Roller-coaster

by Melis

Life is like a box of chocolates...
Life is like a seesaw...
Some days are darker than others...

Last week was Thanksgiving and our youngest's 10th birthday. A busy week full of happy and memorable things, right? I was not wanting to add to the week... but our buddy Monk (our rescue dog) was not getting better from having a bad ear infection. We took him to the vet (for the 2nd time in 3 weeks) and found out he had something wrong with his brain.
He had been struggling for about 3 weeks and we had been to the vet for a checkup where they had found a bad ear infection. Monk was put on a restricted diet, limited mobility (his equilibrium was so off he couldn't do steps without falling) and medication.  So we carried him up and down the stairs to go outside, tried to play with him, took him for walks, and followed the Vets instructions. But everyday something new left us all with a sense of dread and my husband kept asking, "Are you sure it's just his ears?".
So I finally got up the courage to make another appointment, I say this because I think I was just hoping that it really was his ears. I think the doctor knew from my phone call the previous day, but she listened to all of his symptoms just the same. The more we talked and the more she observed (plus some testing), the end result of what needed to be done was there sitting like a pile of poop in the middle of the room. My husband hugged our dog and said, "I'm gonna go grab the kids so they can come say goodbye." So that left me with about 25 minutes alone in the room with Monk. It forced me to do something I've never really done with my pets before, say Goodbye.

When I was younger my parents took care of these things, you said goodbye at home and they went to the vet and they never came back. When I was in my 20's one dog ran away, one dog went with an ex and one went with a roommate. And the last dog we had was truly my husband's dog (I mean I liked the dog but he LOVED my husband) and when we had to put him down due to cancer, I was in the room with the dog because my husband could not do it. I just went in and rubbed him and petted him until he went to sleep and said things like, "It's ok". (our dog not my husband - but then that's kind of what i did for him when we got home too).
But this time it was entirely different. Maybe because I'm older and have aging parents (like we all do) and I feel death is closer than ever? Which is stupid, because death is always there. It's an unavoidable thing that is a part of life, right?
I am going to have to put a pin in this topic because it seems like when we are younger we deal with it differently? Or maybe it's being a parent?

(Monk's story)Monk was like having a perpetual cute little toddler around. He came to us not really knowing what petting was or human touch. But he was smart, he trained well, he NEVER peed or pooped in our house, he ran these crazy little circles when he was happy or excited, he loved to play tug of war, and he was a great listener. He loved to be held. He used to do this thing where he would sigh and huff when he was bored and wanted a walk. He was NOT perfect, he ate crap in the yard all the time and then would barf it up in the house (I guess he was trying to make up for not pooping or peeing in the house). He LOVED to eat kleenex from the trash can and hide under our bed when he was in trouble (or barfing). Thoroughly enjoyed digging in the yard for said yummy junk and getting very muddy.  Did I mention he HATED rain but LOVED snow. Quirky should have been his middle name.

So for the whole 25 minutes my husband was gone, I vacillated back and forth between a slobbering incoherent idiot to a super calm new age guru murmuring all the great things about the afterlife into Monk's ear. Bless him he was tolerant of my human idiosyncrasies even then. And the poor Vet staff...they would peep in and leave water and more kleenex, a form to sign, and eventually put lines in his legs for the injections to come later. When the kids came we all took our turns hugging him and loving him one last time. Then we all went out to the car (Monk's favorite place), he was wrapped in his favorite blanket (that smelled like all of us) and I held him and kissed his head until he fell asleep forever. We all stayed and watched him go. It was really hard but it felt like the best thing we could do for him and for us. We were such an emotional train wreck that we made the vet cry!

This is the only pet my kids have known (fish don't count). And for the most part, I think we are doing ok. We share memories and all of us have caught ourselves saying things like, "did anyone feed Monk? or, "Is the dog still outside?". I think the thing that bothers us all more than anything is the quiet. No more the sighing, or circling when my kids and husband get home from their day. And toys and treats keep popping up whenever we lift furniture or clean. We have his ashes and are waiting to spread them until the 1st snow, since he loved it so much. We are openly processing his loss from our lives (I cry stupidly at all the little things that remind me of his little life). They are all dudes so I guess they process things differently than me?

