Halloween 2020 Ideas

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays!  We go all out with decorations, we usually have a party and invite the girls' friends, we have our favorite Halloween movies that we watch throughout October -- from Boo to You, Winnie the Pooh to Hocus Pocus!  We make it a month-long celebration.  Fall is my favorite time of year, the house is cozy, the weather is cozy, it's the start of the holiday season.  Our little New England town sets 2 hours for trick-or-treating on Halloween -- usually 5:00 to 7:00pm.  We have the kids come early, we have pizza and munchies, then head out for trick-or-treating.  We have no sidewalks on our street, and our town basically has 2 big streets that kids trick-or-treat on.  One is around the corner from us and there are some houses that give out candy along the way.  The 2 main streets go ALL OUT.  I mean, haunted houses, fire pits out front, hot cider, donuts, hay bale mazes, ghosts that fly out from the top of someone's barn, one man even adjusts all of his shutters on his 2 story home to make it look haunted and he dresses as Dracula.  It's so much fun for the kids -- and adults!  

Things are a little up in the air, to say the least this year.  It would not be a surprise if towns did not have trick-or-treating.  Or, if parents decided it was just safer to skip it this year.  There certainly are safety measures that can be taken - wearing face masks, hand sanitizer after each house, kids opening bags for homeowners to drop candy into with no contact. 

 

Last year's brownies!

Our plan for this year is what I'm calling "Reverse Trick-or-Treating."  The girls are still going to get dressed up but instead of trick-or-treating in town, we are going to put together goody bags and drive to friends' and family and drop our treats off to them.  The girls are excited and it will be something fun and different to do.  And we are still decorating, we'll still carve pumpkins, we'll still watch our Halloween shows all month.  The girls want to reverse trick-or-treat and then come home and have the party foods we would usually have.  My youngest, an avid baker, wants to have a cookie decorating contest, and she wants to watch her first "scary" movie.  My eldest is on board with all of that but also wants to watch Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Good thing it's on a Saturday this year -- it's going to be a BUSY day!!

Whatever you do, try to make the best of these crazy times we are living in and try to make it festive for your kids but also yourself - these are stressful times - have some fun!

Back to School During a Pandemic

We are coming into my favorite time of year - fall!  I always feel a little sad that summer is ending and the kids will have to go back to school and we will have to get back into a more structured routine.  But then the nights get cooler, the leaves start to change a little, I remember all of my favorite fall decor that I get to put up, and the crockpot comes out of hiding.  All comfortable, wonderful things!  I don't mind a little structured routine - I always end up embracing it right around this time and we get excited about new school clothes, fresh school supplies, catching up with friends!  And then there is this year...

As most people did, we ended last school year remotely.  My eldest was home on a college break in March when Coronavirus hit.  Thankfully, she was home safe and sound and had been for 2 weeks, because she'd been going to school in Boston, MA which was HIT HARD.  To say the least!  The only difficulty was that a lot of her stuff was still at school, as she'd planned to finish up the school year there before transferring this year.  She was given a day and time to come and get her stuff and then she spent March-May finishing her freshman year of college in her bedroom.  While her sister finished 8th grade in her bedroom.  We were one of the lucky families, for sure -- I have heard a quote that aptly describes this whole situation.  "We are all in the same storm, but we are not in the same boat!"  Honestly, we have had our share of tough times - lost jobs, accidents, unexpected surgery, financial hardships - so I understand going through difficult times.  This time, we were somehow blessed -- my husband was considered an essential worker so he has continued to go out and work consistently.  I work out of my home office for a human service agency.  Initially I worried that I might not have a job during this time, but we support seniors living at home and we were able to shift some of what we do to continue to provide crucial services.  We also are lucky to have good internet in our rural area, quiet spaces for each of us to do our school or work without interruptions, and two girls who get along incredibly well even under stressful situations.  It got long and it got tiring but we trudged along, occasionally hopping in the car to just drive around and see something other than our house.  We managed, just as we have managed this summer which was not at all the summer we had planned or hoped for.  We still tried to have some fun when and where we could.

