Today is Memorial Day. There are parties, sales galore, TV show marathons, and plenty of other "celebrations". But let's not forget the real reason for the day off -- it's a day to remember all those who have served our country.
Our friend, Jim, is currently serving in Afghanistan and we've talked for awhile now about sending him a care package so today seemed like the perfect time to put it together. We printed out his wish list and went shopping; the kids had a great time choosing items from the list to send to him. Tomorrow we'll box it up and send it on its way.
The reason I'm sharing this with you is not to make our family sound good, it's to show that anyone can send a box to someone currently serving in the military and make a difference to them. Hey, even sending an email means a lot - when I replied to one of Jim's emails a few weeks ago he thanked me profusely as though I'd done so much more.
If you're interested in making a soldier's day please consider adopting a soldier. If you already know someone who is on active duty then send them an email...I guarantee you'll be so glad you did.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mother's Day
It's the end of a long day and I'm full and philosophical. : )
I've been thinking about my mom a lot today...I know, that seems like an obvious thing to do on Mother's Day...but I've been thinking about how my own children have made me look at my mom in new ways. I've written here more than once about my mom/parents and how I'm starting to see things through her/their eyes. But today I read something in the paper that made me stop and think, again, about my mother.
I think I've written and rewritten this entry at least three times now so I'm going to keep it short and sweet (ok, I don't know about the sweet part).
Mom, I love you. I have always loved you very much. When I was a little girl I remember sitting on your lap and telling you I wanted to be like Peter Pan and never grow up. I wanted to stay your little girl forever. When I was a teen you and I couldn't agree on anything and I was the worst daughter imaginable, but you gritted your teeth and let me live. ; ) When I went to college I rediscovered the comforts of talking to and sharing with you...and I discovered that we really did have some things in common. Now, as a mom myself you share your advice (when asked...don't think I haven't noticed) and enjoy laughing as I grumble about Maia's latest antics (I know, payback time).
So what I'm trying to say (in my not-so-eloquent way) is thank you for everything. Thank you for giving me a wonderful home full of love and all the lessons and tools I need to raise my own children. Thanks, Mom.
One more thing...I have to say something about my mother-in-law, Sue. I'm very lucky to have a truly great mother-in-law. I'm grateful to her for bringing up Sean to be the man he is...I could go on and on about him but it's not his turn today. One of the things that makes Sue so special is that she's a friend as well as family...her humor and love make her a treat to be around. I hope that when my children are grown and married I can follow her example (and my mom's for that matter) as to what a mother-in-law should be.
I'm sorry if this seems sickly sweet or overdone...write it off to Mother's Day hormones or something...besides, it's my blog I can be schmaltzy if I want to.
I've been thinking about my mom a lot today...I know, that seems like an obvious thing to do on Mother's Day...but I've been thinking about how my own children have made me look at my mom in new ways. I've written here more than once about my mom/parents and how I'm starting to see things through her/their eyes. But today I read something in the paper that made me stop and think, again, about my mother.
I think I've written and rewritten this entry at least three times now so I'm going to keep it short and sweet (ok, I don't know about the sweet part).
Mom, I love you. I have always loved you very much. When I was a little girl I remember sitting on your lap and telling you I wanted to be like Peter Pan and never grow up. I wanted to stay your little girl forever. When I was a teen you and I couldn't agree on anything and I was the worst daughter imaginable, but you gritted your teeth and let me live. ; ) When I went to college I rediscovered the comforts of talking to and sharing with you...and I discovered that we really did have some things in common. Now, as a mom myself you share your advice (when asked...don't think I haven't noticed) and enjoy laughing as I grumble about Maia's latest antics (I know, payback time).
So what I'm trying to say (in my not-so-eloquent way) is thank you for everything. Thank you for giving me a wonderful home full of love and all the lessons and tools I need to raise my own children. Thanks, Mom.
One more thing...I have to say something about my mother-in-law, Sue. I'm very lucky to have a truly great mother-in-law. I'm grateful to her for bringing up Sean to be the man he is...I could go on and on about him but it's not his turn today. One of the things that makes Sue so special is that she's a friend as well as family...her humor and love make her a treat to be around. I hope that when my children are grown and married I can follow her example (and my mom's for that matter) as to what a mother-in-law should be.
