Some of you may be friends on my Facebook page. If you are, you may have noticed (or even participated in) the huge "dispute" another FB member and I had last night. With all of that back and forth, it left me reeling. And, after all was said and done, and the dust had settled, I still couldn't help but feeling that she missed my point entirely.
You see, this person has a home business, and is a salesperson (and spokesperson) for a very nature-based, holistic line of products. And, although I can fully understand her rationale for being so devoted to this line of products (her son became very sick because of toxic poisoning... which she claims was the result of using "traditional" OTC medicines and products), I do not understand, and will not accept, her incessant need to shove her opinions on these products down other people's throats. What you believe in is YOUR belief. Leave it at that, and move on.
Apparently, she couldn't do that. And, in not being able to do that, she also found it completely necessary to bash MY abilities as a mother in the process. It seems that she equates the "holistic approach" to healthier living as the be all/end all in terms of mothering status. Therefore, to her, I'm scum of the earth because I let my children ingest old-fashioned, over-the-counter medicines and products.
I beg to differ with her, but I feel, in my heart, that I'm a REALLY good mother. I put my children's needs above my own ALWAYS, and they are well taken care of, nurtured, and loved. I'm constantly receiving compliments on how great my kids are -- what good kids they are, and how respectful and caring they are. And, just imagine... they are all that (and more), despite the fact that they eat a cookie or two once in awhile!
I understand her opinion about wanting to live a healthier lifestyle. But... we all know the old comparison about "opinions", don't we???
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Ramblings in the Rain
It's been raining here in Massachusetts. ALL DAY. Wind driven gusts of rain have been pummeling the windows. It makes me want to curl up in a ball, under my covers, in the warm comfort of my bed. It makes me want to watch documentaries, cooking shows, and reality TV about life in the ER. It makes me want to keep all of the lights off, even when it's completely dark out. It makes me want to read loads and loads of books. It makes me bored. It makes me antsy. It makes me indecisive. It makes me inactive.
Although I'm not a big fan of the heat, I do really like the sun. It moves me, both emotionally and physically. It gives me the kind of energy I need to be a productive human being. Instead of this laggard, hunkered-down mass I turn into when the water and clouds cover the sky.
Maybe I have S.A.D.??
Although I'm not a big fan of the heat, I do really like the sun. It moves me, both emotionally and physically. It gives me the kind of energy I need to be a productive human being. Instead of this laggard, hunkered-down mass I turn into when the water and clouds cover the sky.
Maybe I have S.A.D.??
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Beauty (and Art) is in the Eye of the Beholder... Isn't It?
Last night, right before the little and I were both getting ready to hunker down and snuggle in my bed together, she produced a picture of me that she'd drawn. She explained to me that, in the picture, I was telling her to go clean up her room.
The detail was amazing, especially for a five-year-old. In her rendition, I had long, curly hair, ears (which she could have left off, for all I care... I'd hear less of the arguing and whining that way!), an open mouth (all the better to bark at you, m'dear), two front teeth (didn't see any others inside my mouth, but at least there's a couple there to gnaw on food with!), a tongue (not forked, I'm glad to add! :), a round body (like I said... the detail was amazing... unfortunately for me!), two arms, two hands WITH five fingers each, two legs WITH feet, a belly button (I found out later I was NAKED in this particular picture...whatever!), and according to my budding artist, "your big boobs". Gee, thanks!
I held back my laughter, while telling her to go show the picture to her father. The hubs took one look, and HIS first response was "What's that on Mommy's stomach?" When she explained it was my navel, I could have been blown over by his huge sigh of relief. Apparently, the humongous chest area was of no concern to him. He was making sure there wasn't even a whisper of another bun in Mama's oven!
I don't know what it is about this particular child, but she's got almost a borderline fascination with my "girls". I'll be so glad when she grows up enough for nature to take its course, and give her a set of her own. Maybe then, she'll leave mine alone!
The detail was amazing, especially for a five-year-old. In her rendition, I had long, curly hair, ears (which she could have left off, for all I care... I'd hear less of the arguing and whining that way!), an open mouth (all the better to bark at you, m'dear), two front teeth (didn't see any others inside my mouth, but at least there's a couple there to gnaw on food with!), a tongue (not forked, I'm glad to add! :), a round body (like I said... the detail was amazing... unfortunately for me!), two arms, two hands WITH five fingers each, two legs WITH feet, a belly button (I found out later I was NAKED in this particular picture...whatever!), and according to my budding artist, "your big boobs". Gee, thanks!
