Doctor's Orders

"Take some aspirin and call me in the morning."  Okay, so this is a seriously simplified example of them, but we've all received directions from our physicians at one time or another:  rest up, take medicine, no heavy lifting, etc.

Recently, I sprained my ankle.  Badly.  I'm grateful I didn't break it, but it hurts a lot nonetheless.

Mama T's "boo-boo"

Facing the "What-Ifs"

Today I read "Notes From a Dragon Mom," an opinion piece recently featured in the New York Times. This article was written by Emily Rapp, mother of an 18-month-old son, Ronan, who has Tay-Sachs, a fatal disorder to which Ronan will probably succumb before his 3rd birthday.

Please take the time to read this poignant article.  It will make you think. It may make you cry. It will make you go home and hold your little girl or boy tight all evening long. It will remind you to cherish every second you have. 

What if you knew you wouldn't have too many more seconds? How would that feel?  What would you do? How would you take care of your child if you knew he or she wouldn't have a future?  I don't have the answers.  But after reading this, I have the questions. You should read it too.

Seeing Is Believing?

I came across something yesterday about imparting religious or spiritual beliefs to our kids that really resonated with me.  As many of you know, I follow the blog "Single Dad Laughing" (SDL).  Well, yesterday, he posted an excerpt from his book, The Real Dad Rules, about how to share our beliefs with our kids. His thesis is that you shouldn't teach your kids what to believe - you should teach them how to believe.

I discussed this issue when we were examining Robert Epstein's article about what makes a good parent, and his top 10 areas of parental competency, which included religion. I discussed why I disagreed with that in the post, "Losing My Religion," but I also shared a viewpoint similar to SDL's. If you haven't had a chance to check out that post, please do.

Children are Miraculous

It's so true. I just had to share this awesome photo with you. It was posted by my friend on Facebook, but is originally from a website called "The Joyful Mother," which advertises itself as a blog with life coaching and tips for moms. Check it out!

Enjoy!  Then go home and squeeze your kids. :)

 

 

from www.thejoyfulmother.com

Fall Carnival Fun Anytime!

Last weekend, Anna’s day care held a Fall Carnival. It was our first such undertaking, and I enjoyed being a part of the planning. 

We decided to have about 10 kids’ games, art stations like mask making and decorating paper pumpkins, a photo booth, a yard sale table, and a bouncy house.  Of course, we also needed food, so we decided to serve hot dogs, apple cider, cotton candy and other light refreshments.

As the event drew closer, I wondered how we were going to get everything accomplished with just the small number of parent volunteers we had. But we did it! I was very proud of the way it turned out, and all the kids had a great time.

Action shot in the bouncy house!