Welcome Summer!! We have been out of school for almost two weeks and we have decided we really need a schedule. While this laying around and doing nothing is a lot of fun, it also means nothing is getting done!! I realize how lazy my family is getting! Yesterday we walked to pick up Abigail, not far mind you just not from the close parking lot. All the kids complained the whole walk! We have allowed ourselves to get lazy, we have allowed our children to get lazy. We are planning a big change and what better time then the start of summer. We are setting our schedule. We are going to start an exercise program. I am looking for some suggestions of program other people have followed. We have swimmers in the family so they do get a work out during practice but we need more. We need to eat healthier.
What do I hope to accomplish? I want a healthier family, not only physically but emotionally and behaviorally. My kids need a reality check. They need to understand we all need to work together and that things do not come easy all the time.
So what are your suggestions for a summer schedule? What are your best tips for Exercising as a family? What are your favorite healthy snacks for the summer? I hope to be able to make time for blogging as part of my new schedule!!
The first think I know is we are cleaning out the cabinets... the junk is going! We are going to have better planned meals, we are going to have planned shopping trips. Planning is the biggest part of a schedule.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Customer Service Part 2
I will not get into how much I hate Verizon again, but it is enough to say that my feelings toward the company are just get worse and worse. There was a time when I could believe that they were number one in customer service, not because they were good just because they were not down right bad. Now they are down right bad. They discount the phone and then charge you for the upgrade, so if I was a new customer I would have gotten a better deal! So why wait for the upgrade? And I did not upgrade my phone, my husband upgraded his....I will get his old phone, I always get the old phone......
What I want to mention is the great Customer Service at Swimoutlet.com. If you have any interest in swimming you probably have seen their ads on all the webpages you go to. As you might be aware, swim is my life. I don't swim my daughter swims, and she loves it. Now my middle two are swimming and while they don't love it as much they don't complain about having to go, at least not most of the time. Swimming requires equipment like goggles and paddles and fins and bathing suits. This starts to add up so I have been a very thrifty shopper. The first order was at Christmas time and Swimoutlet.com had the best prices for the items I needed so I gave them a shot. I was very happy, not only were the prices the cheapest around but the items came very quick, impressively quick. So when the middle two decided to swim, it was back to Swimoutlet.com and again everything was less expensive and quick. We just placed another order and I was very happy once again. We did a grab bag for a Dolfin swim suit and since we were ordering with others, we had 5 of the same size grab bag. They sent 5 different suits, and the only one that was a little upsetting to the 10 year olds was a pink pumpkin suit....which she says she will wear she just does not like pink.
Now if it was just the ordering and the prices that would be one thing, but any time I have had a problem, question or concern I just hit the chat button and in less then a minute I am chatting with someone who has always been able to quickly and politely answer my questions. They have helped me find the right size suit for my little guy and helped me prepare for returns. Today I chatted because one item I got was starting to rip. The Customer Service rep asked if it would be okay if they sent out a new one. Of course I said yes, and before I could finish the survey, I had an order confirmation telling me it was on its way.
Will this company have my business, of course they will, but what I think is more important for them is that I am telling all of you, and all that I meet, about them. Maybe I will not reach millions of people, but I know I got them one new customer and if she tells some one who tells someone.....well you get the idea.
Let's spread the word, let companies know we have a voice and we can use it. It might be soft and small, but it is powerful.
What I want to mention is the great Customer Service at Swimoutlet.com. If you have any interest in swimming you probably have seen their ads on all the webpages you go to. As you might be aware, swim is my life. I don't swim my daughter swims, and she loves it. Now my middle two are swimming and while they don't love it as much they don't complain about having to go, at least not most of the time. Swimming requires equipment like goggles and paddles and fins and bathing suits. This starts to add up so I have been a very thrifty shopper. The first order was at Christmas time and Swimoutlet.com had the best prices for the items I needed so I gave them a shot. I was very happy, not only were the prices the cheapest around but the items came very quick, impressively quick. So when the middle two decided to swim, it was back to Swimoutlet.com and again everything was less expensive and quick. We just placed another order and I was very happy once again. We did a grab bag for a Dolfin swim suit and since we were ordering with others, we had 5 of the same size grab bag. They sent 5 different suits, and the only one that was a little upsetting to the 10 year olds was a pink pumpkin suit....which she says she will wear she just does not like pink.
