The Tooth Fairy is on her way!

Chance has finally lost his first tooth!!! Yup, after days and days of waiting and wiggling one of his top front teeth it gave it up and fell out this evening. After frantically sifting through several soggy tissues, we found the missing tooth and now have it bagged and tagged for the Tooth Fairy. He asked me to help write her a note, though, asking if she would please leave the tooth since it is the first one he's lost. So we put a sticky note on it asking if she'd kindly leave this one behind.

I hear she's the understanding type so hopefully she'll leave it along with some money. (Did you hear that this one, that one, and the other one got $20 for their first tooth, Mom?!? Yikes!!)

We remember

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.

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.

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.

I did it!!!!

This morning I ran my very first 5K!!! As I mentioned in my previous post, my friend Shawna coaxed me into running this race with her...even though I didn't think I was ready to start racing yet.

We met up in Webster for Meaghan's Run, a charity run to benefit lung cancer research. I was so nervous I barely slept last night, and this morning found me antsy and quietly nervous. I was grateful that Shawna was there with me to guide me through the process and provide much-needed moral support. Thanks so much, Shawna!

The race course was mercifully flat and I was able to run much longer/farther than I thought I could. Sure I walked a bit, I knew I would have to, but I finished with a fairly respectable time for someone who has never run a 5K before. I'm so excited and proud of myself...I know it must sound very goofy, but I don't care. It's my blog, I can brag if I want to.

So, when's the next race?!

Whose idea was this anyway?!

A few years ago I had a crazy idea that I would run a 5K before I turned 40. Well, 40 has come and gone and I didn't get that 5K in.

Fast forward a few years and I've allowed myself to be talked into running a 5K...brace yourselves...this weekend! I am sooo not ready for this!

To be honest, I'm glad that Shawna is urging me to do this run with her. I know there's no way I'll be able to run from start to finish but I'll at least have entered a race and done it. Hopefully there will be other races this spring/summer and I'll be much better prepared for them.

Wish me luck!

The good, the bad and the ugly

Any parent knows the highs and lows of parenting are vast and varied. There are those wonderful moments when you want to buy a billboard proclaiming your kid's most recent achievement and then there those other times.

Today's one of those "other" times.

I came home from an afternoon get-together with friends to find Chance in a funk. It seems that Dad had the temerity to tell him he needed to take a break from playing a Wii game. *big sigh* I offered to read a favorite book to him to help get him out of his funk but he was having none of it.

As I sat in his room trying to explain to him why Dad was being so "mean" I got another one of those glimpses into my own upbringing. I was talking to Chance about having to say no sometimes and I could sense what it was like for my parents (who it felt like said no all the time). I finally understood how difficult it must have been for them to tell me no...whether it was something big or little, it's never easy to say no when it's something that your child really wants.

I know this time it was something minor and that there are much bigger things on the horizon. I know it's only going to get more difficult and complicated with every passing year. I know we'll need to stand firm if we want our kids to be the kind of people we want them to become. I know some of it is going to suck. I know someday they will understand when they have kids of their own. But I also know that it's going to be a long haul between Point A and Point B.

Weekends are too short

RT Tickets to Dayton ~$200
Airport parking: $36
Mediocre airport food: $10
The look on a friend's face when you surprise her? Priceless

Last weekend I got to surprise my dear friend Helen...in Kentucky!

Mark (her husband) and I conspired to surprise her and it worked perfectly. The look on her face when she opened her front door and saw me was great. Ok, except that she cried. I'm telling myself she was happy and not looking like "Oh crap, she found me!"

The funny thing was, I went down there to cheer her up (she's missing her family and friends up north) but really it seemed more like I was the biggest beneficiary of the trip. They treated me like royalty, took me to all the best spots, fed me like I hadn't eaten in years (and now I shouldn't eat for years!) and made me feel so incredibly welcome. In the end, I felt like it was a sublime Mommy-getaway for me...that wasn't s'posed to be the way it works!