And now summer is over and school is starting.  My eldest is a sophomore, a transfer student at a new school.  She agonized for weeks (months?) and finally made the tough decision to cancel her housing assignment and do her classes remotely from home.  Most of her friends are back at their schools, but as we hear stories about this party, or that school switching to remote after 2 weeks, or how isolated some people are feeling because of the necessary safety precautions -- she knows she made the right choice for her.  Knowing that doesn't make it easier.  Although she's comfortable and safe and happy at home, she's missing socializing and meeting new friends, and remote classes are tough - professors with sketchy internet, trying to do group projects on Zoom, not having real face time with people - it will be a long semester, maybe year!  Week one of sophomore year is done and she looks at each class, assignment, test, as one step closer to hopefully having a more normal college experience next year and to reaching her future goals. 

And my youngest - starting high school!  Cannot believe it...  We waited to see what the plan would be for this year, me silently hoping (for both girls, actually) that the school would decide to start totally remotely to be safe.  Again, we are blessed that our situation makes remote learning not a bad option.  But I get that not everyone is in the same boat in this storm -- I know families with 4 or more kids, I know families that don't have the best internet simply because of where they live in our rural area.  I know people who have to work out of the home and who have younger kids that would not be able to be on their own.  There are no easy, one size fits all answers in the middle of a pandemic.  Our school district worked hard to try to please as many people as possible keeping student safety at the forefront (from what I understand).  I appreciate that.  I would not want to work in education this year - not as an administrator, not as a teacher.  It is a tireless, thankless job for the most part this year -- at least, the people who are thankful are maybe not as vocal as the people who are not.  In our district we have an in-person option and a remote option.  For the in-person, they are splitting the students (at least at the high school - the plan was a 54 page document so I really only could get through what was relevant to us!) in half and alternating weeks either in-person one week and remote the next, or vice versa.  Then they are all remote from Thanksgiving break to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  So, really my girl would only be IN school for 20 days before going remote through the holidays.  But also, she's not technically "in" school...  She'll be in a tent for 3 out of 4 classes a day.  She REALLY wants to go and see her friends and I REALLY wanted her to stay home.  She finally won.  I think the plan the district has is about as safe as they can make it, provided that people follow it - doing the at home health screen, wear masks, etc.  Even this "in-person" option does not make it that easy on working parents, so I empathize with people's stress and frustration.  I also have friends that are teachers who have their own families and are panicked about working in-person and bringing something home to their loved ones.  Again, it is not an easy year, to say the least!  

I think the best thing that any of us can do right now, is to be as patient and as kind as we can be -- to everyone -- teachers, administrators, other parents, our children, and ourselves.  And kindness and patience is important in person, but it is also SO important on social media.  Regardless of the state of our "boat", this storm is affecting all of us in one way or another.  Be kind.

Anti-Bullying Campaign - #loveoneanother

I would like to share something that is very near and dear to my heart.  My sister-in-law, Jenny, has recently started an anti-bullying campaign as a way to try to make a difference on behalf of her 8-year-old daughter who has been a target of bullying since Kindergarten.  I say "target" and not "victim", because my sweet niece does not let the bullying get to her -- in fact, she frequently tells her parents that she feels sorry for them, that they must have issues at home that make them the way they are.  Amazing insight and empathy in such a little girl -- I couldn't be more proud of her!  And I also couldn't be more heartbroken about this situation.  My youngest daughter, her cousin, is also 8 -- we have another niece in the family that is 8 (big year in our family!) -- I CANNOT IMAGINE anyone bullying my littlest daughter!  I CANNOT IMAGINE how that would make her feel, what that would do to her self-confidence, the sweet smile on her face, the joy she shows every day.  How dare someone try to take those things away from her!  My husband and I have always taught our girls -- "you don't have to be everyone's best friend, but you do have to try to be as nice as you can to everyone."  Seems simple enough.  My sister-in-law Jenny's campaign fits perfectly with that.

Jenny is a photographer and recently, friends on Facebook have seen pictures that she has taken in her town of people holding a sign that says, "Love one another."  Yesterday she posted this explanation on Facebook, and I wanted to try and help get this message out in any way that I can, so here it is:

"So what is the what with this sign?! Well thanks for asking! The ‪#‎loveoneanother‬ sign is one that I happily purchased from a NoFo thrift shop for ten bucks about 3 years ago. It's been hanging in our den until about a month ago when I had an idea for a photo shoot.

What if we were surrounded by messages like this regularly? On billboards, in magazines or Buzzfeed, anywhere, everywhere? What would our world be like if we loved one another regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, waist size, bank account size, etc. What if we taught our children this? What if this simple phrase or idea was everywhere you looked? On Facebook or after a hashtag or on a tee shirt? Would it make a difference at all? Would it start trending? If it did, wouldn't that be amazing? 

