Back to School

School is back in session, and I cannot believe my Big Guy is in Third Grade and my Little Lady is starting Kindergarten! Where does the time go?! How can they keep growing soooo fast!
Our morning started off with a splendid breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Then we sported our new back to school styles, and strapped on our bookbags and were out the door. I love walking my kiddos to their classrooms the first day of school, I love to watch their eyes light up with wonder and excitement as they walk into their new classrooms and greet their teachers. Drop off was as smooth as can be, big hugs from my little lady, and a simple smerk and a "mom, I'm in class. I have to focus" from my son. Nothing stopped me from snapping a few photos and planting HUGE kisses and hugs. Then I was off home to make some tasty 'back to school' treats and prepare after school activities.

ONE

One full year ago, you entered into the world. You looked up at me with two little eyes and held onto me with two little arms, from that moment on I knew you were a perfect piece to our puzzle. You watch me and you learn, I also learn from you. You grow leaps and bounds, you help me to grow too. You are just one little person, but you make a BIG impact in my life. Before you were here, I wondered how everything will work, you showed me the unimaginable is possible. You are amazing, and today you are ONE, you are still patient, inquisitive, loving, and the sweetest little baby ever. You light up a room when you enter it. You have a wonderful little laugh, and you LOVE to give applause. You are a sweet delight and I am blessed to have you.

Is it June, Already?

It feels as if school just started. The weather is warm, with a cool morning to welcome the day, I lay out our clothes and pack and pack a special lunch the night before, and when the sun peeks in through the shutters we wake up and start the morning rush. Wake up. Get dressed. Eat breakfast. Make a cup of coffee. Toss in a load of laundry. Run the dishwasher. Tie our laces. Grab lunches. And head to the car. Drop off #1 preschool. Drop off #2 elementary. Next stop run errands and go for a morning walk. Come home and do chores.
Every morning the same routine. It is amazing that some mornings seem to go off without a hitch, and others seem to slug along and *presto* 10 months of doing the same routine flies by and we welcome June. The weather is warm, with a cool morning to welcome the day, the beginning of June has been about the same as the beginning of September. The only difference has been, the stacks of paper in their book bags are not asking for information, rather sending home arts, crafts, stories, samples of writings, end of year party requests and summer school information, graduation announcements, recital invitations, awards, and invitations to upcoming summer birthday parties.
This year my big guy finishes 2nd grade, and did a great job at his piano recital. He grew so much and still LOVES languages, presidents, money, and math. On the iPad he is learning(starting with numbers) Spanish, Italian, German, French, Mandarin, Japanese, and Portuguese. He enjoys counting US money, as well as learning and discovering money from all over the world. I really feel his love of money has helped him with all of the above categories. He is 8 1/2 going on 25. At this rate his knowledge will just skyrocket and grow, the sky is the limit.
My little lady will be wearing her first cap and gown, she is graduating preschool. She is quite the social butterfly. She loves to make friends, and socialize, she can also be a 'little' dramatic. She loves to doodle and draw, sidewalk chalk is a MUST in my household. Puzzles, books, board games are a close second tied with play-dough and music. My little ballerina loves to dance and be creative. Her ballet recital was a success, and she danced so beautifully. I think next year we may just have to sign her up for ballet as well as tap.
My little man is going to be ONE! He just LOVES water, bath time, pool time, sprinklers, whatever water he can splash in he just LOVES! He doesn't play with "baby toys" (you know, all of those 'must haves' you see in the store that try to sell you on bright colors, and 'children friendly' textures) nope, never really liked playing with those. He has a few footballs, soccer balls, baseballs, basket balls(either plush or real balls) and he LOVES them! Any bucket and or real pot or pan, and ANY kitchen utensil. He will watch me in the kitchen and loves to watch me cook(read:LOOK WHAT MOMMY IS DOING WITH WATER) and also to help with dishes(read: MUST SPLASH IN WATER), loves to help with laundry(read: LOOK WATER),   okay, so aside from water, he really loves books. He will just flip through the pages of any book, he is happy to sit independently and "read, read, read". The book can have pictures, or just words.
He doesn't walk yet, but he can get around and boy is he fast.
Now that school is a week from being complete, ballet and scouts are complete, and my little man's first birthday party is 85% done with the planning process. Graduations are coming up, Fathers Day is around the corner, and June is the month for weddings. The 10 weeks of summer will fly by and September will be here with fresh book bags, pencils, binders, and new classrooms. And the cycle will start all over.
Time Flies when you are having fun!
Hope you have a Fun and Safe Summer!

Invisible

I got this email this morning and I couldn't have received a better gift. The challenges and triumphs of motherhood have been leaning hard toward the "challenging" side lately, and it's been weighing heavily on my mind.

Take the time to read this if you will.... I promise it will inspire you.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The Invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "what number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."


