My oldest son is turning 7 on Friday!
To say his birth was life-changing would be a vast understatement. I was 36 years old had been living on my own for more than ten years and in a committed, but not domestic relationship with his father (we each had our own home about 30 min apart).
Prior to the birth, I had the optomistic expectation that I'd have this baby and life would pretty much continue as normal; and that I'd deliver natrually, nurse my baby and have the time and energy during my brief (6-8 week) maternity leave to plan a "mid-summer's eve" wedding.
Well, I had a cesarean section and my breastmilk never came in. I spent several weeks/months trying to breast & bottle feed - which took most of my time and energy and never really worked anyway.
There were many times in the first two months that I looked at this little crying or cooing bundle in my arms and wondered how I'd ever survive to his adulthood.
Blessedly, he did start sleeping from about 11pm-5am at about 2 months. I took the night feeding and his daddy took the daybreak feeding and we both got enough sleep so that we had the energy in July to start to plan for a September 6 wedding. And that little angel who we shared our love and committment with on that September day, loved us so much, that he started sleeping from 7pm to 5am shortly after.
By December we figured we had the parent thing down pat and were ready to think about having another....but that's another story.
This boy has had a history of wanting very active and involved birthdays (he and his mommy that is). Two Blue's Clues parties at 3 and 4, a CARS party at 5, an INCREDIBLE Super-hero party at 6, and this year...we're doing WALL-E....or rather "RRRON-E". It is a rather elaborate party as described below:
“RRRon-E’s Eco-Adventure” at (Our Local) Park will feature the following:
Letterboxing:
An outdoor adventure pastime started in England.
See www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.org for more info.
We will have 3 letterboxes hidden at the park – the “box” will be old wipes containers re-purposed for containing a hidden stamp kit (Stamp, stamp pad, pen and logbook).
Each child will receive an “adventure kit” which will include their own personal initial stamp carved from a wine cork…Decoder ring from milk & oj carton tabs and a couple other things…. The kit will be contained in cleaned out, cut down milk cartons covered with old road maps with a strap threaded through so it can be carried over their shoulders…
Following the party, we will be hiding the party letterboxes in other local parks; if you are interested in continuing the adventure look for them at the above websites in May/June timeframe or email and I’ll provide a clue-sheet.
Wall-E style relay races:
*A race with a plant in a shoe
*Trash/treasure hunt
(The kids will be given child-sized gardening gloves that they can take home with them)
And More
Hot-Dogs and cupcakes will be served on recyclable or re-usable plates and don’t require utensils
Chip bags & drink pouches will be recycled through terracycle.net
All will be bulk-purchased to reduce packaging waste…
Old cereal/cracker boxes will be turned inside-out, decorated and used for goodie bags.
RRR = Reduce/Recycle/Reuse
RRRon-E’s adventure will be doing that in the following ways:
Reduce waste:
Buying party food in bulk reduces the amount of trash created
Not purchasing single-use goodie bags
Not using disposable plates & utensils; using a multi-use table coverings instead of single use party table coverings
Recycle:
Chip bags and drink pouches will be recycled through terracycle a New Jersey business I support through brigade collections. For more information see www.TerraCycle.net.
The goodie boxes are recyclable cardboard/paper. Please place them in your household recycling when your child is done with them.
Re-Use:
Wipe-containers will be reused as our letterboxes
Plates
Milk-cartons; pull tabs, corks, old roadmaps and cereal/cracker boxes
Both the Adventure kits and the cereal/cracker box goodie bags were ideas inspired by Maya*Made.
I'll try to post some photos of both the party and the craft projects.
Happy Birthday Ronnie! I hope your birthday party is as fun and exciting to live through as it has been to plan for.
Post Script...
Over the last few silent months I had planned many a post that obviously became less important than the day-to-day workings of our lives as a family.
I hope to fill in the blanks over the next few months, but I make no promises.
I have been a hap-hazzard blogger at best, and when life is as full as it is at the moment I can't commit to a daily or even weekly edition.
I HOPE to continue to write so that I have a record of my thoughts and life's goings on...
Blessed Be
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Saying Good-bye to Uncle Ray
It's been a while since my last post...sorry about that. I'll try to catch up over the next few days.