As some of you know, my daughter has been bullied every year since she started Kindergarten. Same daughter, different bullies. It. Is. So. Hard. How do you explain to a child who has been raised to treat everyone with kindness, and respect, regardless of their life's circumstances, that she is not liked enough by some to receive that same respect and kindness? It is heartbreaking for her and everyone that loves her. And she is just one kid in a world of bullied kids. It's hard because as a parent I want to protect her from all heartache but I can't. I feel helpless. I'm idealistic, I know. I realize not everyone is going to #loveoneanother or even ‪#‎likeoneanother‬ but can we all just agree to be kind to each other anyway? 

So back to the sign...I guess it's my way of working through an ongoing crappy situation. My way of drumming up a little hope for the future. When I ask people if I can photograph them with the sign, I explain that I have been inspired by my daughter and her struggle with bullies. Every person so far has smiled when they read the sign and then held it for a photograph. Maybe it will catch on?! I hope so. All I know is that I am not the only mother struggling to understand why her child is singled out, made to feel alone, sad, anxious, hurt, picked apart. But it is my job to show her the good in this world and to me, the good are the folks in these pictures, especially this one. You can view more #loveoneanother photos on Instagram or JNI Photography. Take the ‪#‎loveoneanotherpledge‬ to ‪#‎teachyourchildrenwell‬ ‪#‎respecteveryone‬ ‪#‎endbullying‬ - make your own #loveoneanother sign, take a picture and share!"


We love you too, Eki!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to help out at my little 2nd grader's school for "Art Day."  I helped out in the Health classroom and our art project was to create faces out of recycled materials.  It was a fun project for the kids and I loved getting to be there to see my daughter at school -- it also made me feel like I was back to being a Girl Scout leader! 

For Art Day, they had mixed the kids into groups with other students from the elementary school -- kids that were not necessarily in their usual class or even grade.  My girl was sitting across from another little 2nd grade girl who was not from her regular class.  She seemed like a very sweet little girl and she and my daughter got along nicely.  At one point, my daughter mentioned a boy from her class who she is friends with (she had just seen his brother), and the other girl said, "He's so weird!  He said he wants to be a GIRL!  He said he was going to come to school dressed as a girl!  But you know what he came dressed as instead?  A pencil!  He's so weird though, I mean, who would want to be a girl?"  I was so thankful and proud (and slightly amused) that my daughter's only comment was, "Who wants to be a pencil?"

I hope we can always count on her to be so open and non-judgmental!

Advice for a New Big Sister

My sister-in-law is expecting her second child - a girl - and her 7-year-old daughter is a little nervous about being a big sister, so my sister-in-law asked my eldest daughter (12) if she would send a note to her cousin.  Here's what my sweet girl wrote:

"Welcome to the Siblings Club! I'm so excited to have a new cousin, and I know you're excited to have a baby sister. I was even younger than you when my little sister was born; you will be seven, but I was only 5 1/2! I know what it is like to have a little sister, so I want to give you some advice!

Don't be nervous. Right now, you're probably feeling really nervous. You've never been a big sister before! You're probably wondering if you'll be a good big sister. Don't worry! I know you'll be a great big sister because you're such a great little girl. Before my sister was born, I was nervous too, because I didn't know what it was like, and no one had any advice to give me! My mom was an only child, and Daddy was a big brother to three other siblings! I also thought the new baby would take away all of Mommy and Daddy's attention, and they wouldn't love me as much anymore. But that's not true because every parent has enough love in their hearts to go around. 

 

Being a sister is so much fun! Having a sister is so much fun because she's a playmate\friend that you have around all the time! When my sister and I are in the car all day driving on long trips, we share toys and watch movies together. On trips when we share an air mattress to sleep on, we annoy my mom and dad because we giggle all night long! Life is never lonely when you have a sister.

Babies are a lot of work and your mom will need some help. You won't remember when my sister and our other cousin were babies, because you were a baby too. I got to help Mommy out a lot with with my sister. I helped entertain her, and once I even changed her diaper. I also remember helping to give the babies baths.

 

Babies are also so much fun, though, and they're cute, too! Our family has had a lot of very cute babies, so your sister is going to be so cute, too! Babies are like real live baby-dolls. My mom LOVED dressing up my sister, and her outfits were so adorable. Babies are also so small, and it's so cool to watch them grow up.

