New Years Resolutions

It's been ten days now since Bronchitis set in and ruined my winter vacation but I'm officially done wallowing. With New Year's Eve rapidly approaching I feel compelled to reflect back on 2009 and look ahead to 2010. During numerous conversations with friends I declared that 2009 had passed me by when the truth is that I let it pass me by. I got caught up in volunteerism, school stuff, sickness and family drama and missed out on all of the good stuff, the important stuff.

It's true 2009 has not been a very good year. We were plagued with illness and injury and medical bills galore but as I always tell my kids, it could have been worse. I have been blessed with: a wonderful family, many good friends, a nice home, great neighbors, fabulous teachers and my husband has a great job with health insurance. The list of good things goes on and on.

So this year while I have many resolutions, the main one is to focus on myself. While that may seem a tad narcissistic it is an absolute must. For years I have focused my life on making everyone around me happy without ever really thinking about what makes me happy. This year I will not let life pass me by. I plan on letting my guard down, trying new things and seeing where life takes me.

So here goes, My New Years Resolutions for 2010:

1. Focus on my health: exercise, decrease stress level and eat healthier food

2. Discover new hobbies

3. Take a little time each day for myself: reading, writing, listening to music, meditating, etc.

4. Enjoy my kids: I spend so much time trying to do and be everything for them that sometimes I forget to enjoy spending time with them

5. Enjoy life: each day is a gift

Life Stories

Most of my friends know that I am definitely not a morning person. It takes me several cups of very strong coffee and about 30 minutes to myself to begin to function in the morning. It's not that I feel the need to share my morning ritual or the fact that I need a caffeine jump-start to get me moving in the morning. I tell you this to prove a point. Anything said to me first thing in the morning may go unprocessed for several hours or in this case several days.

Last week Max came to me first thing in the morning while I was making lunches. He looked quite adorable with his mini notepad and his pencil poised to take notes. Did I mention he can't read or write yet? Anyway, he looks up at me with his pool blue eyes and in his most serious voice says "momma, tell me your life story". At first I brushed him off. Then I thought to myself, I have a captive audience here. I better start talking. There's no telling when this opportunity might present itself again. So I did and he took notes like any illiterate four year old would. He sounded out the first letter of each word and printed it as neatly as possible on his note pad. Beaming with pride at his accomplishment he walked away and began reciting what he had written. It wasn't until many days later that I realized that this exercise might not seem important to me but it was for him.

Most of the information I know about my family came from stories that occurred around a large dining room table at a holiday. I was always eager to listen, learn and more often than not, laugh as each family member told stories of their youth. In fact, I looked forward to the next holiday with anticipation hoping that this years stories would be even better than the previous ones.

While my children will not have the same opportunity to hear stories around a holiday table filled with family, we can still pass on our life stories. For it is not the manner of how they are passed that is important but simply that they are shared. So when your child comes and asks for your life story start chatting it up you'll be amazed at what they absorb.

Gratitude

As is customary during the Thanksgiving season I have spent the past month reflecting on all that I am thankful for. Each day I tried to think of something new that I was thankful for and post it on my Facebook page. The first few posts were understandably easy: family, friends, home, security, etc. What was surprising to me was how difficult the posts became after the obvious choices. It's not that I have little to be grateful for but the fact that I don't reflect often enough on what is truly important. So today I am thankful for the Facebook friend who posed this challenge.

Ham Overboard

"Ham overboard". That's what my oldest son, Alex, yelled when half of a freshly cooked ham rolled off of the cutting board, off of the table and onto the floor. I could have yelled. I could have screamed. I could even have justified crying at that particular moment. Instead I took a deep breath and let out a hearty belly laugh.

I Swear My Dog Just Gave Me The Finger

For years I have loved dogs more than cats. The main reason is because dogs, for the most part, just have a better attitude. They get up in the morning, stretch and happily start their day with a tail wag and a friendly how do you do. Cats are much more fickle. They can take you or leave you. There's a body language with cats that just says "You need me a lot more than I need you". That was my theory anyhow until this morning.

As parents of two small children (4 & 7), we have tried to instill in our children a sense of responsibility. We have created little jobs here and there and the kids are rewarded for a job well done. One chore the kids have is to take turns feeding our dog, Spencer. This has been working out really well lately. Max feeds him in the morning and Alex feeds him at night. Over the past few days I've noticed that the portion size has been getting smaller and smaller. Eventually I realized that the bag of dog food was almost empty. But hey, this has been a crazy week and I've been trying to stretch and make the food last just a little longer each day.