Late-summer was a whirlwind of activity of all kinds, but one thing that made us stop and think was Uncle Ray Yaros, my husband's uncle.
When my husband and I met, both his parents had been gone for quite some time. So, when he introduced me to Uncle Ray and Aunt Eve, it had the same kind of weight as "meeting the parents". At the time, Uncle Ray was in his 70's but looked and acted far younger. He still had a 14' fishing boat that he took out on the bay to fish...by himself, he still had a decent sized garden and cooked regularly.
In 2003 Uncle Ray and Aunt Fran (his twin sister) turned 80. That was also the year Ronnie was born, Clark and I got married, and Clark's cousin (Uncle Ray's granddaughter) was married.
Then, between Christmas and New Year, Aunt Fran died, and soon after, Uncle Ray started his down-turn.
Over the course of the last 5 years he had several small strokes, falls, and generally a down-turn in his health and according to him, his quality of life.
We hadn't seen Uncle Ray and Aunt Eve regularly for a while, they had made it to Clark's 50th birthday party, but not Clark's niece Missy's wedding.
We got a call Memorial Weekend, that Uncle Ray had had another fall, and was in a rehab center recouperating and could we come visit. Of course, we did. We brought the feisty boys with their leapsters and a ton of photos and visited.
Uncle Ray was sad, depressed really. There was nothing wrong with his memory, he told me clearly how much turning 80 had been a terrible thing. Dispite having been able to witness granddaughters' graduations from college, weddings and two great-granddaughters' births. He was tired of living with the pain, and with the physical limitations.
It was not an overly optimistic visit, but neither was it overly pessimistic. We figured Uncle Ray would be home in time for his July birthday and we'd go have a nice dinner with him.
It didn't work out that way.
He did go home, but only briefly.
Clark called the house to wish him a happy birthday a day or so after the date. Aunt Eve told him that Uncle Ray was back in the hospital, so we decided to go for another visit.
What Aunt Eve left out, was that Uncle Ray was on a feeding tube and was mostly not with us anymore.
Clark and I don't want to overly sheild our boys from death. It is a part of life and it is good for them to understand it. But, I think we probably would have left them with a sitter for this visit, had we known. We did give our love to Uncle Ray; held his hand, spoke the words, smoothed his hair...
We did get a couple of moments of eyes opening and clearing as if in understanding.
We went home understanding that Aunt Eve was already alone. After 65 years. And just wanted the pain to be done for her lover, her friend, her life companion.
We lit 2 candles in the window every night for two weeks with clarysage, lavendar and rosemary. One for each of them....asking Bridgid to heal, to love, to embrace.
Uncle Ray passed from this realm on August 6. We said our goodbyes on August 9 & 10.
Ray Yaros - a good man, who lived a good life. 2 great-granddaughters, 2 granddaughters, 2 sons, 1 wife for 65 years, and an assortment of nieces and nephews. The last of his siblings to go (I think there were 5 or 6).
You will be missed, you will be remembered, by Clark and I of course, but even more importantly, by Ronnie and Evan.
Late-summer was a whirlwind of activity of all kinds, but one thing that made us stop and think was Uncle Ray Yaros, my husband's uncle.
When my husband and I met, both his parents had been gone for quite some time. So, when he introduced me to Uncle Ray and Aunt Eve, it had the same kind of weight as "meeting the parents". At the time, Uncle Ray was in his 70's but looked and acted far younger. He still had a 14' fishing boat that he took out on the bay to fish...by himself, he still had a decent sized garden and cooked regularly.
In 2003 Uncle Ray and Aunt Fran (his twin sister) turned 80. That was also the year Ronnie was born, Clark and I got married, and Clark's cousin (Uncle Ray's granddaughter) was married.
Then, between Christmas and New Year, Aunt Fran died, and soon after, Uncle Ray started his down-turn.
Over the course of the last 5 years he had several small strokes, falls, and generally a down-turn in his health and according to him, his quality of life.
We hadn't seen Uncle Ray and Aunt Eve regularly for a while, they had made it to Clark's 50th birthday party, but not Clark's niece Missy's wedding.
We got a call Memorial Weekend, that Uncle Ray had had another fall, and was in a rehab center recouperating and could we come visit. Of course, we did. We brought the feisty boys with their leapsters and a ton of photos and visited.
