If you read my post the other day, you know how frustrated I get with pretty much anyone who isn't (or hasn't been in the past) a stay at home mom. I mentioned how it is the only job where the benefits are delayed by about 20 years. Here is another story that offers a little encouragement for sticking with it (when sometimes you just want to go get a job at McDonald's because at least you'd get a 15 minute break every couple of hours and you could pee without someone sitting in your lap!)
WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING
Written by a former child
A message every adult should read, because children are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking."
Monday, April 23, 2007
Letter from Ben Stein
I don't know if Ben Stein actually wrote this letter. It has a "published" date on it, but I don't know where it was published. I am putting in on here anyway, because even if it wasn't Ben Stein, SOMEONE felt this way, because SOMEONE wrote it. I think it is a great letter. I know that lots (most) Americans love and respect the military servicemen and women, but it is cool to see it in print. (On a personal note, I actually think Oprah Winfrey does a lot of good in the world. She's no soldier, but she does do a lot of good from her place in the world.)
Dear Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, National Guard, Reservists, in Iraq, in the Middle East theater, in Afghanistan, in the area near Afghanistan, in any base anywhere in the world, and your families:
Let me tell you about why you guys own about 90 percent of the cojones in the whole world right now and should be damned happy with yourselves and damned proud of who you are.
It was a dazzlingly hot day here in Rancho Mirage today. I did small errands like going to the bank to pay my mortgage, finding a new bed at a price I can afford, practicing driving with my new 5 wood, paying bills for about two hours. I spoke for a long time to a woman who is going through a nasty child custody fight. I got e-mails from a woman who was fired today from her job for not paying attention. I read about multi-billion-dollar mergers in Europe, Asia, and the Mideast. I noticed how overweight I am, for the millionth time. In other words, I did a lot of nothing. Like every other American who is not in the armed forces family, I basically just rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic in my trivial, self-important, meaningless way.
Above all, I talked to a friend of more than forty-three years who told me he thought his life had no meaning because all he did was count his money. And, friends in the armed forces, this is the story of all of America today. We are doing nothing but treading water while you guys carry on the life or death struggle against worldwide militant Islamic terrorism. Our lives are about nothing: paying bills, going to humdrum jobs, waiting until we can go to sleep and then do it all again. Our most vivid issues are trivia compared with what you do every day, every minute, every second.
Oprah Winfrey talks a lot about "meaning" in life. For her, "meaning" is dieting and then having her photo on the cover of her magazine every single month (surely a new world record for egomania).This is not "meaning." Meaning is doing for others. Meaning is risking your life for others. Meaning is putting your bodies and families' peace of mind on the line to defeat some of the most evil, sick killers the world hasever known. Meaning is leaving the comfort of home to fight to make sure that there still will be a home for your family and for your nation and for free men and women everywhere.
Look, soldiers and Marines and sailors and airmen and Coast Guardsmen, there are eight billion people in this world. The whole fate of this world turns on what you people, 1.4 million, more or less, do every day. The fate of mankind depends on what about 2/100 of one percent of the people in this world do every day -- and you are those people. And joining you is every policeman, fireman, and EMT in the country, also holding back the tide of chaos.
Do you know how important you are? Do you know how indispensable you are? Do you know how humbly grateful any of us who has a head on his shoulders is to you? Do you know that if you never do another thing in your lives, you will always still be heroes? That we could live without Hollywood or Wall Street or the NFL, but we cannot live for a week without you?
We are on our knees to you and we bless and pray for you everymoment. And Oprah Winfrey, if she were a size two, would not have one millionth of your importance, and all of the Wall Street billionaires will never mean what the least of you do, and if Barry Bonds hit ninety home runs it would not mean as much as you going on one patrol or driving one truck to the Baghdad airport.
You are everything to us, as we go through our little days, and you are in the prayers of the nation and of every decent man and woman on the planet. That's who you are and what you mean. I hope you know that.
Love,
Ben Stein
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Dear Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, National Guard, Reservists, in Iraq, in the Middle East theater, in Afghanistan, in the area near Afghanistan, in any base anywhere in the world, and your families:
Let me tell you about why you guys own about 90 percent of the cojones in the whole world right now and should be damned happy with yourselves and damned proud of who you are.
It was a dazzlingly hot day here in Rancho Mirage today. I did small errands like going to the bank to pay my mortgage, finding a new bed at a price I can afford, practicing driving with my new 5 wood, paying bills for about two hours. I spoke for a long time to a woman who is going through a nasty child custody fight. I got e-mails from a woman who was fired today from her job for not paying attention. I read about multi-billion-dollar mergers in Europe, Asia, and the Mideast. I noticed how overweight I am, for the millionth time. In other words, I did a lot of nothing. Like every other American who is not in the armed forces family, I basically just rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic in my trivial, self-important, meaningless way.