You can teach your sister a lot of things! You love so many things: dinosaurs, superheroes, horse-back riding. You can share these interests with your baby sister! This way you'll have something in common. You can teach your sister how to do SO many things. I taught my sister how to use the computer, and I teach her a lot of things in the Art Studio. Just don't teach your little sister bad things.

You are such a sweet little girl. I hope you know you can call me or e-Mail me OR write me a letter anytime you want, and if you have ANY questions you can ask me. Do you know what? You and I are very similar. We're both older sisters to little sisters! Anyway, you and your little sister will have to learn how to be sisters together, just like my sister and I did. Along the way, there will be times when she is just downright annoying (I know the feeling), but at the end of the day, just know that you both love each other very much and your parents love you too! You'll be a great big sister and a wonderful role model."

Did I mention my girl's 12?  Pretty proud of her!  She even added the picture above to the e-mail she sent her cousin -- it's a picture of my two girls on the day my youngest was born.  And yes, I may refer back to this when they are, as my girl put it "downright annoying" to each other!  ;)

Picked with Love

First dandelion bouquet of the season - handpicked with love from my little 6-year-old.  Is there anything sweeter?

A Very "Pinterest" Holiday Season

I know I am late to the party, but I have been on Pinterest for about a month or so -- LOVE IT!!  I have been finding all sorts of wonderful ideas on there, and I have actually used some of them this holiday season (I drive my husband crazy when I buy cookbook after cookbook and never try any recipes...  But Pinterest is free and I've actually been putting it to good use!)  Here's what I've tried:

Waffle Cone Cornucopia

 These were great -- you take a waffle cone, dip the tip in water for 20 seconds, microwave for 20 seconds, and then carefully twist the tip to curl it.  We filled them with candy and nuts and out of foam paper, I cut acorns and leaves and we used them as place cards too!  This will be a new twist on my Nana's traditional candy & nut cups -- we'll definitely do this again!

Hand-print Snowmen Ornaments

 I did this one with my Daisy Girl Scout troop -- we had a production line and it worked out great!  My co-leader painted one of the girls' hands, then placed a blue ornament on the open palm, had the girl close her hand around the ornament for a few seconds, and then she took the ornament and voila -- 5 little finger-shaped snowmen!  We placed them hook-side down into an empty ornament box (could also use an empty egg carton).  We had written the girls' names on the ornament box so that we could keep track of whose hand-print was whose...  When they were dry, we had the girls write their first name and the year on the bottom (palm print) and then with Sharpie markers they decorated their snowmen.  Everyone loved this craft!  The kids had fun making it, the parents who were there loved the idea - a few (including me) and planning to do this for presents - and we sent the girls home with their dried ornaments wrapped in tissue and placed carefully into gift bags -- already to give to Mom and Dad for Christmas!

Toilet Paper Roll Snow People

 While the Daisies were working on the hand-print snowmen ornaments, we kept the other girls busy working on toilet paper snow people.  We collected empty toilet paper rolls and wrapped them with a wide strip of white paper (we used glue sticks to adhere it, you could also use tape).  Then we used other pieces of construction paper to "dress" our snow people -- I used black with the bottom folded over to look like a top hat.  My 6 year old made a little yellow tiara - as all snow princesses wear!  We also used construction paper to make scarves -- one girl in the troop came up with the idea of cutting the edges for fringe.  Another girl came up with the idea of cutting stick arms out of brown construction paper.  Honestly -- give a child an empty toilet paper roll, some glue, paper, scissors & markers and they will take it from there! 

I have to say, doing those two crafts REALLY kept the girls busy and entertained!  That was the quietest I've heard them so far this year!

Holiday Stove Top Potpourri Mix

 I head a committee at work that meets once a month and there are 6 of us, all women, who are in a conference room from 9:00am - 4:00pm meeting with individuals with developmental disabilities who are in need of services.  We have lunch together, we take breaks together, we chat, we bond -- it's a great group!  We had our holiday lunch this past Thursday, in between meetings, and on a whim I thought I'd whip up bags of this Holiday Stove Top Potpourri Mix.  It was so easy, it smelled great, and everyone loved it!  I'm definitely putting some of this on my stove (or in a crock pot on low!) this holiday season, and this is going to be my go-to hostess gift! 

 I may have another Pinterest trick up my sleeve for someone as a holiday gift -- I'll have to keep that under my hat for now!  If you haven't been on Pinterest, check it out!!

