Joan Ambu Archives – Page 63 of 97 – Strength Of The Small

Animals Ground Squirrel Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Mr. Squirrel, Unwanted Tenant

By JM PerezMay 14, 20132 min read626 views

Can someone make this wind go away already? I surprised myself yelling. High Desert weather is erratic. We can never be too prepared as it’s difficult to tell what is coming our way. One minute it’s hot and the next your running towards coverage. There’s so much dust and dirt flying around. It’s such a lovely day and I wish we could all go outside, sit on the swings with a glass of sweet tea and be amused by our unwanted tenant, Mr. Ground Squirrel.

For a month now, we have failed at capturing a fearless ground Squirrel, which has been coming into our property regardless of the steps we’ve taken to keep it out. It doesn’t eat anything, just interested in digging holes (one of the holes goes all the way down to our storage basement). It climbs and sits in the motor area of one of our cars. It sits pretty in the shade and stares right back at us like it was our beloved pet or something. I have caught it standing on its hind legs looking all around like “yeah, this is the life and it’s all mine.” I laughed so hard a couple of days ago when my husband said it wasn’t a regular Squirrel. Ever since it made its appearance, we haven’t seen Rabbits or Gophers around. In a way it keeps anything else out, but we need to rid our yard of it.

In spite of the erratic weather, we are having fun indoors, watching movies and snacking on healthy treats.

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By JM Perez

Fun Activities Parenting Children DIY: Projects

Nerd Day at School

By JM PerezMay 13, 20131 min read1K views

The week of May 13th through May 17th, is the start of Spirit Week at my Son’s school. Today was Nerd Day.

We had such a wonderful weekend at home, celebrating Mother’s Day weekend and doing all the fun things we enjoy that we completely forgot to stop by Party City to buy a pair of nerd glasses for my son. We saved the day by quickly remembering that both my husband and me sported huge prescription glasses once upon a time. After locating the glasses, my husband decided to use one of his and modify it to fit our son’s little face perfectly (and oh, boy! The little dude was thrilled. He wanted a mohawk hairstyle, but his hair was just too curly).

Materials/Tools Needed	Step by step
A Pair of Nerd Glasses Tiny Screwdriver Pliers Spray Paint	Use a tiny screwdriver to open the frame and remove the lenses For smaller kids, use some Pliers to bend the temple tips (so it wraps behind the ears) Adjust the nose pads so they don’t scrape the nose bridge Spray paint and let it dry

With approximately three more weeks to go until Summer vacations, my kindergartener is so excited about the fun activities his teacher has organized for them. It’s going to be a fun-filled week with lots of laughter and cheers and I am looking forward to making these moments memorable and lifting up his spirit.

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By JM Perez

Mother's Day Love Inspire Gratitude People

Happy Mother’s Day!

By JM PerezMay 12, 20132 min read644 views

“I remember my Mother’s Prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” — Abraham Lincoln

Happy Mother's Day. Image Source. — *Happy Mother’s Day.*

MY MOTHER
by Ann Taylor

Who fed me from her gentle breast,
And hushed me in her arms to rest,
And on my cheek sweet kisses prest?
My Mother.

When sleep forsook my open eye,
Who was it sung sweet hushaby,
And rocked me that I should not cry?
My Mother.

Who sat and watched my infant head,
When sleeping on my cradle bed,
And tears of sweet affection shed?
My Mother.

When pain and sickness made me cry,
Who gazed upon my heavy eye,
And wept for fear that I should die?
My Mother.

Who dressed my doll in clothes so gay,
And fondly taught me how to play,
And minded all I had to say?
My Mother.

Who ran to help me when I fell,
And would some pretty story tell,
Or kiss the place to make it well?
My Mother.

Who taught my infant lips to pray,
And love God’s holy book and day,
And walk in wisdom’s pleasant way?
My Mother.

And can I ever cease to be
Affectionate and kind to thee,
Who was so very kind to me,
My Mother.

Ah no! the thought I cannot bear,
And if God please my life to spare,
I hope I shall reward thy care,
My Mother.

When thou art feeble, old, and grey,
My healthy arm shall be thy stay,
And I will soothe thy pains away,
My Mother.

And when I see thee hang thy head,
‘Twill be my turn to watch thy bed,
And tears of sweet affection shed,
My Mother.

