TGIF - Have A Great Weekend!

Thank Goodness It's Friday!!!



Friday is one of my favorite days. First it is guy night in my house...no Mommies allowed and I love it that way. Please don't get me wrong, I love to spend as much time as I can with my husband and my little man but Friday night for me is bowling night. I tell little man it is guy night so he is excited about mommy leaving without him and not sad.



I am in my 3rd week of my summer bowling league. I did pretty well in our fall league. Had a payout at the end of the season that allowed me to buy a new pair of bowling shoes and pay for the summer league. I even got a bonus for being in the top 3 females for highest game w/handicap. I'll take it.



Friday nights for me are my regeneration nights.



Tomorrow will be even more fun. I found one of the few cake decorating supply stores in the Tampa Bay area and am going to check it out. The theme of the cake I am making for my Make-A-Wish child's party has been changed from a beach theme to dolphins. She really wants to swim and work with the dolphins on her trip so I thought it would be cool to have the cake look like water with a dolphin jumping out of the top. I will post a picture of the cake when it is complete.

So it may not sound like an exciting weekend but for me should be lots of fun. That's what happens I guess when you have been with your husband for 17 years. You become an older married woman with the wonderful hobbies of bowling and baking. What can I say...it makes me happy, and according to Cheryl Crow..."if it makes you happy, it can't be that bad."

Hope y'all have a great weekend and enjoy yourself.

What Did You Say?

Wrong: Tattoo detective
Right: Try to detect it

Song/Artist: "Whip It" / Devo

Is it normal? Behaviors of a 16 month old.

OK...I am new to this Mommy thing. I thought my son who is 16 months old was a genius until recently.

First he comes home one day and grabs a hold of my purse. He puts it over his shoulder and walks with his arm up in such a way it doesn't let the purse fall off of his shoulder. This I am pretty sure is normal however.......

I was watching him the other day and he has started to smack himself in the face and head. Sometimes it is one handed, sometimes it is both. It also doesn't seem to matter if he has a sippy cup in his hand or not. The other day I was sitting with him in the back seat of the car when he hit himself in the forehead with the cup. He then turned to look at me and started crying. The only thing I could do was ask him "what did you do that for".

My husband says we should not make a big deal about it and he will eventually wonder why he keeps hitting himself in the head. Like I said I thought he was really a genius until now.

Is this normal behavior? I am guessing he saw someone do it in his classroom at "school" (daycare) and thought it was funny.

Then yesterday the teacher turned her head away for one second and when she turned back my son was standing on top of the bookshelf banging a couple of toys together like he was playing the drums or something. He is very adventurous and has NO FEAR at all.

Keeping up with him keeps me on my toes. He is truly the best son I could have ever asked for. Being a mommy is the hardest job I have ever had but the most rewarding. I wouldn't change a thing.

I am sure we will continue to have many more stories to come. Hopefully the behavior he is demonstrating is not only normal but temporary.

Wish me luck as I continue down the road of Mommy and any advise you have is greatly appreciated.

I'm Back! Make-A-Wish Updates

I know it has been a while since I have posted anything and I apologize.

Things have been moving very quickly these days and now I am back to making a little time for me.

I am now working on granting my 2nd wish for a 15 year old girl named Charlette. The medical condition Charlette has been diagnosed with is Von Willebrand.

Von Willebrand disease is a bleeding disorder that affects your blood's ability to clot.

Soon I will be meeting with Charlette and her family to uncover exactly what it is she would like for her wish. That is the most fun part of all. Think about it....if someone asked you what one wish would you like to have granted what would it be? How Fun!

Alex who is the wish child for the 1st wish I was assigned and am still working on is very excited to be preparing for her week long vacation at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas.

Soon all of the arrangements for Alex's trip will be secure and we will be planning her Bon Voyage party. I am thinking that I am going to make the cake for the party and do it in a beach kinda theme. As you may or may not know baking is my passion and my true love. Cake decorating has become my new hobby. I wanna be like Duff for those Ace of Cake fans out there :) I have a great design in mind and can't wait to make it come to life.

No matter what is going on in life and what challenges I face, I find that the work with the Make-A-Wish (MAW) Foundation helps me stay grounded and focused.

Soon I will be starting my training to become part of the speakers bureau for MAW. I will be spending my time helping to educate people through various speaking engagements about the MAW Foundation. I have been in the education division of a major financial institution for many years now and part of those years were spent in the classroom teaching. While I am still in education I do miss my days of speaking / teaching. This will help me give back while fulfilling a personal enjoyment. It's a win-win in my mind.

I will continue to keep you updated with the progress on these wishes.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!!!!!

