My Manifesto for my Family

Manifesto is a cool word -- sounds like I'm taking over the world, but it just means a stated plan or intention.  Here is the manifesto I created a year ago for my family while I was in the midst of dealing with angst around the behaviour of one of my boys (you know who you are!).



My Manifesto for My Family
* open to interpretation and different methods of implementation

Love

• You are my child/partner and I will always love you.  I will not always love the things you do or the attitudes you have but I will always love you, just as you are. I won't love you more if you behave better; I won't love you less if you behave badly.

 

Loyalty

 

• I will always have your back.  I will always do what will benefit you most.  You may not always like it or agree with it.  No matter what happens, I will stand beside you.

Safety

• Home is a safe place where you can be yourself.  You will not be hurt or ridiculed.  You will be accepted just as you are.  You will not be allowed to hurt or ridicule anyone in this house.  If "who you are" hurts people, I will find you the resources to work through this.  Home is safe for everyone.

Encouragement

• I will always encourage you to go for your goals, try new things and take chances (within reason).  I will do whatever I can to help you.

 

Teaching and Learning

• I will teach you what I know, sometimes even things you don't want to know, like chores, consequences and responsibility.  I am willing to learn what you have to teach me, even if I don't want to. Things like patience, humility and that I'm not always right.

Being Together, Being Apart

• I want to spend time with you -- alone, with the family and with others.  I enjoy your company and we can't achieve the other items if we don't spend time together.  I also need time away from you -- and you need time away from me -- so we can be our own people with our own friends and interests.

Three of a kind

I love this picture

Liam

Carson

Sam

 It's my current favourite.

Still making things

like this!

Carson December 30, 2010

I think he turned out pretty good.

Eagle Watching

Every year from December to March, hundreds of bald eagles migrate to the Annapolis Valley.  In January and February they have special "eagle weekends" with food and festivities.  They put out food for the eagles and you can stand around watching the hundreds of eagles feed.

Mom and I decided to go see the eagles but didn't go on the weekend as it would be too crowded.  We went on a Tuesday.  The weather was beautiful -- warm(ish) and sunny.  There were a few others there but not too many.  The eagles are fed between 9 am and 10 am.  We were late getting off and worried we would miss it. 

No worries necessary.  Apparently there is a pecking order in bird feeding.  First the seagulls, then the crows, then the eagles.  We were surprised to learn that the eagles waited for the other birds to eat first.  Also a surprise -- the eagles sound like canaries!  Not like great fearsome birds at all.  We waited around for an hour (it was warm, but not that warm) before leaving.  The seagulls hadn't started to eat yet but we were hungry!

We stopped at the local fair trade coffee shop.

Mom ordered our eats (hot chocolate for me, latte for her and some giant cookies), lovingly created for us by Doug, the barrista.

Just Us Coffee also makes fair trade chocolate.  I looked for job applications for tasters but only found free chocolate samples.  Yum!

They also sell items crafted by third world artisans, in addition to a little museum about how the average coffee grower lives. 

All in all, a good day.

Some changes and something mushy

Check out the new banner at the top. Made it myself, using just my wits. And my computer and this program.

I also made this



These are our favourite mugs -- Aaron's has Popeye on it (he covets Popeye's forearms)and mine I found abandoned in an empty suite at work.

And this for my mom:



That's Miss Kittee sitting beside her -- she's also in the banner at the top. I don't have any pictures of her and Jack (our other cat) together because, frankly, they don't like each other. They are each content to pretend the other doesn't exist. The shaggy haired child in the inserted picture is Liam, wearing what I have now declared my sweater. Hey, it fits me and green isn't his colour . . .

End of a long and miserific week -- hope your weekend is fabulous!