Now if it was just the ordering and the prices that would be one thing, but any time I have had a problem, question or concern I just hit the chat button and in less then a minute I am chatting with someone who has always been able to quickly and politely answer my questions. They have helped me find the right size suit for my little guy and helped me prepare for returns. Today I chatted because one item I got was starting to rip. The Customer Service rep asked if it would be okay if they sent out a new one. Of course I said yes, and before I could finish the survey, I had an order confirmation telling me it was on its way.
Will this company have my business, of course they will, but what I think is more important for them is that I am telling all of you, and all that I meet, about them. Maybe I will not reach millions of people, but I know I got them one new customer and if she tells some one who tells someone.....well you get the idea.
Let's spread the word, let companies know we have a voice and we can use it. It might be soft and small, but it is powerful.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Just Thinking: Christ is Risen! Alleluia!!
Just Thinking: Christ is Risen! Alleluia!!: Hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter. I have to say mine was almost perfect. Having kids around have a way of making the simple wonde...
Christ is Risen! Alleluia!!
Hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter. I have to say mine was almost perfect. Having kids around have a way of making the simple wonderful. It was blessed day for sure. I look at how times have changed for my family, even looking back to last year, and see that although we are often very crazy busy and things are not always the way we want them to be we are very blessed. Easter is a time for us to renew and review. It is easy to see Easter as a rebirth, but it is also a time for reflection. Our Priest said we need to think of this end of lent as just the beginning. We give up items for Lent but return to our same ways the moment we are able to, but we need to take what we have done and continue to grow from what we have learned. It seems easy to do anything for 40 days, but we need to continue past those 40 days to our every day.
So in these days of the Easter season, I challenge you to challenge yourself. I challenge you to take each day as an opportunity for a rebirth, a renewing of your spirit. It can be in simple measures, in simple steps. If each day you take one step to make your life better, to make the life of those around you better, think what your life will be like in one year. Think what the life of those around you will be like if you take one simple step each day. A new life, a new beginning for everyone starting today! Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Let us take this moment to reflect and remember!
So in these days of the Easter season, I challenge you to challenge yourself. I challenge you to take each day as an opportunity for a rebirth, a renewing of your spirit. It can be in simple measures, in simple steps. If each day you take one step to make your life better, to make the life of those around you better, think what your life will be like in one year. Think what the life of those around you will be like if you take one simple step each day. A new life, a new beginning for everyone starting today! Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Let us take this moment to reflect and remember!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
About me.
Not me about the site. Has anyone checked it out? What are our thought? Go check it out now! Here is mine http://about.me/jead619 It is a neat idea but I am not sure it works for me. I guess I don't have enough followers to make this useful for me. Maybe when this blog thing starts working it would be helpful. Imagine being about to go to one place and finding all the pages created by one person. That is the idea behind about.me. The site is very easy to use and if you check it out now you can get some business cards. Being a stay at home mom, business cards are so very valuable!! How many times do I need to provide my name and address or phone number or email address to some one, or the give it to me, always on some little tiny piece of paper that gets lost with the million other things I have to remember. Business cards do not get lost so easy (Note: I did not say they don't get lost, just not as easy!!) You can get free MOO.com cards, they do have the moo.com on them but free cards are worth it. The site is easy to use and you can customize them any way you wish. Think about it! What a great deal for your home business or what ever reason. I am so glad that being a Bzz Agent has given me a chance to see this new concept, even if I am not taking full advantage of it!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
School Budget
So our school district is facing drastic cuts, closing 3 schools and eliminating 295 positions, because they don't want to raise taxes. I don't want the taxes to be raised, but I also do not want my children's education to suffer. They are cutting a huge number of math teachers positions, but yet the students struggle with math. The logic of all these cuts do not make sense. They say they have lost 500 students so this averages 1 position for every 1.7 students. Was there really that great excess? Obviously this is going to increase class sizes. The increase class sizes is going to hurt those students in the middle. The top students will continue to get the services they need because they stand out. The bottom students will get attention because they stand out and the school is required to provide the services to them. Those students in the middle will stay right where they are, maintaining the status of average.
