Last night we snuck out of the house to see a movie (Thanks Mom). We ended up seeing Marley & Me because I always wanted to read the book but never got around to it. After getting through the first half hour, which I mostly already saw through previews, it turned out to be a great movie. I came home last night and hugged my dog a little bit tighter. This movie embodies that love/hate relationship we all have with our dogs and how that relationship changes when you have kids, and then grows even stronger as the kids grow older. It‘s not just a movie about a dog though it really is a movie about marriage and kids. How your marriage changes and grows stronger through time and how when you first have kids you say to yourself “What the heck did I get myself into?” But as time goes on you get better at being a partner and a parent, actually you just get better overall.
I am still in that beginning stage of parenting where I am still trying to figure this all out and this was a good reminder to me that….Yes, things do get better.
My husband bought me Randy Pausch’s book “The last Lecture.” I was so moved by his story and have really been getting a lot out of his book. The main focus is basically about how he was able to live out some of his childhood dreams. Naturally it got me thinking about what my dreams were as a child. This is the list I came up with so far.
- Be WonderWoman
- Learn to play the piano (and be good at it)
- Be Anne of Green Gables long lost cousin so I could visit her in beautiful Novia Scotia
- Help suffering children
- Own a horse
- Be a “super mom”
- Save the world
I have only semi-realized one of these dreams, number 4. I went to school so that I could work with disadvantaged kids and enjoyed working in that field for over 4 years (until I became a full-time mom).
I don’t think I have reached “super-mom” status yet. Talk to me in another 6 years when I have more children and am carting them off to soccer practice, spanish and piano lessons, and holding a full time job while going to school for my PHD. 
No, seriously, I hope to accomplish a few more things on that list at some point in my life. I plan to make a mind movie to help motivate me along the way.
So…what were your childhood dreams? Have you accomplished them? I would love to know!
Two children that I love today fell off the back of couches. One was my daughter who fell off the pony-wall actually which is right behind the back of our couch. She fell on her head and thankfully was not hurt too bad, just cried for a little while as I monitored her for a concussion. The other was my four year old niece who bruised her fingers pretty bad, but thankfully they were not broken. This got me thinking if there is a higher incidence of accidents around the holidays. You know with parents being preoccupied with buying and wrapping gifts and making food for family get togethers. Then it got me thinking of all the people I have heard of recently who have had tragic events in their families. It seems like there are more this year than usuall. For those people please know that I am thinking about you today and throughout this holiday season and if I could I would take your pain away.
On a lighter note…
I was listening to “Talk of the Nation” this morning on NPR and they had a wonderful Christmas addition where people made up their own versions of “‘Twas the Night before Christmas”. I am a very sarcastic and tongue in cheek person myself so of course I loved this. I hope you enjoy it too!
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas 2.0
Merry Christmas to all and to all a safe night!
I heard “The Little Drummer Boy” Spanish version on the radio the other day and thought it was so beautiful. This is the best one I have found so far on You Tube. Enjoy!
This is my first time participating in Music Monday. Come Join along!
Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted.
Talk to your child….A LOT. It takes hearing a word a ridiculous amount of times before they can actually say their first word. When your child is learning to talk (and when they are infants) you can read them books or just talk to them about what you are doing throughout the day as if they understand everything you are saying. It feels awkward at first but you get used to it.
Another great technique to use is when you are sitting and playing you can emphasize just one word of whatever it is they are interested in at the moment. Then when they get that word down you can add another one, and so on and so on. Some great words to start with (besides mommy and daddy of course) are “more, up, down, eat, drink, milk, dog”. But basically just whatever your child is most interested in.
