funny!

We also enjoyed the wild life on the property. Joshua followed a little rabbit through the grass and Abigail was fascinated by the peacocks. You can see more of these animals in our full photo album.

This was a lovely castle, one I would definitely recommend. Though the ruins themselves were not as interesting to the kids, we all enjoyed the walled gardens.

Take a look at more pictures from Edzell, including peacocks, sheep and goats, bunnies and more in our Facebook album: Edzell Castle - July 2010.

Menu Plan Monday

Last week we really enjoyed the Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs) and Mexican Rice. My husband made the rice and it was the best we have had since moving here.

We are repeating a few meals from last week because of some last minute change of plans (like a wonderful, last-minute BBQ on a sunny afternoon, and a chance to watch the kids so our friends could go out and celebrate).

Here is the menu for this week!

• Monday -- Chinese Chicken and Cabbage
• Tuesday -- Roast Beef and Cheddar Sandwiches
• Wednesday -- Pesto Tortelloni with broccoli and mushrooms
• Thursday -- Japanese Chicken and Japanese Salad
• Friday -- Roast Beef Italian Stew
• Saturday -- Chicken Basil Pasta
• Sunday -- leftovers

Check out more great meal ideas at Organizing Junkie.

Happy Monday!

Starting week 4

Read the Bible in 90 Days: Week 4 - I am right on schedule for today's reading.

Starting in Genesis and ending in Revelation, we will begin 2 Samuel tomorrow. It takes about a hour of reading each day to stay on schedule. I take my Bible everywhere with me and use spare moments to read a little more. I even take a break from email or Facebook to read a chapter or two online.

There are a few things that have struck me during my reading.

• It feels like I better see the plan of God as he moves through history. I more clearly see how He is working over hundreds of years -- and how patient and forgiving He is.
• I am struggling with the abhorrent violence in the OT. Not sure what to do with this right now. It definitely deserves more meditation and prayer. I can see why people de-mythologize the OT in light of the NT.
• Reading straight through Judges into the life of Samuel and David has given me a different perspective of the chaos in Israel, how little unity there was, and how the introduction of a king forever changed Israel.

I am still excited about this challenge, but as the initial momentum begins to wear off, it is taking a little more discipline and creativity to stay on schedule. I'm almost a quarter of the way through the Bible, with only 69 days to go.