Above all, I talked to a friend of more than forty-three years who told me he thought his life had no meaning because all he did was count his money. And, friends in the armed forces, this is the story of all of America today. We are doing nothing but treading water while you guys carry on the life or death struggle against worldwide militant Islamic terrorism. Our lives are about nothing: paying bills, going to humdrum jobs, waiting until we can go to sleep and then do it all again. Our most vivid issues are trivia compared with what you do every day, every minute, every second.
Oprah Winfrey talks a lot about "meaning" in life. For her, "meaning" is dieting and then having her photo on the cover of her magazine every single month (surely a new world record for egomania).This is not "meaning." Meaning is doing for others. Meaning is risking your life for others. Meaning is putting your bodies and families' peace of mind on the line to defeat some of the most evil, sick killers the world hasever known. Meaning is leaving the comfort of home to fight to make sure that there still will be a home for your family and for your nation and for free men and women everywhere.
Look, soldiers and Marines and sailors and airmen and Coast Guardsmen, there are eight billion people in this world. The whole fate of this world turns on what you people, 1.4 million, more or less, do every day. The fate of mankind depends on what about 2/100 of one percent of the people in this world do every day -- and you are those people. And joining you is every policeman, fireman, and EMT in the country, also holding back the tide of chaos.
Do you know how important you are? Do you know how indispensable you are? Do you know how humbly grateful any of us who has a head on his shoulders is to you? Do you know that if you never do another thing in your lives, you will always still be heroes? That we could live without Hollywood or Wall Street or the NFL, but we cannot live for a week without you?
We are on our knees to you and we bless and pray for you everymoment. And Oprah Winfrey, if she were a size two, would not have one millionth of your importance, and all of the Wall Street billionaires will never mean what the least of you do, and if Barry Bonds hit ninety home runs it would not mean as much as you going on one patrol or driving one truck to the Baghdad airport.
You are everything to us, as we go through our little days, and you are in the prayers of the nation and of every decent man and woman on the planet. That's who you are and what you mean. I hope you know that.
Love,
Ben Stein
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Today's Sports Activities
Both kids had sports at the same time today, so I dropped N. off at his game and took R. to practice. S. was to arrive at the baseball game a few minutes later, so I only worried about N. being there alone (with his coaches and the rest of his team) for about 20 minutes!
J. decided to wear R's cowboy boots to soccer practice. It was cute, although they are about 3 sizes too big for R--so 4 sizes too big for J. We always keep R's cleats in the back of the van, so we put on the socks and shin guards and off we went. Got to practice and guess what. . .no cleats! GREAT! S. took them out of the van after Saturday's game because they were muddy. . .no one told me!!!
Now--here's the really bad part--we were running late for Saturday's game, so we were in a hurry to get in the van. I had a ton of stuff in my hands--shin guards, my shoes, snacks, drinks, diaper bag, etc. We got to the game and guess what. . .yes we had the cleats--we didn't have MY SHOES! I thought I had them, but it was R's cleats in my hands! So, I walked around the game (in squishy mud) barefooted.
Then we get to practice today and I have done the same thing to my son! I tried to talk him into wearing the "street shoes" of one of his team mates, but since they were pink and said "princess" he refused. I told him the only other choice was to go barefooted or go home and he started to hysterically cry. So, I put the cowboy boots on him (over the shin guards--good thing they are so big) and sent him to the field with another mom while I went to the MCX to get him some shoes. There were none there that were $5 or less, which was all I was willing to pay for one practice. So, he finished the whole practice in boots. He was also wearing a flourescent orange penny, which comes to his ankles--so he was quite cute.
We got to N's game about 30 minutes before it was over. Guess what we missed? N hit a GRAND SLAM!!! Can you believe it? S said it was the most amazing hit. I did get to see him hit once and it was good too, but I sure would have loved to see the grand slam. He got the game ball for the evening.
So--that is a basic rundown of everyday of our lives. Not always the same issues (although we seem to be missing shoes a lot) but continuous craziness! I love it!!!!
J. decided to wear R's cowboy boots to soccer practice. It was cute, although they are about 3 sizes too big for R--so 4 sizes too big for J. We always keep R's cleats in the back of the van, so we put on the socks and shin guards and off we went. Got to practice and guess what. . .no cleats! GREAT! S. took them out of the van after Saturday's game because they were muddy. . .no one told me!!!
Now--here's the really bad part--we were running late for Saturday's game, so we were in a hurry to get in the van. I had a ton of stuff in my hands--shin guards, my shoes, snacks, drinks, diaper bag, etc. We got to the game and guess what. . .yes we had the cleats--we didn't have MY SHOES! I thought I had them, but it was R's cleats in my hands! So, I walked around the game (in squishy mud) barefooted.
