December 31st, 2012

My Parenting Resolutions

A Year-End Letter to my Two Hearts

Dear Bubby and Lovey.

Where has the year gone, and what changes took place in them? I’ve been horrible about documenting your milestones this year. One that I am soon to correct, but I thought I would take a moment in these final hours of 2012 to share my thoughts on who you both have become this year. A year that that began with one baby and ended with two.

Bubby

As I said to you in the final hours of you being our only child, you will always be my special boy. No matter how many brothers and sisters you may have, you will be unique because you made me a Mom. We have, and always will be, best buds. Yet, I know it was hard for you this year, with all of the changes in your life. I haven’t been happy and I know you have taken the brunt of that. I also haven’t been there for you as much since your baby sister arrived. Added to the fact that your personal space has changed with a new room and a new bed. It could leave any other boy lost and confused, but you always have a smile on your face, and I love seeing it. Every time I see that smile, my heart melts. Every time I hear your cute little voice, my heart sings. Every time I hear you say “Mummy”, my heart soars.

It has been fun to see you learn. Counting and singing. Reciting colors, numbers and letters. You are so proficient in technology and love your iPad and iPhone, but you still love your simple stuffed monkey. I remember you getting your first matchbox/hot wheel car at your Uncle’s wedding. Recently, I had to buy a 20 gallon plastic container to store your favorite cars and trucks because your collection has grown so much. While you still love reading Goodnight Moon and My Mommy and I, you also love your new books: Big Red Barn Big Book, The Napping House, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, Little Blue Truck Board Book, and the “KeyKil KeyKil” book.

You went from walking to running, walking the stairs and trying to ride a bike. You also took your first school bus ride, learned yoga and made friends. You went to your first friend birthday party and flew on a plane to Disney World for the second time. You loved going to the playgrounds this past summer, and especially loved the “bouncy, bouncy”, but nothing could top the visits to the Apple Train at Belkin Lookout Farm. You couldn’t live without your Doggy Shirt or Mickey Mouse shirt, and your sleepy-sack. You also love your new Mickey Mouse watch. You enjoy going for walks with Daddy, ringing the doorbell and pushing the “Lion Car” around the neighborhood. Mac and Cheese, pasta with cheese, grilled cheese, ah-bottles, Izzys, and the occasional hot dog make it to your plate or cup. It was fun to see you love going to the farm and picking strawberries and other fruits and vegetables. For once, you ate something that wasn’t cheese.

You have also become an amazing big brother. You love your sister so, and love to make her laugh. I know you wonder how to share your space and toys, but you always wonder where she is and what she is doing. It is my wish that you two will be life-long best friends and so far, you are.

I cannot wait to see what 2013 brings. It will be a busy winter as I try and help you find your place, your footing and your voice. There will be more changes that I know of, and some I probably don’t. Yet, I do know one constant. My love for you is immense, overpowering and beyond what words can express or measure. My goal for 2013 is to be with you more and make you happy. I love you with every part of my being and every year that I get to celebrate a new year with you, makes my life richer because of it.

Lovey

We started 2012 knowing you would arrive, but you gave us many scares along the way. It wasn’t until March that we knew you would be a girl and my whole world changed. Oh, how my world changed. It made my heart fly when I saw your face on the sonogram, and that moment when I found out you were a girl. However, it wasn’t until the day you were born that I realized how lucky I was that you were here, and it will be something that I will never take for granted.

It was a tough few weeks, those early days, as we learned to adjust to our new lives, but I loved those moments with you. Nursing you was our quiet time together, and I was so amazed to hold you in my arms. We have had a lot of fun since then. You took a trip to New York within a few weeks of being born and were on a plane to Disney World by the time you were five months old. You took to traveling because when I was pregnant with you, I went on a lot of blogging trips. So I always feel you can sleep in the car or on the plane because you have been doing it all along. Hopefully, I will be able to say the same for your sleeping at night!

You enjoy your outings to watch big brother at the playground or at the farm, and always have a smile for everyone. You are such a happy baby and your smile, how it lights up your face, is infectious. It has been fun seeing you grow and explore the world around you. Whether it is a new doll or a new toy, you are loving the world around you right now. And your giggles. How they put a smile on your big brother’s face and how seeing him puts a smile on yours. You light up a room, but when I see you, you light up my soul. You were born in the year of the Water Dragon. In Chinese culture, that is amazing fortune. How true that is. My life is rich with every touch of you.

You also love your bottles, and less so the baby food I have been giving you, but maybe that will change in 2013. There will be firsts for you in 2013: first crawl, first steps, and first word. Yet, 2012 brought a lot of firsts – You also had your first bottle, your first giggle, your first poop on the potty. But the absolute first was your first breath. I wasn’t able to hear it, and it is something that will cause me sorrow for years to come, but it has soothed my soul to have been able to hear you, and see you, breathe since then. My love for you fills every breathe I take too, and when I see you, or even see your picture, you truly take my breath away. You, without a doubt, are the wish that my heart made.

