She gets that from me

Yesterday my son brought home his Grade 3 Report Card. I was a little nervous because it was the first one of the year so I didn’t know what to expect. Well to my glorious surprise, it was very good. I promised him 1 pack of hockey cards for every A, and I gladly bought 3! I was so proud as I read the wonderful words written by his teacher. It really brought a smile to my face. I was surprised to find out that he got an A in math? I suck at math, how can he do well in a subject that I always did so poorly in?

When our children are born, we examine every little inch of their body. Their toes, their hands, their nose and their eyes; the colour, the shape, the size. He has my eyes, she has your feet, and he has your hair and so on. It is not until they pass their first year of age that we can tell their personality, and their temperament. It is human nature that we assume the good stuff comes from us and our families, and the bad stuff comes from “them” (the men) and their families..lol.

So after reviewing his wonderful report, I automatically picked up the phone and called my husband to tell him how well he did. He was also very proud and of course at the same time we both uttered the words, “he got it from me”. Lol. When my kids get angry or yell or lose their patience, I say “don’t be like your father.” But the funny thing is, he says the same thing to them, “don’t be like your mother.” It’s not that we think we are perfect, we just maybe don’t see our own faults, all the times. I think we kind of know our own strengths, and our own weaknesses. It is just easier to see bad points and personality flaws of others.

The other day I had lunch with a friend who has twin girls. She told me that they are pretty similar in a lot of things, but they are also very different. She also said that she just recently found out that her daughter Ella did really well in art class, and that her daughter Maya was more of the gymnast. She had no idea. We don’t see our kids at school; we only see them at home. Apparently, they are quite different under the regime of teachers and I say thank God for that.lol.

In life, we expect our children to look like us, act like us, and do well in areas that we do well in. They are a product of us, so that must mean that they will have similarities to us. We seem to forget that they are their own people. We forget that they become and evolve into their own minds and bodies from their own nature and nurture. Our children are who they are, because that is who they want to be. They may have our eyes, our hair and our feet, but they are who they are... period.

We can feel proud when they do well, we can feel disappointed when they don’t. We look forward to seeing their report cards and witnessing them score the winning goal in the hockey game, but we have to remember that we should be proud for just being them. We can joke and tease our spouses when they excel in things that we do well in, and we can be pleased when our daughters’ teacher tells us that she is bubbly, easy to get along with, and a very bright student. We can tell the teacher in the parent interview the explanation is very simple, “I know why she does so well with others and in school; she gets that from me.”
That’s my peace today!

today's recipe is not Italian, I am posting it because it is absolutely delicious and perfect for entertaining this time of year, I got it from my friend last year and have made it tons of times. Many of you have already asked me for it..so here it is...


Tuna ball rolled with walnuts
1 large can of tuna or 2 small cans
1 package of softened philly cream cheese
1 tablespoon of mayo
2 stems of finely chopped chive onion
3 tablespoons of Lea and Perrins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a bowl mix all the ingredients except the nuts. Make sure it is well blended. Roll into a ball and cover with saran wrap, refridgerate overnight. In the morning remove from wrap and roll into walnuts. Serve with crackers.