This was all 2 days before my youngest had his birthday.  And in that same week, my husband accepted a new job and there was VIP day at a school and wresting camp and piano lessons, cakes to bake, presents to buy, laundry to do and traveling...what's the line from the movie Parenthood that the grandma says toward the end?

"You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster. Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride! I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn't like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it."

(Parenthood, 1989)


Sometimes roller-coasters make you cry.



So long Monk, 




Life with you was definitely a roller-coaster.
Thanks for sharing the ride.
We love you ❤

World Series Flu

Did you watch game 7 of the World Series? Truly one of the most exciting games in baseball history.
SOOOO....

Cubs logo courtesy of Fox Sports

I have basically been phoning most of life in for the past 3 weeks due to a SERIOUS case of CUBS Flu.  I have tried to watch every game (except for Game 3 against the Dodgers in the N.L.C.S. series, because I was SO angry and scared I couldn't watch - utterly paralyzed).
I have screamed, sweat, bit my nails, threw up a little in my mouth, paced, had the chills and babbled incoherently through each game. I prepared meals with little nutritional value, allowed too much candy (binge eating) during difficult innings, let my kids stay up late and allowed SODA POP on a weeknight?!  I have however, encouraged great amounts of praying to ensure that our beloved Cubs come out on top. I'm pretty sure God understood that I am NOT having more kids. It was merely the principle, that I would name my next children after Saints, that mattered.  I COMMITTED or need to be committed, jury is still out on that one.
Instead of saving my energy for the HUGE parade/celebration in Chicago, my little sister (by driveway and age only - It was Meg) spent the night waiting in line at Dick's Sporting Goods to get our "hot off the presses" Cubs World Series gear from 1 am - 4 am CST. I know you think we are NUTS but we were swept up in the euphoria that is the CUBS! It was 108 years people! I have now seen The Bears ('85), the Bulls (2 sets of 3-peats last ending in 98), the White Sox ('05), the Blackhawks (most recently in '15) AND my faves, the CUBBIES bring home championships and trophies to Chicago. That is very exciting in itself.

Fond memories...

I spent a lot of time in childhood playing catch with my Dad and listening to Cubs games on Sunday afternoons while I snuggled with my Dad as a kid (he didn't sit very often). Hearing Harry Caray sing the 7th inning stretch and know that my Dad and I were in for an afternoon of discussing plays, strategies and stats for the Cubs. It's no wonder I have good memories (win or lose) associated with them.
Here is a great spot (sort of sums it all up) for a lot of us Cubs fans

http://www.latimes.com/sports/mlb/la-sp-cubs-harry-caray-20161104-story.html#

So I apologize for my lack of anything new to read or laugh about here at our little blog. I promise as soon as we recover (fully), from this thrill-ride that our beloved CUBBIES have taken us on we will resume business as normal.
Go Cubs Go!
Melis

Freeze Frame

by Melissa & Megan

School pictures are a time capsule of our progress through our school years. Laying them all out and comparing them as they grow so we can gauge their growth and stages. It is such a lovely thing (when it's done) but like most things we undertake as parents easier said than done.

Teen and Tween Tintype

SO...
I woke up today thinking that it would be like most other school days. Quiet to start, with a splash of early morning drama (you know the kind we all love, they can't find their everything or they don't want to make a lunch). I mean we are 8 weeks into this school year, they have adjusted to getting up and functioning (barely) at least 5 days a week and now don't "meltdown" so much after 3 pm (sort of).

Let me start this story stating that I am a BOY mom, so my picture days, I'm sure, are VERY different than a lot of GIRL parents. That being said, it can still have it's own version of NUTS! I have to say the teenage version of this is getting better except our hated enemy ZITS. And also, I have stopped fussing and he no longer (sniff) wants any help from me. Post picture review, the teenager realized as we were comparing pictures, that he wore the exact same shirt for this years picture that he did for last year (which I said - and he stated with conviction  I was totally wrong). AHEM!