I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?


One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from the fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."


In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work; No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God  saw everything.


A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof; No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."


I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."


At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.


The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.


When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My Mom get up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're going to love it here."


As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.



God Bless and Enjoy Another Great Day!!!

The Only Fighting I Welcome

When I see flush cheeks, sluggish appetites and lazying around I know visually it looks like my children are in need of rest. But underneath the facade of sleeping their body is hard at work.
I look closer and see tired eyes, drained faces and a red little nose, then I hear a gurgle in their cough and catch a sneeze with a tissue and know these fun sounds are the bodies way to help expel the congestion, the feel of fire all over their head and neck is the fever that's fighting an infection, and the amount of kleenex and empty water bottles all over the couch shows that although the cold is underway, it also is proof that their bodies are doing exactly what they were built to do.

There are times I feel helpless and I do my best to make them as comfortable as possible, pack the fridge with plenty of fluids, and take the frequent trips to the store to pick up chicken noodle soup and the fixin's for a grilled cheese(once the appetite is back in full swing it is a great complement to any soup) and stock up the hall closet with paper goods(tissues, tp, etc.) and good old vitamin C. I know their little bodies are hard at work, fighting a war at a molecular level, trying every trick to regain their health. I don't usually like to visit the doctor unless the war has gone on too long, or it is too big of a job to do alone. Sometimes a little Tylenol is a big relief for a never ending headache that was brought on by a high fever. Or maybe the culprit is bacterial and therefore needs extra forces of antibiotics to knock them out. But I generally believe the body will be able to fight less complex wars all by itself.

After a long day of sleeping on the couch, waking up occasionally to have a sip on hot tea and a bowl of soup. Then mastering an uncomfortable night of tossing and turning covering up with blankets and kicking them off again. Waking up refreshed healthy and brand new, it is just a wonderful thought that our bodies were made to take on whatever challenge comes our way! I welcome this fight every cold and flu season or whenever small germs lurk in dark corners, our bodies can take it, bring it on!

Happy New Year!

We welcomed the new year with fabulous friends, an easy bake oven, Disney Headbands, and prime entertainment. We always get together and celebrate the year that is gone, and dream of what is to be. 2012 was a roller coaster to say the least, but we made it. I am a proud mother of three amazing children, I survived a soccer season with two kids playing and one on my hip, I baked cupcakes, team snacks, took photos, and cheered on two teams. I watched my daughter dance, and my son earn his first awards for cub scouts, and I praised my baby as he first rolled over and sat himself up. I exclusively breastfed(not a single bottle) for a solid six months, I also started making my own baby food. I also beamed with pride when my oldest came home with "Student of the Month" twice in 2012. As we enjoyed our sparkling cider we laughed, and reminisced on how fast the year went by. And we made our plans for the new year, I made a small list of new year resolutions, items I believe I can keep up with all year long:

-go on my four mile walk every weekday
-follow through with what I tell my children
-make more time for "me" time, and time with family and friends
-take more photos, and live in each moment

It is not much of a list, but I am sure I can keep up with it. Every year I make resolutions that sound fantastic on paper, but applying them to every day life was not impossible, but impractical.
I know 2013 will fly by too, and there is soooo much to look forward to; ballet, scouts, weddings, first birthdays, school programs, sports, milestone birthdays, the list goes on...
I picked simple but obviously reasonable resolutions that I know I can keep. I have my new calendar/monthly planner ready to start filling in important dates, reminders, classes, vacations, volunteering opportunities, you name it- it will be on there. The more events, the better. I love to be busy! Bring it on!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Days blend into one another, time seems to tick-tock slowly, and then blink...

Six months have flown by, you roll over, sit up and are ready for your first bite of solid food. your smiles beam and glow all day long, a big toothless grin, your are so proud of yourself in each of your accomplishments and you are over all a happy-go-lucky guy.
I pick up my 21 pounds of joy, you are quick to grab my face and pull yourself in for the routine "million kisses", you love kisses. You even try to pucker up, instead you shower me with raspberries.
You are constantly studying the world, it is a very interesting and busy world. You are patient, you play with the wipes while I change your diaper, you watch me while I make dinner, you smile as I wipe the extra food off of your face and hands. You are a wonderful little guy, and you are growing waaayyyy too fast. It seems as if it was only yesterday we brought you home, and put you in "newborn" clothing, today you are only six months old and you have been wearing size 5 diapers and 12 month clothing for a month and a half. You love your brother and sister, and they are mesmerized and simply adore you. You light up when they come into the room, if you are in your bouncer you jump and giggle and smile, you just cannot contain yourself. I love snuggling with you, nursing you, kissing you, reading to you, running errands with you, doing everything with you, I just love you!
I am enjoying each and every moment that goes by, I cannot wait to see what the next six months has in store!
You are my love, my joy, my everything.