Then we get to practice today and I have done the same thing to my son! I tried to talk him into wearing the "street shoes" of one of his team mates, but since they were pink and said "princess" he refused. I told him the only other choice was to go barefooted or go home and he started to hysterically cry. So, I put the cowboy boots on him (over the shin guards--good thing they are so big) and sent him to the field with another mom while I went to the MCX to get him some shoes. There were none there that were $5 or less, which was all I was willing to pay for one practice. So, he finished the whole practice in boots. He was also wearing a flourescent orange penny, which comes to his ankles--so he was quite cute.
We got to N's game about 30 minutes before it was over. Guess what we missed? N hit a GRAND SLAM!!! Can you believe it? S said it was the most amazing hit. I did get to see him hit once and it was good too, but I sure would have loved to see the grand slam. He got the game ball for the evening.
So--that is a basic rundown of everyday of our lives. Not always the same issues (although we seem to be missing shoes a lot) but continuous craziness! I love it!!!!
California
A while back, I posted some comments about living in (or being from) Texas. Now, I have some about California. Like before, I have highlighted the ones that particularly apply around my area.
1. Your coworker has 8 body piercings and none are visible.
2. You make over $300,000 and still can't afford a house.
3. You take a bus and are shocked at two people carrying on a conversation in English.
4. Your child's 3rd-grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, and is named Flower.
5. You can't remember . . is pot illegal?
6. You've been to a baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.
7. You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown, and you can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.
8 You can't remember . . . is pot illegal?
9. A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.
10. Gas costs $1.00 per gallon more than anywhere else in the U.S.
11. Unlike back home, the guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney really IS George Clooney.
12. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.
13. You can't remember . . .is pot illegal?
14. It's barely sprinkling rain and there's a report on every news station: "STORM WATCH."
15. You pass an elementary school playground and the children are all busy with their cells or pagers.
16. It's barely sprinkling rain outside, so you leave for work an hour early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.
17. HEY!!!! Is pot illegal????
18. Both you AND your dog have therapists, psychics, personal trainers and cosmetic surgeons.
19. The Terminator is your governor.
20. If you drive illegally, they take your driver's license. If you're here illegally, they want to give you one.
1. Your coworker has 8 body piercings and none are visible.
2. You make over $300,000 and still can't afford a house.
3. You take a bus and are shocked at two people carrying on a conversation in English.
4. Your child's 3rd-grade teacher has purple hair, a nose ring, and is named Flower.
5. You can't remember . . is pot illegal?
6. You've been to a baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.
7. You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown, and you can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.
8 You can't remember . . . is pot illegal?
9. A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.
10. Gas costs $1.00 per gallon more than anywhere else in the U.S.
11. Unlike back home, the guy at 8:30 am at Starbucks wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney really IS George Clooney.
12. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment.
13. You can't remember . . .is pot illegal?
14. It's barely sprinkling rain and there's a report on every news station: "STORM WATCH."
15. You pass an elementary school playground and the children are all busy with their cells or pagers.
16. It's barely sprinkling rain outside, so you leave for work an hour early to avoid all the weather-related accidents.
17. HEY!!!! Is pot illegal????
18. Both you AND your dog have therapists, psychics, personal trainers and cosmetic surgeons.
19. The Terminator is your governor.
20. If you drive illegally, they take your driver's license. If you're here illegally, they want to give you one.
Baby W is here!!!
My brother and sister-in-law (and niece) have a new member of the family! He was born today, April 23 at 12:44 Texas time. He weighs 7 lbs. 7 ozs. and is 20 1/4 inches long!! As you can see, his big sister is very excited to have him here!!!
Friday, April 20, 2007
My Favorite Story
You know how people always say (patronizingly) how "being a stay at home mom is the hardest job in the world." And then they say "I don't know how you do it. I just couldn't. . ." But you can tell by their faces that they are really thinking that you are a lazy bum that doesn't contribute to society and that you are SO LUCKY that you GET to stay home and do nothing all day?
You know how your husband always SAYS how he is so amazed by you and what a great job you do with the kids, but then he comes in the door at the end of the day and makes a face at the fact that there are toys on the floor?
Well, I have a response to that--which is this: When was the last time you mopped the floor at your office? Just because this building contains my job, doesn't mean it is my job. Your office building isn't your job--there's a cleaning service for that. This house isn't my job--the kids are. Get me a cleaning service if it is that important to you. And--while yes, you may have had a long day at work--at least it's freakin' over! Mine started at the same time yours did, and it still has a good 5 hours to go by the time you walk in the door.
My husband (the one who is literally climbing the walls on Sunday afternoon because he has been home for 2 days) said not long ago that "it wouldn't be that hard" for him to stay home with the kids. I absolutely disagree, but obviously that won't ever be tested.