I held back my laughter, while telling her to go show the picture to her father. The hubs took one look, and HIS first response was "What's that on Mommy's stomach?" When she explained it was my navel, I could have been blown over by his huge sigh of relief. Apparently, the humongous chest area was of no concern to him. He was making sure there wasn't even a whisper of another bun in Mama's oven!
I don't know what it is about this particular child, but she's got almost a borderline fascination with my "girls". I'll be so glad when she grows up enough for nature to take its course, and give her a set of her own. Maybe then, she'll leave mine alone!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Bad, Bad Mama!
So... I dropped off the blogger wagon. Again. It's just amazing how much LIFE can happen, in the blink of an eye!
As some of you already know, I've gotten hooked on Facebook. Between catching up with everyone on there, and doing everything else I need to do on a daily basis, I'm afraid I neglected my blogging terribly. Hopefully, this will be another "rebirth" of sorts (just in time for Easter!).
It took us practically hitting him with a brick upside the head, but the boy has really buckled down with his schoolwork this year, and is bringing home excellent progress reports and report cards. The hubs and I always knew he had it in him... we just had to basically threaten to pull him out of the school that he loves to get him to quit goofing around!
At almost 15 1/2, he's now just about 6'2". I can't help but wonder if there are times, when I take the kids out together, if some folks mistake him for my partner instead of my son! Gone are the baby cheeks, and cherub face. It's been replaced by hairy cheeks and mature face! On the one hand, I'm glad he's growing up, and finally beginning to break out on his own a little bit. But, of course, it still saddens me that my "baby" boy is a thing of the past!
The oldest girlie is also a tall one... at 5'2 1/2", she's almost as tall as I am (and never passes up the opportunity to remind me!). She's just as beautiful and sweet as ever, and even though she's definitely starting to show signs of "womanhood", she's still very much a little girl in spirit and behavior.
She's three months shy of graduating from elementary school, and then.... off to MIDDLE school in the fall! And, I have the same feeling in the pit of my stomach about it as I did when the boy went off to middle school. I know she'll be fine, and she'll handle the transition well. I also know that I'M probably going to be way more of a mess than she will be!
The little is also going to be experiencing a transition this coming fall. She'll be leaving preschool, and moving on to Kindergarten. I met with one of her preschool teachers yesterday, to go over her mid-point evaluation, and was so filled with pride, hearing about her tremendous progress. Miss Maritza told me that she can't get over how far the little has come, and just how much she's matured and grown, since last year. I know what she means. There have been times, during one of our conversations, where I've stopped short, and realized I'm talking to a FIVE year old! She's so articulate, and so detailed in her conversations!! :)
So, come September, I'll have one child in elementary school, one child in middle school, and one child in high school! It's going to be a new challenge, trying to juggle all of their schedules, but I'm sure we'll quickly get the hang of things.
Once the little goes into school for a full day, I'm going to seriously persue a part-time job. I've been rooting around the job listings for the public schools in my area, and sending in resumes for positions that look interesting, and meet my needs. Hopefully, one place will think I'm the perfect fit for them, and I can start working soon! Don't get me wrong -- I love being home with my kids, and knowing that I'm their primary caretaker. But, I started working when I was 16 years old, and it's so difficult for me to not contribute something financially to the household. I just hope I can find a job that doesn't demand too much of me, so I can ultimately have the best of both worlds! :)
As for the hubs and I... we're still going strong. On St. Patrick's Day, we'll celebrate the 18th anniversary of our first date. There are times when I can't believe we've been together for so long, and there are other times when I feel the time just flew by. I feel so blessed and so grateful to have him in my life, and I'm so glad he chose me to spend the rest of his life with. If we were to go back and do it again, and if he asked me out on that first date, I wouldn't hesitate to say yes.
That's enough of an update... for now. I sure do hope I make this blog thing more of a habit in the future! ;)
As some of you already know, I've gotten hooked on Facebook. Between catching up with everyone on there, and doing everything else I need to do on a daily basis, I'm afraid I neglected my blogging terribly. Hopefully, this will be another "rebirth" of sorts (just in time for Easter!).