The only downside was having to say goodbye. Sadly, the old cliche is true: You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. Sean and I never realized how incredibly lucky we were to have such wonderful friends as our neighbors until they moved away. Hopefully some day they'll move back up here and we'll be able to pick right up where we left off. Until then, I think there may have to be some more surprise visits. ;-)

Careful what you wish for

Our local paper has community blogs for each of the suburbs surrounding Rochester. For 6 months or more they've had a terrible time with their bloggers for our town. There have been goofy posts, sporadic posting schedules and other issues. So, when they put out a call for a new town blogger I found myself compelled to toss my hat in the ring.

I got it. *gulp*

You see, here I can rant, brag, and rattle on aimlessly and it's only a rare few who will stay long enough to read a post or two. Now I have a potentially bigger audience and I'm nervous as all get out. My biggest worry is that I'm not thick-skinned enough to deal with the inevitable boo-ing and hissing. (Ever the optimist, aren't I?)

On the upside, Sean is terribly proud of me (at least that's what he tells me) and I'm actually looking forward to having an outlet for my writing again. As I told Sean, it'll be nice to be published again...even if it is only a blog.

Now, if only I could find that novel that ought to be lurking inside of me...then we'd be talking some real author status! ;-)

Catching up...again

Yet another post where I'm playing a month's worth of catch-up. As if the masses are awaiting my every post with twitching excitement.

Yeah, probably not.

But in case you've been wondering what has been going on here then, by all means, read on.

• Chance celebrated his 7th birthday! Sean and I are still trying to figure out where the time went. Honestly, I look at him and cannot believe that it's been 7 years already. But then all I have to do is look at him and how tall he is and how he's looking like an honest-to-goodness big boy and I see those years clearly.
  
• Speaking of Monster, one of the less welcome presents he got for his birthday was a nasty virus! It hit just days before his birthday, gave him the day off on his actual b-day and then returned immediately following. At least it was a considerate virus.
• I have my appointment to register Maia for Kindergarten. Oy! Now, if you know me you know I'm not one of those weepy moms who gets misty-eyed every fall when Junior boards the bus; nor am I going to get choked up about registering my youngest, nay, my baby for Kindergarten. However, I am a little shell-shocked that she's going to be entering school this fall. Man, where does the time go?
• Our dear friends and former neighbors were up for a couple of days this month. Maia and I got to see them but it wasn't for nearly long enough. We all miss them terribly and may have to break out the GPS and drive down to see them before too long. Honestly, I wish someone would get around to inventing transporter (like in Star Trek) so we could pop in to see our family and friends - life would be so much easier that way.
  
• Sean and I don't have any bullet-worthy updates. Sorry.

I think that's it. Exciting stuff, isn't it? Yeah, I know, not really. Just hit that "Next Blog" button now.

Journeys

Please don't be disappointed but this isn't going to be about the 80s band.

I've noticed a recurring theme popping up in various conversations over the last week or two and feel that it's some kind of 'sign' that I should write about it. It's the idea that we each have our own journey through life that we're meant to travel. Now, I realize this isn't exactly original or anything...after all, hardly a night goes by that you don't see a diamond commercial for Journey necklaces...but several conversations later I feel compelled to put something down in print. (Feel free to skip all this if you're feeling it's a tad too trite.)

It seems as though we all have trials and circumstances that we face in life that form who we become next. We're all evolving and changing (some just more glacially than others) and our truer self emerges after each test. What really makes it interesting is thinking about how the really unpleasant stuff in life can change us for the better. For example, Sean and I had a discussion about Chance recently that centered on friends. We were both relating our unpleasant school-age stories of unpopularity and how we were bullied (in one way or another) and talking about how those awful experiences shaped who we are today. At some point in the conversation I told Sean that I would happy if Chance became a man just like his dad, to which Sean replied that part of who he is stems from the unhappiness years ago. Do we want to shelter Chance from the bad experiences and "risk" (for lack of a better word) him not being shaped into a better man?