Life lesson #187-sometimes Mom is right. (which no one LOVES to admit)

NOW the preteen or tween version is about the same as it used to be when he was little. All I needed to do was help him with his hair this morning and he really wanted NONE of it. I believe his aversion to touch and stimulus (sensory issues) makes this small thing a NOT so small thing.

And also I feel I would be leaving something out and being dishonest if I didn't add this side note, I am a former hairdresser, so not messing with hair is REALLY hard for me. I have sort of a compulsion to fix stray hairs, fluff flat hair, smush (that's right SMUSH) cowlicks or too much poof, and also a little eyebrow smoothing or combing. Now you know that I have a bit (of my own baggage) that might ADD to this drama.

So I got gel, comb and water (really needed a hair dryer but I made it work because that would have made for an angry tween). I chased him around the dining room a couple times before I finally cornered him and got to work.  He looked good, after 2 kinds of gel and a LOT of water. He didn't whine too much but every 15 seconds I had to ask him to hold his head up, as he slowly tried to slide away down in the chair. When he was younger (or last year), I started as soon as he was seated and eating his breakfast because then at least he was distracted and it cut the whining down to a minimum AND he did not want to leave the food so he STAYED PUT. So I guess baby steps.
As he was getting out of the car at school, he looked at himself in the mirror and said "I wish my hair looked this good everyday."  UGH!

Do you think when they go off to college I can get copies of their school IDs?

Preschool picture perfect

SO...
What the...actual hell...happened around here this morning?  It was going fine... a little PJ Masks (kiddie tv), some waffles, cuddle time on the couch before getting dressed, just your typical day before school.  Now, this was our first "official" picture day because last year it was super laid back and I didn't make that big of a deal about it.  I had NO clue how incredibly traumatizing picture day could be for a 4 year old boy (and more importantly, me!!!).

Where to start with the problems?  Let's start with the attire for the day.  I had the nerve to not let him wear the Batman t-shirt for the 100th time this year (how dare I?).  On top of that, I made him wear a shirt with NOTHING on it.  There were stripes, he'd worn it before and commented on how cuddly it was, it was a completely perfect choice for pictures.  Today it was made of sandpaper and razor blades.  Don't even get me started on the complaints about the pants (which were completely off and then back on BACKWARDS before the day was out).

If you can believe this, the clothing portion of the struggle was the easy part of the battle.  Would you like to know what caused the most screaming, running, hiding, and crying?  Hair "goo" (as he likes to call it).  I honestly thought I was ripping his hair out ONE by ONE and then soaking him in acid.  He screamed like he has never screamed before.  It was all I could do to not just drag him into the bathroom and shave his head!

The kicker of all of this is, we finish, he looks in the mirror and comments about how good he's looking.  GREAT.  I can't wait to hang it up on the wall and remember this day forever ;)



As usual, if you have any "precious" picture day moments please share.  We love hearing that this is all part of the parental process. We try to put something out there to give you a laugh and maybe make you remember "it takes a village," so FOLLOW us either on Facebook, Twitter or here on our page.
Have a great day!

School's in Session - the Pre-K episode

by Megan

Can I just tell you all how excited I was for our 4 year-old to start preschool this year???  I was so excited!  4 days a week. 3 hours each day.  Things were starting to look up around here.  I was going to have those mornings to be home alone with our 2 year old and really work on stuff!  Clean the house, play games with him, take care of therapy appointments with no older brother causing fights.  It was going to be a game changer.

Let me tell you something... the game has definitely changed...

What in the world has happened to my kid???  He used to be so sweet and happy and now he screams, cries, whines, and has temper tantrums.  He comes home from school "hangry" and ready to fight with anyone who gets in his way.  Everything is a struggle for him and it seems as though he walks around this house like he owns the joint.  Like he pays the bills, does the shopping, cleans up, makes dinner, does laundry.  Well guess what little man?  Last time I checked you do none of those things.

