I have to write this, because it's so awesome, but I only have about 5 minutes, so I apologize profusely for any typos:)
Logan had gym class today, which he loves, but possibly not his strongest subject. In a few weeks, the kids are having a race (the turkey trot) so I'm assuming they're practicing for the race in gym (1/4 mile for first graders).
Anyway, I'm stuck in the house with a sick 3 year old all day, so I'm catching up on alllllllll the unendless laundry and also have all the windows open because I need the germs OUT. As a result of windows open, I've been hearing the sweet little kiddies practicing for their race on the field across the street from our house all day. I love hearing the kids out playing!!
So, I'm in my room (front of the house) putting laundry away this afternoon, and all the sudden, what do I hear, but "Logan, Logan, Logan" coming from across the street. I quickly pull up Logan's schedule in my head and, yup, he's in gym right now!!! I run out, Sam's in the driveway and he hears it too. We couldn't see Logan, but we saw the kids cheering and jumping for him. I thought maybe he was coming in last and they were cheering for him, but it turns out they gave a him a little head start and then cheered for him the whole time.
Who are these children?!?!?! I mean this is a world where we hear of bullying and terrible, awful things happening to and because of children alllll the time, but these kids are letting Logan win and cheering for him. Seriously, it brings tears to my eyes every time I think of it. These kids have hearts of gold, they're amazing, Logan's amazing. This is a great story, I wish I could express it better, I wish you could fully explain how my heart felt when I heard them cheering for him. I wish you could fully understand how much it meant to Logan, how big the smile was on his face. I just don't have the words (and also, Maddie is MELTING down because she doesn't understand her homework and Georgia is saying she's going to throw up so I kinda have to scoot).
Also, I NEED to tell you about the day I went in to talk to Logan's class about DS. Again, a really great experience. First graders ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, October 21, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Our Peeps
I ran into my beautiful, wonderful friend Leigh today and we started to talk about the blog. Leigh is a friend I met after I had Logan, Logan and her son went to preschool together. Anyway, Leigh said that she loved reading the blog post I wrote about the first couple weeks of Logan's life. I hadn't read it in a while so I came home and looked it up.
I realized that all the same things I wrote in there about our friends and family continue to be true and it's so amazing to me.
If you haven't read it, here it is (http://logands.blogspot.com/2009/10/mine.html)
In that post I openly admit that I did not have faith that our friends and family would stand by us, I thought eventually they would all ditch us and move on with their typical lives (in Italy) and we would be living our lives all alone over in Holland. (I know that's maybe a confusing analogy for some of you, but my peeps in the DS world will get it, it's not exactly my fave analogy anymore).
Anyway, I go on to say that I was very, very wrong. Everyone loved us and Logan and took care of us and helped us and celebrated with us and it was perfect.
What I realized today is that I continue to doubt people, and I don't know why!!! because they continue to come through for us. When Logan started school, I was sure that he wouldn't be loved or accepted, but, of course he was (Leigh is proof of that!!!).
When we moved into this neighborhood and started a new school, I was a nervous wreck!! I thought for sure that it would be a disaster and I would have to home school Logan and he woulnd't have any friends. You have NO IDEA how wrong I was about that. Logan is so loved at school, the parents of the kids who are in his grade are so amazing, and kind and open minded and they have created a community in which my child is loved, adored, protected and nurtured. I'm so eternally grateful for every person in this fabulous neighborhood who has welcomed us with open arms and accepted Logan and helped him blossom.
Today I'm going to talk to Logan's class about DS. I'm just going to read them a little story and give them some 3 egged brownies. It's something I did last year and the kids loved it. On Tuesday, I sent an email to the parents and told them I would be going in today. So many people responded thanking me and telling me how much their child loves Logan. I can't believe they're thanking me!!!!! I'm the one who is so, so, so thankful for all the good people in this world who are working hard, with me, to make this world a better place for all of our children.
Life can be very hard sometimes, and there are definitely bad people in this world, but there are also some very, very, very good people and having Logan has given us the ability to see so much of that goodness. That is truly a blessing.
I realized that all the same things I wrote in there about our friends and family continue to be true and it's so amazing to me.
If you haven't read it, here it is (http://logands.blogspot.com/2009/10/mine.html)
In that post I openly admit that I did not have faith that our friends and family would stand by us, I thought eventually they would all ditch us and move on with their typical lives (in Italy) and we would be living our lives all alone over in Holland. (I know that's maybe a confusing analogy for some of you, but my peeps in the DS world will get it, it's not exactly my fave analogy anymore).
Anyway, I go on to say that I was very, very wrong. Everyone loved us and Logan and took care of us and helped us and celebrated with us and it was perfect.