It took us practically hitting him with a brick upside the head, but the boy has really buckled down with his schoolwork this year, and is bringing home excellent progress reports and report cards. The hubs and I always knew he had it in him... we just had to basically threaten to pull him out of the school that he loves to get him to quit goofing around!
At almost 15 1/2, he's now just about 6'2". I can't help but wonder if there are times, when I take the kids out together, if some folks mistake him for my partner instead of my son! Gone are the baby cheeks, and cherub face. It's been replaced by hairy cheeks and mature face! On the one hand, I'm glad he's growing up, and finally beginning to break out on his own a little bit. But, of course, it still saddens me that my "baby" boy is a thing of the past!
The oldest girlie is also a tall one... at 5'2 1/2", she's almost as tall as I am (and never passes up the opportunity to remind me!). She's just as beautiful and sweet as ever, and even though she's definitely starting to show signs of "womanhood", she's still very much a little girl in spirit and behavior.
She's three months shy of graduating from elementary school, and then.... off to MIDDLE school in the fall! And, I have the same feeling in the pit of my stomach about it as I did when the boy went off to middle school. I know she'll be fine, and she'll handle the transition well. I also know that I'M probably going to be way more of a mess than she will be!
The little is also going to be experiencing a transition this coming fall. She'll be leaving preschool, and moving on to Kindergarten. I met with one of her preschool teachers yesterday, to go over her mid-point evaluation, and was so filled with pride, hearing about her tremendous progress. Miss Maritza told me that she can't get over how far the little has come, and just how much she's matured and grown, since last year. I know what she means. There have been times, during one of our conversations, where I've stopped short, and realized I'm talking to a FIVE year old! She's so articulate, and so detailed in her conversations!! :)
So, come September, I'll have one child in elementary school, one child in middle school, and one child in high school! It's going to be a new challenge, trying to juggle all of their schedules, but I'm sure we'll quickly get the hang of things.
Once the little goes into school for a full day, I'm going to seriously persue a part-time job. I've been rooting around the job listings for the public schools in my area, and sending in resumes for positions that look interesting, and meet my needs. Hopefully, one place will think I'm the perfect fit for them, and I can start working soon! Don't get me wrong -- I love being home with my kids, and knowing that I'm their primary caretaker. But, I started working when I was 16 years old, and it's so difficult for me to not contribute something financially to the household. I just hope I can find a job that doesn't demand too much of me, so I can ultimately have the best of both worlds! :)
As for the hubs and I... we're still going strong. On St. Patrick's Day, we'll celebrate the 18th anniversary of our first date. There are times when I can't believe we've been together for so long, and there are other times when I feel the time just flew by. I feel so blessed and so grateful to have him in my life, and I'm so glad he chose me to spend the rest of his life with. If we were to go back and do it again, and if he asked me out on that first date, I wouldn't hesitate to say yes.
That's enough of an update... for now. I sure do hope I make this blog thing more of a habit in the future! ;)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Is It Really Time... ALREADY???
I feel like a broken record whenever I say this, but honest and truly, I canNOT believe how fast this school year has gone! I mean, I feel like I was just shopping for back-to-school clothes for three children who'd gone through MAJOR growth spurts over the summer. Then, as the first weeks of school unfolded, scouring shelves and displays, with school supply lists in hand, looking for all of the gazillion items that my children's respective teachers wanted them to come to the classroom armed with.
Now, as quick as a wink, it's mid-June, and the school year is almost over. The littlest little has already gotten her certificate of completion for her first year of preschool, and had her last, bittersweet day with her beloved teachers and school chums this past Friday. She's being rather impatient, waiting for her older brother and sister to complete their respective school years, wandering aimlessly from room to room, looking for things to occupy her time. Unfortunately, her dear old Ma is not a suitable replacement for those young legs that can run and play and keep up with the likes of her.
I, myself, am hoping that these last few days endlessly drag on. Not that I'm not excited for them to move forward another year up the scholastic ladder. I'm just NOT looking forward to the constant drone of "I'm boooorrrrrreeeedddddd!!!" from their mouths, as we wait the dreaded few weeks before school ends and day camp begins.