Anyway--this is my favorite story that illustrates what I am talking about when I say "I spend the entire day picking up and cleaning up. It takes 5 hours to clean my house and 20 seconds to make it a disaster area again. That 20 seconds is usually taking place at the same time that I am trying to clean in the first place!"
To all the stay home moms out there--I quote my friend VN--"It is absolutely a full time job. It's just that the benefits are delayed by about 20 years and the pay sucks!"
Here's the story:
A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in
their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers
strewn all around the front yard.
The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house
and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an
even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was
wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a
cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various
items of clothing.
In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on
the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the
floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was
spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over
toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she
might be ill, or that something serious had happened.
He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the
bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and
more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and
toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.
As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the
bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and
asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What
happened here today?" She again smiled and answered, "You know every day
when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all
day?"
"Yes," was his incredulous reply.
She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."
You know how your husband always SAYS how he is so amazed by you and what a great job you do with the kids, but then he comes in the door at the end of the day and makes a face at the fact that there are toys on the floor?
Well, I have a response to that--which is this: When was the last time you mopped the floor at your office? Just because this building contains my job, doesn't mean it is my job. Your office building isn't your job--there's a cleaning service for that. This house isn't my job--the kids are. Get me a cleaning service if it is that important to you. And--while yes, you may have had a long day at work--at least it's freakin' over! Mine started at the same time yours did, and it still has a good 5 hours to go by the time you walk in the door.
My husband (the one who is literally climbing the walls on Sunday afternoon because he has been home for 2 days) said not long ago that "it wouldn't be that hard" for him to stay home with the kids. I absolutely disagree, but obviously that won't ever be tested.
Anyway--this is my favorite story that illustrates what I am talking about when I say "I spend the entire day picking up and cleaning up. It takes 5 hours to clean my house and 20 seconds to make it a disaster area again. That 20 seconds is usually taking place at the same time that I am trying to clean in the first place!"
To all the stay home moms out there--I quote my friend VN--"It is absolutely a full time job. It's just that the benefits are delayed by about 20 years and the pay sucks!"
Here's the story:
A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in
their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers
strewn all around the front yard.
The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house
and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an
even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was
wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a
cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various
items of clothing.
In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on
the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the
floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was
spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over
toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she
might be ill, or that something serious had happened.
He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the
bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and
more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and
toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.
As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the
bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and
asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What
happened here today?" She again smiled and answered, "You know every day
when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all
day?"
"Yes," was his incredulous reply.
She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Soccer
R. gets better at soccer each time he is on the field. He really enjoys playing--in fact, yesterday, the battery on my car was dead (a ridiculous story) and he was in a PANIC telling me he HAD to get to practice!
Although I am sure that you think I am biased--the fact is that this kid is SMART. He is the smallest kid on his team, and probably the youngest--but he is one of two who actually understand what is going on. I'm not kidding--the other 8 kids either sit down, try to trip kids running by, pick the ball up and run away with it, or they actually just leave the field. At one point in Saturday's game, the ball (and therefore all 16 kids on the field) came over to our sideline. 3 of the kids on our team kept running--all the way off the field and to their parents to ask for a snack!! Crazy!
Anyway--R. really loves it. He understands the concept of where the ball is supposed to go, and he is starting to understand the concept of working with another member of his team to pass it back and forth to get to the goal. (As opposed to what most kids at this age think of soccer--they are solely responsible for themselves and kick it as many times as possible. It is like having 16 teams on the field!)
The only thing that holds him back is that he is smaller, so therefore not as quick. Several of the kids on his team will turn 6 this summer. That is a year and a half older than him! At this age, that is quite a difference! He doesn't seem to be bothered by it though. I think he makes up for it by knowing where to go. He may not be the fastest, but when the fastest kids are chasing airplanes and picking flowers, he can get to the ball a fair share of times!
He is not afraid of the ball, or of the other kids running into him or over him. He gets right in the middle of the pack and swings his legs around with the rest of them!
His coach says he is amazed by how well R. talks. People are always surprised, because he has the voice of a 4 year old, but the vocabulary of a 14 year old! (I TOLD you he was a genius!!) Anyway--we love the coach too. R. thinks he is the coolest thing ever. He tells his friends at preschool, "My coach is a Marine. He's 19 years old, and he was in high school when I was born!"
Baseball!!
This is a video of the GREAT game that N. played on Saturday! You can see him a lot in the video, because he had so many awesome plays! On the video counter at the bottom right corner--at 2:51 he bats, 2:39-running bases, 1:31 AND 1:26 throwing out 2 batters at first base, and 1:10 a great hit! You can also hear his daddy quite a few times and see him for a second--he coaches 3rd base when we hit, and coaches in the outfield when we're in the field!
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