What I realized today is that I continue to doubt people, and I don't know why!!! because they continue to come through for us. When Logan started school, I was sure that he wouldn't be loved or accepted, but, of course he was (Leigh is proof of that!!!).
When we moved into this neighborhood and started a new school, I was a nervous wreck!! I thought for sure that it would be a disaster and I would have to home school Logan and he woulnd't have any friends. You have NO IDEA how wrong I was about that. Logan is so loved at school, the parents of the kids who are in his grade are so amazing, and kind and open minded and they have created a community in which my child is loved, adored, protected and nurtured. I'm so eternally grateful for every person in this fabulous neighborhood who has welcomed us with open arms and accepted Logan and helped him blossom.
Today I'm going to talk to Logan's class about DS. I'm just going to read them a little story and give them some 3 egged brownies. It's something I did last year and the kids loved it. On Tuesday, I sent an email to the parents and told them I would be going in today. So many people responded thanking me and telling me how much their child loves Logan. I can't believe they're thanking me!!!!! I'm the one who is so, so, so thankful for all the good people in this world who are working hard, with me, to make this world a better place for all of our children.
Life can be very hard sometimes, and there are definitely bad people in this world, but there are also some very, very, very good people and having Logan has given us the ability to see so much of that goodness. That is truly a blessing.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Bleh, bleh, bleh
Oh Lord, this is much harder to do than I even thought it was going to be.
I first thought, this is hard because our life is so boring!!! But, I don't know, that must have been a moment of confusion or delusion or something because our lives aren't boring AT ALL, possibly the complete opposite of boring, so I don't know why on earth that thought would have ever popped in my head.
Then, I thought, I don't really have anything to write about because while we aren't "boring" we aren't exactly interesting either. We actually aren't interesting at all. I think that's what I meant/thought by "boring."
So, I was going to right that, "Our lives are boring and uninteresting and we're happy with that." Lalalalala.
BUT, then 2 things happened; I remembered that I really, really hate it when I read blogs or fb posts or newspaper articles about people talking about how great their lives are, how perfect their kids are, how fan-freaking-tastic everything is. I really don't like that because I know it makes other people feel bad and who would want to do that? Then, the second thing happened, which is that Maddie (whom I previously wrote wonderful things about in another post) turned evil. Not completely evil, just before school, after school and before bed, and sometimes in between after school and before bed. The child is literally fighting with me about every, single possible thing under the sun. And, to be perfectly honest, it's driving me CRAZY!!!!! And, it's turned me into a cranky, grumpy, grump that doesn't want to write anything at all. Can I just give you a quick example? So, every morning I try to "do" her hair. I always put it up in a ponytail, braid or bun mainly because I have an irrational fear of lice and I read once that it's hard for the little buggers to "jump" into hair that's pulled back but also because it's crazy hair and I don't want it to get in her face while she's working or playing. Anyway, for the past week or so she's yelled at me that she hates ponytails and everyone will laugh at her if she wears her hair in a ponytail and blah, blah, blah. So, I'm a big believer in picking my battles and that's not really a battle I needed to have with her so I let it go. Today, she wears her hair down, we pull up to school, her little BFF comes up to her with her hair in a ponytail and Maddie whines to me, "ohhhhh, you NEVER put my hair in a ponytail." And it made me want to scream!!! You see where I'm coming from?
Anyway, there's absolutely NO POINT to that story except that I just needed to get it off my chest.
Back to the point. I do feel bad about not writing this blog though because I agreed to do the 31 for 21 challenge and now I'm wimping out on it. Everyone's lives are busy and everyone has stuff going on and everyone else seems to handle it while I just get grumpy and cranky.
So, here's my thing for today. Logan has been in a really, really, REALLY happy mood for the past few weeks. I think he's gotten in his groove at school, and he's making progress, and we've got some other things that we've been working on that have all just clicked and it makes me so ridiculously happy to hear him chat away about school and his friends and all the things he does. I'm proud of him and I'm proud of us too because we (me and Sam) worked really hard to get him to this place and I'm going to make a valiant effort to just enjoy this wonderful time and be grateful for at least one kids happiness.
I mean I guess all the kids can't be happy all the time. Right now we have 1 out of 3 (Georgie's sick so she's grumpy too) and that's better than 0 out of 3. Right?
I first thought, this is hard because our life is so boring!!! But, I don't know, that must have been a moment of confusion or delusion or something because our lives aren't boring AT ALL, possibly the complete opposite of boring, so I don't know why on earth that thought would have ever popped in my head.
Then, I thought, I don't really have anything to write about because while we aren't "boring" we aren't exactly interesting either. We actually aren't interesting at all. I think that's what I meant/thought by "boring."