Visiting

Yesterday, the girls and I spent Veterans' Day visiting with family and friends.  We started with a visit to Mema's house (Gramby's mom), then we stopped at Joann Fabric's to pick up supplies for a paper chain American flag craft that my Daisy Girl Scout will be doing on Wednesday (in honor of Veteran's Day we are making this to donate to the new Veteran's Outreach Center).  We stopped for lunch and then we headed over to the cemetery to pay our respects to my grandfather (my dad's father).  He's been gone for almost 6 years and the girls and I have taken to stopping in to visit him once in a while.  They love it - my little one sweetly runs up and hugs his headstone and we stop and tell him what we're up to and let him know that we're thinking of him.  We especially wanted to honor him yesterday on Veteran's Day.  My grandfather served in the Army Air Corps and then the Army Signal Corps in the South Pacific, during World War II.  He and my grandmother had been married right before he went off to war in 1943.  After we went to see Great Grandpa, we drove a few sections over to find the grave of a young soldier who had been killed in the Vietnam War.  We learned about him this past summer when my husband's family was in town for the big family reunion.  My brother-in-law, Joe, is very close to a retired priest who he met while they were both serving in the military.  When he was younger, Joe's friend, Lou, had been friends with the young soldier who was killed in Vietnam and he had attended his funeral at one of our local cemeteries.  He had always regretted not being able to get back to pay his respects once his headstone was placed.  While they were in town this summer, Joe asked for directions to the cemetery and the girls and I offered to take him there and I helped him locate the grave site online.  His family, the girls and I piled in the car and headed over to find this young man's grave and we brought large white paper and crayons so that Joe could make a rubbing of the headstone.  The girls and I made a point to find this young soldier's grave again yesterday so that we could honor him for his service and sacrifice for our country and our freedom. 

After that we ended our day of visiting with a trip to see Great Gram (my dad's mother).  Gram is 91 years old and lives in nursing home.  It was a beautiful day here yesterday - in the high 60's - and we grabbed Gram's coat and her wheelchair and wheeled her outside for a breath of fresh air.  We sat close and told her about our day and told her about going to see Grandpa.  We told her that while we visited his grave we told him about her 91st birthday celebration two weeks ago, and that I knew if he were here he would have reminded us that she's older than him - he was born a few months later and he always loved to tease her about that!  Although, we would remind him that he may have been younger, but he'd had more birthdays than she had -- when he was in the war, he crossed the International Dateline on his birthday!  The memory of his teasing made Gram laugh out loud, which was nice to hear.  She also laughed when we told her that we are hoping to get Boston Terrier puppy sometime soon, and that if we get a boy, we will name it "Paddy" after the little iron Boston Terrier that was her mother's, and if it's a girl, we will name it "Mabel" -- which coincidentally was her mother's name...  We just like the name and thought it would be sweet -- Gram laughed out loud when we told her, but she loved it, so that was good!

Our visit ended with us sitting out in front of the nursing home, watching a very beautiful sunset.  Gram's eyesight is not great - she has macular degeneration and I'm never sure exactly what she can and can't see -- she once described it as someone holding their hand up in front of your eye and being able to see around that.  But I know she could see some of the sunset -- the sun was SO big and beautiful and fiery orange.  She commented on it and I was struck by what a nice moment it was to share with her and my girls.  I hope I always remember that.  In addition to her poor eyesight, Gram can't hear well and she is so frail these days.  The girls and I try to go to visit her once a week.  Sometimes I feel so tired at the end of a week and when we visit I feel like I need a lot of energy to carry the conversation between my girls and my gram.  Sometimes I feel frustrated when we get there and she says loudly, "I haven't seen you in SO long!"  And I remind her that we were just there the week before.  She was a very active, vibrant person when she was younger (even 10 - 15 years ago!) and had tons of friends.  And she has always been a VIP in my life -- we've always been very close and she means the world to me.  It's hard some weeks to go and visit and see how different she is now and to know that she won't always be with us.  I'm so thankful that my girls have got to spend so much time with her, and that they love to visit her -- just like they ask me, "Can we go see Great Grandpa?"

I hope that as they grow older and hopefully have their own children, that they will remember these visits.  I hope that in some small ways my girls are learning about the importance of family, the importance of taking time to remember people who are no longer with us, the importance of respect - for those in need, for their elders, for their family, for their country and those brave men and women who serve their country - past, present and future. 