Uncle Ray was sad, depressed really. There was nothing wrong with his memory, he told me clearly how much turning 80 had been a terrible thing. Dispite having been able to witness granddaughters' graduations from college, weddings and two great-granddaughters' births. He was tired of living with the pain, and with the physical limitations.
It was not an overly optimistic visit, but neither was it overly pessimistic. We figured Uncle Ray would be home in time for his July birthday and we'd go have a nice dinner with him.
It didn't work out that way.
He did go home, but only briefly.
Clark called the house to wish him a happy birthday a day or so after the date. Aunt Eve told him that Uncle Ray was back in the hospital, so we decided to go for another visit.
What Aunt Eve left out, was that Uncle Ray was on a feeding tube and was mostly not with us anymore.
Clark and I don't want to overly sheild our boys from death. It is a part of life and it is good for them to understand it. But, I think we probably would have left them with a sitter for this visit, had we known. We did give our love to Uncle Ray; held his hand, spoke the words, smoothed his hair...
We did get a couple of moments of eyes opening and clearing as if in understanding.
We went home understanding that Aunt Eve was already alone. After 65 years. And just wanted the pain to be done for her lover, her friend, her life companion.
We lit 2 candles in the window every night for two weeks with clarysage, lavendar and rosemary. One for each of them....asking Bridgid to heal, to love, to embrace.
Uncle Ray passed from this realm on August 6. We said our goodbyes on August 9 & 10.
Ray Yaros - a good man, who lived a good life. 2 great-granddaughters, 2 granddaughters, 2 sons, 1 wife for 65 years, and an assortment of nieces and nephews. The last of his siblings to go (I think there were 5 or 6).
You will be missed, you will be remembered, by Clark and I of course, but even more importantly, by Ronnie and Evan.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Summer Music Season 2009
This will be our third year of doing the summer "Music in the Parks" scene.
I have been busy this week making the tour of local town websites to put our calendar together, and the excitement begins this friday night!
In the past two years we have enjoyed dozens of free musical performances...some exquisite and others just average, but under clear skies and with a picnic dinner and fun-bag for the boys all have been wonderful family experiences.
Some towns do outdoor movie nights as well...we saw Madagascar that way last summer....although that was a tad later as it required full-dark to get going. The musical programs usually start around 7.
Some towns don't have their calendars out yet, but some do - enough for us to get started!!!
Look for these programs in your town or nearby towns. They are almost always free (or very inexpensive) and child friendly.
Yippee!
I have been busy this week making the tour of local town websites to put our calendar together, and the excitement begins this friday night!
In the past two years we have enjoyed dozens of free musical performances...some exquisite and others just average, but under clear skies and with a picnic dinner and fun-bag for the boys all have been wonderful family experiences.
Some towns do outdoor movie nights as well...we saw Madagascar that way last summer....although that was a tad later as it required full-dark to get going. The musical programs usually start around 7.
Some towns don't have their calendars out yet, but some do - enough for us to get started!!!
Look for these programs in your town or nearby towns. They are almost always free (or very inexpensive) and child friendly.
Yippee!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Samhain 07
Since Halloween fell on Wednesday this year, and the boys are still little enough to be pretty cranky if you try to let them stay up late....especially if its a mostly adult thing they're staying up for....we celebrated Samhain on Sunday.
This year's group was back down to "the usual" friends/family- a gathering of 9 including the kids. Not the extended group we had experimented with last year. It had just gotten too crazy.
Samhain is one holiday I have maintained tradition with for about 10-12 years now. I use the same ritual every year - it's one that the friends I started celebrating with had adapted for use with their kids. It's short and to the point - and everyone gets to light at least one candle to represent the people/pets they want to remember. The celebration uses the symbols of the apple (death with the promise of rebirth - star inside when cut crosswise) and the pomegranate ( life who's shadow is death - seeds kept Persephone in Hades).
This ritual is also closely linked with dinner - so things usually go like this :
I'm busy preparing dinner and I ask my husband to print out the ritual - I know it's the one we always use, so I haven't even looked at it since last year. I run around picking the ancestor pictures from among the others around the house; try to find candles and other things we'll need for the altar...folks start arriving.
