My Mom & Everyone's Stuff!

I miss my Mom so much.  It has been 5 years since she’s passed and I am always amazed when I come across an everyday situation and I still go to pick up the phone to call her.  I hate that it took my getting older and having kids to have all these big aha moments.  I finally get what she was “ranting “about all those years.  At least I thought it was ranting when I was a kid.  Now I get it and know it was just her frustration of having to repeat herself over and over again day in and out.

So tonight, I was picking up after everyone and I started to talk to myself.  I do this often, I think because I know I am listening and no one else ever seems to…  I was talking about everyone’s stuff and wondering why I need to be the one to find a home for all the stuff.  The stuff that gets left on the counter, the table, the floor, the stairs, the desk, the couch and all the other places I find stuff.  It’s usually not the important things like money.  It's some papers or mail, maybe an old receipt or half a pack of gum.  Sometimes it’s part of a toy or a doll shoe.  I find 1 sock or 1 glove maybe it’s clean and maybe not so clean.  The stack of school papers that no one knows if we should keep them or throw them away.  I can’t forget about the dictionary that someone used but no one knows who used it.  How about shoes…  I find them all over.  It doesn’t matter if I have a shoe box near every door in every room in the house; they still leave them in the middle of the floor, on the stairs and once in a while under a bed.  It drives me crazy to be the keeper of the stuff.  The funny part is when they need their stuff they expect me to know exactly where it is because it’s not where they left it and suddenly I am the bad guy for moving it!!!

I only have 4 kids and I have trouble keeping track of the stuff in my home.  I can’t imagine how my Mother who had 8 kids felt.  I stop and think I can’t believe I had the nerve to think my Mom was “ranting” without cause.  I so wish I was able to tell her how sorry I am that I didn’t recognize that she had every right to be upset and that I know exactly how she felt.  As rewarding as it is to be a Mom it can be very challenging and frustrating at times.  But for me I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

I just wish my Mom was here to laugh at me and give me her take on how she felt.  She would offer me some wise piece of advice to make me feel better and help me understand that “this to will pass my dear” and she would touch my face gently.  My Mom would tell me that 1 day I too will look back and miss having everyone and their stuff around me so I should try to enjoy it while I can. 

What I would give today to be able to hear her “ranting” just once more about everyone else’s stuff….

Make choices and be thankful!

As we enjoy Thanksgiving and get ready for the Christmas season I have been thinking a lot about being "thankful".  I have many things to be thankful for as most of us do.  Of course I am thankful for my family, friends and our health and to have a home over my head.  I guess these are the “standard” things.   But what am I really thankful for??  As I continued to go over the same things over and over again I realized there is one thing I take for granted and never stop to think about…..  I never stop to be thankful for the ability to make choices.  We make choices, many choices every day and it is just part of the day, no big deal.  This year I am feeling so blessed to have the ability to choose.  I can choose what I am going to eat and wear to why and how I choose to worship God.  We make these choices without even thinking about them.  Do we ever stop to think what life would be like without choices?  We are so fortunate to live in a country that prides itself on freedom, the freedom to choose and to still be protected by law.

There are some constants in life and change is one of those constants.  It happens to us every day, like it or not.  We can be thankful, selective and intentional of the choices we make or we can just let life happen to us.  Life is not about getting what you want.  It’s about wanting what you have and being thankful for that.  I can’t think of anything better to be thankful for. 

After all if we make good choices then the things we care most about like family, friends and health will be well with us and not taken for granted.  Make good choices, many of them all day long… and be thankful you could choose.....

My kids are in the minority since they’re healthy!

Today I took 2 of my kids to the Doctor for their annual wellness visit.  Other than needing a follow up eye exam for one of them it was quick and easy.

The Doctor and the Nurse kept saying how nice it was to work with healthy kids.  They said that so many times that it prompted me to ask some questions.  I started with.. “Is this a bad season for the flu?”  They said not yet it isn’t.  So I asked “are there were many sicknesses going around like strep or ear infections?”  Still the answer was no.  So finally I asked why do you keep telling me how nice it is to see healthy children.  The Doctor sat down and looked me in the eye and said so many kids are overweight, sick with diabetes and blood disease, some just aren’t growing.  She then said they have more gastrointestinal issues with kids than ever before. 

My kids are in the minority since they're healthy?  WOW!  Given that I own a Gym and a Juice Plus+ Wellness business you would think that wouldn’t be a surprise to me.  I guess, like most of us, I sometimes take for granted that I educate my kids on how important wellness is and that they are what they eat. 

It is a shame what is happening to the young people in our country.  Did you know that today’s youth is expected to have a shorter life span then the generation before them?  It’s sad when you realize all they need to do is physically move more, eat more fruit and veggies and consume less sugar and high fat foods. If they did they would live longer and healthier lives. 

So I have to thank the Doctor and Nurse who reminded me not to take the health of my children for granted this Thanksgiving Season.  I hope they pass that message on to many more people. 

Be happy, healthy, thankful and please share this message with someone you love!

From the mouth of a child!

I spent the day yesterday with my youngest daughter.  She is 5 years old and just a doll.  She is home because she missed the age cut off for school.  Which is fine with me it is 1 more year with my baby.  Anyway she has spent a lot of time with her Dad since I have been working more in the last year (I have many jobs).  So we were laughing and playing and I was tickling her and she gave me one of the best compliments ever.  She said "Mommy you are good at all of your jobs but you are the best at being my Mom so I think you should do this more!"  Of course my eyes welled up with tears and I said "Thank you!  Mommy sometimes forgets how much fun it is to be your Mom." 

So hug & kiss & laugh with your kids as much as you can.  They and you need that and they do notice! 

I hope that's the job that you are best at too......

Shopping today!

I decided to start this blog because I sometimes feel like I want to know if others feel like I do about average stuff.  I have thought about this for a long time and today was the last straw for me.  I needed to share.....

I was shopping for my 7 year old daughter's birthday and could not believe how much "kids stuff" costs.  She is only 7 and it was hard to find a descent gift under $20.  Let me clarify and say, a descent gift that she asked for.  These were selected based on the TV commercials she sees and the toy catalogs we get in the mail.  I was in a store we all shop at to look for a walking talking puppy.  It was over $45.00!  This for a stuffed animal.  It may be a great stuffed animal but isn't that a bit much?  DVDs she wanted were all $24.99 or more.  She is a normal little girl looking for age appropriate stuff for her birthday.  Now I am faced with spending the money or disappointing my daughter.  This is why "kids stuff" cost so much.  We have no way to share our thoughts with someone who really cares about our feedback.  So we just keep buying.

How did it end?  Not well, I ended up not getting many gifts today.  I went home feeling very irritated and as disappointed.  Just like I think my daughter will be when she doesn't get the things she wanted most for her special day!

How is that right??  Anyone else feel the same or am I just having a bad day!!!