Saturday, August 1, 2015

Complete Baby Naming Ceremony

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today Mark and Deidre have invited us to take part in this ceremony to express their commitment to their baby, while recognizing the challenges ahead of them.

But while a child is a demanding responsibility that often tests our patience and our understanding, it is also much more than that. A child brings joy, wonder and richness to our lives.

What pleasure there is in the feel of a newborn baby nestling in our arms, the smile of a toddler responding to our love, the small outstretched arms reaching for a hug, and a tiny upturned face planting a wet kiss on our cheeks.

Time will bring toys on floors and balls on lawns, a happy, healthy child playing in the yard. There will be bruises to kiss, report cards to praise, and drawings to display on refrigerator doors.

A child brings pleasure and wonder into the lives of those who bring it into this world. But it also means great responsibility; for what the child becomes is largely what you, as parents, bring into her life.

Promises by Parents
Celebrant:
Mark and Deidre, will you be the best, most patient and most loving parents you can be?
Parents:
We will.

Celebrant:
Will you always love, honour and respect Gigi?
Parents:
We will.

Celebrant:
Will you help her learn to love truth, even when it goes against her?
Parents:
We will.

Celebrant:
Will you cultivate in her a kind, generous and sympathetic spirit?
Parents:
We will.

Celebrant:
Will you teacher her that she is stronger than the things she fears?
Parents:
We will.

Celebrant:
Will you encourage her natural courage, curiosity, and sense of justice?
Parents:
We will.

Celebrant:
And will you model for her a healthy and loving relationship that someday she may enjoy the same?
Parents:
We will.


Reading by Deidre, Gigi’s Mother


Recognition of Grand Parents
Celebrant:
It is not always possible for grandparents to involve themselves in the development of their grandchildren - but when they do it is a great bonus and blessing.

The important role played by grandparents is the passing on of cultural values to children.

They assist children to find their identity and their inner security - and to integrate themselves into society.

The special relationship of trust and mutual enjoyment which develops between child and grandparent is something very special.

Through this relationship children learn their lineage, their history - and many values and skills.

This cultural inheritance lays the foundation for the young person to construct their personality during childhood and adolescence and adds great meaning to their existence.

For this reason Mark and Deidre wish to recognise and express their gratification that Gigi’s grandparents are here to join in this celebration.

I would also wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge those friends and family who could not be here in person, but who are here in spirit and in our hearts.


Reading by Paternal Grandfather

Promises by Godparents
Celebrant:
Mark and Deidre have chosen two very special individuals who they hope will help shape the baby’s life. Children need role models who are not their parents.

Mark and Deidre recognize that there will be times when they do not have the answers. Their hope is that their daughter will be able to turn to her Godparents, Stephanie and David Davis.

A Godparent is a wise and trusted guide, an advisor who has nurtured a special relationship with a protégé that allows for the free exchange of ideas and advice; a relationship meaningful and deeply rewarding to both child and Godparent.

Stephanie and David, will you look upon this child, with affection and will you give her your guidance, friendship and inspiration?
Godparents:
I will.

Celebrant:
Will you give her your guidance?
Godparents:
I will.

Celebrant:
Will you give her your friendship?
Godparents:
I will.

Celebrant:
Will you inspire her to do her best always?
Godparents:
I will.


Reading by Godparent

Naming Ceremony
Celebrant:
Names are an important part of everyone's life, and names are what give each and every one of us individuality.

Mark and Deidre, what name have you chosen for your child?
Parents:
Gigi Maree.

Celebrant:
Gigi Maree, your name was chosen with great care, and it was chosen just for you.

We all hope that you will inherit the best traits of your family, and grow into a caring person who is healthy and happy, and with wisdom to help you all through life.

Mark and Deidre, will you as parents care for Gigi Maree, keep her clothed, sheltered and protected, for as long as she needs you, as best you can?
Parents:
I will.

Celebrant:
Will you comfort her when she is distressed, laugh with her when she is happy?
Parents:
I will.

Celebrant:
Will you try in every way possible to raise her in such a way that she will feel loved and secure?
Parents:
I will.

Celebrant:
Tina, Robert and Timothy , here is your baby sister. Will you try to be kind to her and help look after her?
Brothers and Sister
I will.


Reading by Baby’s Siblings


Water Dedication
Celebrant:      
A small wave for your form
A small wave for your voice
A small wave for your speech
A small wave for your means
A small wave for your generosity
A small wave for your appetite
A small wave for your wealth
A small wave for your life
A small wave for your health

May all those gathered here today help guide and love this child, be her spiritual as well as her physical guardians, help her become a person with trust in her soul, belief in her heart, and faith in her mind.