Bubby and Lovey, there are only three more hours of 2012; the year and the hours that I won’t get back. It is my hope and dream for 2013, however, that we get more hours and more years ahead to fill with hugs, with laughs, with adventures, and dreams. I am grateful, for every day of 2012, with you both. Despite the challenges of 2012, we were together. We grew as a family. We grew as individuals. And that makes 2012 a wonderful year. I love you both and I cannot wait to celebrate this new year, the year of 2013, and every new year, for many years to come.

Love always,

Mom

………………………………………………………………………………..

If you love my posts, consider following me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, or subscribing to this blog. There is never a dull moment in these Chronicles! 

CategoryParenting Ideas and Advice | CommentNo Comments »

Tags:
December 30th, 2012

How to Make Snow Cream: A Snow Cream Recipe

With snow finally falling here in New England, it is time to pull out a fun winter tradition and make snow cream! It is a fun activity with the kids if they have a snow day or a fun afternoon after they get home from school. So here is an easy snow cream recipe to try.

For 8ish servings, you need 1 gallon of (clean) snow (about 16 cups), 1 cup of sugar (more or less to taste), 1 tablespoon of vanilla and 2 cups of milk. Put it in a large bowl. Mix it together until creamy. You can add flavors like peppermint oil or cocoa powder. Or you can add ingredients like M&Ms, crushed candy canes, or chocolate chips. Have fun with it!

Have the kids get the snow and add the ingredients, which are safe to handle. Have them play around with ingredients to see what unique flavor they can come up with. For older children, have them name their new snow cream flavor, and/or sketch a logo or design for their snow cream. For brave souls, set up a snow cream stand in lieu of a lemonade stand and see what happens.

Most of all, enjoy eating it!

CategoryHome | CommentNo Comments »

Tags:
December 29th, 2012

2012: A Transformation, a Renewal and a Promise

2012 Year in Review

I cannot believe the year 2013 is upon me. While I didn’t take much stock in the world ending on 12/21/12, it is nice to know we are still around. Apparently, however, that date was an interesting one.

As I understand it (which is rather sketchy) the Sun aligned with the Milky Way (not the candy) and with some sort of ecliptic plane for the first time in 26,000 years. As the Alex and Ani blog stated, this “cosmic cross” meant that “the transformation and renewal possible in 2012 is the highest promise of any Great Cycle ending.”

Errr…I’m not sure what that means, but it may explain what happened to me in 2012….and what decisions I have made for 2013.

Winter 2012 | Tired and Tests

The year 2012 didn’t get off to a great start. Five days into 2012, I was sitting at a table with a box of tissues and a genetic counselor to discuss the possibility of a down syndrome pregnancy. By the end of January, I was in the clear, but the first month was a precursor of things to come.

Spring 2012 | Anger and Anxiety  

The spring led to the baby blues.  I was mad from April to May and miserable because of it. Looking back, it was because I was tired. The pregnancy was taking a toll and a two year old toddler was the trigger. I struggled alone. Naps were rare and insomnia-induced nights were the norm.

Summer 2012 | Lost Opportunities and Lost Friendships

The birth of my daughter was frightening, but three events that summer in my business life left me reigning from shock and hurt. I was thrown into a state of sorrow, just days after a traumatic birth experience. (Apparently they didn’t read my blog.) Those series of events, to this day, still leaves me in tears. Yet my body was so tired, that the tears often didn’t flow. While the spring was the beginning of the end, the summer was the end of the beginning.

Autumn | The Rise and the Fall 

The fall brought more news that ended the little composure I had left. A diagnosis that would result in surgery and life changing decisions. I battled the ability to work with my need to pursue my dreams.  I was passed up for events or I needed to pass them up. It was a new status quo where I struggled to adjust. I juggled giveaways with giving in to sleep. I missed emails and meetings because I researched my diagnosis or fell asleep while nursing or reading an email. In reflection, it would have been a balm to have had empathy from those that mattered to me, but it was clear that I did not matter to them. Bottom lines and ledgers or ambassadorships and analytics, often take place of such relationships, but I was in a dark place where it didn’t even matter.

Winter 2012 | A New End and a New Beginning

I tried desperately to maintain my composure, professionalism, and happiness in 2012, yet I was too tired to do it well; my relationships, whether business and personal, suffered.  The year of 2012 will always be special because of the arrival of my miracle baby. Yet, it will be one of many, many regrets. If I could have a do over, there would be too many from which to choose.

2013 | Looking Back

In fairness, I wasn’t in the right mind to be working. It was peaking when I was crashing.  In the blogging field there is no maternity leave, but I should have taken one anyway. It would have prevented much heartache that still aches today. I watched others handle similar situations with dignity, ease and grace. I tried so, so, hard to it all and do it well. For whatever reason, I wasn’t able to handle it the same way. There were casualties along the way, which still causes me much sadness. I began to suffer with the reality of what was to be.