We get the ritual going around the dinner table and are calling directions when I remember that South and West are switched from the way we usually call the directions and think - "Oh well I'll fix it for next year".
I get choked up on reading about remembering family and frieds who have passed through the veil.
Someone inevitably has trouble lighting a candle - this year it was DH who commented that his ancestors probably wanted to tell him to pay them more attention!
This year we replaced the usual candle altar - I've used an old vanity mirror/tray and free-standing votive candles for a long time. It was great if you wanted to try and scry in the patterns of the candle wax - however it was a MESS to deal with. Several years it "leaked" the candle wax onto the tablecloth below it and last year the mirror cracked when I was trying to clean it up. It's still in my holiday bucket, but this year I purchased a candle chandelier which can hang or sit on the table - each candle is enclosed in glass. We sat it on the table during ritual and then hung it from the ceiling while we moved on to dinner.
We set the usual ancestor spot and gave them a little of everything we were having...Turkey, stuffing, pasta primavera, and cranberry apple pie. A bit more traditional than the Morroccan style Mabon celebration!
As usual it was good food, good friends and a celebration of the season. Right now, the boys don't participate much - even as far as listening to the stories of their grandparents & great-grandparents, but it is good practice for years when they will finally take an interest and ask questions about those who have gone before us and who played such an inportant role in making us who we are today.
Another thing to mention in relation to the holiday, serendipity etc...
We had recieved a forecast for the first frost - for Sunday or Monday night, so - appropriately - I went out Sunday with the ladies and we harvested the last of the tomatoes and peppers in the garden - two large baskets of green and lightly-colored tomatoes and a couple of bell peppers.
Blessed Be!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
LOMB - Year 4
The Land of Make Believe 2007!
Ever since Ronnie was just over a year old we've been doing a day-trip per summer to the Land of Make Believe.
And this year is no exception.
http://www.lomb.com/
It is always a wonderful experience - and Ronnie - at least is starting to remember it from one year to the next. He's been asking about when we'd go this summer for weeks now.
This year's trip featured both boys being able to ride the rides - we spent the first hour going from one to the next to the next...
The FAVORITE was the bi-plane ride.
After lunch we headed for PIRATES COVE - and we were better prepared this year with "training suits" for both boys - full-body flotation bathing suits.
Even though the water in the wading pool doesn't even get to knee high on an adult, it's a lot easier watching active boys when they have floaties on.
Ronnie LOVED the pirate ship - with it's water cannons and slides best, and it was difficult to get him to come away from it at all.
Evan just wanted to keep jumping in the water - as if it was a big puddle - preferably while holding on to an adult hand or two. Of course, that was not too comfortable for said adult who felt like their arm(s) were being yanked out.
After spending a couple of hours there - we made our way over to the lazy river and went three times around.
After all of the water time it was time to pack-up and go home. Another great trip to LOMB.
And I think Evan is going to start remembering it now too....he's already asking when we're going to go back!
Ever since Ronnie was just over a year old we've been doing a day-trip per summer to the Land of Make Believe.
And this year is no exception.
http://www.lomb.com/
It is always a wonderful experience - and Ronnie - at least is starting to remember it from one year to the next. He's been asking about when we'd go this summer for weeks now.
This year's trip featured both boys being able to ride the rides - we spent the first hour going from one to the next to the next...
The FAVORITE was the bi-plane ride.
After lunch we headed for PIRATES COVE - and we were better prepared this year with "training suits" for both boys - full-body flotation bathing suits.
Even though the water in the wading pool doesn't even get to knee high on an adult, it's a lot easier watching active boys when they have floaties on.
Ronnie LOVED the pirate ship - with it's water cannons and slides best, and it was difficult to get him to come away from it at all.
Evan just wanted to keep jumping in the water - as if it was a big puddle - preferably while holding on to an adult hand or two. Of course, that was not too comfortable for said adult who felt like their arm(s) were being yanked out.
After spending a couple of hours there - we made our way over to the lazy river and went three times around.
After all of the water time it was time to pack-up and go home. Another great trip to LOMB.
And I think Evan is going to start remembering it now too....he's already asking when we're going to go back!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Doin the Summer Music Circuit with the Family
Ok!
We've got:
We're ready to GO!
The past few weeks have seen us getting into the swing of the summer music scene! Music- in-the-parks - FREE MUSIC - scene that is.