Well today is Friday and Max doesn't have school on Friday. I didn't want to wake the poor little guy on his day off for a simple chore and decided to feed the dog myself. No problem, until I got downstairs and remembered that I forgot to pick up dog food last night. So I reached in to the bag and scraped out every last morsel I could find which just happened to be about 25 small pieces. Clearly this was not enough food for the Spencer's breakfast so I grabbed the box of Meaty Bones and placed about 4 or 5 on top of his usual Kibble. Problem solved, Spencer will have breakfast and I don't have to buy food until this afternoon.

So anyway, I hear the thud of paws on the back door. My cue that Spencer has strapped on the old feed bag and is ready to go. I open the door, he comes racing through the kitchen and stops dead in his tracks when he gets to the bowl. He looks at me then back at his dish. He then proceeds to pick each Meaty Bone out of the bowl, spit it out on the floor and glare at me as if to say " are you f**king kidding me. You call this breakfast"! After all the bones were spat on the floor he devoured the kibble. Begrudgingly he started to eat the bones on the floor all the while staring me down.

After he finished his meal, he perched himself on his favorite spot, a crappy old rubbermaid tub in the kitchen. I didn't get the usual body bump that says "hey thanks a lot. That was great". In fact I could swear that he made a gesture with one of his front paws that resembled an F you lady. So I'm trying to decide if my theory on animal behavior is completely off or if Spencer just really enjoys his Kibble. No worries Spencer. Your belly will be full of kibble tonight.

Patience Is A Virtue

They say that patience is a virtue. This is something that I hope to pass on to my kids. One of those do as I say not as I do precepts. For I am perhaps one of the most impatient people on the planet.

I am the kid who searches and searches for the Christmas gifts hidden in the attic or under the bed. The person who can't wait to find out how the story ends so you skim through the last pages of the book. I don't like surprises or television teasers. Awaiting a response to an invitation is like pulling teeth.

So I sit here tonight feeling a little like Cinderella waiting for my Fairy Godmother to come change my pumpkin into a carriage. I sit here waiting for someone else to make a decision which will affect me for the rest of the year. I am helpless. I cannot change the outcome or influence the decision and that make me very impatient.

What Goes Up Must Come Down

Afternoon pick up yesterday at Alex's school was interesting to say the least. Alex, my rule follower, decided that was the day that he would test his boundaries at school. Let's just say that little test didn't end so well and he got into trouble. Nothing horrific but just enough to make him flip a card. The second card he's had to flip in the past two weeks. The card he promised me he wouldn't get again.

So there we were driving in the car and I'm laying into Alex for his behavior at school when the screaming started. It wasn't a whimper or a little screech just to get your attention. It was a blood curdling scream and it was coming from the seat directly behind me. From that point on the conversation went something like this:

Me- "What is going on back there, what's with all the screaming?"

Max- "It hurts, it really hurts!"

Me- "What hurts?"

Max- "My nose."

Me- "Your nose hurts, why does your nose hurt?"

Max- "It really, really hurts!"

That's when the light went off in my head. That's when I remembered Max sitting on the ground at Alex's school gently rolling a little bead between his fingers. What appeared to be a seemingly harmless bead at the time was now causing my heart to skip a beat or two. After a few moments of instant replay the conversation began again.

Me-"Max, did you put something up your nose?"

Max- "Yes!"

Me- "Max, did you shove that little bead up your nose?"

Max- "Yes."

I tell him whatever you do, don't touch your nose. I'm thinking to myself I have got to find a place to pull over quick before he shoves this thing up any farther. Just as I'm about to pull over I hear a sigh of relief and Max's sweet little voice say "Ah, it's o.k. now mommy. I sniffed it out". Thankfully we avoided another trip to the emergency room and Max has had his bead priviledges rescinded indefinitely.

Angel-Five Letter Word For Headache.

Migraine sufferers of the world unite. How many times have you gone into a store for a nice relaxing afternoon of shopping and are instead sidelined with a migraine because some dimwit decided to take a bath in their cologne. It's not a hard concept folks, as the saying goes "a little dab will do ya". The goal is to smell nice not to use the whole bottle in a day.

So anyway, there I was minding my own business when out of nowhere a little old lady who had pickled herself in Angel perfume appeared. My senses immediately went on high alert and I could swear I heard that little voice in my brain say "run". This is the perfume that I can smell from a mile away. This is the perfume that usually brings on an instant migraine. This is the same freaking perfume that everyone on the east side of Cleveland seems to wear. They must buy it in bulk.