Acting Our Age

I have been a mother for nearly eleven years - more than a quarter of my life! And yet lately, I sometimes still find it hard to believe that I'm the mom... My eldest daughter is going to be 11 in January and she has grown several inches this past year - my husband is over 6' tall and my girl has been blessed with long legs. Lately, when we are walking together, I look over at her and I can look her in the eye! I find that most of the time, in my head, I feel as though I am still about 22... How can I possibly have a child in the 5th grade? Crazy.

The other night my husband and I let her invite two of her best friends over for a sleepover. I took my daughters out to pick the girls up, and on the way back home, I stopped to get gas. I left the girls giggling in the minivan and I got out to pump the gas. Walking to the pump, hearing the girls' laughter, I caught my reflection in the window of my minivan - looking back at me was a mom! When did that happen? We got home and I did all of the mom sleepover things - asking the kids what they liked on their pizza, what would they like to drink, let's make sure that everyone has enough blankets, etc. Coming downstairs in the middle of the night to tell the girls (again) that it was time to go to bed - big mom moment. It's a funny thing to get that reality check that I'm a long way from that young girl, giggling with my own friends at sleepovers.

And I wasn't the only one having a hard time accepting my age... My little five-year-old was desperately wanting to be one of the older girls! It was hard for her at accept that this was her sister's time to spend with her friends and that her time will come. And I did remind my eldest daughter that it wouldn't hurt to be nice to her sister and to not brush her aside. I try to remind them both at times that friends leave after play dates and sleepovers, but their sisters will still be here - so be nice!

Funny how I have a hard time believing that I'm a mom, and yet I'm very comfortable speaking like one! ;)

"Little Sisters"

I am so happy for my girls that they are blessed to have a sister to go through life with -- not that they always feel that's a blessing... They definitely have their moments! Just yesterday, my husband and I told them that for each time they tattle on their sister (their new favorite pastime) they will get one less Christmas gift! That is working well so far... But, they do love each other and it's so sweet when they show that love! My eldest daughter wrote this on our chalkboard the other day: "Little sisters are like dolls; you can read, sing, play, talk, dress-up and share secrets with them. But most of all, love them." So sweet!

(PS - I'll be saving this as a reminder for them -- I'm sure it will come in handy someday!)

Remembering 9/11 - 10 Years Later

I can hardly believe that it has been 10 years since the tragedy on 9/11. When I think about it, or see pictures or news coverage, I'm taken right back to that day - the same feelings, the same fears. The war on terror is still going on, security measures are still high everywhere we go, there are still extremists in far-off lands that want to do us harm. But the infant that I had on that day is now 10-1/2 years old. That baby that I held close and worried about protecting is now a 5th grader -- she's curious about 9/11 and while we have talked about it with her in the past, this year we have been much more forthcoming about what it was like, how we felt, who was lost. She is optimistic that since "that guy" (Osama Bin Laden) is gone, that this won't happen again. My husband and I would love to tell her she's right, but unfortunately we are not as confident as we were pre-9/11.

On my husband's side of the family, we lost a cousin who was a firefighter, a husband, a father. We do not live close to his family, but over the past ten years we have seen his wife and three boys at family reunions and kept up through family. His boys have grown into three wonderful men that he would certainly be proud of. Two of them are married, one has a beautiful daughter, and all three of them have followed his calling of being a firefighter.

Yesterday we watched some news stories about the 9/11 anniversary, the new building that is being built (One World Trade Center) and the 9/11 memorial -- two breathtaking fountains that were built in the exact footprint of the Twin Towers. I think the sight of the new state-of-the-art building, next to the memorial really symbolizes my hope for our country -- that we keep rebuilding, keep growing, but never forget.

On this 10th anniversary, my thoughts are with all of those who were lost, their families and friends, and the troops that continue to fight to protect us from something like this happening again. God bless NYC, PA, DC, and God bless America.

Memorial Day

While my poor husband has had to work all weekend, I have been fortunate enough to be home with my girls for the past five days, and we have had a pretty busy weekend! Yesterday was our Memorial Day celebration, with my eldest daughter marching in the town's annual parade with her Girl Scout troop, and my youngest and I camped out in front of the town hall watching the parade. This is the 5th time my girl has marched in this particular parade (in her 10 short years!). I thought this year's was the best that I've seen -- some years it feels VERY long and there are an inordinate number of regular cars driving through with politicians' signs followed by politicians walking behind. This year there were just a few of those, more marching bands, which was nice -- and they were really quite good! And while I always see some nice moments honoring veterans, I got a different feeling from it this year. There was a car driven by a veteran that stopped a few yards from us and the driver (in his uniform) got out of the car in the middle of the parade to walk over and salute another veteran who was watching from the side of the parade route. It was very touching!