Make-A-Wish #1 - Alex

In all the craziness going on in life lately I have still found the time to volunteer with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Last week I met with Alex, my first wish child. She is 15 years old and such a joy to be around.

Alex suffers from a condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

In hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the left side of the heart -- including the aorta, aortic valve, left ventricle and mitral valve -- is underdeveloped.

I was so anxious to meet her and hear about what her heart desired for her wish. The foundations policy does not allow children to be granted wishes that are for "motorized vehicles" so no new car for her.

What Alex really wanted was a camper trailer to pull behind the family SUV. Since this does not technically fall into the motorized vehicle category I am hoping they will grant her wish. She was prepared with several brochures and even circled the specific model she wanted. You have got to love those who truly know what they want.

Her other wishes include in the following and in the following order:

1. Vacation at the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas
2. Meet with Jensen Ackels the start of Supernatural
3. Shopping spree at Target and Best Buy

The foundation will review her requests and communicate with us shortly what wish will be granted.

As a Wish Granter I will be the primary point of contact for the family through the entire process.

I will keep everyone posted on how this wish progresses.

If you are interested in more information about the Make-A-Wish foundation or how to become a Wish Granter please let me know.

More to come!

What Did You Say?

Incorrect: All I need is America, All I need is You!
Correct: All I need is a micacle, All I need is you!

Artist
Mike and the Mechanics
Song
All I Need Is A Miracle

What did you say?

Wrong: "You make the rice, I'll Make the gravy"
Right: " You may be right, I may be crazy"
Song / Artist: "You May Be Right" / Billy Joel

What did you say?

Wrong: "Oooh, killer bee now"
Right: "Who can it be now"
Song/Artist: "Who can it be now?" / Men at Work

Good Bye Lady

I want to share with everyone that I am sure there will be a delay in my posting for the next few days.

Today I made arrangements for our beautiful Lady. In an effort to ease her pain and suffering, this Friday we will be taking Lady to the vet and saying our good byes.

Lady has truly help heal our family over these years. Rob and I have been married for 13 years now and the year prior to our marriage he lost his mother and then brother 4 months after.

Rob also lost his ability and desire to love anyone or anything until Lady came in our life. Now with her help and time our family is very open and loving again. We even made it to a point where we could begin to have children and extend our love and family.

This time will not be easy I am sure but with the support of our friends, family and faith we will be able to continue on.

May God embrace her into his kingdom so that she may run and play in the sun again.

We love and will miss Lady very much.

Lady "Bug"

Lady -the best friend in the world
A healer she has been for our family
Dearly loved by all
You will always be in our hearts

Beautiful
Unwaivering loyalty
God Bless Lady Bug


Our family is in the process of preparing for the loss of our "puppy" Lady. While she has given us the best 12 years anyone could ask for we believe her time has come.

Please keep Lady and our family in your thoughts and prayers.

I Want

There is something burning inside

that I really want to do.



Something that I know in my heart will make me deeply happy.

I believe I have a gift and I want to share it so badly.



Deep inside my core......I am a baker!



When I wake in the morning, and all thru the day,

even in my dreams all I want to do is bake.



Bake what? Anything!



Some folks think I am dreaming when I talk about

going to pastry school and opening my own shop.



They say

You have no time, no money, and nothing to get started

I wish they would stop.



What about what I want?



I want to be a pastry chef.



I want to open my own bakery.



I want to make it work.



I guess what I want more then anything

is for those who say they don't doubt me, but really do



To just show a little encouragement

and help me thru.



I can do this, there has to be a way

I will open my bakery one day.

Day Care Drop Off

I drop him off
each and everyday
I turn to see if he cries
when I walk away

At first he would cry
when Mommy would leave
Now the look on his faces
says Mommy leave me be

He plays all day
with his many friends
I wonder if he wishes
his day would never end

No matter how much fun
is showing in his grin
He is always excited
when Mommy walks in

He runs to Mommy
so happy to see her
but can't wait till tomorrow
when he goes back to day care

Poetry Help

So I am guessing I am making this poetry thing harder then it really is but sometimes I seem to have writers block or just plain difficulty getting started.

Any tips or suggestions to help is greatly appreciated. I know we have some experts out there that could provide some feedback and coaching, and believe me I am open to it.

I have to say this challenge is really fun....maybe we should try to find other monthly challenges thru the year :)

No Regrets

Another day is here
A chance for us to rise and shine.

Embrace the newness of the day
and let the old fade away.

Each day we awake
is another chance to make
the best life we possibly can.

Remain positive as challenges come our way
And know we will get thru this and tomorrow is another day.