Thankfully I listened to that little voice and I got out quick. I escaped today relatively unscathed with merely a tingle or two in my frontal lobe. A day that could have ended with me locked in a dark room turned out to be relatively productive. A great big "thank you" to the voice in my head and a great big raspberry to the lady who bathed in Angel.

Tornadoes & Bicycle Helmets

Today we had some severe weather making its way through Northeast Ohio. On the drive home from school a local radio station issued a tornado warning for our county. After a short drive and a lengthy conversation about tornadoes I arrived home with two very worried children.

Alex kept watching the radar on the news and updating Max about the status and the location of the possible tornado. After hearing one weather forecaster suggest a bike helmet for those individuals worried about flying debris Max donned his Mickey Mouse helmet in record time. That helmet didn't budge until the storms had passed and I announced that it was dinner time.

Alex's first day of 2nd grade.

Alex's first day of 2nd grade was yesterday. I don't think I've ever seen a child more anxious to go back to school. I tried several times to capture the perfect back to school picture yet almost every one had the over the head double arm pump. I guess it was just too hard to contain all that excitement.

Alex's first day back was wonderful. He was very excited that he got the teacher he wanted and his best friend is once again in his class. The icing on the cake was getting to work on a math worksheet. Boy do I love my little brainiac.

The Dental Floss Bandit Strikes Again!

I awoke this morning and discovered a multitude of dental floss strewn throughout my house.  There were piles on tables, sinks, in garbage cans and on door knobs and suddenly I realized that the dental floss bandit had struck once again.  There was only one person to whom I could attribute this mess, my oldest son, Alex.  Yes once again we have another loose tooth.

Now in my family growing up every loose tooth came out via a long strand of dental floss.  One end securely attached to the loose tooth and the other tied to the bathroom door.  While Alex is thoroughly intrigued with this method he is absolutely terrified when it comes time to execute.  We have tried several times to yank a ripe tooth but to no avail as Alex chickens out at the last minute.  Every now and again when he thinks we aren't looking Alex takes out the dental floss and tries to yank it on his own.  So far he has not yet met with success and I am beginning to think we should by stock in Johnson & Johnson.

Hello my name is Oscar

I have spent the better part of my day awaiting a call back from my doctor's office.  A call I should mention that I placed on Friday.  All of this waiting has put me in a very cantankerous mood so much so that I think I'm now channeling Oscar the Grouch.

The waiting is bad enough but the inane conversations with the receptionist are by far the worst.  I feel so helpless pleading my case to what is often a young girl on the other end of the telephone who is more interested in filing her nails than taking my call.  Then the minute I hang up the phone the panic sets it.  Did she actually take down my number correctly?  Will my message actually make it to the doctor or will that hot pink message slip be used to dispose of the gum that she has been cracking the entire time we've been on the phone?

So as I sit here typing I am overcome with many emotions: anger, frustration, annoyance and helplessness.  I can only hope that the nurse whom I just spoke with can take a better message and that I might actually speak to my doctor sometime this year.

Luke & The Sith Lord

I am constantly asking myself how my two children can be so different and have yet to come up with an answer.  I should probably just stop asking.  Right now they are currently in a Star Wars phase.  Everything centers around Star Wars including their nicknames.

Alex (Luke) is six.  He is smart, compassionate, loving and such an old soul.  He is a loyal friend, son, classmate and mediator.  He has already mastered the art of communication and can make friends with just about anyone.

Max (The Sith Lord) is three.  Need I say more.  He can be sweet, loving and down right adorable when he wants to or he can easily turn to the dark side.  He preys on the weak including his brother and shows no mercy as he smiles while jumping on your back, chest or vital organs.  He doesn't believe in playing with toys but rather enjoys taking them apart or watching them break.

I often stare at my kids in amazement and wonder how the same set of parents could produce such different offspring.  Love it or hate it they are who they are and I love them to pieces.

Die Germs Die!!!

As I sit here typing, I'm secretly wishing I could stick my house in a giant autoclave.  Seriously, I need to find a way to kill all of the germs that are continuously infecting my household.  For several days now I have been in bed with the latest virus attacking the greater cleveland area which incidentally I picked up from my eldest son.  The symptoms of which include: high fever, coughing till your lungs explode and general lethargy.  I don't remember being this sick in almost 10 years.

Unfortunately this has been a hard, cold winter.  We have had several bouts of vomiting, asthma attacks brought on by respiratory viruses, strep throat and the newest bug.  If that wasn't bad enough, my oldest son came home yesterday with a sore throat and a notice from school that one of his dear classmates has exposed him to strep throat yet again.  Yippee!!!