It was just my little girlie and I watching this year, and she was wonderfully well-behaved! She sat on my lap for most of the parade, and I took the opportunity to tell her as much as I knew about every group that walked by. We talked about the national anthem and how everyone stands to show respect while it is being performed. And I learned something myself at this parade. While one of the fire companies was coming through in their trucks, someone near us yelled to a driver to have them blow their horn (which I had worried about, because my girl does NOT like loud noises!) and the driver said, "Not at this parade - this is a quiet parade." And I thought about that and realized that while I pull out all of the flags and red, white & blue for both Memorial Day and 4th of July, and I generally have a similar feeling about both holidays -- patriotism, honoring our military, honoring our country -- these are very different holidays. Memorial Day is a time to reflect on those serving our country and those who have been lost while serving to protect us. And the 4th of July is still a time for reflection and patriotism and honoring our country and our military, but it's a celebration of the birth of our country and that's the time for fireworks and parties. I'll have to make sure that my girls understand the difference.

"Spread the Word to End the Word"

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month and coinciding with this is a national campaign to end the "R" word. The word "retard" or "retarded", originally derived from "mental retardation" a common diagnosis for many individuals with a developmental disability, is finally being recognized for the hurtful, degrading slur that it has become. For the past 15 years, I have had the privilege of meeting and working with some truly amazing individuals as a part of my job for a not-for-profit agency that provides services to individuals with developmental disabilities. In the past year, the culture of our field has been changing and addressing this outdated, disrespectful terminology. The state's governing agency has changed their name from "NYS Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities" to "NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilties" -- removing the "R" word, and putting the emphasis where it should be -- on the people that we serve. Now, instead of "mental retardation", we more correctly use the term "intellectual disabilities."

I went to the "R-Word: Spread the Word to End the Word" website and in a matter of moments, I made my pledge:

"I pledge and support the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech and promote the acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. I work at a human service agency that provides services and support to individuals with developmental disabilities. The people that we serve are kind, compassionate, bright individuals with the same hopes and dreams that anyone else has. Long before I started in this field, I recognized this word to be hurtful and degrading and I eliminated it from my vocabulary. My husband and I have always expected that our children show others respect. We look forward to the day where all citizens are shown respect, regardless of their abilities, race, religion, etc."

I hope that you will join me and make your own pledge -- it is easy to make the pledge on the R-word campaign's website, and it is easy to remind yourself and others that this word is hurtful to millions of people with intellectual disabilities, and their families and friends who care for them. If we can educate our children from a young age, we can replace the old "R" word with a new one - Respect.

Never Forget

May we never forget what happened on this day, may we never stop appreciating what we have, may we always remember those who were lost and the families and friends who lost them, and may we always show gratitude for the men and women who serve to protect our freedom and our lives.

God bless America!

Painted Flower Craft

This past week was Teacher Appreciation Week, and our girls both came home from school with projects to honor their teachers. Our littlest girlie had a wooden flower that was glued to a wooden stick, and our instructions (from the class coordinator) were to have her decorate the flower in any way she wanted to – stickers, markers, crayons, paint – and put her name on the front of the flower.

They were going to take all of the flowers from the class and put them into a cute vase or planter and present that to the teacher. My girl opted to paint her flower, and then I painted her name onto the flower – one letter on each flower petal, with her last initial in the center. It came out very cute and she had a great time painting her flower. I thought this would be a great idea not only for a teacher’s gift, but also for Mother’s Day, Grandparent’s Day – you name it! Wouldn’t Grandma love a “bouquet” of flowers painted by her grandchildren? We used acrylic paint, which I purchased at Michael’s Crafts this weekend for another project (which I’ll share with you later!) – I found these paints on sale for $.77 - $.88, and I’m sure that you could also find the wooden sticks and wooden flower at Michael’s or Joann’s or any of the other hobby / craft stores.

And while the little one was painting, to keep her sister happy and entertained, I had her paint some rocks that we will use as decorations in the garden!

Happy Mother's Day!

Remembering the two very special reasons that I get to celebrate this very special holiday! Wishing you and yours a very Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Earth Day!