As the wife of a teacher, and a frequent volunteer in the school I am tired of people saying that teachers are over paid. If it is so easy to teacher and the salary is so great why aren't more people trying to be teachers? If you have ever been worked as a teacher or with a teacher you know that it is not a 7-3 job with summers off. A teacher need to be always thinking, planning, working, learning and doing. You hear the TV ads about teachers buying their own supplies, and this is not a joke. Teachers become more and more creative to ensure they do not over steep their budget limits. Teachers need to have continuing education classes and need to re-invent their lessons to deal with the class they have in front of them. Teachers need to teach to all there students, adapting lessons to help all students succeed. Teachers are responsible for shaping our future.
Sure there are teachers who do not know how to engage a class, or who are just plan bad and should not be in the classroom. This can be said about an field. There are bad cops, doctors, athletes, but we don't condemn the whole group. We do need a way to support teachers, to ensure all teachers are able to be engaging and encourage students success.
There are those who say, "when I was going up the class size was 30-40 and we are fine". I believe maybe you are, but the times are different. Most of your classmates were probably living in a two parent home, with one parent at home with them at least until they were older. You and most of your classmates has support at home with your homework, behavior and you were made to go to school unless you were sick. I would gather you and your classmates never wanted to get in trouble in school because you knew you would be in more trouble at home. You would never think that your parent would want to sue the teacher because you failed a test. Your parent would never come to the school to start a fight with another student or their parent because the kids something rude to you. Your parents would not think of suing the school because you were disciplined. Your school was not used as a babysitter, therapist, support center, it was a place you went to learn and you did. Have you been in a school lately?
People will point to private schools who can do more with less. Yes, I agree that is great. So lets look at these private schools and see why. Well we can start with mandates. Most of these schools do not have to deal with the numerous mandates put on the school by the state and federal government. These mandates prevent teachers from doing what they do best, teach. Kids in school do not read books, they read from a textbook. The teacher provides the lesson in the book. They must follow the mandate. These mandates are only a small part of the reason, the bigger issue is who they must educate. They can select the students/families that they want to be part of their school. The public school must educate everyone in the least restrictive environment. Gone are the days when you could send a student to another school/class just because they were not a good fit. The public school must deal with all types of parents, great ones, good ones, and those that say "why is my kid failing, I don't work with them at home that is your job, no they can not miss any recess or specials class, just fix my kid or I am going to sue."
The other argument I see a lot is "I don't have kids in the school." I am sorry about that, but you are going to want these children to grow up and continue to provide services to you, like doctors, law enforcement.. With that logic why not make all schools private, no need to educate the masses. You know when America was first founded it was like that, maybe we should go back to that. Oh wait reading was all based on the bible, do you think that would be okay? Wait, can't use the bible someone would certainly sue.
Yes, there needs to be a budget, but not on the backs of the students or the teachers who work very hard to make sure that each child gets the best education. The budget needs to be honest, and real. We need a budget that addresses the needs of our future generation. No money does not solve all the problems, but we do need something to work with.
