Today I was reminded of some great advice I was first given last year. The advice: "As a parent, YOU are your child's best advocate".
I Love My Monsters!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
5 Years Ago Tomorrow...
We got this perfect little...Marg:)
And while she keeps me on my toes and challenges me EVERYDAY, I could imagine life without her. I love you Baby Girl!
Fitting In
As hard to believe as this is, I am having trouble fitting in somewhere. That somewhere is football for Declan. I felt the same way when tackle-football started last summer, but there I knew a few people and one was the coaches wife, so fall football was manageable; flag, I am not having the same luck. None of the kids go to the same school as my kids or live in our neighborhood, therefore, I know none of the parents and Declan none of the kids.
When I go to practice, I sit with the girls and read or do homework with them, but most of the time Ben meets me directly from work and I take the girls home. Alot of the other kids come to practice with their parents and their fathers hang by the coaches "helping out" and that is great, but Ben comes right from work in a suit and tie and little desire to run around dressed like that.
Because of these factors, I feel that neither Declan or I(and Ben) are really connecting to the team/parents/players. I also think this effects the amount of time he gets on the field. I am in NO way suggesting that Declan is the best one on the team or even good, but there are other kids that are just as bad. I also think that he is young and at 8, your really need a coach that teaches you the game and makes you want to love it and play. In the Fall for tackle he had that. His head coach for fall was wonderful and although Declan was not very good and lacked confidence, Coach Steve always made him feel like he wanted to keep trying.
I am sure I am just being an over-bearing mom who feels like they are being forced to watch their kid get picked LAST, every day in P.E. and that sucks. It sucks for me, but it really sucks for him. I wish I knew what to do to make it different.
For now I guess I will work alittle harder to fit-in. I will practice more with Declan so that he can improve his skills. And then I will hope that he is not taking all of this as personal as I am.
When I go to practice, I sit with the girls and read or do homework with them, but most of the time Ben meets me directly from work and I take the girls home. Alot of the other kids come to practice with their parents and their fathers hang by the coaches "helping out" and that is great, but Ben comes right from work in a suit and tie and little desire to run around dressed like that.
Because of these factors, I feel that neither Declan or I(and Ben) are really connecting to the team/parents/players. I also think this effects the amount of time he gets on the field. I am in NO way suggesting that Declan is the best one on the team or even good, but there are other kids that are just as bad. I also think that he is young and at 8, your really need a coach that teaches you the game and makes you want to love it and play. In the Fall for tackle he had that. His head coach for fall was wonderful and although Declan was not very good and lacked confidence, Coach Steve always made him feel like he wanted to keep trying.
I am sure I am just being an over-bearing mom who feels like they are being forced to watch their kid get picked LAST, every day in P.E. and that sucks. It sucks for me, but it really sucks for him. I wish I knew what to do to make it different.
For now I guess I will work alittle harder to fit-in. I will practice more with Declan so that he can improve his skills. And then I will hope that he is not taking all of this as personal as I am.
Fun! Fun! Fun!
We have spent the past two days livin' the good life around here! The weather has been GREAT! Yesterday, the Monsters skipped school and with the Kelleys, we spent the day in DC. We rode the Metro, which the kids love, then hit a few museums and the carousel on the Mall. It was an absolutely perfect day! And with the museums thrown-in, I feel like it was an educational day after all:)
Today was CRAZY with errands to run, Declan's football game and then a Taylor Swift concert out at UVA. The concert was a birthday gift for Marg. Before we hit the JPJ Arena at UVA, we made a quick stop at the Fashion Center in Charlottesville because they have a GAP and we do not and I could not let my 30% off go unused. I stocked up on ALL the girls clothes for summer, I am so excited. GAP clothes are my favorite for my girls because the wear so well and with my girls being as hard on clothes as they are, I need ones that will last. Usually however, I don't shop there as the clothes are a bit pricey, I always wait for the sales! Today, I got both! The dresses I wanted were ALL on sale and then I got my 30% off on top of that! For $200, I have all the clothes the girls need for summer!
After our shopping trip, we were off to the concert. There were LOTS and LOTS of little girls(not that I was expecting different:)! The opening act was LOUD and unknown. Kellie Pickler was good and funny as always and Taylor Swift while appearing to a bit high on herself, put on a very fun show that was age appropriate for the Monsters. She kept her clothes on the entire time and the was no stripper-pole which made her better than Hannah Montana. The girls had fun and that made Ben and I happy.
The ride home was LONG and now I am ready to sleep for days! I hope the kids sleep in just a little:)
Today was CRAZY with errands to run, Declan's football game and then a Taylor Swift concert out at UVA. The concert was a birthday gift for Marg. Before we hit the JPJ Arena at UVA, we made a quick stop at the Fashion Center in Charlottesville because they have a GAP and we do not and I could not let my 30% off go unused. I stocked up on ALL the girls clothes for summer, I am so excited. GAP clothes are my favorite for my girls because the wear so well and with my girls being as hard on clothes as they are, I need ones that will last. Usually however, I don't shop there as the clothes are a bit pricey, I always wait for the sales! Today, I got both! The dresses I wanted were ALL on sale and then I got my 30% off on top of that! For $200, I have all the clothes the girls need for summer!
After our shopping trip, we were off to the concert. There were LOTS and LOTS of little girls(not that I was expecting different:)! The opening act was LOUD and unknown. Kellie Pickler was good and funny as always and Taylor Swift while appearing to a bit high on herself, put on a very fun show that was age appropriate for the Monsters. She kept her clothes on the entire time and the was no stripper-pole which made her better than Hannah Montana. The girls had fun and that made Ben and I happy.
