parenting – Page 15 – Writes for all Mommies

Life Lessons of 2017

19/12/201719/02/2018 WFAM

It’s hard to believe, but another year is drawing to a close. To date, this has been a year of tremendous change as Full Speed became a teenager (!) and T.Puzzle jumped more solidly into the double-digit realm. It’s not the age-number per say, 13 and 11 respectively, but the growth and maturation I’ve seen from them. It’s been a lot to process as I am seeing more clearly the young men they are becoming.

A7DF3A67-8BB0-49EE-849B-612E7ACCB4B0 — Full Speed is on the left, T.Puzzle on right

T.Puzzle continues to surprise us. He developed a love of distance running. How Mad Dog and I produced a distance runner is still a bit mystifying, but it is awesome that T.Puzzle is finding his own interests and pursuits. LEGO construction and playing video games remain firmly at the top of his list, but nice to know that he likes to get up and go sometimes, too.

Full Speed became a middle-schooler this year (it starts in seventh grade in our region) and he has adjusted beautifully. He shows leadership to his classmates willingly coaching them through Algebra assignments, and has a zest for presentations in class. A recent assignment in Civics had him debating school politics and he was in his zone. Leadership qualities and a passionate debater, hmmm…does that sound like anyone we might know? He also learned that not every dream is realized as he tried out for his school’s soccer team and didn’t make the cut. My favorite part about this life lesson was his genuine happiness for a long-time friend and classmate who did make the team this year. It’s not to say Full Speed’s given up on soccer forever, but oh my, isn’t there a wonderful world of possibilities out there waiting for him?

One of the very best parts of 2017 was the addition of our newest family member, Miss Lady. She is by no means a perfect dog, but she absolutely has been the perfect dog for our family. She keeps things lively here which I’m not so sure our senior resident (Little Guy) appreciates.

3031893F-3A67-4894-B7CE-444A5C6877F2 — Little Guy’s shocked expression captures the essence of his disbelief at the amount of his new sister’s energy.

If you ever need to feel like you are the most amazing being alive, come on over and hang out at our house for a while, Miss Lady will not disappoint with her enthusiastic snuggles and love for you.

778F5487-A0BD-46AF-AB13-8185FA177047 — Miss Lady is as sweet as she looks.

Mad Dog continues to travel all over America and then some as the scope of the call centers he oversees grows and grows. As hard as it is to be away from him sometimes, I see how fulfilling his position is and know it is keeping him challenged and inspired. That’s truly all I want for all three of my boys, to be challenged and inspired.

As for me, I’ve made a little more space in my life for the things I enjoy. I continue to walk our dogs every day, have started a daily yoga routine and write as much as possible.

Life is short so whatever brings us joy is absolutely what we should pursue. It’s as simple as that.

Hope you had beauty-filled 2017 and that the lessons that lie ahead for all of us keep us growing in the direction of love.

Happy Holidays!

dogs, humor, motherhood

A Love Story

30/11/2017 WFAM

It has recently come to my attention that I need to up my game. Apparently, there is a new woman in Mad Dog’s life and she is much, much younger than I am. She also is fluffy and adorable.

A few months back Mad Dog purchased a new truck. He is a meticulous vehicle owner. Some days if our boys breathe too loudly while in his truck, he gets agitated. These rule do not apply to his fluffy new love. She can ride shotgun and she can vomit uproariously all over his leather seats and it’s perfectly fine!

There is more to the story. Mad Dog has a history of falling in love with adorable dogs. First there was our White Fluffy Dog (may she Rest In Peace) and now there is Miss Lady. I call her Miss Lady because she is anything but. She is kind of gross in her penchant for finding the worst smells in our backyard and rubbing herself in them. She also loves to eat dead worms! I have to be vigilant that no such worms are visible to her on our lanai when I let her out to do her business.

Yes….she is a gross little dog at times, but she also is magnificent. She is the most loving dog I have ever known. She is the queen of snuggles and if you let her, she prefers to be draped over your lap like a fuzz-ball blanket of adoration. She kind of makes you feel like a rock star and all you have to do is exist. That’s it. Just exist and she thinks you are the bees knees.