It's almost impossible to imagine, but come next Tuesday, I'll "officialy" have a fifth grader and a Sophomore in high school. Can't someone please tell me which magic button to push, to slow down the growth process with these children? I'm just one step closer to watching them drive off to college, and out of my motherly grasp, for ::gasp!:: what could be the very last time.
I used to barely hear the statement as I was growing up and into my adulthood. Only now do I fully understand it's truth and perspective -- children really do grow up so fast!
Now, as quick as a wink, it's mid-June, and the school year is almost over. The littlest little has already gotten her certificate of completion for her first year of preschool, and had her last, bittersweet day with her beloved teachers and school chums this past Friday. She's being rather impatient, waiting for her older brother and sister to complete their respective school years, wandering aimlessly from room to room, looking for things to occupy her time. Unfortunately, her dear old Ma is not a suitable replacement for those young legs that can run and play and keep up with the likes of her.
I, myself, am hoping that these last few days endlessly drag on. Not that I'm not excited for them to move forward another year up the scholastic ladder. I'm just NOT looking forward to the constant drone of "I'm boooorrrrrreeeedddddd!!!" from their mouths, as we wait the dreaded few weeks before school ends and day camp begins.
It's almost impossible to imagine, but come next Tuesday, I'll "officialy" have a fifth grader and a Sophomore in high school. Can't someone please tell me which magic button to push, to slow down the growth process with these children? I'm just one step closer to watching them drive off to college, and out of my motherly grasp, for ::gasp!:: what could be the very last time.
I used to barely hear the statement as I was growing up and into my adulthood. Only now do I fully understand it's truth and perspective -- children really do grow up so fast!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
April Showers Bring May Flowers
At long last.... a new blog post! :)
I'm so sorry I've been away for so long. You'd never thing that the dog days of winter would be so crazy, but really, they have. First, we endured February school vacation, while being pummelled with lots and LOTS snow (so much for "best laid plans"!). Then, at the end of the month, we celebrated the littlest little's fourth birthday (still not quite sure how she got so big so fast, but that's for another time). She wanted a Chuck-E-Cheese party with some of her preschool friends, and that's exactly what she got. The way I looked at it, it saved me a TON of clean up, food prep, decorating, stressing....and then more clean up! :)
March brought with it more snow, as well as my husband's 45th birthday, which we celebrated with much less fanfare than his youngest daughter! A homemade spice cake and a lovely, homecooked meal were on the agenda for his evening. Thank goodness he's much easier to please!
And now, it's April. Already. Supposedly, springtime is upon us, but with the damp, cool weather, I'm having a hard time being convinced of that. I'm sure I'll relish these days as the scorching summer weather blazes in soon enough.
Not only is it April, but it's Holy Week, too. I won't touch a whole lot on that, for fear of sounding too "preachy". But, I will say that, of all the times when I feel our Savior in my heart, this week is the time that I love and appreciate Him the most, especially when I remember what sacrifices he made to save us all from our sins.
Of course, Sunday is Easter. Not only is it a time for reverence and rebirth, but it's also a fun holiday for our kids. For years and years, we held out hope that our egg hunt could be had outside. But, with all of the years of rain (and even snow!), we've relinquished ourselves to having it indoors. The kids have just as much fun, and we do too, as we watch them darting from room to room, trying to find all of the eggs left for them by the Easter Bunny. They're especially thrilled when they find their "special" eggs...labeled with their names, and containing a grand surprise (usually a small amount of money, or a gift card to one of their favorite fast food joints). And then, the BIG squeals of delight, as their baskets are discovered. I have so much fun, picking out things for each of them, and stuffing their baskets chock full of their treasures.
I will also admit that, over the past two months, I've succumbed. I suppose I would now be officially labeled a "Twilighter". I've read all four books in the series, and have ordered a special edition DVD set from Borders. I've even ordered the soundtrack! :) I honestly didn't think I could possibly like a love story containing vampires and werewolves, but the books were written well enough that they were easy to glide through. I'm going to wait a few more weeks, then read them all over again!
I think that pretty much puts me up to speed, for now. All of you who've joined me on Facebook know what I've been up to on a daily basis, too. I only hope my next update doesn't take me just as long!
