My word of the day...

Today just so happens to be a very passionate feeling day... There are many things, feelings, life occurrences and opinions that I'm passionate about and I kind of feel like going off on a little spiel about them. 

Guess you could say that "passion" is the word of the day in my world.

LOVE

I am very passionate about this word. It encompasses everything whether your referring to a romantic love to the love of your favorite food, item, etc.. 

I should mention that my cheesiness factor is off the charts today too! I just had to post a little clip from Moulin Rouge, I just HAD to! 

Love is passion. No matter who/what you love, love them/it passionately and wholeheartedly.

FAMILY

I absolutely love my family! I am so incredibly lucky to have such strong, highly opinionated and extremely supportive people in my life. To top it off, I married into an equally amazing family. I wouldn't be the person that I am today without any of them and while there have been times that I've contemplated trading them {be honest, you've thought about it too at times!!}, you better not mess with them... I'll mess you up back! Yes, that is a threat! haha

They have taught me so many important lessons in life and I feel as though they have prepared me to be a better woman, wife and mother. 

FOOD

Food is my second love. Food is my passion. Food is my hobby. Food is me. 

Pregnant or not, the kitchen has always been my "place". Some woman take hot baths, get massages, or whatever and while all those things are wonderful and lovely things to do when you want time to yourself, nothing makes me quite as happy as preparing a wonderful meal, dessert or snack. THE most rewarding part is watching my family or friends enjoy the deliciousness that I've created.

There are fewer things more satisfying, to me, than the feeling of mixing, molding, mashing and combining different flavors together just to taste my creations in the end. I'm assuming it would be the same feeling as climbing to the top of Mount Everest or something... Food is my Everest. 

I may not have trained professionally, gotten a degree, or cooked in the finest of restaurants but I know what food is supposed to taste like. I know which flavors will pair well with others. How? I was ALWAYS allowed to watch, learn and experiment in the kitchen and I have been watching TV chefs do it for literally my whole life. I was just lucky enough to have been able to cook all the foods that even I didn't want to eat when I was a lot younger.

I truly hope to instill this passion, or part of it, in my children. This leads me to an opinion that I'm 100% passionate about...

NEVER TELL YOUR CHILDREN "NO, YOU WON'T LIKE THAT" OR "THAT'S YUCKY" WHEN THEY ASK TO TRY SOMETHING!
{unless of course its inedible and they really shouldn't be eating it... I've said these things in those situations too!}

Just because YOU don't like it, doesn't mean they won't like it either!

Open up their worlds to different tastes, textures, flavors and cuisines from the beginning. Setting them up to enjoy food will lead them to make healthy and positive food choices in their own adult lives. 

I dislike kiwi, but I don't keep Jackson from trying it. He's allowed to taste anything and everything, within reason- nothing raw or anything, when I'm cooking. If he spits it out because I doesn't like it, I don't get mad at him. He has started this crazy little habit of spiting out one bite of food because he'd rather eat another at dinner time and THAT irritates the snot out of me, but I don't punish him for not liking something from the very first time he tries it. 

Just because they didn't like it the FIRST time, doesn't mean they won't like it after 10, 20, 100 times!

Allow them to taste things again. What is the absolute worst thing that could happen? They spit it out again? woo hoo... WHO CARES! Let them taste it again. YOUR taste buds change occasionally don't they? YEP, theirs do too!!

Let your children experiment in the kitchen too!

Bake with them. Cook with them. Let them play in a small bowl of flour. Give them another small bowl full of water and watch them make dough. Let them dip their carrots in ketchup if that's whats going to make them happy.
There is a time and a place for "no" when it comes to the kitchen and food, for sure. Pick your battles and let them have fun too!! The last thing you'd want to do, even by accident, is to let your child grow up thinking that they aren't allowed to safely be in the kitchen. Those thoughts and feelings will stick with them forever and could negatively effect their opinions... maybe even for the rest of their lives. 

A little mess today may seem like just another inconvenience in an already busy life but it isn't even a speed bump in the grand scheme of things!

OH!! And you don't have to have a lot of money {because we sure don't} and you don't have to be a stay-at-home mom to broaden your child's horizons. You just have to be OPEN MINDED and WILLING to do so!!

FRIENDS

One would think that this is self explanatory, but is it? How many TRUE friends do you REALLY have? I have hundreds of acquaintances and I know a lot of people but would they be there when I really needed them? Honestly, NO, probably not. 

I have a small handful of great friends. Friends that would be there for me any time that I needed them, without question and regardless of why I needed them. My life wouldn't be the same without them either. I love that some of them have children that my kiddos are close in age to and can grow up playing together. I love that one of them doesn't have children so I can leave Jackson at home and have "grown up" time if I want to, but she's totally okay with hanging out with him as well! 

I think its important that James and I are friends too... we are polar opposites in social settings. I thrive and he hides lol. I'm working on opening him up a little bit, but he just takes a while to warm up to people... If you were to see him with his friends though, you'd never believe me!! BOY can they get loud and rowdy at times! We balance each other though. He makes me laugh and he laughs at my stupid jokes too. We do silly things together {Ninja James, anyone?} and always try to have fun. Just because we're married adults and he's 10 years older than me doesn't mean we have to be a boring married couple. Hopefully our boys see that we always tried to have fun when they grow up and get married. 

That seems to be all I have for now. I was clearly side tracked from my to do list by my little spiel, so I better get back to it!

Live your life with passion and you will love your life!