With her remarkable temperament, I am attempting to get her behaviors in line so I can share some of her bottomless well of love with the world. The world really needs more love don’t you think? Training her is a long, long process. Most days I enjoy it and Miss Lady loves it every day, but the time commitment is tremendous. I have to walk her separately from our other adorable dog so she can learn leash manners. I also do random training session with her throughout the week. I feed her, I bathe her and I snuggle her. And you know what that gets me? Second fiddle. Despite all I do for her she prefers Mad Dog to all other beings. I get it. He is pretty awesome. She’ll get no argument from me.

So, when Miss Lady ripped apart a Yoda chew toy (yes, Star Wars dog toys are mandatory in our home) and then proceeded to ingest Yoda’s ear, I panicked a little. I didn’t know what it would do to her digestive system and if she would be able to pass it. I raced to find Mad Dog who calmly and eventually concluded, taking her to the vet would be the best thing to do. Off they went and naturally he put Miss Lady in the front seat of his pristine truck. Soon, her nerves and her stomach gave way and the contents of her belly erupted all over his truck’s leather seats. There was so much carnage that inevitably, some of her vomit soaked into the seats. Thankfully within the mess was the ear of Yoda fully intact (the force with was us!).

Mad Dog relayed all this to me in a phone call. He wasn’t upset. He did not care one bit that â€˜his girl’ threw up in his treasured truck. All he cared about was that Miss Lady was going to be okay.

I told you he was awesome.

children, dogs, family, humor, motherhood

The Secret Plan

04/09/2017 WFAM

I’m about to share with you a highly effective yet secret way you can ~~stalk~~ look-out for your seventh grader. It’s so top-secret that if your name is Full Speed, you must immediately stop reading this and step away from this blog post. I’m totally serious. You do not have a high enough security level clearance, and more importantly, you would be on to me. Walk away, Full Speed. Walk away.

Full Speed walking one of our ~~highly-trained~~ extremely adorable dogs

Part one of my secret plan is that you have to get a dog well in advance of your middle-schooler having to take the bus to school. I’m talking maybe a decade or so in advance. Trust me, this will help you seem credible when the chips are down. After you have secured your status as a dog owner, you have to start walking them religiously to the point you become well-known in your neighborhood as the ‘dog lady’ which, let’s hope, references your dog ownership and NOT your appearance. Anyway, you have to walk the same route day after day. You must casually interact with all the middle schoolers who hang out at the bus stop at the end of your subdivision. This part is actually pretty awesome because you get to bring some levity to their day and your dog will love the attention. If you want to be extra sneaky, get TWO dogs. I’m telling you, middle schoolers will love you for it. The more fluffy appreciation they receive to start their day, the more you fit in under the radar.

Once you have this routine solidly on lock-down, then it seems completely normal for you to check-in on your own kid when the time arrives for him to join in the morning band of middle-schoolers. Again, it’s awesome to have your dogs bring so much happiness especially now that your own kid is included in the bunch. See? Stealth ~~stalking~~ supervision complete!

And, I will neither confirm or deny at this point because my plan is working so beautifully, but it’s possible my fluffy companions are robotic stunt dogs.

Whatever it takes. Do whatever it takes.

dogs, family, motherhood

Does Awesome Have a Limit?

02/08/2017 WFAM

It was Father’s Day 2017 and we were seated outside Mad Dog’s favorite neighborhood restaurant. The discussion turned mildly serious as we contemplated the on-going possibility of adding another dog to our home. Mad Dog was insisting we had to get a puppy (says the man who doesn’t have to train the puppy!). I stood my ground and was still pulling for a rescue dog. However, the rescue option hadn’t been going very well. The dogs were either too far away or were already adopted before we had a chance to blink. I was starting to lose hope in fulfilling my dream of rescuing a dog. I explained to my three guys that whatever dog we may find, this dog had to be something special. This dog had to live up to the high standards set by our White Fluffy Dog that passed away last summer. This seemed like a mighty tall order.

