madameblogalot

On this day of giving Thanks, one of the things mentioned was for our health. In spite of not being back to where I want to be following my surgery this summer, I am still healthy and able to do most of what I want to.

As I was catching up on some of my blog reading today, I came across a post which led me to a post of another Thankful Healthy Blogger. On her Journey to Thin, she is hosting a blogger giveaway for those who did a Thanksgiving Day 5k.

I was wanting to do something like that, but in the last two weeks have not been able to run. I had also wanted to do a triathlon today, so I went ahead and planned out what I wanted to do, but just turned my “run” into thirty minutes on the elliptical machine.

We got up this morning, headed to the gym and here is my personal Thanksgiving Day Triathlon:

50 minute swim

90 minute bike ride (yes, we left the gym and then came back!)

30 minute “run” (elliptical)

Not quite an Olympic distance, but not far off either!

This year our church had an exciting Thanksgiving ministry going. It was called “Adopt a Turkey”. The teens were the “turkeys” the whole congregation was to adopt. They were adopted to do various jobs that the members had need of-washing windows, babysitting, cleaning, anything they wanted done. The teens were paid in donation towards buying turkeys for needy families in the community. The teens raised so much money that they were able to buy entire Thanksgiving dinner for 30 families!!

We took the teens to a local Kroger grocery store just a block away from the church building. We had a pre-assigned shopping list which we gave each team of teens. Then they took off for their assigned items. It was great fun watching them come back with carts brimming full of goods-30 turkeys, 30 gallons of punch, 30 boxes of potatoes, 60 cans of corn and green beans, 60 bags of rolls, stuffing mix, gravy, fruit cocktail, brownie and pie mix….The teens had fun shopping and we had fun watching the other customers take it in and listening to their comments.

The grocery store was really great about working with us and letting us wipe their shelves clean (we had already spoken with the manager before coming in.) In all the teens spent under $700 and still have enough to send a donation to the inner city work. What the teens gained, and what the whole congregation gained from working together…priceless.

In raising teenagers, it often seems as if we are speaking different languages. I’m not talking about the slang they use (I often think that is a different language!) But in daily communication, I have found that my teens, especially the younger they are, find that the words we say to communicate what we want and expect from them often are lost in translation between our mouths and their ears (brains.) A couple of examples from our house are:

If I say “Drive safe/be careful”, it has been heard as “You’re a bad driver.” When asking “Where are you going-who is going to be there” they have heard “I don’t trust you.” And if I tell one “You can’t see that movie yet”, it is easily translated as “You’re a baby.”

One thing I have learned in parenting is that it’s a learning process. And it takes lots of communication. Sometimes it’s not healthy communication, but there is eventually a breakthrough if we keep talking. I am lucky to have articulate kids who will tell me that I’ve made them feel stupid (I guess that’s lucky!) I am glad they tell me what they are hearing. It gives me the chance to reword what I mean-”I care about you and want you to be safe”, “I care about where you go and who you are with and I want the best for you”, and “You are growing up and there is a time and place to take in certain things.”

It’s exhausting, but now with an older teen on the cusp of adulthood, we seem to be understanding each other a little better. That gives me hope that one day we will speak the same language!

It’s not too early to start Christmas shopping. I do like to get mine done early. Though this year, I am already behind !Usually I order books throughout the year from the school book order forms for all the kids on our list. I don’t think I’ve ordered any this year.

I think I am going to do more homemade gifts again this year. Most likely consumable (food) gifts. Those are always good for the ones that I have no idea what to get! And usually most people appreciate it. In the past I’ve done breads, salsas, soups and ice cream.

I also like to shop online. Since it takes time to ship items during this busy time of year, shopping online means not waiting until the very last minute. So I better decide what I am going to do and get busy!