The mundane and beautiful feeling of normal

I am sitting and watching the Eagles game, I  wonder if I will even be able to stay awake into the second half.  The day started with a stop for shoes for myself and the girls, then to buy some organizational things for the kitchen and new sheets for our bed.  I can not remember when we got new sheets.   Then to Justice for a new outfit for school pictures this week.  Lastly a stop for a new binder that Megan will need in the TAG program.

At home, time to put it all away and jump right into the organization projects. First put the new sheets into the washer. Back to the projects,  I have a “junk” counter where everything collects.  It is a tiny stand alone counter in a corner that is really not good for anything kitchen related so it became the home of my purse, bills, binder full of insurance paperwork etc from my surgery, all supplies office/school related, glasses, phone charger, tissues  etc.  The ever going list is why it was time for some way to attempt to organize.  This along with another little project took about 2 or so hours.  By the time I was finished it was dinner time.

After the dishes were cleaned up, outside for some Halloween decorating. Back in grab the sheets from the dryer and put them on to the bed, love the feel of the sheets first day on the bed!  Bath the little one, get snacks ready , sit for reading time with Madison, blink and realize the day is all but over.

AHHH, normalcy. For as tired as I am after a day like today, it is still a nice feeling.  Just a few short weeks ago my activites were still restricted due to the mastectomy.  Even when I was released to normal activity I could not imagine pulling off a full day of activity.  It is nice to be basically back to normal, whatever that means.  I never have a day where I am not reminded of the mastectomy (and I do not mean the obvious).  I still have the ever present tightness in my abdomen and the scar has really become irritating.   The newpples are still uneven and one remains twice the size of the other.  Wearing a bra is still not my most favorite thing but I can get through most of the day without an issue.  I can finally lay on my sides for a short while in bed which is a welcome change.

I dread the thoughts of another procedure in my future but I know that is will be minor in comparison to the past two.  Almost there!

Blurred lines

So as we grow older, much time is spent in wondering have we accomplished anything?  Will anyone miss me when I am gone?  Kind of morbid I guess but true.  I can not answer if people will miss me or not, but to the question have I accomplished anything, I think I have or at least I am trying to.  My legacy will hopefully be in my children growing into respectful, productive members of society. More and more today, I think we are way off course.  There is such a blurred line between right and wrong, good and bad.  Between the fight over religion and political correctness gone mad, I feel like we are loosing our moral compass.

I was not put here to be friends with my children.  I think many people have a differing opinion than I do on that statement. I figure that at some point in their lives they will hate my husband and I and that is to be expected if we are doing our job correctly. I am not afraid to say “No” and I really do not care what the other kids are doing.  We are not deeply religious people.  Although raised Catholic, I am totally none practicing but still steer my life along a strict code of moral and value based decision-making.  It is through this lens that we attempt to raise our children.

There was an attack in Chester PA the other day.  Six high school age girls walking down the street come across a mentally challenged woman sitting on her front stoop.  These girls proceeded to take out their camera phones and take turns beating the woman and filming the beating.  They cheered and took close up face shots of themselves high fiving.  They immediately posted the videos to Facebook and with in a day 4 of the six were arrested, the other two were by last night.  They are being charged as adults for several felony counts.  What did we see next?  You know it..the families of these “poor” girls saying how wrong it was to charge them so strongly and that they were just kids.  What in the hell?  Yes families, thankfully the woman is alright.  No, No don’t worry your animalistic girls thankfully did not kill her.

There is another video that has gone viral of a woman explaining that she is voting for Obama because he gave her a phone.  She proceeds to say that Romney sucks.  Well..there we go.  A well thought out rationale to take into the voting booth.  I am not going political here and hope everyone votes regardless on who it is for.  I would just hope that people would actually educate themselves on some issues and make an informed choice one way or the other, over 350 million people’s lives and futures depend on it.

Recently, In my opinion, it seems everyone wants someone else to make the though decisions.  People want the school to raise the children.  We want government to take care of us.  It just seems that everyone wants something. Lots of finger pointing and excuses but no self reflection.  What will our next generation become if we can not take charge of our own?

Reading is fundamental

School, it was the bain of my existence as a child.  Having children made me have to come face to face with my scholastic under achievement.

From the day the girls were born I have been vigilant about reading to them.  I so hoped they would grow to love reading, to be able to imagine the words.  My mother was an avid reader as is my sister.  Me, not so much, to say the least.  I am a lover of the television.  From the time Megan was born we read to her .  As she got older she would bring a stack of books that she would want to read before bed.  She now reads several books a week and is more than happy to curl up on the sofa with a good book.

Today, Megan got the invitation for the Talented and Gifted program at school.  I was inclined to not allow it because the feedback I have received is that it is a ton of extra homework and in-depth projects.  But, she really wants to try it.  I emailed her teacher and received a wonderful response.  It seems they just test her again and she is reading on an 8th grade level.  They are very concerned that she will grow bored in the classroom and are already working to develop a plan to keep that from happening. What am I to do, the parent who hated and struggled in school needs to let the child who excels and loves it to make this decision.  If things get to be too much I can always pull her out I guess.  I am so proud of her!  Not just that she is one of ony a few invited to the program but because of her well thought out, mature pitch to her father and I to allow her to do it.  My baby is growing up!

Madison and Megan are as different as night and day.  I did the same with Madi as a baby but would have to almost force her to sit and listen.  I did not want reading to be a chore so I would not push too much.  We have tried many different things to try to make it fun.I know you are not supposed to compare children but it is hard.  Megan was reading fluently before Kindergarten.  Right now the best I can get from Madison is the  practice of a few sight words to humor me but then she is off to some pretend world that requires her undivided attention.

That is until recently.  She started Kindergarten this year.  She is loving everything about the experience!  Just this week she brought me a first reader that until now has been used for a million other things except a book and asked if we could read together.  Each night we have sat with a pre-level one reader and she reads to me then I read it her.  After, we have agreed that I will  read one chapter of a bigger book. This week was Freckle Juice by Judy Blume.  I am so proud of her!  She did a great job!  She is actually reading very well!

I guess they are right, you can not compare your kids, they are different people with different personalities, thoughts, interests and in time carve their own path.