Now, there is something that makes me feel better about all of this.  I've been doing some informal research among friends and family and it seems like this is a world wide epidemic.  Preschoolers and toddlers all around the country are going through the exact same things.  This whole school thing is some serious business.  Being a former kindergarten teacher I know how hard the first month or so of school is for those kids. On top of it all, I taught full day so it was really something to watch those kids just LOSE their minds by the time lunch was over.  Never ever, not once, did I ever think about what their parents went though once they got home.  Pre-school is just a few hours... what the heck will happen when he's in kindergarten next year??? Perhaps an even more frightening question is, what will happen if my soon-to-be 3 year old starts in January?  I can't even begin to think about that yet, first we must get though this.

So, what do we do about all of it?  We live in a small house and the boys share a room so it's pretty hard for any of us to get any personal time or to have a room to ourselves.  Plus, they are little still so they can't handle not being close enough to touch me for more than 30 seconds.  I tried to reinstitute nap time for the 4 year-old and that was met with so much protest and flailing that I soon gave up that fight.  To make things even more interesting, the 2 year-old has decided that now would be a great time to start skipping naps.  Did I mention he has sensory issues and does not do well with change?  I've tried quiet time, exploration tubs, books, movies, iPads, games, coloring, 1-on-1 time, bribes, and none of this has worked.  I hate to say this, but I'm still trying to figure it out!  Most nights my husband just gets them to bed and I sit on the couch thinking about all the things I should be doing.

I guess what I'm getting at with all of this is that I have no clue what I'm doing. None.  I do my best every day and every night, once they are asleep, I sneak in their room and stare at them sleeping.  I love those little psychos with all of my heart, no matter how hard they try to drive me insane :)

Anything you have come up with to help you though all the changes this time of year?  Post in the comments and let me know... I need the help!!!

School's in Session - Lesson 2

by Melissa

So last week I wrote about how enlightened my kids were becoming and how they are dragging me along into an enlightened state with them.

HA!

Not a week after I wrote that, I was reminded that parenthood is an uphill climb, with a big pack on your back.
My kids ability to pick up on the seriously BAD habits that myself and my husband are still working on and be just as CLUELESS as us, are a lovely reminder. 

(I’m so sorry kids - but you’re parents are DEFINITELY a work-in-progress)

Crap-in-a-BASKET!

Today’s lesson for me, is in Adjusting or like the Marine motto “Improvising, Adapting and Overcoming..

Say it with me boys and girls.

This week on our episode of “As the Pre-teen and the Teenager Turn” we find our teenager, working hard to define himself,  a.k.a. assume his place in the tricky social strata of Middle School.
He is constantly pushing back that he is not smart and he just wants to be like the other kids and take “easier” classes and not do things that he (or rather certain aspects of his social group) deem to be “geek or nerd type” activities or classes. AHHHHHH!  This translates to low amounts of actual work being done and a severe attitude when asked to exert himself.
For example, day 8 of school, he comes home and tell’s me that he has not only messed up a part of an exam (which let me be clear - I’m fine with, everybody makes mistakes). However, he goes on to admit that he “forgot” how to do the problems.  

Ok, WHAT?  

So I ask, “did you study?” He responds with, “I did my homework.” And I ask again, “but did you study for the test?” And I get the dreaded, “sort of.”
And then I remember he was in the basement playing his beloved video game from 7-8pm and then relaxing until bed. I have answered my own question.
Day 9 (still on the teenager)
Time to get up, no alarm. Headed out of the door, forgets his water bottle and phone. He is whining and moaning about the band class he has every day before school. One of those mornings where he is complaining about every little thing.

OY!