Reading by Maternal Grandmother

Communal Blessing
Celebrant:
For health and strength and life,
All:
Let us be thankful.

Celebrant:
For friends, homes and families,
All:
Let us be thankful.

Celebrant:
For the beautiful sun,
All:
Let us be thankful.

Celebrant:
For the rain which makes things grow,
All:
Let us be thankful.

Celebrant:
For the woods and the fields,
All:
Let us be thankful.

Celebrant:
For the sea and the sky,
All:
Let us be thankful.

Celebrant:
For the flowers and the birds,
All:
Let us be thankful.

Celebrant:
And for all the things that makes up our lives,
All:
Let us be thankful.


I commend Gigi Maree to your loving care. Watch over her and cherish her, see she is happy and honest and true.

On behalf of all who shall know her, with the hope that she finds among us all the love and support she needs, I welcome her to this community.

Before we conclude this ceremony Rachel and Dennise a friend of the family, will sing a song.


Song sang by Rachel and Dennise


Certificate handed to the baby, the Godparents, the Grandparents, the Thee Siblings

Finally, to mark the day I would now like to ask if you would help us provide a small memento of today by writing a dedication to Gigi Maree on the canvas which is on the table. Your words may be as brief or as lengthy as you wish.

Thank you all.

Find out how to celebrate a Naming Ceremony and many other milestones in 
Celebrating Loves Special Moments



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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Aphrodisiacs? Seriously?

After staying in the house for two weeks fighting the flue, found that my cupboard was almost as bare as that of Old Mother Hubbard’s.

Eventually found in the dark recesses of the cupboard a tin of tomatoes – you can always do something with tomatoes.

In the freezer compartment of the refrigerator discovered a languishing packet of spinach and some peas. Hiding behind them was also a bit of frozen mince.

Actually, I freeze the mince for the stray cat who drops in when his other homes fail him; even though more often than not, he doesn’t eat the mince.

Now and then I am seriously offended by his sitting there looking down his nose at the mince, while mentally shaking his head at my limited abilities to provide.

But most of the time it’s just easier to go to the shop and buy raw chicken breast which he does condescend to eat.

But enough about the cat.

So now armed with my few ingredients I add some pasta and Bob’s your uncle. I’m glad my daughter isn’t here. Firstly, she finds my combination of ingredients odd, and in this case, the colour of my dish is sort of grey green, with bits of red floating around; tasting a lot better than it looks. In my opinion.

Now, you, too might be looking down your nose at my culinary efforts, but if you check the ingredients (Cross out the mince. The cat's probably right.) most of them have been lauded for thousands of years as not only being good for you, but very helpful in the bedroom.

 You may laugh. But let me ask you this, who are the fabled masters of the bedroom games? Precisely. The Italians. Absolutely noted for their ability to charm the ladies.  And what is their food of choice? Tomatoes! Check. Onions! Check! Garlic! Check. Yeah, yeah, we'll add the oysters. But don't forget Italy has a lot of water around it, and they like all sorts of sea food. So put a check against sea food - unless you really, really like the oysters. (Yuck) You'll find these foods being touted in some of the oldest love manuals in world history, as foods noted for their helpful properties at intimate partying.

 I'm not sure about spinach and the Italians - anyone knows about it, drop me a line - but here's what one modern expert has to say about it:
  
"There have been numerous Japanese studies which have documented the results achieved by spinach as an aphrodisiac, so those who have problems in the bedroom might want to consider eating more of this food on a regular basis." Food Answers And there you have it.

 Based on my book 'Honeymoon! A Sizzle or a Fizzle? Prepare Mentally, Physically and Emotionally for the best Time of Your Life.

Available at Amazon and Smashwords
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Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Spelling and Grammar


Now that computers are doing a lot of editing, grammatical and spelling errors are creeping into books, newspapers and even public signs.


 You can’t but notice that ‘whom’ and ‘who’ are now being used interchangeably, while ‘momentarily’, after being hijacked by the Television people who’ve been using it incorrectly ever since, is almost unusable..


And it seems, in the name of economic use of words, nouns are being employed as verbs. There was this award ceremony were sportsmen were medaled (with medals?).


And have you noticed in books that where once upon a time it was ‘he lit his cigarette’ it's now ‘he lighted his cigarette’.


To think we used to correct our children when they’d say, ‘I bited my apple’. Were they already a step ahead of us?


But the other day, as we visited a shopping carpark, there was a public sign that must have been created by a computer.