The ride home was LONG and now I am ready to sleep for days! I hope the kids sleep in just a little:)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Taylor Swift!
That is where we will be in 6 days! Next Saturday Night, Ben and I will be with the monsters celebrating Marg's 5th birthday with Taylor Swift. We have avoided Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers, but gave into Taylor Swift. I just hope we are not disappointed. I hope that she is as "family friendly" as I have heard she is. I am hoping NOT to see her ass or her swinging on stripper poles, that will make it a GOOD NIGHT!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Too Fast!
This morning while talking to my wonderful husband on the phone, for like the tenth time(I was very needy today:), he mentioned how fast the time has gone by with The Monsters. This got me thinking, which is never good and always leads to additional phone calls. The time has gone FAST! The days sometimes feel slow and LONG, but the years so fast. It really does seem like we just brought Declan home from the hospital to start this adventure going, but it wasn't. It was 8 1/2 years ago.
I sat and thought about how I made it through life with a 14 month old, and a newborn. Which at the time seemed hard, but only until I tried it again with a 3 1/2 yr old, a 27 month old and a newborn. Those days were LONG and there were times I was sure I was not going to make it until Ben got home from work, but I did and now, in the blink-of-an-eye I am the mother of an 8, 7 & nearly 5 year old.
When Maggie was born, Ben and I talked about me going back to work once the baby started kindergarten, which seemed like a lifetime away, now I am only 6 months from an empty house for the better part of the day. I am not sure how that happened!
While the time has gone by so quickly, I am happy that Ben has always pushed us to go on vacations. I often fought these trips especially in the early years, it is tough to travel with little ones, but we always went and looking back I am so happy we did. Happy because we have so many pictures and memories and easy reference points for life, but happier that we gave ourselves the time. Time to just be a family. Time to slow down and focus on us. It may only be a few weeks a year, but it is OUR TIME and I love and treasure that.
I still wish I could slow the big picture down, but I know it doesn't work like that. I know I need to enjoy each and everyday I get with Ben and the Monsters, sometimes I forget that...Today is NOT one of those days!
I sat and thought about how I made it through life with a 14 month old, and a newborn. Which at the time seemed hard, but only until I tried it again with a 3 1/2 yr old, a 27 month old and a newborn. Those days were LONG and there were times I was sure I was not going to make it until Ben got home from work, but I did and now, in the blink-of-an-eye I am the mother of an 8, 7 & nearly 5 year old.
When Maggie was born, Ben and I talked about me going back to work once the baby started kindergarten, which seemed like a lifetime away, now I am only 6 months from an empty house for the better part of the day. I am not sure how that happened!
While the time has gone by so quickly, I am happy that Ben has always pushed us to go on vacations. I often fought these trips especially in the early years, it is tough to travel with little ones, but we always went and looking back I am so happy we did. Happy because we have so many pictures and memories and easy reference points for life, but happier that we gave ourselves the time. Time to just be a family. Time to slow down and focus on us. It may only be a few weeks a year, but it is OUR TIME and I love and treasure that.
I still wish I could slow the big picture down, but I know it doesn't work like that. I know I need to enjoy each and everyday I get with Ben and the Monsters, sometimes I forget that...Today is NOT one of those days!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
It's Official!
Yesterday our family got alittle bigger! My baby brother got married! Here are Mr & Mrs Bill Williams introduced for the first time!
I have been to many weddings in my life and I have to say that these two were among the happiest, calmest and excited couple I have ever been with on their wedding day. Not that I had doubts of there love before, but seeing them together on their wedding day, you could see that they really understand what getting married is all about. They did not get caught up in "perfectness" for the day, with flowers or formalities, all they wanted was to have those closest to them, share in their day. The last year has been a LONG one for our families, but even little tougher on them,but they were able to look at the big picture and moved ahead. What they ended up with was the most beautiful wedding day, it could not have come together any better!
I am so happy for them, but also happy for myself. Happy and thankful that Billy has found Kelly and extended our family even more. Kelly's parents and sister have not only welcomed Billy into their family, but us too and I hope that we have made them feel the same way.
To Billy and Kelly, I wish you all the happiness in the world! I love you both so much! Thanks for letting us be part of your special day and your lives.
And I could not resist throwing in a picture of the Cutest Monsters in the World;-)
All dressed and ready to head to the wedding!
I have been to many weddings in my life and I have to say that these two were among the happiest, calmest and excited couple I have ever been with on their wedding day. Not that I had doubts of there love before, but seeing them together on their wedding day, you could see that they really understand what getting married is all about. They did not get caught up in "perfectness" for the day, with flowers or formalities, all they wanted was to have those closest to them, share in their day. The last year has been a LONG one for our families, but even little tougher on them,but they were able to look at the big picture and moved ahead. What they ended up with was the most beautiful wedding day, it could not have come together any better!
I am so happy for them, but also happy for myself. Happy and thankful that Billy has found Kelly and extended our family even more. Kelly's parents and sister have not only welcomed Billy into their family, but us too and I hope that we have made them feel the same way.
To Billy and Kelly, I wish you all the happiness in the world! I love you both so much! Thanks for letting us be part of your special day and your lives.
And I could not resist throwing in a picture of the Cutest Monsters in the World;-)
All dressed and ready to head to the wedding!
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