The next night as I was laying in bed feeling rather hopeless that a second dog was out there for us, a thought struck me. Maybe in a lifetime we are only afforded a certain amount of awesome. I mean I have an incredible husband, two amazing kids and still had the good fortune of having our Little Guy shih tzu around. And, don’t get me started about our White Fluffy Dog, I could go on about her for days. She was such a rescuer and always ran towards hurt and sadness, never away. She was always, always there for me. Thinking back about all the ways she loved me and my family, I thought maybe I’m being selfish. Who gets to have so much, even if it is just the memory of awesome, and expect more?

In my heart I said a prayer. I directed it to our White Fluffy Dog but honestly, I don’t know who or what else may have been listening. I simply said, “If I have reached my limit of awesome, I understand. I am so grateful for all that I have, all you have given me and if there is that right dog out there for us, please send them our way. Otherwise, I will make peace with life exactly as it is. I trust you know what is best for me and our family and I let it go. I’m letting the whole thing go.” My heart felt heavy with sadness while I thought these words. Still, underneath that heaviness, the swirling of gratitude I had accessed was a comfort. I very much wanted another dog, but knew I would be okay if we didn’t ever find one.

That was Monday night. Wednesday morning an alert popped up in my email for a dog that matched a description I had set up in an information base. She was four, she was fluffy(!) and she was potty-trained. She also happened to be fostered in the town right next door! She seemed too good to be true.

I immediately set to work filling out an adoption application for her. I felt hopeful, but I was cautious. A dog this special was certain to generate a ton of interest and applications. I hit send on the application and once again, let it go.

The next day I got a call asking if we were available to meet this wonder dog. By Saturday we arranged a meeting with her and as soon as we met, we knew she was ours.

This new girl is so much like our White Fluffy Dog in so many ways and she is so different.

All I know is that she is home, life is good and awesome has no limit.

Chicago Cubs, children, humor, kids, motherhood

That’s Cub

23/07/2017 WFAM

In every woman’s life there are defining moments. There are milestones such as college graduation, falling in love, having children, etc. Once children are a part of the picture, suddenly their milestones become our treasured markers of the passage of time. For instance, the first time Full Speed reached earnestly to play with a toy hung from the arm of his baby carrier, I was overjoyed. I was convinced by this simple act that I had given birth to a certified genius. We were at the mall and the air was heavy with the scent of salty pretzels and my overblown perceptions of my ‘super baby’. Still, it was an awesome moment and to this day whenever something great befalls my kiddos, it’s like it is happening to me as well.

That’s why when my boys lined up against the backstop at Wrigley Field before the start of the game, I was giddy with anticipation. Mad Dog had arranged for them to be part of the nine lucky kids that got to run on the field and meet a player. We had no idea which player it would be. We hoped for the best and made peace with the worst (you know who you are). I was seated alone and peered anxiously at them to see where they would run. Once given the signal, they were to sprint to the position that would coincide with the player they would meet.

Mad Dog stands center watch over the lucky 9. Full Speed is at the right end, T.Puzzle third from right in red hat.

I almost couldn’t take it. Who would they get?!? Who!?!

Finally, they were off and running. It seemed obvious Full Speed was headed towards the outfield. But then, oh my god, T.Puzzle ran to FIRST BASE! He was going to meet ANTHONY RIZZO! I repeat….ANTHONY RIZZO!

Is it obvious he’s my favorite player? Hmmm, what gave it away?

I jumped for joy and screamed so loud the fans in my section thought I had lost my mind. I was able to compose myself enough to articulate that both my kids were out on the field and one was meeting ANTHONY RIZZO. This made sense to them, but I could tell they still thought I was mildly insane.

T.Puzzle had a brief exchange with Anthony (yeah, I’m now on a first name basis with him), and got him to autograph a baseball (proudly on display in our front room). It took all of two minutes but for me, it is a defining moment that still brings me great joy.

Harder to see, but Full Speed meeting J-Hey in the lower left hand corner.

Full Speed jogs off the field after telling J-Hey he’s ‘much bigger in real life’.

Full Speed was sent to right field and had a lengthier exchange with near-giant Jason Heyward (well, giant compared to Full Speed and most of America). J-Hey was so genuine in what he said to Full Speed, he is now Full Speed’s favorite Cubs player. I love that, clearly he is a player that is gracious and I’m so glad he had such a positive impact on Full Speed.

Now, That’s Cub.