I'm so sorry I've been away for so long. You'd never thing that the dog days of winter would be so crazy, but really, they have. First, we endured February school vacation, while being pummelled with lots and LOTS snow (so much for "best laid plans"!). Then, at the end of the month, we celebrated the littlest little's fourth birthday (still not quite sure how she got so big so fast, but that's for another time). She wanted a Chuck-E-Cheese party with some of her preschool friends, and that's exactly what she got. The way I looked at it, it saved me a TON of clean up, food prep, decorating, stressing....and then more clean up! :)
March brought with it more snow, as well as my husband's 45th birthday, which we celebrated with much less fanfare than his youngest daughter! A homemade spice cake and a lovely, homecooked meal were on the agenda for his evening. Thank goodness he's much easier to please!
And now, it's April. Already. Supposedly, springtime is upon us, but with the damp, cool weather, I'm having a hard time being convinced of that. I'm sure I'll relish these days as the scorching summer weather blazes in soon enough.
Not only is it April, but it's Holy Week, too. I won't touch a whole lot on that, for fear of sounding too "preachy". But, I will say that, of all the times when I feel our Savior in my heart, this week is the time that I love and appreciate Him the most, especially when I remember what sacrifices he made to save us all from our sins.
Of course, Sunday is Easter. Not only is it a time for reverence and rebirth, but it's also a fun holiday for our kids. For years and years, we held out hope that our egg hunt could be had outside. But, with all of the years of rain (and even snow!), we've relinquished ourselves to having it indoors. The kids have just as much fun, and we do too, as we watch them darting from room to room, trying to find all of the eggs left for them by the Easter Bunny. They're especially thrilled when they find their "special" eggs...labeled with their names, and containing a grand surprise (usually a small amount of money, or a gift card to one of their favorite fast food joints). And then, the BIG squeals of delight, as their baskets are discovered. I have so much fun, picking out things for each of them, and stuffing their baskets chock full of their treasures.
I will also admit that, over the past two months, I've succumbed. I suppose I would now be officially labeled a "Twilighter". I've read all four books in the series, and have ordered a special edition DVD set from Borders. I've even ordered the soundtrack! :) I honestly didn't think I could possibly like a love story containing vampires and werewolves, but the books were written well enough that they were easy to glide through. I'm going to wait a few more weeks, then read them all over again!
I think that pretty much puts me up to speed, for now. All of you who've joined me on Facebook know what I've been up to on a daily basis, too. I only hope my next update doesn't take me just as long!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Part Two, of Quite Possibly the Longest Blog Post in History
Well, I don't know exactly what happened, but the Blogger wouldn't let me space through to another paragraph, so I sent what I'd written so far (so it didn't get lost), and figured I'd continue with a "part two".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have to admit, her e-mail really rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, I know she doesn't know me from a hole in the wall, and who knows what was going through her head when her husband's ex-girlfriend dropped out of the sky and onto her webpage... but still... there was SOOOOOO much about her curt little response that just raised the hairs on the back of my neck.
It took all I had to shoot off a snotty little response, but I bit my tongue, walked away from the computer to cool off, and came back when I had a clearer head. I told her I can understand how he'd feel overhwhelmed, but he needs to know that there are plenty of people who, for one reason or another, felt bonded to him, and wanted to know how he was doing. And, because I have a "past" with him, I was more or less their "go to" person. I also said I could totally respect that he needed time, and that I'd be more than happy to give him all the time in the world.
(Okay, okay... just because I said it, didn't mean I necessarily was FEELING it, but I was trying so very hard to be my diplomatic, "I'll take the high road" kinda gal.)
It was after those series of e-mails, and the weeks that ensued, that I began to feel crushed. I was, after all, a pretty integral part of his past (we went out together for about a year and a half, and got pretty serious there for awhile), and I was nothing but good to him. Why on earth would he shun me the way that he was?
It took me a bit of time to process through the whole thing -- to talk to people whose opinions I valued, to help me work through all the different scenarios. And, it also took me gathering ALL of the courage I had, and then placing a call to his work number VERY early on a Saturday morning (and praying, the ENTIRE time, that he wouldn't pick up the phone!), so I could hear his voice. Once I got through all that, I found a peace within me. I determined that he had made his own little life for himself, that he'd gotten himself to a better place physically and emotionally, and that he was doing well. And, quite frankly, all I really wanted to know was that he was okay. And I got that from his voice on his answering machine. I can't explain how... but I did.