So far we have been to 4 locations 2 very close to home; 2 a little more of a drive.
We have heard:
We've got:
1) The activity bag - complete with bug spray; diaper & wipes; crayons and coloring pages for each boy; plenty of hot-wheels cars; magnetic drawing pads; goodie bags etc...
2) The cooler - with picnic supper and drinks
3) The camp chairs
4)The activity mat (aka Blanket)
2) The cooler - with picnic supper and drinks
3) The camp chairs
4)The activity mat (aka Blanket)
We're ready to GO!
The past few weeks have seen us getting into the swing of the summer music scene! Music- in-the-parks - FREE MUSIC - scene that is.
So far we have been to 4 locations 2 very close to home; 2 a little more of a drive.
We have heard:
- an independant local singer/songwriter
- a swing band
- a couple of duos doing OLD standards (20's - 50's mostly) - and doing them nicely!
- a traditional bluegrass group
And we're ready for more.
Each of the places we've been has more concerts planned - and we're going to try to catch as many as we can.
As musicians, my husband and I are eager for the boys to be exposed to as much live music as possible. And the variety offered in these concerts is amazing!
The summer concerts are a GREAT way to expose young children to music in a setting that is child-friendly, parent friendly and FREE.
Each of the places we've been has more concerts planned - and we're going to try to catch as many as we can.
As musicians, my husband and I are eager for the boys to be exposed to as much live music as possible. And the variety offered in these concerts is amazing!
The summer concerts are a GREAT way to expose young children to music in a setting that is child-friendly, parent friendly and FREE.
Heck - if your 2 year-old starts a tantrum - there is the possibility that no one will notice - and even if you do feel the need to pack up and go home - you are out NOTHING.
And, hey, you might get lucky - as we have for most of the ones we've attended, and get to really have a nice time listening to some decent music under blue skies, picnicing and relaxing with the whole family - invite some friends along and make it a party!
PLENTY of communities are hosting these concerts this year.
I highly recommend it.
I highly recommend it.
Some good search words to find concerts in your area:
Music; Park;Concert;Summer+name of town etc.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Thoughts on Mortality
(Not morality - morTality)
"Having children can change the things you think about." -That's a no brainer you say??
Well, one day while I was driving home I think I took it to a new level.
I have a close friend who's mother died before she turned 4, her mother left not only her, but a younger brother and an infant sister as well. Within a year, my friend's father had remarried (I imagine in self-defense, it was the early 70's Mr Mom was over a decade away). My friend grew up with this new person being her mother. Her birth mother did not abandon her, was not legally separated from her, but was ripped away from her by some sort of brain hemmorage. Her maternal grandparents lived many states distant and she grew up not knowing them - it was never clear whether this was by their doing or by my friends father and new wife. Her father and "mother" did keep photo albums of her mother and momentos of her early years locked away, and the facts were NEVER allowed to be spoken.I have known this story since our college days. It has always bothered me when I've allowed myselfe to think about it. But other than the one or two times my friend needed to get it out of her system and talk it remains a secret garden - hidden/overgrown/forgotten. She has only hints of memory of her mother...more of the chaos sthat ensued after her death than any concrete memories of the person who gave her life.
My children are similar in age to 2 of the 3 left behind by this mother. My connections to them are so vibrant, but what would happen if I wasn't here any more? Would they remember the times we've snuggled for hours? Would they remember the silly faces and giggling? Would they remember how much I have loved them?
I hope those questions never need answers.
"Having children can change the things you think about." -That's a no brainer you say??
Well, one day while I was driving home I think I took it to a new level.
I have a close friend who's mother died before she turned 4, her mother left not only her, but a younger brother and an infant sister as well. Within a year, my friend's father had remarried (I imagine in self-defense, it was the early 70's Mr Mom was over a decade away). My friend grew up with this new person being her mother. Her birth mother did not abandon her, was not legally separated from her, but was ripped away from her by some sort of brain hemmorage. Her maternal grandparents lived many states distant and she grew up not knowing them - it was never clear whether this was by their doing or by my friends father and new wife. Her father and "mother" did keep photo albums of her mother and momentos of her early years locked away, and the facts were NEVER allowed to be spoken.I have known this story since our college days. It has always bothered me when I've allowed myselfe to think about it. But other than the one or two times my friend needed to get it out of her system and talk it remains a secret garden - hidden/overgrown/forgotten. She has only hints of memory of her mother...more of the chaos sthat ensued after her death than any concrete memories of the person who gave her life.