No one can predict what children will become, they have their own journey to travel and experience. We can try to smooth the path before them but would we really be doing the right thing by them?

In another example, I was telling a friend about the history behind Sean and me. I told her how we met in college, dated a little, I got married, divorced, and Sean and I reconnected and eventually married. (That's the Cliff Notes version...you don't have time for the unabridged version.) She said what most people say: "It's too bad you two didn't just get married way back then." Again, the conversation became one about personal journeys. I know that if we'd gotten married back then, fresh out of college, that our marriage wouldn't have been what it is today. I needed to go through the experiences I had in order to fully appreciate who Sean is and what a good marriage is supposed to be about.

Anyway, I feel like I've done a poor job blogging about life journeys and their lessons...but I had to get it out in print. Just do me a favor: if you've made it this far without surfing off to more exciting places, please share your journey. I'm interested in reading other thoughts on this topic and not just my own musings.

Do You Believe?

Yesterday, out of the blue, Chance asked me if I believe in Santa. I knew it was coming; he'd been saying things over the last few weeks that led me to believe that his faith, if you will, is wavering. I know now that he's in first grade he's hearing more kids talking about Santa and whether or not he's real. So I wasn't surprised that he asked...I just didn't know exactly how I'd answer.

You see, I don't like lying to my kids. I may edit the truth now and then (I view it as a need-to-know thing...how much do they truly need to know in each case?) but I try not to lie to them. When we're at the doctor's office for shots and the nurse says "This won't hurt a bit." I look my kids in the eyes and tell them it will, but only for a few seconds and then it'll be done. Why lie?

Santa, however, is different.

I don't know, maybe I've read The Polar Express a few too many times but I think that believing in Santa is a magical gift we give our children. It's part of the charm of the season to me, the thought of someone who gives gifts just because he's nice. He rewards good (behavior) and discourages bad and teaches kids to "be good for goodness sake". Not bad lessons if you ask me.

So, there I was looking Chance dead in the eye and telling him "Yes, I believe". But, you know something? I didn't really lie to him. I'm Santa. Sean's Santa. We're all a little Santa every time we do something nice for someone else...just because.

Christmas is Coming!!!

It's that time of year again: Time to deck the halls, put up the tree and make our Christmas lists. Whew! Just thinking about it is exhausting!

The kids have been egging me on to get the house decorated all last week so now we're looking properly festive in the house. This weekend we got our tree and decorated it so it's officially Christmastime in our house. I have to confess, when we started decorating the tree I was feeling very Grinchy but with each ornament I pulled out of the box my mood lightened. By the time we reached the bottom of the box I was feeling properly festive and smiling broadly as I looked the tree over. There are so many memories hanging on that tree - each ornament has a story and some meaning to it.

Now for the really tough part, though: Christmas lists and shopping. I'm honestly stymied about what to do for the kids. We've been talking about what they want Santa to bring them and Chance's list seems to grow hourly. Maia, thank goodness, is too young to completely grasp the greedier aspects of the holiday so her list is short. Sean is nearly impossible and I'm having my toughest year yet figuring out what to get him. I want to surprise him with something cool/needed/wanted/what-made-you-think-of-that but I'm drawing a blank. Well, there's still some time left to shop...perhaps I'll get inspired while surfing the Web someday soon.

Anyway, enough of my stressing. I'm going to sit back, listen to the Christmas carols playing and turn on the tree lights while I do my work. When it comes to Christmas I think I might just be the biggest kid in the house.

Copper Update

Big Mama: Tod, that Copper is going to come back a hunting dog, a real killer.
Young Tod: Oh no, not my friend Copper. He won't ever change.
~ The Fox and the Hound, Walt Disney Pictures (1981)

Some days I think Tod was right: He won't ever change but then he does.

