Cooking with the Kids

I love to cook. I didn't always, though. In fact, I didn't even know how to 'really' cook until I got married and my husband taught me. My mom was an awesome cook, but she didn't have the patience to teach. She didn't want me in the kitchen at all when she was cooking. So, much like we all do when we grow up and have kids of our own and try to change what we felt we missed out on as a child, I made sure to make cooking a family event. Not every meal, but as often as possible or as they want.
Tim, my oldest, LOVES to cook. He definitely shares my passion. When we had DirecTV, he would join his dad and I in watching The Food Network. He can make several things by himself and what he can't do by himself, he gladly helps me make. In fact, for his sister's 2nd birthday, he made her (boxed) cake all by himself. Today is his dad's birthday and he'll be making his cake.
Josh has just recently shown an interest in cooking, although he's been helping out since he was about three. Josh is a very picky eater, so he'll help cook but he won't always eat what he cooks. Tim was like that, more so because his sensory issues were really bad and wouldn't let him eat a lot of foods, willingly. Through the course of learning about foods and how to prepare them, as well as raising most of the foods we use in our garden, Tim has become a pretty outgoing eater. So, there's still hope for Josh!
Kaylee is already helping in the kitchen. She loves to 'wash' dishes and helps prepare foods whenever I let her. Last night, as I was slicing zucchini and squash for a meal, she was putting the slices into a bowl for me. She also helps stir and pour ingredients.
Cooking is a great way to work with your kids and it builds their self-confidence. It is very rewarding to make a meal and sit down and eat it, knowing it came from your own work. When it's really good and the family enjoys it, it's a great boost to the 'I CAN do it' mentality we try to raise our kids with.

Pets Are Family, Too

My husband and I have been married for 18 years. During that time, we have never been without a pet. Never. In fact, we have almost always had a zoo. It is safe to say that we are animal lovers. I worked in pet stores for three years and developed my love for almost all animals during that period in my life. My husband grew up with dogs, cats, birds and guinea pigs, and went on to have farm animals as an adult. From there, it just grew for both of us.
Prior to having human kids, we had many animal children. We've owned dogs, cats, cockatiels, rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks, geese, chickens, pot-bellied pigs, lizards, mice, rats and a snake. All before having kids, so we're looking at an 8-year period of time. When we moved to where we live currently, we couldn't bring what farm animals were still alive. By that time, we were down to just dogs, cats and an iguana. Between the time that we moved here six years ago we have acquired another snake, a bearded dragon, fish, another rabbit, hairless rats, parakeets, an Amazon Parrot and two conures.
Having animals takes on another significance for my family, besides loving their company. With both boys having autism, we use our pets as therapy. Having pets is a great way to teach concepts like unconditional love, affection, empathy and responsibility. Through having pets, they also learn about death, how to grieve and move on. They know more than most kids their ages that animals take a lot of time and money to take care of, but they are worth it.
Tim saved up his allowance for several months, at the age of 7, to buy his own parakeet and cage. He could have used that money to buy toys or spend it on junk food, we let them choose what they spend their money on. He wanted a bird, and wanted one bad enough to sacrifice childhood desires to get it. Sadly, it died a few months later for unknown reasons but not because he wasn't treated like a king. The breeder replaced it for free knowing that something must have been wrong with it. Tim fell more in love with that one than the first, until it somehow got out of the cage and flew off. Heartbroken is an understatement. He was devastated. We replaced that one with a conure, and while he loves that bird, it's just different for him. Through this, he's also learning that loving a pet a little less doesn't remove his responsibility to take care of it. I think he's just trying not to get close again for fear of it leaving.
I'm sure we will have many more pets during our lives. I consider my love for animals a gift from the Lord. It extends beyond pets into just about every kind of animal, with the exception of bugs and spiders. That's where I draw the line!

                                          My Sun Conure, Baby

                                               Tim's Conure, Apple

                                 Tim's Ball Python (nameless)

                                 Josh's rabbit, Long Ears

                    Our inside dogs, Buster and Sparky