Che Guevara

I just recently finished a book about the life of Ernesto Che Guevara. I don't know if I agree with his political ideas, in fact I still don't have a true idea of what my own are. But I have to admire his determination, and the role that he played in Latin American history. Here is a quote from his book, this is from a letter to his children:
"Study hard so that you can master the technique that permits mastery of nature...Above all, always be capable of feeling most deeply any injustice committed against anyone, anywhere in the world. This is the most beautiful quality in a revolutionary (From My life with Che by Hilda Gadea.
As I watch little Maija grow up, I have felt an urgency to learn more about my own culture so I can pass that to my little one, not only the language, but also the people, that in one way or another shaped Latin America to what it is today. If anyone has any recommendations about Latin American books, and music that you love, I will like to know of them.
Adios Amigos

New Year's Resolutions...

So as the New Year approaches many of us are thinking about how to better ourselves in 2009, I was looking up some articles, about ideas on how to keep your New Years Resolutions, and found this great list of tips...the one that surprised me the most, was tell everyone about your resolutions, apparently the more people that know about your resolutions, the more likely you will find encouragement to keep them. So here they are...not my resolutions, the list of tips:
1) Aim Low... (So loosing 30 lbs is out of the question????)
2) Don't overload yourself (Does 20 different goals count as overloading?)
3) Tell everyone you know
4) Reward yourself
5) Wait until spring ("Sometimes the best way to accomplish a New Year’s resolution is to make it at a time of year of your choosing, rather than the one dictated by the calendar. May 1 is a good alternate date, since the change of season will neatly coincide with the change you’re hoping to accomplish in yourself").
So I think the blog could be a great way to announce to everyone what it is I am planning on doing, and better yet improving in 2009, but first I have to decide what to do???? Any ideas??? or success stories????
There are a few areas that are the obvious "needs improvement"
1) Spiritual Fitness
2) Physical Fitness
3) Mental Fitness
Some ideas that I have been toying with are:
Reading 5 Classics (Don Quijote, Les Miserables, Crime & Punishment, Dante's Inferno, Sense and Sensibility)
Excercising at least 3 times per week...but actually do it! ;)...that seems to be my monthly goal
Continue my Oil Painting from 2008
Work hard at family scripture study (that's more of a family goal...)
Better personal scripture study
Better FHEs
Read 5 artist's biographies (Picasso, Rembrandt,Dali, Goya, and someone more comtemporary...I need to start gaining more respect for comtemporary art!)
Loose 30 lbs.....oh wait....
Be a better mom...wait I have to do that for the next 130 years!!
Stop making so many lists
Make more to do lists....aka be more organized
Well I know many of you have made, and accomplished many good, and worthy goals, also if anyone is making New Years resolutions themselves, and might be interested in having a "Check up on me buddy for 2009" let me know.

Learning to Fly

I just finished reading a really neat book, Learning to Fly by Roxanne Henke. It is a well written novel about motherhood, with a Christian twist. It follows the stories of two moms, along with their husbands as they parents their girls from childbirth, the terrible twos, to the oh so emotional teenage years. It had some good lessons, and it gave me some light in what might be ahead.
A few pointers I picked up from this book:
1) Parenting is hard work...DUH, but it really is, just letting your kids do whatever they want is actually much easier than setting boundaries, and sticking to them.
2) Use common sense!
3)Put yourself in her place, when your baby, toddler, and someday teenager starts acting up, and you have no idea what planet they might come from, try putting yourself in their place, it'll help you help them.
4) Moms always worry, and often feel helpless, but it is not only about being worried, is about doing something about it!!!
When it comes to my family here is a good theme to follow, pray as though everything is up to the Lord, get up, and act as though everything is up to me...I don't mean to say forget about the Lord, I mean, actually take action...Hopefully you guys know what I mean ;)
These are just lessons from a book, I'll let you know how practical portion of the lesson goes, the theory is great, it is the practice that takes time ;)
If anyone is interested I picked up this book at the Fish Creek Branch of the of CPL.

Vote for Maija!!!

Hey Guys,
I just thought I would let everyone know that I have entered Maija in the "Cutest Kid in Calgary" contest, all you have to do is go to the Vibe 98.5 web page, and cast your vote, you can vote for her everyday, here is the link:

Maija

thanks everyone!..and no worries I have no way of knowing if you voted for her or not, there are many other super cute children out there in this contest...aka..Sloan...good luck to you!...but we will sure appreciate the votes! This is the same picture I am using for the contest, in case you can't recognize her. Voting stars Nov 11th

Adios!

Monica & Maija

Did I ever tell you how lucky you are???

I have fallen in love with Dr. Seuss!!! but this book has really hit home, Maija Wyatt, and I are lately very lucky!!! On Thursday night Maija went on her first cake walk, at the Parkland Corn Bust. She won a really yummy cake for our whole family! and the next morning, Wyatt, and I scored some tickets to the upcoming Elton John concert, YAY!!! Keep that luck coming!!..going back to the book, totally check it out, great rhymes, and a nice little lesson!

and there were two....

Maija has had a very good week, we spend a lot of time inside due to the rain, but she is still moving around. Yesterday Maija started crawling for the first time, and today Wyatt found tooth number two!!! She is now 18 lbs 2 oz, and just as funny as ever, much like her uncle Winchester she has mastered the art of getting others in trouble. When Forrest comes over she gets him to yell, and in trouble with me, I didn't know that it was Maija that was making him yell, until I noticed that he was imitating everything she was doing, just doing in it louder.
She is a wonderful baby, and is has now moved to her very own room, we kept her in our room for so long, it really was time for her to have her independence.
Also, thank you to Daylyn, Jocelyn, and Sloan for coming with us to our baby's first hike (also Sloan's first!..WAIT TO GO SLOAN!) Fun times! Sorry no pics, I'm still trying to figure out this whole thing with our web server. We are hoping our baby will grow up an outdoorsy kind of girl!

Children say the darnest things......

Yesterday my niece and nephew came over to visit, and stay a while, I was told by my sister that they would be pretty hungry, since dinner had not happened yet, and what they had for lunch does not appear in our Canadian Food Guide, lol. Anyway, I made this big dinner with mashed potatoes, broccoli, corn, deer steaks and home made bread...I know, home made bread!!! COOL EH? Wyatt is awesome when it comes to my food, but lately I guess I wanted more praises, and I got a "That's Delicous Moni!!!!" "I can't believe you made all this Moni!" ...it was AWESOME!!! So for everyone out there, sometimes the best praises come from the smallest mouths! It is great to have them over....
Also...Ok, so it has been a LONG time, but honestly, who has time to post, when you can just have fun reading other blogs..LAME, I know!! My excuse..diaper changes!!!..well here are a few pictures of the tiny one, who is not so tiny anymore, she is growing so much, and so well!

This is a Picture of Maija taking a little nap, isn't she ADORABLE!!???

To all those people that have posted suggestions for different books to check out, THANK YOU!! I have really enjoyed the Orson Scott Card, and various others I have read about (special thanks to Julie!) in different blogs. !...and if you have read any other good books lately, please feel free to leave a comment, and tell me about it, I'm always interested in good literature.
Also for all you expectant mothers...6 months is awesome!!! The older my little one gets, the more fun, and cuter she gets, I heard some moms with teenagers have different opinions, but babyhood is GREAT!! They smile tons, and you can see their little personalities come out even more.