Easter Egg Hunt

This year we participated in an Easter Egg Hunt and brunch that someone from our church organized.

Here's Treyton, one very excited egg hunter, just before taking off.

Since Brielle was the youngest, she got to have a wee-bit of a head start.

Galina wasn't sure how she felt about that.  Actually, she was sure and she didn't like it.

But she lost no time when they released her.

Brielle has wonderful finding skills.  It's from Bryce.  They both pay good attention to detail.

I would've been scared to stick my hand in a hole like that.  In Brielle's case, ignorance is bliss.

Galina's all business.

She's more of a big picture sort of girl, like her mom. 

And Treyton was in his detective mode having a blast.

He's also good with details.  Except when it comes to unscrunching his socks before putting them in the laundry. 

Look at the teamwork!  Actually the competition.  Keeping it real here.

Brielle stayed out of it.  Smart kid.

Here they are enjoying the loot.

And some brunch.

Happy Belated Easter, everyone!

Say it Ain't Snow

Yesterday I woke up to this.

Yes, it snowed here in Colorado on May 12.  I don't remember that ever happening before, even in Minnesota.  I remember once on May 1st, but never this late!

These pictures were taken around 7:00 in the morning.  It snowed until noon.

Daisy didn't seem to mind.

But the crazy Colorado weather, all of it melted before the next morning.  Now that wouldn't have happened in MN, to be sure!  Their snow LASTS.  But not here.  It was nice enough that we even ate lunch outside in the sunshine!  Happy spring!

Book Review: Off Limits

This book should be required reading for any concerned parent.  My naiveté about sexual abuse has made me an ill-prepared to arm my children in this increasingly dangerous world.  Off Limits: A Parent’s Guide to Keeping Kids Safe from Sexual Abuse helped bridge this gap for me.  It was a superb book.

Topics include identifying traits of those who abuse, learning the process those abusers use to get a child to submit, equipping children with a plan on how to handle a situation if they encounter one, teaching children about body safety and making your home safe, and  talking to caregivers about safety, to name a few.

The book is filled with nuggets or “safety tips”.  For example, one was making a rule about not keeping secrets in your family.  Surprises are okay, but secrets are not.  Surprises are fun to keep and are eventually told.  Secrets don’t feel good to keep and are not ever meant to be shared.  It’s important for kids to learn the differences and to teach them how to respond to a potential abuser.  The “my family doesn’t keep secrets from each other” comment has actually dissuaded admitted sexual abusers.   They simply found another kid who would keep a secret.

Off Limits also covers on-line predators, an increasing danger with the explosion of media use among older children and teens.  The book even goes on discuss how to help a child if he is abused or how to help children/teens who abuse others.  There are many resources included in the appendix as well.

So thorough, so researched, so informative, so practical.  I strongly recommend Off Limits by Sandy Wurtele and Feather Berkower.

Here's their website for more info: http://www.parentingsafechildren.com/