As the wife of a teacher, and a frequent volunteer in the school I am tired of people saying that teachers are over paid. If it is so easy to teacher and the salary is so great why aren't more people trying to be teachers? If you have ever been worked as a teacher or with a teacher you know that it is not a 7-3 job with summers off. A teacher need to be always thinking, planning, working, learning and doing. You hear the TV ads about teachers buying their own supplies, and this is not a joke. Teachers become more and more creative to ensure they do not over steep their budget limits. Teachers need to have continuing education classes and need to re-invent their lessons to deal with the class they have in front of them. Teachers need to teach to all there students, adapting lessons to help all students succeed. Teachers are responsible for shaping our future.
Sure there are teachers who do not know how to engage a class, or who are just plan bad and should not be in the classroom. This can be said about an field. There are bad cops, doctors, athletes, but we don't condemn the whole group. We do need a way to support teachers, to ensure all teachers are able to be engaging and encourage students success.
There are those who say, "when I was going up the class size was 30-40 and we are fine". I believe maybe you are, but the times are different. Most of your classmates were probably living in a two parent home, with one parent at home with them at least until they were older. You and most of your classmates has support at home with your homework, behavior and you were made to go to school unless you were sick. I would gather you and your classmates never wanted to get in trouble in school because you knew you would be in more trouble at home. You would never think that your parent would want to sue the teacher because you failed a test. Your parent would never come to the school to start a fight with another student or their parent because the kids something rude to you. Your parents would not think of suing the school because you were disciplined. Your school was not used as a babysitter, therapist, support center, it was a place you went to learn and you did. Have you been in a school lately?
People will point to private schools who can do more with less. Yes, I agree that is great. So lets look at these private schools and see why. Well we can start with mandates. Most of these schools do not have to deal with the numerous mandates put on the school by the state and federal government. These mandates prevent teachers from doing what they do best, teach. Kids in school do not read books, they read from a textbook. The teacher provides the lesson in the book. They must follow the mandate. These mandates are only a small part of the reason, the bigger issue is who they must educate. They can select the students/families that they want to be part of their school. The public school must educate everyone in the least restrictive environment. Gone are the days when you could send a student to another school/class just because they were not a good fit. The public school must deal with all types of parents, great ones, good ones, and those that say "why is my kid failing, I don't work with them at home that is your job, no they can not miss any recess or specials class, just fix my kid or I am going to sue."
The other argument I see a lot is "I don't have kids in the school." I am sorry about that, but you are going to want these children to grow up and continue to provide services to you, like doctors, law enforcement.. With that logic why not make all schools private, no need to educate the masses. You know when America was first founded it was like that, maybe we should go back to that. Oh wait reading was all based on the bible, do you think that would be okay? Wait, can't use the bible someone would certainly sue.
Yes, there needs to be a budget, but not on the backs of the students or the teachers who work very hard to make sure that each child gets the best education. The budget needs to be honest, and real. We need a budget that addresses the needs of our future generation. No money does not solve all the problems, but we do need something to work with.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Customer Service
How do you define customer service. It is beyond just the ability to help the customer but it is one of those things that you know it when you experience it. I bet we can all relate a story when we, as the customer, felt that a company or business was glad that they had our business and that they hoped we would continue to use their services. My bank is like that, it is a small community bank (Citizens Savings Bank), and every time I have a problem, like my wallet is stolen, I feel like they are concerned about me and my security. Do they charge me fee that I wish I did not have to pay, sure but they are a business and need to make money. I understand that. Discover Card is another one, any time I had problems with them they were more then kind and understanding. They were always willing to work with me and help me find the best way to address my needs. Yes, I understand that they were interested in making money, and the things they were doing were helping ensure they would get money. However, they approach it in a way that feels like they care about the long term relation that we have developed.
