gratitude – Page 13 – Writes for all Mommies

children, gratitude, happiness, humor, kids, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

A Dinosaur and a Prayer

05/04/2011 WFAM

All week long the boys tried to convince me that Mad Dog needed to see the Dino Alive! exhibit at the zoo. They were convinced he was most certainly experiencing sleepless nights until he witnessed the wonders of animatronic dinosaurs with his own eyes.

We started out our Sunday with a cloudless sky, hope in our hearts and our zoo membership card in the car console.

I told Mad Dog to be prepared. He was going to need to carry T.Puzzle throughout the wandering path of hidden dinosaurs. I told him by the end of our last visit, T.Puzzle had his arms and legs locked on me in a death grip, Full Speed was cowering behind me and all that stood between me and the gigantic T-Rex was my steely resolve.

This outing was a little different. Both boys insisted on walking on their own through the maze of trees and roaring reptiles. Full Speed compensated his fear by staying true to his name. He would dart as fast as he could away from any sense of danger.

T.Puzzle, well, he coped in another way. He chose prayer. He clasped his hands tightly together as he willed his feet to keep moving. A step here, a step there and a prayer right here.

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He kept his hands clasped like that through our entire dinosaur adventure.

Cutest four year old ever.

gratitude, happiness, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, self-discovery

Kick in the Pants

31/03/2011 WFAM

At the gym this morning as I was waiting for a class to start, I watched a fellow gym goer chase down her very active toddler son. He darted into a room he didn’t belong and she had no choice but to follow.

She was exasperated and embarrassed.

Two ‘E’ words I have come to know and love over the course of raising my boys.

I said to her, “He reminds me so much of my boys. I know exactly how you feel.”

She smiled blandly at me, squared her shoulders and finally overtook her little one by sheer force.

Looked like a typical Thursday morning to me.

Another member said, “So your boys were like that at that age?”

“Yes. In fact my older one was about 100 times more active than that. This kid is more my younger one’s speed.”

“Isn’t it great?,” she asked.

I looked at her and paused. She was older, closer to a grandmother’s age than my own so she clearly had some experience to back up this question.

My pause made her continue. “Wouldn’t you rather have kids full of life and personality than a kid who is dull and boring?”

And for the first time in my life it dawned on me that the answer to this question is a resounding ‘YES!

So remember that when you are about to lose it.

Or more likely, when you are beating yourself up over some behavioral misdeed of your perfectly normal, perfectly acceptable offspring.

Spirited kids are the ones who kick life in the pants.

I’ll take two please and hold the boring!

children, gratitude, happiness, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Cheeseburgers and Miracles

24/03/201126/03/2011 WFAM

A while back I mentioned how Mad Dog and I were amazed at the substantial overall improvement of the boys’ behavior. This improvement is most notable when on public outings or surrounded by a large group.

We attended a neighborhood cookout and our friend and host commented that she noticed a dramatic difference in them as well.

For example, neither had to sit in time-out for anything.

Not one time.

I couldn’t believe it.

Neither tried to tackle, maim, bite or wreak generalized havoc on each other or the rest of the kids in attendance.

Mad Dog and I actually got to sit back, relax and engage in adult conversation.

All over cheeseburgers, good company and a lovely March evening.

I do believe in miracles.

917778380606 — A spring break outing to the zoo where the boys continued their miraculous good behavior. They had cheeseburgers for lunch, too. Maybe the magic is hidden in the ground beef?

children, gratitude, happiness, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Transformative

18/03/201126/03/2011 WFAM

: T.Puzzle and I on our date at Sonic.

Okay. So there are a lot of trials and tribulations to raising young children. The energy requirements alone are enough to make you faint. I still am lobbying the government for Sundays off from motherhood. Oh, and I would love some monetary compensation to call my own.

Besides these obvious pitfalls, there is a fantasic upside.

My boys are still at the age where spending time with me is almost as awesome as the impending summer release of Transformers 3.

730347070606 — Full Speed beams during our regular Thursday lunch on St. Patrick's Day.

I’ll take the good with the bad and spend as much time with these guys as I can while they still let me.

All I have to be is myself with them.

No transformation required.

Yet.

children, eyesight, gratitude, happiness, health, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, self-discovery

Limitless Sky

14/03/201120/09/2013 WFAM

Life hands you challenges sometimes. When you are faced with these, it is often difficult to understand why.

I have two young boys that were born with a rare genetic eye disorder called ectopia lentis.

I don’t know exactly why this happened.

All I do know is that it has put us on a path in life that is beyond anything we expected. We have been connected to amazing people we never would have met otherwise. We have had to test our mettle over and over each time victorious in the knowledge that as a family, we can overcome any obstacle.

So, I may not know exactly why vision challenges came into our lives. At least now I’ve had time and growth to realize some of the amazing lessons that have gone along with it.

If we can do this, we can do anything.

Think about any challenge you have lived through or are living with right now. If you can do that, you can do anything, too.

The sky’s the limit.