For could our Father in the skies
Look down with pleased or loving eyes,
If ever I could dare despise
My Mother.

Happy Mother’s Day to all who lovingly care for a Child.

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By JM Perez

Primitive DIY: Projects Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Charming Primitive Wood Planter

By JM PerezMay 11, 20132 min read689 views

Yesterday we took a trip to Lowe’s. I have noticed that close to the end of each Season, the store offers a very limited quantity of selected plants. Last Fall I missed out on a plant which I really liked by promising to return the following days and to this date, that particular plant hasn’t made a comeback. Today, when I spotted a Cytisus San Francisco Red Broom Plant, I quickly picked one of the only four in stock.

Where to plant this beauty, I asked myself. We looked at a huge variety of planters and I still couldn’t find one that would compliment this plant. I turned to my very handy husband and kindly asked if he could build a planter for me and he said yes. He built it using pieces of scrap and reclaimed woods we found laying against our storage shed when we bought our Home. The wood below was already painted white, all we did was used a wire brush and scraper to scratch and remove some of the paint which was chipping off. By doing that we ended up creating an old distressed finish and then we used a home-made stencil to spray paint the silhouettes of the Tulips bellow. Simply charming and it turned out better than I expected.

Primitive Planter. — *Primitive Wood Planter.*

Materials/Tools Needed	Step by step
Wood Chop Saw Lumber/Scrap Wood/Reclaimed Wood Nails/screws Hammer/Drill, Drill-bits	Decide on the size of your planter Measure and cut your pieces Assemble the pieces

This morning I filled up my planter with clean plane dirt and potting mix before setting the plant in. We all like it very much and they both make a lovely combination. I am grateful for a good find, a very handy husband, for my family as well as our priceless time together and for the ability to appreciate little things.

I hope our little projects inspire creativity for your gardening plans.

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By JM Perez

Sefl-Esteem Parenting Children Education Family Life Lessons

How Well Does Your Child Know You?

By JM PerezMay 10, 20133 min read699 views

I am sure most of us have heard questions such as “How Well Do You Know Your Child?” and it’s a question all parents must be able to answer. We cannot effectively reach out to children (or anyone, to say the least) if we cannot understand them or place ourselves in their shoes for a moment. Life goes by so fast that we sometimes get caught up with what seems to be the priorities on our minds that we forget about the basics.
As parents (guardians and/or caregivers), we wake up in the morning, get breakfast ready, get the children ready, drive them to school and get on with our own work. Then it’s time to pick the children up from school, ask about their day, have diner, help out with their homework and get them ready for bed. We wake up in the morning and do the same thing over and over again.

Those things create a bond between the child and the parent (priceless). As much as we enjoy doing these things for our children and while we adjust/embrace these changes, are we really paying attention to the most important details in their lives? Are we listening to them, understanding what they are saying and responding appropriately? Or are we simply ‘going with the flow’ like some would say? I am sure you’ve all heard the saying and hopefully read the Poem by Dorothy Law Nolte, Children Live What They Learn. We are our children’s heroes from the start and they mimic our every move even though we don’t seem to notice it. If someone was to ask you today how well you know your child, can you say for sure that you will represent your child well? Click here for a fun survey and share the results with your child to see how well you did.

How about your child? How Well Does Your Child Know You? This question is as important as the first one (how well do you know your child?). How do you project yourself to your children? How do you nurture them? What do they think of you? Is their perception of you accurate? As parents we are more concern about our children’s well-being that we forget to share a little bit about ourselves with them. Living under the same roof does not mean that they know and/or understand us and what we do. We have to share some information which may come handy in time (in extreme cases for instance, being able to identify us just by simple, yet detailed questions). Our children may not answer all questions about us accurately, but they should not be guessing when we can educate them and we should not be guessing either and start asking questions.

One of the activities of the month of May in my Son’s class was a description/presentation about their Mothers. Sometimes we think such little details are not so important for our children to know, but they really are and my boy made me proud today. As you can see on the document above, he remembered everything except my age.

“Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself.”― George Bernard Shaw

So, my dear readers, on a scale of 1 to 10, how well would you say your child (or children) know you? How well do you know them? I’d love to hear back from you.

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By JM Perez