Verizon on the other hand is one company that does not care about you as a customer. They use the nice words but really there is nothing behind their words. I can count on one hand how many times I have hung up with a Customer Service Representative from Verizon feeling my issue had been addressed and that the problem was resolved, or that they treated me like I was an important customer. Twice from two different technicians who came to the house because of on going service issues, but I felt like they really wanted the service to work, but knew the problem was more then they could address. There was the one Customer service Representative who did help me address all the issues with the service and overages and helped address billing concerns. I think that is all of them, they stick out because they were unique in their ability to develop a rapport and attempt to address the issue, not because they gave me what I wanted (none of the actually solved a problem) but because they treated me like my business was important. That is in the 10 years I have been a Verizon Customer. There have been others who seemed helpful but then we realized that they were just "yes men" and really did not address any of our concerns. And Verizon has you stuck. To get away from Verizon at this moment would cost me $400!! I will be smart this time and make it so in one year I will be able to leave them.
Do I think the other companies will be different? Of course not, I left AT&T 10 years ago because I felt like I was a number, they did not care about me as a customer. Verizon at that time was so eager to have my business. I figure any company will be the same and then when i am feed up I will move on. There is no loyalty because to have loyalty I need to have something to be loyal to.
I know it is not just with the telecommunication companies, but almost every company. There is more concern about the bottom line then about the customer. There is more of a concern about getting the new customer then keeping old ones happy. Why is this? I have some theories, first being that most people are slow to change. Change takes effort, so people are slow to leave a company which they are already established with. Look at your phone plan? When was the last time you made a change? How about you cable/satellite? Change is harder then not changing. Companies know this so they know once your hooked you stay.
What can we do to help improve customer service? First you do business with the companies that provide service. Second we need to go back to an old fashioned method of acknowledging great service in written form. When we are part of good customer service we need to let everyone know.
When were you last treated like an important customer? Let me know!! I challenge you to recognize great service and let everyone know.
Verizon on the other hand is one company that does not care about you as a customer. They use the nice words but really there is nothing behind their words. I can count on one hand how many times I have hung up with a Customer Service Representative from Verizon feeling my issue had been addressed and that the problem was resolved, or that they treated me like I was an important customer. Twice from two different technicians who came to the house because of on going service issues, but I felt like they really wanted the service to work, but knew the problem was more then they could address. There was the one Customer service Representative who did help me address all the issues with the service and overages and helped address billing concerns. I think that is all of them, they stick out because they were unique in their ability to develop a rapport and attempt to address the issue, not because they gave me what I wanted (none of the actually solved a problem) but because they treated me like my business was important. That is in the 10 years I have been a Verizon Customer. There have been others who seemed helpful but then we realized that they were just "yes men" and really did not address any of our concerns. And Verizon has you stuck. To get away from Verizon at this moment would cost me $400!! I will be smart this time and make it so in one year I will be able to leave them.
Do I think the other companies will be different? Of course not, I left AT&T 10 years ago because I felt like I was a number, they did not care about me as a customer. Verizon at that time was so eager to have my business. I figure any company will be the same and then when i am feed up I will move on. There is no loyalty because to have loyalty I need to have something to be loyal to.
I know it is not just with the telecommunication companies, but almost every company. There is more concern about the bottom line then about the customer. There is more of a concern about getting the new customer then keeping old ones happy. Why is this? I have some theories, first being that most people are slow to change. Change takes effort, so people are slow to leave a company which they are already established with. Look at your phone plan? When was the last time you made a change? How about you cable/satellite? Change is harder then not changing. Companies know this so they know once your hooked you stay.
What can we do to help improve customer service? First you do business with the companies that provide service. Second we need to go back to an old fashioned method of acknowledging great service in written form. When we are part of good customer service we need to let everyone know.
When were you last treated like an important customer? Let me know!! I challenge you to recognize great service and let everyone know.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Have you tried....
