Me at 33

Today is my 33rd birthday, so I thought I would take a minute to reflect. If not for any other reason than the fact that my children will be able to know what I was thinking at that time.

Me at 33

is a mother.

is a dreamer.

is rich in hugs and kisses.

cooks a lot. 

would rather make than buy.

wants to ride her bike more and drive her care less.

 is obsessed with recycling and burdened by waste.

is plant-based, and eco conscious. 

runs with a stroller.

loves a good thrift store.

sews standing up.

reads lots of books and takes my children to the library.

believes in simplicity.

has finally excepted that she can not change people, who are not willing  to change, but she can control the impact that their actions have on her.

is aware of my faults and making the effect to accept them.

Kindergarten Perspective on Diversity

Today, I went for my weekly volunteer time in Rylee’s kindergarten classroom. I go during their literacy center time. The class is broken up into different stations such as reading, writing, listening, games, etc. Today, I worked with children in the writing center. Each time I go, I learn something and gain a new perspective. Today, I got to work with two children from Saudi Arabia, one who just started this week, and another child whom I had worked with before. This sweet new face got me thinking about understanding and embracing differences(we had a little communication issue to begin with). Rylee’s class has a lot of diversity. Several ethnic backgrounds are present in her room. This is one of the reasons I like Rylee’s school so much. Rylee has experienced more diversity her first 3 ½ weeks of school than I did k-12. I never knew much about other types of individual as a child, I learned about other places and traveled through the US but the idea of diversity was never introduced to me as being important. I only really knew black and white and honestly, I never did learn much about African American culture. Which is a shame because an amazing African American woman helped to raise me and was one of the most important individuals in my life.  I am not talking history. I am talking culture. It is important to learn about where individuals come from, what they believe, and why. I think as Americans we take that fact that we were all once immigrants for granted. I am not even sure most Americans really even know their own cultural background. I don’t really. We all studied the hardships in our history classes that different ethnic and cultural groups have gone through but have we ever applied to our everyday lives.  It is very important to me that my children grow up knowing that every person has value and purpose. I want them to know diversity is a good thing. If we were all the same, it would be quite boring, right? What is important to understand is people may look different, people may act differently but essentially we are all the same. We all just want to know that we are loved and understood by someone. These children are a great example of understanding and community because all they see when they look at each other is their friend and classmate, a child that is like them.  I think the ability to except and understand others is just as important as any other thing we teach our young. Difference is a good thing and often it is not valued like it should be. If your child does not have this type of exposure on a day to day basis, you can create exposure for them.With the technology we have today no one should limit their cultural exposure to the world or even our own country. 

10 Years of Wedded Bliss, LOL.

Today, Jeremy and I celebrate 10 years of wedded bliss.lol. Anyone who has been married knows it is not all bliss. It is actually quite difficult and making it 10 years without killing each other is definitely something to celebrate or at least take time to recognize as an accomplishment. Looking back we both have changed so much as individuals but have maintained our connection. I think that is one of the biggest struggles of getting married young is the fact that you do not really know who you are until you enter your 30's. I could not have asked for a better friend through it all than Jeremy has been. I am not saying he has always been perfect(despite what my family thinks). He has not always agreed with everything I have done but he has stood beside me through it not saying I told you so too often. Jeremy has been with me through my greatest losses and greatest joys. I think what is most important to acknowledge as I look back, is that the goods days out number the bad days and our happiness has outweighed the sadness. As a result of our time together, we have 2 healthy, beautiful, smart, and happy kids that make our life messy, crazy and wonderful. Our life together, so far has been an adventure and I hope it will continue to be.

The Impact of Dance

Last night, I attended Rylee’s first dance recital. She did a tap dance and sang to the song “Good Ship Lollipop” the Shirley Temple classic. She was absolutely beautiful on stage and did a great performance. She grinned from ear to ear the whole time, and danced her heart out. She just loved being on stage and I was so proud of her. She would not practice at home much so, I did not really know what to expect when she got on stage. Honestly, I have to admit I was really dreading the whole thing. I did not want to sit through all the other dances just to see her on stage for 3 minutes but I was wrong. I actually really enjoyed it. The whole performance was very surreal and it was an all together impacting experience. It was as if you watched these girls grow up on stage before your eyes. The girls ages 3 to 21 moved across the stage from song to song very fluidly. As the music and costumes changed, it was as if that first set of little girls had transformed and grown right before you. This recital gave me a new perspective on how quickly time does go by and how quickly the years of Rylee’s childhood will pass. Before I know it Rylee will be all grown up and dancing on her own through life. My biggest hope at this time is that I find a way to insure Rylee retains that sweet, sparkling, smile of happiness and remains as confident in the rest of her life’s performances as she was on the stage for the first time.

***Lesson I learned from this experience: Sometimes all the money and craziness is worth it to see your child experience 3 minutes of pure happiness.