I'm sorry if this seems sickly sweet or overdone...write it off to Mother's Day hormones or something...besides, it's my blog I can be schmaltzy if I want to.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
This and that
It's that time of year again when Sean and I are scrambling madly to come up with our birthday party invitation. Each year it seems to get a little harder to come up with something original. Oh, the pressure!
In other news, I've been keeping busy trying to stay current with my other blog. In case I haven't bored you with it yet I'm writing a blog for the local newspaper about things going on in and around Henrietta. It's taking much more time and effort that I originally imagined (and I knew going in it was going to take a good amount of time and effort!) It's fun and I'm enjoying it but it's giving me a whole new appreciation for anyone who writes a daily column (for anything!) and also for journalists who do this for a living. Obviously, I wasn't meant to be a journalist...technical writer suits me just fine.
The kids are doing well and are eating us out of house and home...again. I think part of it must be this time of year because I seem to remember writing an entry about locusts about a year ago; I'll have to go look. Chance is doing very well in school and I'm constantly amazed with how well he's reading now and his math skills. Now if only he'd stop teasing Maia with how much he knows. *rolling eyes* Maia, on the other hand, is starting to read a little and scares me with how much she knows. I recently had a conversation with a good friend who asked if I'd ever thought of keeping her home another year because of her late August birthday. I told her that academically I think Maia will do just fine but she may need some work on following directions and staying on task. I think if I kept her home she'd start sneaking on the bus with Chance in the mornings just so she could go to school!
Sean is doing well and recently was in New Orleans on business. While he was there he had a chance to do an amazing cache that took him to the top of one of downtown's taller buildings where he got a guided tour of the city. The pictures he took are amazing but I can't begin to tell you how jealous I am!
In other Sean news golf starts up soon and he's chomping at the bit to get out on the course. I hoping that now that the kids are older and, in some ways, easier that he'll be able to get out golfing more. I earn lots of wife-points when I "order" him to go golfing on the weekend. ;) Hopefully, this year he'll be able to take Chance with him, too. Maybe one of these days I'll dust off my ancient clubs, take a few lessons and we can all go. Maybe.
That's about it for now. All's right with the world and life is good.
In other news, I've been keeping busy trying to stay current with my other blog. In case I haven't bored you with it yet I'm writing a blog for the local newspaper about things going on in and around Henrietta. It's taking much more time and effort that I originally imagined (and I knew going in it was going to take a good amount of time and effort!) It's fun and I'm enjoying it but it's giving me a whole new appreciation for anyone who writes a daily column (for anything!) and also for journalists who do this for a living. Obviously, I wasn't meant to be a journalist...technical writer suits me just fine.
The kids are doing well and are eating us out of house and home...again. I think part of it must be this time of year because I seem to remember writing an entry about locusts about a year ago; I'll have to go look. Chance is doing very well in school and I'm constantly amazed with how well he's reading now and his math skills. Now if only he'd stop teasing Maia with how much he knows. *rolling eyes* Maia, on the other hand, is starting to read a little and scares me with how much she knows. I recently had a conversation with a good friend who asked if I'd ever thought of keeping her home another year because of her late August birthday. I told her that academically I think Maia will do just fine but she may need some work on following directions and staying on task. I think if I kept her home she'd start sneaking on the bus with Chance in the mornings just so she could go to school!
Sean is doing well and recently was in New Orleans on business. While he was there he had a chance to do an amazing cache that took him to the top of one of downtown's taller buildings where he got a guided tour of the city. The pictures he took are amazing but I can't begin to tell you how jealous I am!
In other Sean news golf starts up soon and he's chomping at the bit to get out on the course. I hoping that now that the kids are older and, in some ways, easier that he'll be able to get out golfing more. I earn lots of wife-points when I "order" him to go golfing on the weekend. ;) Hopefully, this year he'll be able to take Chance with him, too. Maybe one of these days I'll dust off my ancient clubs, take a few lessons and we can all go. Maybe.
That's about it for now. All's right with the world and life is good.
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