Smarterer? It is actually a lot of fun and a great way to learn. So what is it? It is basically a series of questions that help you discover how much you know about a subject. I was given the opportunity to try Smarterer as a BzzAgent. I did see how well I knew Bzz but then I went on to see how well I knew Google. Learned a lot about the best way to perform searches on Google. Right now I have answered all the questions and I am only proficient. Some the questions are hard! They have quizzes for different sites like Blogger (I think I will try that one next because I really don't know what I am doing on here!!) I am really looking forward to the one for Excel, because although I use it all the time I don't think I know what I am really doing. The worst thing is watching your score go down when you miss question after question! But hey we need to learn right! Come on go get Smarterer!!
See I am getting Smarterer! It was suggested I add my scores for everyone to see!! Lets see can you bet me?
See I am getting Smarterer! It was suggested I add my scores for everyone to see!! Lets see can you bet me?
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The Extra Day
Today is an extra day, or that is what we are thinking around here. It is special gift. Now normally ever Leap day is the same as any other day, but this day happens to be a snow day! We have not had a snow day yet this year. We had two weather days before the school year even started but this is the first full snow day! Today I am able to enjoy my family just a little bit more, get a little bit more done. And really just relax.
This gave me the moment to think about my life and my blessings. I don't think we reflex on them enough. We get so focused on what we don't have and what we have to deal with and when needs to be done, that we forget to look at the blessings we have. We forget to look at all the little things we have. I have 4 wonderful children and a wonderful husband. They are very kind, caring and helpful, well most of the time.
Today I have been able to finish my work, my house looks clean (but according to my sister it is not clean it is just organized, you know what I will live with that!). I have been able to just relax. You know what that feels like, to not have to run anywhere? To just be able to relax, to be able to catch up on my blog. I knew it would only last a few days doing so well, but it is something to strive for.
My house is finally looking the way we want it to, thanks to my wonderfully amazing sister, Bridget, who came to visit but instead helped to organize my house. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to get rid of 5 bags of garbage and 4 bags of donations and to have the ability to walk from one end of the house to the other. The house is not only organized, there is a system in place that will help it remain that way. It is not to say we will fall behind, but there is a method to getting it back together when it does fall apart.
Today I am going to tackle the closet. I am hoping that it does not eat me alive. I do have promised support from my daughter, Elizabeth. This should be a huge challenge and I should take pictures, but that is not going to happen. Maybe I will take the after pictures. I bet you all have it, an area where you just throw everything so it is not just out there. Well we call that the cedar closet. The mismatched shoes, the winter clothes, the video tapes (yes we have a box of them), the dvd's (a box of those too), and any variety of things we might need one day that don't seem to be appropriate for the craft room.
Well wish me luck....If you don't hear from me soon, send in the search party!
This gave me the moment to think about my life and my blessings. I don't think we reflex on them enough. We get so focused on what we don't have and what we have to deal with and when needs to be done, that we forget to look at the blessings we have. We forget to look at all the little things we have. I have 4 wonderful children and a wonderful husband. They are very kind, caring and helpful, well most of the time.
Today I have been able to finish my work, my house looks clean (but according to my sister it is not clean it is just organized, you know what I will live with that!). I have been able to just relax. You know what that feels like, to not have to run anywhere? To just be able to relax, to be able to catch up on my blog. I knew it would only last a few days doing so well, but it is something to strive for.
My house is finally looking the way we want it to, thanks to my wonderfully amazing sister, Bridget, who came to visit but instead helped to organize my house. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to get rid of 5 bags of garbage and 4 bags of donations and to have the ability to walk from one end of the house to the other. The house is not only organized, there is a system in place that will help it remain that way. It is not to say we will fall behind, but there is a method to getting it back together when it does fall apart.
Today I am going to tackle the closet. I am hoping that it does not eat me alive. I do have promised support from my daughter, Elizabeth. This should be a huge challenge and I should take pictures, but that is not going to happen. Maybe I will take the after pictures. I bet you all have it, an area where you just throw everything so it is not just out there. Well we call that the cedar closet. The mismatched shoes, the winter clothes, the video tapes (yes we have a box of them), the dvd's (a box of those too), and any variety of things we might need one day that don't seem to be appropriate for the craft room.