The weird thing is, the guy who prompted me to seek out this man in the first place has all but dropped off the face of the earth, too. He's all but disappeared off of Facebook, hardly ever responding to anyone's posts (and when he does, it's only with these short, almost bullet-type answers). He won't return my phone calls, and he barely responds to my e-mails, too. I'm wondering if this "old buddy" of his, doesn't want to rekindle THAT relationship, either???
Men! Sigh.
Anyway... back to my life at hand. The littlest little is gearing up for her 4th birthday, and I went yesterday to book HER party (at Chuck-E-Cheese's, per HER request... the little Diva!). She's given me her short list of invitees, and at the very top is her "boyfriend", Luis (whom, she's going to marry someday, dontchya know!). Every night, when I'm getting her clothes together for school the next morning, she tells me that she has to look "really pretty for her boyfriend"...!!!! Ugh!
Who knew that it would be my THREE-YEAR-OLD who'd be boy crazy first???
Besides, I'm saving her for one of either Natalie's boys. I'll let them fight over who winds up getting her. All I can say is... GOOD luck, once you decide! She's a REAL handful, that one! :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have to admit, her e-mail really rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, I know she doesn't know me from a hole in the wall, and who knows what was going through her head when her husband's ex-girlfriend dropped out of the sky and onto her webpage... but still... there was SOOOOOO much about her curt little response that just raised the hairs on the back of my neck.
It took all I had to shoot off a snotty little response, but I bit my tongue, walked away from the computer to cool off, and came back when I had a clearer head. I told her I can understand how he'd feel overhwhelmed, but he needs to know that there are plenty of people who, for one reason or another, felt bonded to him, and wanted to know how he was doing. And, because I have a "past" with him, I was more or less their "go to" person. I also said I could totally respect that he needed time, and that I'd be more than happy to give him all the time in the world.
(Okay, okay... just because I said it, didn't mean I necessarily was FEELING it, but I was trying so very hard to be my diplomatic, "I'll take the high road" kinda gal.)
It was after those series of e-mails, and the weeks that ensued, that I began to feel crushed. I was, after all, a pretty integral part of his past (we went out together for about a year and a half, and got pretty serious there for awhile), and I was nothing but good to him. Why on earth would he shun me the way that he was?
It took me a bit of time to process through the whole thing -- to talk to people whose opinions I valued, to help me work through all the different scenarios. And, it also took me gathering ALL of the courage I had, and then placing a call to his work number VERY early on a Saturday morning (and praying, the ENTIRE time, that he wouldn't pick up the phone!), so I could hear his voice. Once I got through all that, I found a peace within me. I determined that he had made his own little life for himself, that he'd gotten himself to a better place physically and emotionally, and that he was doing well. And, quite frankly, all I really wanted to know was that he was okay. And I got that from his voice on his answering machine. I can't explain how... but I did.
The weird thing is, the guy who prompted me to seek out this man in the first place has all but dropped off the face of the earth, too. He's all but disappeared off of Facebook, hardly ever responding to anyone's posts (and when he does, it's only with these short, almost bullet-type answers). He won't return my phone calls, and he barely responds to my e-mails, too. I'm wondering if this "old buddy" of his, doesn't want to rekindle THAT relationship, either???
Men! Sigh.
Anyway... back to my life at hand. The littlest little is gearing up for her 4th birthday, and I went yesterday to book HER party (at Chuck-E-Cheese's, per HER request... the little Diva!). She's given me her short list of invitees, and at the very top is her "boyfriend", Luis (whom, she's going to marry someday, dontchya know!). Every night, when I'm getting her clothes together for school the next morning, she tells me that she has to look "really pretty for her boyfriend"...!!!! Ugh!
Who knew that it would be my THREE-YEAR-OLD who'd be boy crazy first???
Besides, I'm saving her for one of either Natalie's boys. I'll let them fight over who winds up getting her. All I can say is... GOOD luck, once you decide! She's a REAL handful, that one! :)
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