Endless Pursuit for Mom of the Year

Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody. ---------------- It's hard to live in the midwest, least of all Iowa, and not know of Carson King. The sign toting individual asking for beer money to his Venmo account, who later raised millions of dollars for the University of Iowa's Stead Family Children's Hospital. This isn't a Carson King story. Sorry if that's what you came here for. It is a story about the kindness and good in the human spirit. As a parent, no one wants to think about the harsh realities life can and sometimes does deal. The pain of assisting a child through an illness or, worse, losing a child to that illness or tragedy is not a reality I'd ever want to face. Every three months for the past two years, I have entered Suite 514 at a local children's hospital with daughter of the year #1. When I first entered that door, I was not prepared for what I would see on the other side.  Suite 514 appears as a very non-descr...

The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. - Lucille Ball Dear 16-year-old mom-of-the-year, Happy sweet 16. I know you waited for this day for a long time. It seems like you are about to leap into adulthood, some newfound freedom, but before you take that jump, take a deep breath. For every jump you take from here on out leads you on a path to your future, and it's one lovely ride.  Look around at those friends at your party. It's not a huge friend circle but larger than most. These girls have been here through almost every moment of growing up and will continue to be. In fact, many of those friends are still going to be there for you 30 years later. Cheering for you in a whole new way to achieve every dream you have, and sending you the Twizzlers you so dearly love when things don't go quite right. By the way, lay off the Twizzlers. You've been driving for two years so I can't even say congrats on getting...

When we seek to discover the best in others,  we somehow bring out the best in ourselves. - William Arthur Ward I remember the day well. The day my friend stopped talking to me. I was 12 and it was as I entered the gym for volleyball practice. The difference in the air was palpable, weighing on me like a brand new coat that hadn't quite broken in to my body yet. The talking stopped, the sideway glances began, and then just as quickly, no one would speak to me. I remember scanning my memory to recall everything I had done, what I had worn, what I had eaten, how many times I had blinked in the past 24 hours. I tried speaking to someone and was met with a cold nothing like this midwesterner has ever felt. I still feel that pit in my stomach.  Why I can remember this instance better than I can remember what I ate yesterday is beyond me?! Perhaps because it left an indelible mark on me, one I'm not sure I'll ever shake. It happened more times than I could count...

Parenting is an impossible task at any age. - Harrison Ford Every day, one thing I rarely forget to do is check my Timehop. Memories are big for me, and I love looking back at favorite moments. Lately, there's been a consistent theme popping up. I was funny! I stress...WAS. Not the tell a joke and laugh kind of funny. The kind where you just talk about your life and it makes you laugh. Like that time I was trying to scold #1 and she told me she didn't like my attitude. She was 5.  Even this month marks the birth of the phrase we've used many times since in our household, "You're killin' me smalls!" No, not original, but it reminds me of the precise moment we started calling #2 Smalls, which we still do to this day. I don't feel very funny anymore. This started me on the path of exploring, why? I certainly don't feel like I've changed nor that life has. Then it hit me, parenting just isn't cute anymore. When the girls were young...

Stay close to people who feel like sunshine.  ------------- I remember, when I first started this blog, all these cute little quips I'd post from #1. Not that #2 hasn't had her fair share. It's just somewhere along the way, I got older. More tired. It wasn't that I didn't pay attention. Perhaps I didn't stop to record them in the same way. What I can say with great certainty is, I was not prepared for how consuming life would be parenting a teen.  The fact of the matter is, I've been absent lately. Absent from writing, because I turned my attention to other things. But a wise person told me she felt I needed to start writing again. I needed an outlet. I won't lie, I felt a new kind of fear set in. My kids are older now. Yet, I find myself wanting to be more and more open, as I can't possibly be the only parent feeling this way. What if my words helped one person? What if one person said, "I feel that way sometimes too." So, h...

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. ~ Jane Howard --------------------------------- I’ve seen many mentions as we enter the new year of defining what you want 2018 to be in one word.  For a writer, one word is really hard. Before I tell you mine, let’s go back to 2017. This is something I have wanted to write about for a very long time, but could never quite find the appropriate words. I think I’ve finally gotten there, so here goes.  Looking back, I believe people often find one moment that seems to define everything that comes after it. My moment was early in the year when met with disappointment as a job opportunity for dad of the year did not pan out. In fact, that moment he told me this news is fresh on my mind like it just happened yesterday. It was easy to have emotions, so many emotions and while I had prepared myself for how I would handle this, it still felt...

Time is like the wind,  it lifts the light and leaves the heavy. ~Domenico Cieri Estrada  --------------------------------- I snapped this photo  tonight  then got an earful from pre-teen daughter of the year #1.  She didn’t like me taking random photos she considered “dumb.”  But to me it symbolized normalcy.  Her backpack lying on the living room floor with planner, laptop and binder close by.  Ah, a “normal”  Wednesday . She’s a good kid.  I don’t quite know how we did it, but dad of the year and I did something right with that one.  She’s kind, a good friend, helpful to others, and pretty darn serious about her school work.  We think she’s awesome but, as her parents, I guess that’s kind of our job. Recently, our lives settle into a slow pause every  Wednesday .  I feel myself barely breathing those mornings we head to the clinic to have her blood drawn.  She reminds me she’s old enough to ...