Training Copper has been, shall we say, challenging. Like any good hound he's got a very thick head when it comes to training. Previous experience with hounds tells me that when they finally decide to come around to your way of thinking they make wonderful pets. It's just waiting for that to happen that will just about kill ya.

All that being said, we are making some progress...today was Copper's first day off a leash in our yard with just his IF collar on. He did GREAT!!! I don't think I've seen him this happy and carefree since we brought him home. He romped around the yard, climbed halfway up every tree within the fencing, and did lap after lap at full tilt. He was a happy dog. We went out several times together since I'm not quite ready to let him go solo yet and I think each time it was mostly so he could just run around and enjoy the experience. Let's hope it continues to go so well.

In the meantime, we start another round of obedience classes tomorrow evening. Keep your fingers crossed for us! (We need all the help we can get!)

Musings on Becoming One's Parents

Last night, as I sat in the Pediatric Emergency Dept. with Maia, it struck me how much I'm becoming my parents. I was sitting beside Maia's bed and rubbing her little back to relax her, something my mother did to me countless times as I was growing up. (Gosh, I think the last time I remember her rubbing my back was when I was sick as a dog while home from college on break! But I digress....)

Late last week I was thinking similar thoughts as I quoted my father to Chance, telling him what my dad always said to me when someone was picking on me.

I've often been struck by how much my parenting is evolving into a hybrid of my parent's styles and that of my own, but it never fails to bemuse me when I hear my mother or father's words tumbling out of my own mouth.

I've also come to realize how much of my pain they must have shared with me. As I listened to Chance talk about the boys treating him badly on the playground I felt his pain and remembered my own childhood angst. And as I sat beside Maia rubbing her back I thought that maybe my mom rubbed my back to reassure herself as much as to soothe me.

Whatever their motives, having children has made me realize how deeply my parents love(d) me. I look at my two and wonder if someday, far from now, they'll look at their own children and suddenly realize that their mean ol' mom loved them with the same fierceness they love their own children. Maybe, as they rub their backs.

Going Home

Home is a funny thing: I've lived out here for *gulp* 21 years and, yet, when I talk about going to Granville it's always "Home". I guess you never truly lose that sense of hominess (is that even a word? the spelling checker doesn't think so) that comes with growing up in one place for 18+ years. Oh well...I know I'm rambling but cut me some slack - it's 4:45 am!

One thing that's struck me many times since moving away so many years ago is that I really enjoy going back to visit. Of course a major part of it is that my family is there; I'm fortunate to have a family that I really enjoy spending time with. But there's something about that area that I love and truly miss now that I don't live there any more.

When I was in high school I longed to get away from Granville and the cliques, gossip, and small town feeling that everyone knew your business. I couldn't cough on my walk home from school without my parents knowing by the time I arrived home! I left as soon as I could to attend college in Burlington and then Rochester searching for that larger city in which I could find all that Granville didn't have to offer. Although now that I'm older and raising children of my own, I find myself nostalgic for a town where you know many of those you see at the store and where you feel your kids are safe because Art &Dolly, Curly & Min, Sam & Louise and so many others know them and will look out for them just as if they were your parents, too.

While I'm waxing nostalgic, though, let me tell you a little about my hometown of Granville. It's nestled in between the foothills of the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains of Vermont. Everywhere you look there are hills. It's truly beautiful. There are fields of corn, cows grazing, and slate quarries nearly everywhere you turn. Although it may not be the most economically rich place it makes up for it in views, heritage and friendliness.

This weekend I returned with a trunk full of souvenirs - roughly a dozen pieces of red, purple, and green slate slabs for Sean's garden path project. They are pieces of home and, in a way, pieces of me.

Toronto Getaway

Sean and I had a mini-vacation in Toronto last weekend and had a fantastic time. It's been several years since we've gone there and it was just as friendly and familiar as it always is (as long as you overlook the exchange rate).

