Are you a Helicopter or Free Range Mom?

A friend of mine posted this on her blog, good food for thought: http://www.newsweek.com/id/133103?GT1=43002

I am much more of a free range mom than I thought I would be. I always thought I would be overprotective and worried. I do worry about Mere when I'm gone more than 1 hour and I check on her when she's sleeping but I haven't had too many qualms about others babysitting her or holding her. I think it's good for her to have new experiences and for me to let go more often. I can't say if I would let my nine year old ride the subway, it would depend on the kid themselves and where I lived.

I do think we don't allow kids to shoulder as much responsibility as they should-I think people need to worry more about teaching their children how to avoid or react in a dangerous situation rather than sheltering them from everything, which isn't possible anyway. I also think we need to teach our children skills rather than letting them play and live in a carefree world. Children need to know how to work and learn life skills--I am so grateful to a mom who taught me to sew, cook, clean, garden, work hard, be creative, and how to budget money and time wisely (which I don't always do, but at least I know how:)

Let me know what you think!

Jack Ryan

My best friend Ashley who lives in Panama City, Fl with her husband Ryan and little girl Kate had a baby boy last week Jack Ryan-he's 5lbs 3oz and 18 inches! Wish I could hold the little guy!




I have always wanted curly hair so after 26 years I gave in and got a perm! Here I am the same day, so it's got a bit of gel and will soften a bit after time, but it's kind of fun, I just worry about it getting all tangled, but we'll see :) Here's some fun photos of Mere from uncle Thomas who is visiting this week.

Vernal

Watching general conference & I thought they looked cute in their matching in red clothes


An I wish it was summer dress & helping mom cook! She likes to be in the kitchen--I think she just likes the change of scenery. Soon she'll be rolling and I'll have to be more careful where I put her. . .



Well, I have to say I'm getting stir crazy. I really want to move somewhere warm and by the beach. I love Vernal people and town and fun things to do in the summer, but the winters are just too long. I wish I was rich and could just pack up and move and that Saki didn't work so many hours. I really hate that he's gone sooo much! The occasional 4 day weekend and early days just don't make up for it. . . Last week on Saki's days off we went to the temple and to Red Fleet Park to BBQ. It's pretty, but there's still ice on the water. Saki impressed me by getting up early to pick up trash along the highway Saturday with random volunteers.

Mere has been squealing like nothing else this week, it hurts my ears, I don't know if she's trying out her vocal cords or what! She is grabbing a lot more, and is starting to understand that she can reach and hit things on purpose :) She also rolls onto her side, but can't roll over her arm...

Growing, growing, growing

a fun expression. . .



Mom is so excited Mere is finally starting to wear 3-6 month clothes! Well, some really are still too big. . . but we thank all those who gave her some fun new clothes, we are excited for her to grow into them!

2 year anniversary!

Saki and I have now been married for 2 years (March 25)! We are so happy to have each other and look forward to an eternity together! Saki got off work around 10:00pm so our anniversary celebration was a quiet dinner. Saki likes eating with people he loves more than store bought things, so I surprised Saki by making one of his favorite dishes (Fish and eggplant fried and then baked in coconut milk with tomatoes, bok choy leaves, garlic and ginger.). He was surprised since I've been too tired to cook as much as I used to.

We don't know how much longer we'll be in Vernal, we love it here, but get a little stir crazy after a long snowy winter. No news yet on our house, but it is being worked on. We are looking forward to a trip to WA in May to visit the Hoffmans and my brother Robert and his wife Camille. We love traveling, but when you work it's hard to get time off and if you don't work you don't have any money... Saki is still planning to go back to school. I'm impatiently waiting for him to find a job with better hours and maybe he can take some night classes. He just passed the tanker test (CDL) so now he has some more job options that pay well, the hard thing is getting Sundays off, but there are some options.

Baby blessing

This Sunday we had Meresiana's baby blessing! Saki's parents and sister's family came out from CA and Bountiful, as well as my parents and two younger brothers from FL and BYU. My maternal grandparents also came as well as some close friends. Mere was blessed wearing the dress my mom was blessed in. On Saturday we had a dinner and Saki's mother presented Mere with a whale's tooth, which is one of the most precious gifts one can receive. Saki gave a beautiful blessing and I am so grateful for the priesthood and the ability to have eternal families!