Teach Your Children Well

I am a stickler for good manners. My children may be rowdy and loud but they have good manners. This is something we try to reinforce on a daily basis. Little reminders here and there about how to greet people, when to hold the door, give up their seat and to remember to say "please" and "thank you". Now and again I find great books that reinforce these concepts and recently I found two: Madeline says Merci, and Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

All Grown Up

My the time has flown by quickly. My babies are babies no more. In a little over a month Alex will be turning eight. This fall Max will be entering the hallowed halls of Kindergarten. Two small souls who still need love, encouragement and support but not nearly as much as they once did.

Just last week Max set foot in his preschool for the very last time. I must confess that it was both exciting and a little sad. I dedicated three years of my life to that school. My kids and I made wonderful friendships there and I grew as a mom. I will miss it dearly.

Now it is time to move on to bigger and better things. As I firmly believe that as one door closes another one opens. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? I don't, but I'll be waiting with anticipation.

Leprechaun Traps

It's St. Patty's Day eve and you'd think it was Christmas. My kids are beyond excited. We just finished our Leprechaun Trap along with notes for the poor trapped Irish man. Max's note was simply the word Leprechaun complete with drawing. Alex's note said the following: "Hi Leprechaun(s)! Sorry about the rough landing. How do you get so small? Who is St. Patrick? Please tell me. From, Alex"

When asked what the kids would do if they actually caught a leprechaun we got the following responses.

Alex- "I'd play with it".

Max- "I'm gonna eat em. Can I put ketchup on him?"

Kids, gotta love them.

Perspective

We have recently been dealing with a lot. My oldest son has an immune deficiency which can sit idly by for months on end and then rear its ugly head. For years we had been relatively lucky. This year though we've seen more infections, more illness and the toll it's taking on his sweet little body. He looks emaciated , each vertebrae and bone visible to the naked eye. Black circles encase his sunken eyes but his disposition is always the same. That of a sweet, old soul. He has the gentlest of spirits and a heart of gold.

Since October my poor little guy has been faced with H1N1 and many bouts of swollen tonsils. Kissing tonsils, so we've been told. A lovely name to describe something that can be extremely painful and may be creating an even greater problem, sleep apnea.

We are about to endure a sleep study, something my poor little boy is terrified of. He may be wise beyond his years but he still has the same fears of any normal seven year old. Anyway, the study will advise us what to do next, adenotonsillectomy or watchful waiting. If his numbers are moderate we've even been asked to take part in a NIH (National Institute of Health) research study which looks at the effects of sleep apnea on children. While the prospect of taking part in something so monumental is intriguing it is also anxiety provoking.

Luckily I have found that just when things start getting a little too crazy and I feel like running for the hills or a nice padded room I encounter someone or hear a story that manages to help me put things into perspective. A reality check if you will. Last week my husband told me of a woman in his office whose seven year old son has a rare form of anemia. He cannot make certain types of blood cells and requires weekly blood transfusions. His outlook is bleak. He is seven years old (the same age as my oldest son) and he is very aware that he will likely die. My heart breaks for this woman and her child. To face this harsh reality on a daily basis must be agonizing.

What I've come to realize is that our life is crazy. Our life is exhausting. Our life is filled with Dr. visits, breathing treatments, expensive tests and new diagnosis. But, our life is manageable and filled with possibilities. It's all about perspective.

Out With The Old And In With The New

We rang in the New Year Bailey style: pj's, video games, silly hats, noisemakers and Indiana Jones. A few favorite foods for luck: a doughnut (strange Pennsylvania Dutch tradition) and 12 grapes (one for each month of the year ahead). The night would not be complete without a list of favorite things, memories and wishes for the coming year.

Happy New Year! May this year be filled with good health, happiness, love and promise of great things to come.

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.