gratitude – Page 9 – Writes for all Mommies

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

Merry Christmas!

25/12/2010 WFAM

It’s Christmas morning and the presents are already unwrapped.

The cookies for Santa are gone, the new toys are already in play and the waffles made by Mad Dog already eaten.

Things start early on Christmas day when your kids are young.

We had some new traditions and kept some old.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — on our way to Christmas Eve dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse.

ï»¿ï»¿ï»¿T.Puzzle announced that ‘Jinker Bells’ was his favorite holiday song.

Full Speed summed up his Christmas Eve experience at church as ‘good AND boring’. It was good because he made a lot of new friends and it was boring because he had to keep ‘standing up the WHOLE time!’

For the introspective lot such as myself, it is a time of reflection.

Some of it sad, like missing loved ones you’d like to have near and most of it glad because of the loved ones you do have with you on this special day.

Life is like a Christmas tree.

Compared to others it may not be the tallest or the brightest. It may not have the most presents or look exactly the way you want it.

If you embrace it for exactly what it is and appreciate how special it is because it is the only one you have, then maybe, just maybe you will realize that you have the tree and the life you were meant to have.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

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

Clear Heart, Clear Lungs?

23/12/2010 WFAM

Poor little T.Puzzle.

You know he would pick his first week of Christmas break to come down with a bronchial virus.

He is finally showing real signs of recovery. Hopefully he will lose his old man’s smoker’s cough soon, too.

He has been a trooper. Even the night that we ended up on the family room couch at 2am as I held him upright to stave off the cough, he kept a bright outlook. He kept worrying that my feet weren’t covered and periodically rearranged our throw blankets that I had tossed haphazardly on top of us.

I was grateful for a reason to smile in my tired early morning haze.

So, maybe our plans for Christmas break have been slightly thwarted.

At least we are together, we have a roof over our heads and we have love in hearts.

Next up?

Clear lungs I hope!

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

This is Only a Test

21/12/2010 WFAM

We are in our fourth day of the 17 days Full Speed and T.Puzzle will be home for Christmas break.

I know, you all just said a silent prayer for me.

Thanks, I appreciate it.

My goal, other than the obvious one to remain as sober as possible during this time, is to test the waters to see if I would enjoy having both boys home full-time for the upcoming summer in 2011.

So far, all signs point to yes.

That wasn’t a typo, people. I really wrote that.

Oh sure, T.Puzzle’s bit his brother three times (not to mention his own dear mother), and Full Speed’s imagination is in constant, kinetic motion requiring that he ask a minimum, and I mean minimum, of at least 1,000 questions a day.

In spite of all that, at the end of the day, I am glad to be spending it with them.

Time is fleeting.

My boys are growing.

I must learn to seize the day.

Of course surviving this break would not be possible without two (I know, I thank the heavens every day that I have two) awesome babysitters that feel more like family with each passing day, and a willing parenting partner like Mad Dog, who will hopefully be present a little more on the home front in the coming weeks.

What can I say?

Either I’ve gone off the deep end,

I’ve learned a thing or two along the way.

Or more likely, I’ve learned to accept a kid or two for exactly who they are and learned to go with the flow a little more.

Mad Dog has just signed me up for a lifetime membership to the ‘Wine of the Month’ club.

Cheers!

The Simple Gifts of Christmas: Prayer (everydaygyaan.com)

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

Shot Through the Heart

14/12/2010 WFAM

900767468506 — T.Puzzle waits with a smile for the doctor.

I am already seeing the signs of the ‘four year change’ in T.Puzzle. It happens gradually with lots of days of backsliding. The only reason I am aware it is happening at all is because I witnessed the same change in Full Speed two years ago.

It starts with the simple things, like saying ‘yes’ when Mom or Dad ask you to do something all the way to the more complicated, like sampling a variety of Thai food without batting an eyelash or throwing remarkably less volatile tantrums.

I had to take T.Puzzle in for his four year wellness check-up. He was ultra-compliant and happy to boot.

I was relieved that he was following direction so well. My soul relaxed a notch as it clicked that this is exactly how it happened with Full Speed. The ‘four year change’ is upon us.

We were having such a good time. I didn’t want it to end.

Then, it was time for the vaccination portion of the visit. T.Puzzle’s glee quickly turned to horrified shock and despair.

It was like leading a dimpled, giggly lamb to slaughter.

He had to get four shots.

FOUR.

As each shot stabbed into his puny thighs, his wails got louder and louder.

He was so loud, the receptionist went to the back storage room and got him six ‘Lightning McQueen’ stickers for his ‘bravery’.

Once I had him calm, collected and on our way home he said, “Mom, my legs are all better now,” and didn’t give them or his shots a second thought.

Four years old.

T.Puzzle’s best year yet.

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

Two Brothers

12/12/2010 WFAM

Originally I thought having children close in age would be ideal. Then the reality of it set in and the long, hard road of raising two rambunctious boys began.

There were days I didn’t think I would make it.

I still have those days.

You can’t know when a child will come into your life or what they will be like. I imagine life would be pretty boring if all of us could control the gender and type of children we could have. I’m guessing there would be a lot of us who would choose one mild-tempered girl and one even-keeled boy.

Where’s the fun in that?

I’ll take knock-down, drag ’em out, spunk-tified Full Speed and T.Puzzle any day.

Is it bad that I’d prefer to take them to a sound-proof, padded coliseum (not the Metrodome, I really do care about their safety) and let them run free?

I didn’t think so. If any of you spent an afternoon in a confined space with them, you would completely understand.

So, by the roll of the dice I happened to have two boys close in age that are giving me a run for my money.

The positive to this (and yes, there actually is a positive) is that after nearly four years of coexisting, they are becoming the best of friends.

Granted, best friends who periodically beat the tar out of each other, but best friends nonetheless.

I know they will always be brothers.

I hope that they will always be friends.

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