Next we tune into our youngest child , the dreaded “pre-teen,” who gets severely irritable when he doesn’t get enough rest (that part he sadly gets from me - NOT morning people). I’m sure his sleep schedule needs to be adjusted. And then during the school year there is NO tablet at bedtime
SO he’s going cold turkey on quitting his YouTube addiction. BUT this still leads us to  flipping out about:

• Part 1 -  How he can never have friend time after school because I take care of other people’s kids after school (which I've been doing for 2 years now and I heard this all the 1st year)
• Part 2 - I’m always working and he can’t do anything fun.
• Part 3 - Why is their homework?  
• Part 4 - I hate so & so because they were mean to me at school.

(Finally my personal favorite)

• Part 5 - This one girl is SO annoying because she likes me!!!

You know the whining and complaining the other one was doing, just a longer list and more elementary school-ish.

Oh and then my absolute favorite episode starts in earnest (she says with great sarcasm), squabbling back and forth in a constant dance of negativity.

Oldest:“Stop touching my foot.
Youngest: I was here first and YOU have zits!
Oldest: Well, Your face is ugly and there is no cream for that.”
Youngest: You suck!
Oldest: You suck more!
(We are raising Last-word-Larrys)

AHHHHH...I’m going crazy.

I try to find my happy place by imagining myself with a umbrella drink in my hand on a beach somewhere, a cold beer in my hand at the top of a mountain, a shot of Sake and a plate of sushi among cherry blossoms by a pond, lunching with the cast of my favorite TV show, great hair without styling, a world without laundry, toilets that clean themselves...scratch that houses that clean themselves, groceries that just appear on your shelves, no hunger, world peace, a real candidate for president...to never DIET again! 

 I digress.

Maybe it’s the daydream of many happier places... but it HITS me!

What am I a ROOKIE? 
On a side note: That in the land of semi-adults, also known as teens, I AM A ROOKIE! But we have been at this thing called "school" for quite awhile and I now recall the situation.

It’s the 2nd week of school and this TV melodrama has a long way to go!  The positive attitudes can be few and far between. I lovingly refer to this time (actually the whole 1st month) as “SPLAT on a wall.”

They need to adjust, as do I. Pressure is back and it comes from all sides (especially these days). Thank GOD there was no social media when I was a kid!

I’m not saying that this is going to cease and desist, but it will get less LOUD. Realistically it will come in fits and spurts throughout the school year. They are re-learning to deal with this new universe. And, if they can’t let steam off with me, who can they? And my swiss cheese brain needs to remember that or it will make a long school year, even LONGER.

SO, I’m going to let the oldest drag a his feet a little and see where that goes. And I’m going to let the other one have an after-school outing where it all works out and maybe just listen when he is raging about his day (keeping my inner control freak under wraps for a bit


About that enlightened parental state...I’m still learning to improvise, adapt and overcome. 

Apparently it’s a process?

(CRAP!)




Please share your “aha” moments with us. We love to hear we are not the only parents on the planet who are being schooled by their kids (i think we all need a bit of that to stay sane).

School's in session.

(What can I say...I'm a slow learner)

by Melissa

Every year at this time I get very nostalgic about the past school years and how big my children are getting and how I can't believe how fast time flies...etc. etc. etc.

Sure, I took them back to school shopping for supplies and we got new shoes AND the dreaded 1st day of school outfit.  My husband made sure we had a celebratory danish for breakfast that morning and we got them up, instead of their alarm clocks. I watched my kids do their usual things and I followed them around the house and did "Mom" things (which I'm sure they find annoying and I wonder how they are ever going to live without me).

They needed me SO much less. They needed less prodding and were super grateful for all the effort I put into their back-to-school experience. We talked. (Did I mention I have boys?)

There was still some silences as they watched Youtube and ate breakfast but when it came time to take those 1st day of school pictures, NO resistance (other than the obvious aversion to summer ending and school beginning). They smiled, they put their arms around each other, they even recreated a photo we take every year that LAST year we nearly had WWIII over.

Okay...who are these kids?

Something shifted. We turned a corner.