2013 | Looking Ahead

As 2013 looms on the horizon, I see the end of many things that I began in 2012. The end of a pregnancy and the birth of my miracle baby. The end of my child bearing years, and the beginning of a new family. The end of acquaintances and a beginning of friendships. The end of a blogging naivety and, sadly, the beginning of jadded one. The beginning of dreams and the end of them too.  My decision to take a business blogging break for awhile is a beginning in its own way. This end, however, is a beginning of other opportunities and dreams: less sponsors and more stories; less pitches and more passions; less computers and more cuddles with my kids.

I’m not going to worry about numbers, statistics, likes, follows, reach, and metrics for awhile. I want the same fun I had with blogging when I had my first child – the online friendships and the sharing of adventures, struggles, and triumphs. I’m tired of jumping through hoops to make an ambassadorship work, the life or death feeling when I don’t get one, hoping a high-end blogger will RT me, or getting reprimanded because a company (that pays me pennies) didn’t like a tweet.

I wouldn’t sell myself out when I was working in my previous industry, and I am not sure why I have spent the past three years doing it in this one. In 2013, I’m still going to do some work for The Toy Insider, MomTV and Savvy Source, as well as a few select companies. I’m also looking forward to some ventures with fellow Bloggers, and still posting on my blog, but I’ll work when I want to: because it is something or someone I believe in, or something that brings me joy – not unique visits.

I’ll spend more time commenting on other blogs rather than worry about giveaways on my own, spend time videoing my own kids and less time videoing some product, entering memories in a baby book rather than worrying about a blogging event, or just passing the time having conversations on Twitter rather than shilling for my sponsored posts. Perhaps when the snow starts to melt, when I finally get to sleep through the night, I’ll pick up the pace again with a renewed focus and mission. Yet, for now, I want to enjoy just writing; sharing my life, my days, my own adventures.

The saying goes that when one door closes, another one opens. As 2012 closes, I am looking forward to the grand opening of a new year. It will begin with surgery, but hopefully the surgery will lead to renewed optimism and hope. I hope it is something we can share together, but if not, many, many thanks for sharing 2012 with me. It has been one heck of a ride.

CategoryHome | Comment17 Comments »

Tags:
December 24th, 2012

How to Track Santa in 2012

A favorite tradition for many parents, is to track Santa’s whereabouts. Granted, it was old school for us back in the day. We relied on the weatherman on the local news station for a Six O’Clock News update. Now, however, there are so many cool ways to track the Jolly Old Guy.

Almost everyone knows about the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracking of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, and I love its back story. Apparently, it began as a mistake when a department store 62 years ago printed “Santa’s telephone number”. But some, err, mischievous elves switched some numbers around, and the calls went to a U.S. Government Defense office. Now it is called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or ‘NORAD.’ You would think, as the way of most government employees, that the person who answered the call would have told the child that they had the wrong number or, more accurately, that “I’m sorry, we don’t handle that. You’ll have to call the correct department.”

Yet, he didn’t hang up or claim he wasn’t qualified to answer the call. He played along, and so did his co-workers when the phone started ringing off the hook. And that, my friends, is how it all started. Old school really – a paper newspaper, and a landline telephone.

Now things are a bit more high tech. It rocked when NORAD offered an online tracking ‘system’. Now there are apps and more to follow along. However you follow, there are 1,250 Canadian and American uniformed personnel and Defense-Department civilians who volunteer their time today to answer thousands of phone calls and emails for Santa fans. Plus organizations such as Microsoft, Analytical Graphics Inc., Verizon, Visionbox and over 50 others support the NORAD Santa Tracker too. For 2012, Google has launched its own Google Santa Tracker too, with a variety of fan support!

So pull out the eggnog and start getting in the spirit! Here is how to track Santa:

Online

Head to NoradSanta.org on Christmas Eve to follow Father Christmas’ progress on Bing Maps. Or if you are a Google fan, via Google’s Santa Tracker.

By Email

Get an update on Santa’s location by pinging a line to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com.

By Phone

Dial 1-877-HI-NORAD or 1-877-446-6723 to speak to a NORAD tracker. Anyone overseas should call 1-719-556-5211.

On Mobile Phones

If you’re running Windows Phone 7.5 or 8, you can download the official app for free. The Google Play store offers an Android version of the official app with phones running 2.2 to 4.2. For iPhone, iPad and iPod owners, you can get a free iOS version via iTunes.

Merry Christmas!

………………………………………………………………………….

I did my best to accurately list all of the numbers, links and more. If anything is not working, please let me know!

CategoryHome | CommentNo Comments »

Tags:
« Older Entries