Probably the highlight of the weekend was our trip to the Toronto Islands just off the "south coast" of Toronto (as if you couldn't guess that part). We started with a visit to the St. Lawrence Market to gather some tasty treats for a picnic lunch. A little cheese, pate, dips and baguette later and we were off to catch the ferry.

Sean did all the planning and prep (of course) and found several caches on the islands for us to hunt down. After renting a couple bikes we set off in search of our caches. We managed to find three of them with the one on Snake Island being one of the best. Here are some pictures:


We also had a chance to tour the Steam Whistle Brewery and sample their fine pilsner. We have a soft spot for Steam Whistle because years ago when we first discovered them they were about to close but still offered us each a generous tasting and apologized up and down for not being able to accommodate us. So this time were able to get the full tour and more than a couple tasting glasses. Just the right thing on a hot day.

Copper Update

Life with a puppy is seldom dull. Copper is keeping us on our toes as he tries to establish his role in the house...and we try to help him learn that he's got to accept being the Omega in our pack.

A recent discussion in a board I frequent online is prompting this post this morning so pardon me as I ramble a bit....

I'm having a tough time with Copper. I'm very in 'like' with him but am finding it nearly impossible not to compare him with Hunter. I think maybe I acted too soon in getting another dog when I'm clearly not done mourning Hunter. I thought that getting another sweet faced hound would help me heal but I don't know that it is. To add to this, Copper isn't bonding to me. He challenges me daily and, aside from not listening to me, tries to jockey me for pack position all the time. This is especially hard because Hunter was my dog - he listened to me best, he went with me wherever I went, he would cuddle with me constantly, he was my baby. Now there's Copper and he acts as though he couldn't care less about me.

We'll be starting obedience classes soon and I'm hoping that as we work together more he'll become more bonded to me and a better member of the household. I really do hope so.

I wish I'd waited. I wish I didn't miss Hunter so much it hurts. I wish....

Fern 2007

What can I say about this year's vacation other than it was another wonderful week at Fern.

I think I understand why people enjoy cruises so much; I mean, if it's anything like being at Fern (and I think it is a little bit) then it's such a relaxing and satisfying vacation. There's always something to do (or not, if that's what you want), the kids have so much fun and you don't need to lift a finger to do anything. Oh, and let's not forget the food! Yup, why risk sea sickness when you can have all the amenities of cruising while sitting at the edge of a beautiful Canadian lake?

The only downside of our trip was that it was a bit windy that week. The weather was very cooperative with sun and all but the wind made it a little cooler. Also, I had hoped to get a lot more kayaking in than I did - the lake was just too choppy and rough to enjoy a paddle most days. I did, however, get a chance to explore a little deeper into the marsh on the north(?) end of the property. That was like a trip into some far-away jungle...very cool.

Next year we're thinking we're going to take the kids to Disney World, which should be lots of fun, but we're already lamenting that we won't be able to do a week at Fern and do Disney. Guess I'd better stock up on lottery tickets, eh?

Welcoming Copper

We have a new addition to our family: Copper!

It all started late last month when I made the "mistake" of checking the Lollypop Farm website (the local SPCA). I saw this picture of the most adorable 4 month old Black & Tan Coonhound and knew I had to go look at him. After giving Sean my most pathetic looks he caved and agreed to go take a look at him the next day. I was afraid he'd be gone by the time we got there so we rushed out the door that Sunday morning while the kids were still barely awake.

Copper was there and quickly took to us - between sniffs of the meet-and-greet room - and a few signatures later we were headed home.

It's now been just over three weeks since we brought him home and we're all still adjusting - he's slowly learning the rules of the house and we're trying to re-adjust to having a puppy in the house. We've all called him Hunter more than once but, fortunately, he's the forgiving type and lets it pass without notice.

Stay tuned for more of Copper's misadventures as we begin obedience classes this fall. I'm sure it'll be worth a laugh or two.