So many people have talked to me about the dreaded :"8th Grade Change," Which being the worrier that I am, caused real dread sending my oldest to school.  And the 4th grader is officially a big kid now, because he is in the "Intermediate" portion of his elementary school, otherwise known as the beginning of the end! Stages of life, measured by milestones that the outside world gives us, to let us know that they are marching towards becoming adults, to moving out, and growing up.

Don't get me wrong I'm still a master worrier! I keep the exterior calm and control the clammy hands and damp eyes. I play all calm cool and collected to their faces but inside I'm a WRECK!  And usually, they are right there with me, with a thousand questions and a tiny bit of panic in their very dilated pupils. But NOT this year.

I saw instead a bit of calm and a bit of excitement. WHAT!?

And I have been asking myself what and where could this have come from?

So I asked them.

And they answered.

Oldest child:

“I figured that since I can't do anything to change what is coming, I'm just going to make the best of it and try not to think about it.”

Youngest child:

“I don't like school but at least I got the teacher that I wanted and that's an ok way to start off.”

Now, I'm paraphrasing a little, but the jist is that they are...

living in the moment and taking it as it comes.

OH MY GOD! The mantra that I repeat to myself (ad nauseum, if I must admit) so I don't have a stroke from trying to control my universe, has been picked up by my children!! AND then I had my own "teachable" moment. I lead by example. I know everybody KNOWS this, it's in EVERY single parent blog, book and article. But seriously until you have had that actual moment where you see it take shape and hear your ideals coming out of their mouths...it's a VERY powerful thing. Like I said I'm a SLOW learner.

I feel I need to clarify something. First, I know they are listening and regurgitating our words and ideas. When they are little most of what you do they are just “trying it on” and seeing if it fits them. Then they pick and choose what they can relate to and comprehend.
Second, I have had plenty of moments where I have had to hear my own words come back to haunt me, that is a very different entity...one that sometimes doesn't feel so good. Those times are ones where you wish you had a time machine or a "magic eraser" for the toddler mind, for example, that has absorbed your very colorful way of letting the driver behind you in a pick up line know how you feel about their driving. That's leading by example too, and for the longest time it seems like that's all they pick up...all the DUMB stuff you habitually say and do.

Until this year, the year we turned a corner.

The year I got "schooled."

Ok..CRAP!
I figure I have a tiny window left with the oldest and a marginal window left with the youngest to squeeze in some more ideals and habits that will be helpful before they fully realize just how slow I am!

Please feel free to share with us your "aha" moment and how your kids might have "schooled" you.

Signs of Spring

A 2MomsView of Spring

by Mimi & Meg

Here in the Midwest (especially the northern parts), Spring can be a fickle fellow.  One minute it's warm, then it's raining, next the wind jumps to 65 mph and then it's snowing.  Great right?  Always an adventure here and it never fails to amaze us how even in the midst of all this crazy weather things will start to grow.

Mimi

Spring is springing up all over!
Speaking of grow...last week my oldest childs feet grew a half a shoe size! Shoes that were fine one day and POOF suddenly the next day his big toe is poking through!
It's this time of year we transition into a new weight of clothing for the spring (some shorts, some t-shirts and gym shoes) and we notice just how MUCH they have grown. I put away coats and boots and wonder if the sizes will coincide with the seasons for the my next child? I notice as I get weepy over all the things they have outgrown and panic as I realize that the oldest has nothing but the second is in GREAT shape for shirts. Grumblings from my husband who also notices this child-related sign of spring because the amount of money it costs to keep re-clothing them gets larger in correlation to their age. Of course drawers get emptied out and closets get raided.  And because of this, it's a good year to clear out these outgrown t-shirts from their drawers and baby tees from their baby bins (a topic for another day) and getting quilts made out of them. Like this fantastic example here by www.toocooltshirtquilts.com, which is themed. Spring will spring some space in their closets with this little project.