Well wish me luck....If you don't hear from me soon, send in the search party!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
It’s about Love
Wow I cannot believe it is Saturday. I do not know where this week went. You know this week had Valentine’s Day and Love Day, a trip to the mechanics for a pickup, a tow and another trip to pick up a vehicle. All afterschool was cancelled on Thursday which was really nice. Turned out that book club was cancelled early in the day so Elizabeth did stop reading mostly out of protest. She made a great deal of progress on reading this book and now she will wait to finish it. I think a lot of people thought that they had one more week to read the book!
I said I would share what we did for Valentine’s Day at Girl scouts. Most of the credit goes to my amazing co-leader, Jaime. I can’t say enough good things about her. The best thing I ever did was ask her to be the co-leader for our troop (now troops) and she has become a great friend over the years. She puts up with my crazy, and helps to ground me when I am getting to over the top. She is creative and patient, exciting and kind. What more would you want out of a mechanic. Did I forget to mention that? She is my mechanic, one of the reasons I only feel like I am going to throw up when the vehicles break, but I never really do. When I count my blessings she is certainly one of them.
So for Valentine’s Day we wanted something special because it was the actual holiday. Early in the year we made plans for what we were going to do during the year and Valentine’s Day was planned based on the boxes and tissue paper Jaime had. We decided to mold chocolate. This is a fairly easy process in the comfort of your kitchen, actually had dipped strawberries for the teachers earlier in the day. We then added dipped pretzels and decorated cupcakes. Jaime then decided brownies were fun to decorate as well. Being the amazing person she is she made the cupcakes, and brownies and all the different frostings. She showed the girls how to use the decorator bags and how roses were made. We let them make dual colored hearts and dip pretzel sticks that they got to put sprinkles and other things on. If anyone has made chocolate with kids you know it is not the neatest activity. Well add to that we had to do it with 15 girls (and a bunch of sibling boys!) and we really had no good method for melting the chocolate. None the less, the girls seemed to have a great time and certainly enjoyed their creations! I just hope that these things are making memories for them like making chocolate in first grade is a memory that has lasted all this time. Next week is easy, we go to the movies! Nice and neat, and no planning need. Okay that is a lie, I have to coordinate it all, and make sure that we have all the permission slips in. Oh and I need to ensure we get there on time, not my strong point and each time we add a kid it gets worse!! A local paper said did an article on boy scouts and said that about 75% of the work done at home is for the Boys Scout troop, I wish I had that amount of time for Girl Scouts, but I need to split myself between Girl Scouts, CCD, Swim, Kids and Work (I work at home, I will talk about that one day. I much as it is a pain, it is a blessing for many reasons. Imagine that work a blessing.)