Make the best of the moments we have
They go by so fast.

Enjoy each day you are given
and live it like it's your last.

No regrets!

What did you say?

Hope you enjoy this weeks misheard lyric.


Wrong: "Hey there amigo!"
Right "Hey where did we go?"
Song/Artist: "Brown Eyed Girl / Van Morrison

The Meehoo with an Exactlywatt by Shel Silverstein

Knock knock!
Who's there?
Me!
Me who?

That's right!
What's right?
Meehoo!
That's what I want to know!

What's what you want to know?
Me, WHO?
Yes, exactly!
Exactly what?
Yes, I have an Exactlywatt on a chain!

Exactly what on a chain?
Yes!
Yes what?
No, Exactlywatt!

That's what I want to know!
I told you - Exactlywatt!
Exactly WHAT?
Yes!
Yes what?

Yes, it's with me!
What's with you?
Exactlywatt - that's what's with me.
Me who?
Yes!

GO AWAY!

Knock knock...

Wish Come True - Research

I have received the paperwork on the child and family I will be working with through the Make-A-Wish foundation.

The medical condition has been listed as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. This is new to me so I am currently doing some research to better understand the condition prior to meeting with the child.

If anyone knows of any good websites to assist in this research / data gathering please to not hesitate to let me know.

It will probably be another 2 weeks or so before I actually can meet with the family.

This should be fun and exciting. I will keep y'all updated!

My Poem

In discussing the April poem challenge presented by Mommy's Nintendo with my husband last night he actually contributed his own poem.

Now my husband usually isn't much for this kind of thing, however; since he shared his poem with me I thought it would be cool to share with you.

My Poem - (by Rob)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Some poems rhyme,
Some don't.

I hope you have enjoyed this inspirational and insightful poem contributed by my husband.

Happy Thursday!

Do Your Best and Forget the Rest!

This is the start of something new,
A chance for me to write a poem for you.

I have no idea what I am doin,
Hope the poem challenge, I do not ruin.

Please don't expect my poems to be a work of art,
Just know the words I write are from the heart.

As my workout trainer says,
"Do your best and forget the rest!"

What did you say?

I hope you enjoy this weeks Misheard Lyric:)


Wrong Lyric: "We got to insult microwave ovens"
Right Lyric: "We got to install microwave ovens"
Song/Artist: "Money for Nothin" - Dire Straits

Time to Make-A-Wish

I have to say that my week has started off in a wonderful way. I received a phone call today from the Make-A-Wish Foundation advising they need a volunteer to assist with a child's wish.

This is my first experience as a Wish Granting volunteer. The good news is we work in teams of 2 and I will be working with an experienced volunteer.

At this point I have not received many details and it may be another 2-3 weeks before the wish granting process is underway however I couldn't be more excited.

I have more time then money as many of us do these days and while money is important to help make things happen, without the donated time from volunteers, it is much more difficult to make these wonderful experiences happen for the children and their families.

So with the support of my wonderful family who understands and is passionate about this like I am, I have all the support I need to give the time necessary to ensure the child and their family have the greatest experience possible.

I will keep everyone updated with the progress so please stay tuned.


"Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake." - Henry David Thoreau

The Invisible Mother

I received this email from my aunt who has provided wonderful conversation and insight to motherhood. Her experience with 4 girls (including one set of twins) has proven probably more then she even realizes to be very helpful as I am still pretty new to this mommy business.

Here is to Aunt "K" for all her love and support and to all the Invisible Mothers out there, I hope this is just what you need:)

************************************************************************************

The Invisible Mother......

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way
one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be
taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
Obviously, not.

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or
even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands,
nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? & Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock
to ask, 'What time is it?'; I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number
is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a
friend from England .
Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and
on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at
the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel
sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me
with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe ..
I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building
when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I
could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their
names.
These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see
finished.
They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God
saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird
on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you
spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by
the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God
sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost
as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte . I see the
sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of
kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is
too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great
cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction.. But it is not a disease
that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own
self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one
of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to
work on something that their name will never be on.

When I really think about it, I don't want my daughter to tell the friend
she's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in
the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for
three hours and presses all the linens for the table..' That would mean I'd
built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want her to want to come
home. And then, if there is anything more to say to her friend, to add,
'you're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot see if we're doing
it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not
only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the
world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Jo b, MOM!

Bye Bye Sirius

A couple of years ago my husband gave me Sirius Satellite Radio with a 3 year subscription. Well it has ran out and with no notice I was charged for another 3 years...more $$$$ then I wanted to pay.