(photo credit Too Cool Tshirt Quilts)

Nostalgically, I notice that they no longer willingly and curiously want to help me do all the things I normally do in Spring.  The teenager does not desire to assist in cleaning out the garage and the pre-teen could care less that his closet looks like a bomb exploded in there! I miss those times and cherish my memories of little hands and curious faces as we completed a Spring cleaning task together. Now I assign duties and offer payment. Which is fine because it's good to learn how to be self-reliant.
But I digress, that is definitely another topic for another day.
There are other signs of Spring at our house too, ones that don't make me wonder if did all the things I should have when they were younger. Since my oldest has been a pre-teen we have decided that during our "Springbreak" or some weekend during April we take an ADVENTURE. It usually is small in nature and involves eating outdoors somehow, but it's just us. We go someplace we have never been (and sometimes will never go again), we eat something we have never eaten before and we take pictures and TALK about anything and EVERYTHING. And yes they actually talk to me, you know why, because there is no electronics and we are out in the middle of nowhere (I know good planning). This has quickly become my favorite because the hopes and dreams come out. No filter from how others think and no limits because it's ADVENTURE day! It's like a mini-glimpse of things to come. They are relaxed and full of themselves from discovery of the world around us.

Spring actually came to my very OVER-stuffed closet.  I threw out (to charity of course) FOUR garbage bags full to the brim with clothes, shoes, purses, baby bags (I KNOW!) and belts. I finally was serious of the questions you are supposed to ask yourself when cleaning out your closet

1. Have I worn it in the past year?
2. Does it fit?
3. Is it in fashion now?
4. Will I ever (truthfully) wear this again?

Wow, what a freeing thing to rid myself of all that stuff that I didn't even know that I had anymore! So while it is still chilly outside, Spring is definitely in full bloom inside my house!

Meg

Spring in our house has brought on the allergies, coughs, colds and any other kind of illness you can think of! Between trips to the doctor with the 4 year old and breathing treatments with the 2 year old, I have been cleaning one little corner of this house at a time.

This being my first year as a stay at home mom I am finding myself struggling to balance the needs of my kids to go to the park with my needs to clean the heck out of our entire, tiny little house.  I've decided to take on one project each day and pat myself on the back if I manage to get that finished ;)

On top of cleaning, we have the oldest ones birthday and I always feel the need to do WAY too much to celebrate!  I have the insane obsession with baking the cake myself and I end up dragging my husband into the intricate decorating process that leaves me sleepless for night before hand, and up till 1 a.m. the night before the party.  This year my 4 year old asked for a Lego Superhero birthday and my head nearly exploded. As an avid adult Lego fan I had been waiting for this my whole life (maybe that's an exaggeration, but I was excited!).  It is all always worth it in the end to see how excited they get when they see their cakes.  Most of my friends make fun of me for stressing out over these things, but I love doing it for them and I always love a good challenge :)

I think the thing that has struck me (or should I say both of us) the most this Spring is how fragile life is.  Of course the lesson or idea is something we all already know but this Spring Mimi and I have both been slapped in the face with story after story of struggles and losses that families around us have had to handle. 

One of the most poignant and distressing stories is a family is a local family in which 2 of their 4 children have been diagnosed with a rare disease called Batten disease. This is a "rare genetic illness that has ruthlessly robbed them of their speech, balance, and mobility. At this time, LINCL-Batten disease is always terminal, usually between the ages of eight and 12." (quoted from www.noahshope.com) And this Spring their son just 1 week shy of his 12th birthday lost his battle. 

(For more information about their battle with Batten and how you can help please click here.)

Many, many people have decided to show support of this family by tying red ribbons around their trees.  I am humbled and amazed to see how many ribbons are down each of our streets.  Most of us didn't know them personally but yet we all feel the need to show this family that they are not alone.  When I see the ribbons it reminds me to hug my babies a few extra times, to leave the mess on the counter and go play superhero games, and to be truly grateful for my family, my friends, and my community.  We don't know how many more tomorrows we are going to get and this Spring I am truly making an effort to be the best mom/wife/friend I can be.

Carpe Diem people (Latin for "seize the day")!!

Go make Spring messes!