My children are similar in age to 2 of the 3 left behind by this mother. My connections to them are so vibrant, but what would happen if I wasn't here any more? Would they remember the times we've snuggled for hours? Would they remember the silly faces and giggling? Would they remember how much I have loved them?
I hope those questions never need answers.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
In anticipation of Father's Day
I was forwarded the following in an email - not sure who it is attributed to - but it is great!
10 Commandments of Daddy
Fatherhood, you might argue, is too complicated to be reduced to capsule form. But complexity only adds intrigue to the quest for guiding principles. And do we need guiding principles. After all the emotions, all the yelling, and all the laughter, I have distilled the duties and demands down to a decade of Dad dicta. Herewith, on behalf of all God's children and their male parents, the 10 Commandments of Daddy.
10 Commandments of Daddy
Fatherhood, you might argue, is too complicated to be reduced to capsule form. But complexity only adds intrigue to the quest for guiding principles. And do we need guiding principles. After all the emotions, all the yelling, and all the laughter, I have distilled the duties and demands down to a decade of Dad dicta. Herewith, on behalf of all God's children and their male parents, the 10 Commandments of Daddy.
1. Hey, Dad, be big
In spirit, that is. Consider some of the big guys who have gone before you: Father Time, God the Father. You can't give this role a walk-through. You've got to play it. The kids expect stature from you. You're the anvil on which they hammer out their deal with the world. Be a presence in their lives-and in their minds.
In spirit, that is. Consider some of the big guys who have gone before you: Father Time, God the Father. You can't give this role a walk-through. You've got to play it. The kids expect stature from you. You're the anvil on which they hammer out their deal with the world. Be a presence in their lives-and in their minds.
2. Hey, Dad, be small
Yes, this contradicts the first tip. Don't be so big that you suck all the air out of the room. Give your kids space to move around in, to test their thoughts and strengths. Take a backseat three or four times a week. Say, "Maybe." Say, "I don't know." Now and then, tell the kids you're sorry-assuming you behaved badly. You'll feel brand new.
Yes, this contradicts the first tip. Don't be so big that you suck all the air out of the room. Give your kids space to move around in, to test their thoughts and strengths. Take a backseat three or four times a week. Say, "Maybe." Say, "I don't know." Now and then, tell the kids you're sorry-assuming you behaved badly. You'll feel brand new.
3. Hey, Dad, come home
Lots of fathers have two jobs. If that's your situation, God bless you, pal. You'll get no heat from me. But if you can pay the bills without working double shifts, get home when you can. Nothing good can happen until you do.
Lots of fathers have two jobs. If that's your situation, God bless you, pal. You'll get no heat from me. But if you can pay the bills without working double shifts, get home when you can. Nothing good can happen until you do.
4. Bob and weave, Bubba
Stay light on your feet. Don't make too many hard-and-fast rules. Don't insist on having your way with the kids just because the rest of the world isn't always overly interested in the sound of your voice. There is a difference between authority and power. Have the first; don't abuse the second.
Stay light on your feet. Don't make too many hard-and-fast rules. Don't insist on having your way with the kids just because the rest of the world isn't always overly interested in the sound of your voice. There is a difference between authority and power. Have the first; don't abuse the second.
5. Never dance in front of their friends
Remember the cautionary legend of the father who once picked his kids up at a junior-high dance and actually went into the gym and did a few seconds of the Hully Gully with Margie Costanzo. His adult children still have embarrassment nightmares.
(Renee's addendum: This one depends on the execution - if it is appropriate to dance and the embarasement comes from NOT dancing then it needs to be done.)
Remember the cautionary legend of the father who once picked his kids up at a junior-high dance and actually went into the gym and did a few seconds of the Hully Gully with Margie Costanzo. His adult children still have embarrassment nightmares.
(Renee's addendum: This one depends on the execution - if it is appropriate to dance and the embarasement comes from NOT dancing then it needs to be done.)