When I called their customer service department refunded me the money and gave me free service until I could decide what plan I did want to go with. We figured we really don't need to spend the money and they were giving it to us for free so we would listen until the service was turned off.

Well after about 4 months of free service they turned it off yesterday. Husband listens to the comedy channel in his car since he has my old car and I listen on the computer while I am working. We are now back to listening to music the old fashioned way....with commercials :(

The good news is when I lived in Ohio they had a rock station that I loved. I couldn't find anything like it when I lived in Atlanta and now FL. So thanks to the wonderful world of technology and me being to cheap to pay for satellite radio any longer I am now back to listening to my OH music and just as happy....maybe even more since it is FREE!!

What did you say?

You may or may not know, I am a huge fan of music...all kinds.

One of the things I really love about music is when someone truly misunderstands the lyrics to the song or is totally clueless.

Today I would like to attempt a weekly post to share these misheard lyrics with you so you can laugh with me. You may even have a few of your own to share!

Wrong Lyric: "If you like bean enchiladas"
Right Lyric: "If you like pina coladas"
Song/Artist: "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" - Rupert Holmes

Enjoy!

Vacation is Over

So vacation is over now and my best girlfriend is on her way back to MI. I miss her already.

Vacation was great and we had a blast celebrating St. Patty's Day...at least that is what they tell me. I don't remember everything clearly after leaving the Irish Pub. Of course I do remember leading the entire pub in the Irish gig with the leprechaun. Anyone who knows me knows I would have done that even if we had not had anything to drink.

My hubby said by the time he walked into the pub the dancing was on and the crowd was talking about the girl dancing in the middle and how she must be Irish because she looked like she knew what she was doing. (Have I ever mentioned I think acting would be fun ?:)

Anyway....it is back to the grind but it's all good.

I am off to pick up little man from school and can't wait to see him. He is what gets me through the days. I just hope he had a good day today.

Peace Out Ya'll!

Hungry Hungry Hippo

Do you remember the game Hungry Hungry Hippo?

Well I was recently reminded of the game myself. As I was feeding "the boy" a snack of Kix cereal I accidental knocked over the box and the cereal spilled all over the kitchen floor.

If you are not familiar with Kix cereal it is a whole grain cereal shaped in little balls...kinda like little marbles.

As the cereal was rolling everyplace my two dogs decided they would help with the clean up. The two of them were scrambling to get as many pieces as they could as quickly as they could.

For a moment I was taken back to my childhood and reminded of how much fun we had playing Hungry Hungry Hippo. I just had to laugh out loud at that one.

Here's to remembering our childhood fun!

Ok...so the once a week post idea isn't working out like I had hoped. I will continue to do my best to post as often as I can.

We are now preparing for vacation next week..woo hoo...and Easter. Last year my son was only 2 months old when Easter came around so there wasn't much we could do with him. This year will be different.

I am teaching my son to collect quarters in his piggy bank and to my surprise he is really good at it. He is better at saving then Mommy and Daddy (I am thinking he is going to be our bail out plan). For Easter I thought we could get some plastic eggs, put quarters in them and place them all over the yard for him to find. Of course he is only 14 months old so we can't hide them too well.

The Easter Bunny is going to bring "the boy" a nice basket without any sugar! Mommy likes that. It isn't that I don't want him to have sugar...after all he is a child but, I want him to make good choices, and again he is 14 months old....what good is candy...really? Wouldn't he be better off with things like picture flash cards, story books and coloring books. That is what he is getting.

"The Boy" loves books. The day care is amazed at how interested he is in them. More times then not he will choose a book over another toy. We read several books a day and I am totally addicted to buying them. Guess there are worse things I could be spending my money on then books for "The Boy". It isn't that bad is it?

I guess it is back to work for me.

Until next time:)
Mommy T

My First Time

So her I go....off into the world of blogging. I love to read the blog of others and thought how hard can it be.



I am not too sure how many folks will be interested in reading this however I do have a son who is now a little older then a year so I am bound to have some interesting stories to tell.



So I guess I should tell you a little about me. I am a work from home mother of 1 with the most wonderful husband ever. I enjoy baking, bowling, crafts and spending time with my family.



In my spare time I am a volunteer for Make-A-Wish Foundation as a wish granter. This is an amazing organization doing the most awesome things to help children with life threatening illnesses experience the power of a wish. It is very rewarding. Considering my family is blessed with health and happiness, it is only right that I do what I can to help others experience the same...even if just for a moment but the memories last a lifetime.



My goal is to post once per week. Lets see how that goes :)



So here is to the new blogger...wish me luck and I hope you enjoy