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.
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.
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.
This is a pic of the boys being introduced by the director at the Vision is Priceless annual fundraiser. We are very thankful to this organization for all they do. Check out their link in my blog roll.
I know as a parent you are supposed to be teaching your children life skills. These skills can vary to the emotionally complex or be as simple as picking up dirty socks. I think the latter is the easier to teach on most days.
However, Full Speed and T.Puzzle have not yet learned how to help me with laundry and this is why….
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At least I have something entertaining to watch as I sort through the boys’ socks that have successfully migrated to the laundry hamper (fingers crossed!).
1. Champagne mojitos are still the way to go. Trust me, I tried every variety known to man such as frozen, straight up, fruit flavored and what have you. The golden (and delicious!) standard of the original Royal Carribean champagne mojito cannot be beat.
our first day aboard with Mad Dog's parents. They thankfully enjoy champagne mojitos as much as we do!
2. Getting your hair braided in Coco Cay, Bahamas is just as much fun today as having it done in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico when Mad Dog and I got engaged eight years ago.
3. When you are a Mom who rarely gets time away from her kids, something as simple as walking down a street with no Hotwheels, animal crackers or wipes in your purse, or better yet, absolutely no purse at all, is extremely liberating. It almost feels like your are breaking the natural laws of the world and it feels fantastic.
4. Sometimes, after a few hours have slipped by, you may find that you kinda of sorta miss the kids you left at home. This twingey guilt can be quickly remedied with another round of champagne mojitos (see Lesson 1).
5. This vacation helped solidify exactly how much Mad Dog must love me. He willingly posed for so many pictures, it is possible we may have set a ship record. For a man who greatly dislikes being photographed, he obviously loves the woman he is posing with. Thank you, Mad Dog!
one of the several posed shots taken by the ship's photographers
6. This cruise was the best I have ever experienced. I have several theories as to why this is. The most likely being that if you have achieved a level of happiness and acceptance in the life that you are leaving behind for a few days, it only multiplies in a setting of rest and relaxation. And this time, I was more content than ever to return home and continue my adventures of motherhood.
It’s good to be home and even better to hug my boys.
It’s that time of year again. Mad Dog and I are setting off on our annual cruise. It’s amazing how much more patience you have for your children and laundry when you know in a few days you will be sailing across the ocean. Oh, and like I told my good friend, the prospect of unlimited champagne mojitos helps, too!
I will return next week and I’m sure I will have some stories to share. Thanks for reading my little blog. I appreciate it.
Bon Voyage!
On South Beach in Miami where our first cruise launched.