Now I promised I would tell you about Love Day. I am not sure if it happens around you, but it seems if we do it one year and it was a success, it becomes a tradition. (It helps to explain why we give out teacher’s gifts for the first day, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and the last day. You will have to stay tuned to learn why St. Patrick’s Day is a gift giving holiday!) Years ago, when the girls were little, we had a very bad Valentine’s Day. It was one of those days that nothing lives up to what you expect and each part just makes the next worse. The worst part was actually the next morning when Joe said that what was the worst for him was he did not even get a card. It made me think about how selfish I was being. Things were not just as I pictured so I was pouty not thinking about the effort that was put in, or about how others perceptions were different. It was at that moment that I decided Valentine’s Day was not a big enough of a holiday to celebrate together, that the Dads and husbands need their own holiday. I was at home with two little ones so I had to become creative. Everyone at my house loves my meatloaf, which I make to resemble a bundt pan, so I shaped it like a heart. I made real mash potatoes, and set the table with a table cloth and the fancy dishes. Elizabeth said it could not be a special day without dessert so I went into the cabinets and we made a dessert together. When Joe came home he saw the table set, and the dinner cooking and wondered what was going on. The girls were excited to tell him it was Love Day, a day to celebrate how much they love their daddy. This was 7 or 8 years ago, but the tradition has lived on ever since. The kids all look forward to celebrating this special day. We normally have meatloaf, but I bet there were years we had something different. Every year the kids make a card and a present. Every year it is and will be a holiday in our house and hopefully my children will bring it with them to their home. Maybe it seems silly to people on the outside, like when I call my mother in law and say I need vegetables for Love Day, or when I tell me friends I need to get home to make Love Day dinner, but I hope that this shows Joe how important he is to me, to all of us. Our traditions are what is important to us, what make our family special and different from all the others. Our traditions help make use the family we want to be….at least we can hope, because you know every day really should be love day.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
For Today
See, I knew the streak could not last! I started this post on Friday, but things have been so busy I just have not had time to finish it and as time has passed so has my outlook. Here it is, we all struggle almost every day. It is like we all have a rock, and our rocks are all different sizes at different times, and the hill has different obstacles for each of us. There are times when we are doing well and the rock is easy, and others times when we certainly are going backwards further from the top. As we are dealing with our rock we see others with their rock, some have a much bigger rock but they seem to always be moving forward, dealing with their rock just fine. Others have much smaller rocks and continue to go backwards complaining about the size of their rock all the time. We sit and deal with our rock, wishing our rock was smaller easier, wishing we could help all those who have such big rocks and are moving back and wishing those with such little rocks would just be quiet. It occurs to me, that we need to really evaluate what helps us with our rock and see if there is a way we can help others with their rock at the same time.
So in the last week Joe’s truck need huge repairs, and my car dying at the school, I realize more and more that it is not what we have in our lives but who we have that makes life. It is moments like this that I realize how blessed I am. My first call, of course, was to my husband, who was at work, and although he really could not get away was willing to come rescue me. I told him I would be okay because I knew that I had people who would help me accomplish my goals. Stephanie was still in the school volunteering but when I shared my problem with her, she dropped everything. Her plans changed each moment as my plans changed. She would not leave me at the school, except when she thought she had to get my Girl Scout cookies. She finally did need to go get them, but she took me with her because my van was on its way to the doctor, where I knew it would be safe. Jaime, who is not only my co-leader and a very dear friend, was having the same crazy day but as always tried to figure out a way to help out. I told her that we had everything under control, I just had to let her know the van was on its way to her, see she is my car doctor. For me, having own the auto repair shop is like having a trusted doctor. I trust her opinion and never feel I need a second opinion. Knowing that my van is in safe hands that care makes a huge difference for my mental state. Knowing what was wrong before I was finished lunch was amazing. So when I finally got home I had to make Love Day dinner….I will explain that one day, I realized I was supposed to buy vegetables. So I call my mother in law, and explain my problem. Of course she has vegetables and she will sent them home with Joe and Jakey, who always spends Wednesday with Grandma. There were others who were more than willing to step up and help, like Tonya who offered help for each step. Like Lisa who has her own huge rock, but still stopped to get me Dunkin Donuts and was concerned when I told her about what happened at school, that I did not ask for help. Like the swim dad who made a joke, which turned into a conversation, where we both agreed as long as we get to try again tomorrow then things are not so bad.
So how was my rock today? It was huge, including a very upset daughter who had many things go wrong at school. Amazingly enough, despite how big the rock looked today, it was light. The obstacles were huge, but I was blessed that my friends and family were so able and willing to step and help. Today I choose to look at my blessings and try to focus on them. I was able to remain mostly calm despite the pressure I felt. I was able to help Elizabeth to find some peace. Swim helped her to calm down, and then a friend helped her to feel better about everything. For today, I was able to see how blessed I truly am. Today I feel a peace that is helping me believe that God is truly helping me through… For today, there is always tomorrow.
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