My sister-in-law sent out an e-mail to all of her friends and family in honor of Earth Day. She and her little 4-year-old daughter have organized a clean-up effort for the main street and waterfront area in the town in which they live. The local paper is even coming out to do a story on them! I thought I would share a little of Jen's e-mail with you, which I think is a great reminder to think about the little ways that we can make a difference -- and a lot of these are things that we can easily teach our children!

'Please remember "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." Earth Day IS everyday, folks! Turn off the lights when you leave a room, don't let your water run when you are brushing your teeth, eat & shop locally, and remember, "if it is less than a mile, walk/bike in style!" There are so many little, simple things we can do to help our Earth. The time to start is NOW!'

Thanks for the reminder, Jen!

The Tooth Fairy Helps Haiti

My eldest daughter has been nursing two loose teeth (one on either side of the bottom of her mouth -- makes eating fun!) for a while now. I was aware of one of them, but only found out about the second loose tooth at 5:00am on Monday morning, when my daughter woke me out of a sound sleep to tell me about it. Probably could have waited 'til maybe, 6:30? Anyway, we were gearing up for another long bout of agony over these teeth -- issues with eating, brushing, you name it. Well, lo and behold, last night while she was brushing her teeth, one of them came out! No big fanfare, no begging mom and dad to pull it out so that she would be out of her misery, and then when we simply try to LOOK in her mouth, she starts backing away and crying. None of that! Just popped right out -- hooray!!! Anyway, she was SO excited about the tooth fairy coming, so we put her tooth in her sweet little Boyd's Bear Tooth Fairy Bear and I tucked her into bed. Then my girl told me that she wanted to take the money that the Tooth Fairy left her to school to put in the Haiti Fund that the kids have in their classroom! I was so surprised, touched and proud that she came up with that on her own! Sure enough, this morning she woke up and the Tooth Fairy had left her $5 (the value of a tooth has increased significantly since I was a child...) and she put the money into her school folder to bring it in for the Haiti fund. Now, I would like to think that my husband and I have managed to instill a sense of charity in our girl, but I don't think we can take all the credit. She has learned a lot about giving through Girl Scouts (was even excited the other day when I told her the troop was going to go sort canned food at the local food shelter -- actually said, "YAY!"), and seeing kids bringing in loose change to donate to the school's Haiti fund has also helped tremendously. Wherever the lesson has been learned, learning to be thoughtful of others in need is a truly valuable one!

Birthday Party for Baby Jesus

The other night I was on my way home from work, and I noticed a house with a huge, lighted "Happy Birthday, Jesus" sign on the roof. Ordinarily, I would not be a big fan of such a large light display, but it struck me that perhaps the homeowners felt that people needed a large, brightly lit sign to remind them of the true meaning of the Christmas season. Over the past few years, I have felt more and more that I am getting entirely too wrapped up in parties and gift exchanges for work and clubs, and lengthy wish lists from my children, who are blessed enough to already have too much of everything. My husband and I keep trying to do what we can to help others in need during this season, and just as importantly, to try and teach our children to do the same.

An idea sparked, after seeing this sign and having spoken with my sister-in-law Jenny (who could teach us all a lesson about doing good for others -- seriously, if she has a spare moment, she fills it up with another volunteer job!) about how she encouraged her daughter to donate some of her older toys in preparation for her 4th birthday. My husband and I talked about it and we are starting a new tradition in our house this year. During December, we are going to pick a day and have a birthday party for Jesus. The girls will help bake cupcakes or a birthday cake for us to have in celebration of Jesus' birthday. And what is a birthday party without presents? We will all go through and pick out some things that we can donate to someone in need -- I'm sure that Jesus would appreciate that more than a Gameboy or an iPod... I think this is a good way for our family to remember who and what Christmas is really about!

Do you and your family have any traditions for celebrating the true meaning of Christmas? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Thanksgiving Place Cards

Here is another cute and simple project that my daughter and I did for our family’s Thanksgiving celebration. We took colored construction paper – from the pack that we had, we used red, yellow and green paper, but orange or brown would have been nice too! I cut out leaf shapes (about the size of a 4 x 5 or 5 x 7 photo – not too large) and my daughter and I wrote a family member’s name on one side of the leaf to use for each person's place card.

On the other side of the leaf, we wrote something that we are thankful for about that person. For my father, I wrote that we were so thankful to have such a great grandfather to take care of our girls when we can’t be there. For my husband, my daughter wrote, “I’m so thankful to have a hockey-playing, story-telling Daddy like you!” We thought they looked cute and festive on the table, and they fit right in with the theme of the holiday – giving thanks!