6. Save your money, big man
If you're not careful, the kids will send you to the poorhouse three dollars and twenty-nine cents at a time. Think college tuition. Think down payment on their starter homes. Although it's true that money can't buy happiness, it can buy lots of other stuff.
If you're not careful, the kids will send you to the poorhouse three dollars and twenty-nine cents at a time. Think college tuition. Think down payment on their starter homes. Although it's true that money can't buy happiness, it can buy lots of other stuff.
7. Spend your money, tightwad
F. Scott Fitzgerald said the sign of a first-rate mind was the ability to have two opposite opinions at the same time. You're a first-rate mind, Dad. So spring for the glowing monster trading cards. If you've got the money, pop for the musical princess crown. What are you saving your money for, pal? College? Hah! You can't possibly save enough. There is the future, and then there is now. This is it.
F. Scott Fitzgerald said the sign of a first-rate mind was the ability to have two opposite opinions at the same time. You're a first-rate mind, Dad. So spring for the glowing monster trading cards. If you've got the money, pop for the musical princess crown. What are you saving your money for, pal? College? Hah! You can't possibly save enough. There is the future, and then there is now. This is it.
8. Never go on a ride with the word whirl in its name.
Especially the Space Shuttle Whirl at the Great Escape near Lake George, New York. It's tougher to be a good father when your nervous system is permanently compromised. Stay on the ground and wave.
Especially the Space Shuttle Whirl at the Great Escape near Lake George, New York. It's tougher to be a good father when your nervous system is permanently compromised. Stay on the ground and wave.
9. Let 'em be-they're not your second chance
We become most upset with the kids when they remind us of... well, us. Help them follow their own path, not your road not taken.
We become most upset with the kids when they remind us of... well, us. Help them follow their own path, not your road not taken.
10. Love their mother
Hug Mom. Often. In front of the kids. Sure, sometimes marriages end, but the obligation to a woman doesn't. Be grateful to her. Speak to her with respect. Try to make her laugh. Listen. Even if you're not married to her, figure out how to love her.
Hug Mom. Often. In front of the kids. Sure, sometimes marriages end, but the obligation to a woman doesn't. Be grateful to her. Speak to her with respect. Try to make her laugh. Listen. Even if you're not married to her, figure out how to love her.
(Renee's addendum: same goes for Moms)
Monday, May 21, 2007
Mommy, Did we Loose Missy?
Ok, I have SO MUCH to write about - things going on that are making me CRAZY!
BUT - Last week one night my big boy had a bit of a melt-down and as he was calming down from it he asked the cutest thing....
"Mommy, did we loose Missy?"
"Which Missy do you mean, honey?" I asked. I only know one Missy, but he goes to daycare, so you never know.
"You know Mommy, Missy & Julie"
Missy and Julie and Lizzy are our adult nieces, and Missy moved to Maryland last summer. We really haven't seen too much of her since then. She's been back north a few times, but schedules haven't really meshed. I explained that she lived far away now, but that we would see her some time, hopefully soon. But Ronnie was really upset, so I asked him if he wanted me to help him e-mail her.
"No, Mommy. Can we call her?"
Thankfully I still have her cell phone number - so we dialed it - he pushed the 'send' button.
We left Missy a message telling her we love her and miss her.
It is so easy to loose people, people we care about, people we love - unless we take the time to reach out to them.
Don't forget to connect with those you love today!
BUT - Last week one night my big boy had a bit of a melt-down and as he was calming down from it he asked the cutest thing....
"Mommy, did we loose Missy?"
"Which Missy do you mean, honey?" I asked. I only know one Missy, but he goes to daycare, so you never know.
"You know Mommy, Missy & Julie"
Missy and Julie and Lizzy are our adult nieces, and Missy moved to Maryland last summer. We really haven't seen too much of her since then. She's been back north a few times, but schedules haven't really meshed. I explained that she lived far away now, but that we would see her some time, hopefully soon. But Ronnie was really upset, so I asked him if he wanted me to help him e-mail her.
"No, Mommy. Can we call her?"
Thankfully I still have her cell phone number - so we dialed it - he pushed the 'send' button.
We left Missy a message telling her we love her and miss her.
It is so easy to loose people, people we care about, people we love - unless we take the time to reach out to them.
Don't forget to connect with those you love today!
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