Because the carpark is so crowded the powers that be have decided to place restrictions on how long you can park your car before having to pay a fee.


It bemuses me, that problems of scarcity are always countered by introducing a fee. Do fees actually create more parking spaces? What sort of equation was used, I wonder.


a. In the past there have not been enough parking spaces for people when this area was predominantly populated by single dwellings of 2 and a half people each

b. By introducing a fee

c. There will be enough parking spots for the increased population generated by many of those single dwellings having been turned into multi storey buildings housing hundreds of people.

I don’t get it. But, as the television advertisement says, ‘That’s why (they) are there, and I’m down here’.

In any case, I digress. About this sign. I would have hardly noticed it, but some outraged grammarian saw the error, and couldn’t help but point it out.
What the sign says
Maximum three hour customer parking
Fee’s apply for Terms and Condition Breaches
And the correction - There is no apostrophe in ‘fees’


Also the type of buildings which are now supplanting single dwellings of two and a half people, but presumably will not affect the parking scarcity if car owners have to pay a fee.
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Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Pre Marriage Counselling Service from Trish Cabrero

My name is Trish Cabrero and I am a Psychologist, specialising in relationships. 

I am also a relationships educator offering Pre-marriage Courses to engaged couples intending to marry. 

Research shows that couples that undertake premarriage courses have a significant improvement in their communication skills, conflict management skills and overall greater relationship satisfaction.

I use the validated tool FOCCUS, to identify relationship issues that strengthen the relationship and highlight other issues that may potentially lead to conflict.

These are then discussed between the couple in depth to look at ways to minimise the impact on the relationship prior to marriage. I am often amazed that some topics are never discussed prior to the ceremony and often times there is an assumption that they will work it out later after the wedding. 

My service is different to other pre marriage services as I am able to utilise my extensive experience in the relationship counselling arena to address the identified issues with the couple.

I can also recommend and refer couples to  relationship counselling services if it is indicated. If they choose to explore this with me, that is fine as it saves the couple explaining all the issues in depth. Otherwise, if they prefer I can readily refer them to someone else to assist.

For more information on Pre-Marriage Course and Relationship Counselling please refer to my website 

My practice is located in Ashgrove:

Ashgrove Serviced Offices.
Highpoint Plaza,
240 Waterworks Road,
Ashgrove, Queensland, 4060.
I also offer the ability to conduct the service via Skype. 








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Saturday, July 4, 2015

Practical Tips on Running a Profitable Celebrancy Business

This is book was written by an Australia Celebrant for those people who are Celebrants or who are thinking of becoming Celebrants.

 Most people, when the subject of Celebrants come up, immediately think of Marriage Celebrants. Of course to be a Marriage Celebrant you not only need training, you also need to be a legally appointed person.

But you don’t need any specific training or legal appointment to celebrate the many other social events that people like to mark with a special ceremony. Couples celebrating their Wedding Anniversary might like to make a Renewal of Wedding Vows Ceremony part of their celebration.

Parents or the single mother will often introduce their new baby to their family and friends with a Baby Naming Ceremony. More often than not this Ceremony takes place on the baby’s first birthday.

A couple, thinking of getting married overseas, and knowing that most of their relatives and friends won’t be joining them there, might choose to have a Commitment Ceremony for their relatives and friends here before they go overseas for their actual Wedding Ceremony.

Some couples, not quite ready for marriage, but deciding to live together, might also have a Commitment Ceremony before setting up home together. This ceremony is often attractive to the couple with children who want to make the children feel secure and part of this new relationship.

These are only some of the Ceremonies that can be celebrated by the person who has the talent and the interest. How to be a Profitable Celebrant: Practical Tips on Running a Profitable Celebrancy Business will help you to decide whether this business is for you, and then tell you how to run with it.

The book is being sold as an ebook on Amazon and Smashwords. And, while I wrote it with Australian Celebrants in mind, any Celebrant anywhere in the world will find it helpful. As these reviews show.

Book Review - 1st June 2015
This is a great book very well written. If you are thinking about starting any kind of celebrant business buy this book it follows right along with my college course for the most part.

Book Review - 3rd June 2015
Worth every cent! My only complaint about this book is that it only comes in eBook format!!! (I would love a hard copy!) Vlady Peters covers anything and everything it takes to become a profitable (and happy) Celebrant. The book IS Australia-centric, but all material/ideas are easily adjusted to fit American laws, regulations, and standards. I would purchase this book again in a heart-beat!

Appreciate your reviews. This book is being used not only by Celebrants, but also by Celebrant Trainers.

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