So, I was going to right that, "Our lives are boring and uninteresting and we're happy with that." Lalalalala.
BUT, then 2 things happened; I remembered that I really, really hate it when I read blogs or fb posts or newspaper articles about people talking about how great their lives are, how perfect their kids are, how fan-freaking-tastic everything is. I really don't like that because I know it makes other people feel bad and who would want to do that? Then, the second thing happened, which is that Maddie (whom I previously wrote wonderful things about in another post) turned evil. Not completely evil, just before school, after school and before bed, and sometimes in between after school and before bed. The child is literally fighting with me about every, single possible thing under the sun. And, to be perfectly honest, it's driving me CRAZY!!!!! And, it's turned me into a cranky, grumpy, grump that doesn't want to write anything at all. Can I just give you a quick example? So, every morning I try to "do" her hair. I always put it up in a ponytail, braid or bun mainly because I have an irrational fear of lice and I read once that it's hard for the little buggers to "jump" into hair that's pulled back but also because it's crazy hair and I don't want it to get in her face while she's working or playing. Anyway, for the past week or so she's yelled at me that she hates ponytails and everyone will laugh at her if she wears her hair in a ponytail and blah, blah, blah. So, I'm a big believer in picking my battles and that's not really a battle I needed to have with her so I let it go. Today, she wears her hair down, we pull up to school, her little BFF comes up to her with her hair in a ponytail and Maddie whines to me, "ohhhhh, you NEVER put my hair in a ponytail." And it made me want to scream!!! You see where I'm coming from?
Anyway, there's absolutely NO POINT to that story except that I just needed to get it off my chest.
Back to the point. I do feel bad about not writing this blog though because I agreed to do the 31 for 21 challenge and now I'm wimping out on it. Everyone's lives are busy and everyone has stuff going on and everyone else seems to handle it while I just get grumpy and cranky.
So, here's my thing for today. Logan has been in a really, really, REALLY happy mood for the past few weeks. I think he's gotten in his groove at school, and he's making progress, and we've got some other things that we've been working on that have all just clicked and it makes me so ridiculously happy to hear him chat away about school and his friends and all the things he does. I'm proud of him and I'm proud of us too because we (me and Sam) worked really hard to get him to this place and I'm going to make a valiant effort to just enjoy this wonderful time and be grateful for at least one kids happiness.
I mean I guess all the kids can't be happy all the time. Right now we have 1 out of 3 (Georgie's sick so she's grumpy too) and that's better than 0 out of 3. Right?
Monday, October 14, 2013
Feeling so grateful for this....
https://kcdsg.securednerd.com/files/content/termination%20rate.pdf
Can't imagine our lives with my sweet boy! Glad others are seeing the light too!
Can't imagine our lives with my sweet boy! Glad others are seeing the light too!
Sunday, October 13, 2013
"Every day is a good day when you run"
Love this quote from Kevin Nelson!!
I used to HATE running, seriously, it took me about 6 months to train to run 4 miles in the inagural Baltimore Running Festival relay 12 years ago. In that race, I completed 4 miles in 52 minutes. YIKES!!
A few months after I had Logan, I joined a gym and started working out, pretty much for the first time in my life. I found that not only did I feel physically better, working out helped me so much mentally.
The first year of Logan's life was stressful. There was a lot of stuff for us to learn, a lot to do, a lot of doctors appointments, therapy appointments, just general craziness. Spending an hour at the gym gave me time to process and plan better. It was so important to me, I made time for it everyday.
A few years ago, I started to run again. Just a mile or 2 at a time, I still hated it but not as much. I never got that "runners high" or felt particularly fabulous afterwards, I still dreaded it.
I don't know how or when, but something switched in me at some point and now I love to run, I crave it, I think about it all the time, when I finish a run, I can't wait for the next one. It's when I get my best thinking done, I still use that time to process and plan, I have some of my best ideas when I'm running.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes my runs suck. But, more and more, they're awesome, fun, relaxing and therapeutic.
Running. Another gift from my buddy.
I used to HATE running, seriously, it took me about 6 months to train to run 4 miles in the inagural Baltimore Running Festival relay 12 years ago. In that race, I completed 4 miles in 52 minutes. YIKES!!
A few months after I had Logan, I joined a gym and started working out, pretty much for the first time in my life. I found that not only did I feel physically better, working out helped me so much mentally.
The first year of Logan's life was stressful. There was a lot of stuff for us to learn, a lot to do, a lot of doctors appointments, therapy appointments, just general craziness. Spending an hour at the gym gave me time to process and plan better. It was so important to me, I made time for it everyday.
A few years ago, I started to run again. Just a mile or 2 at a time, I still hated it but not as much. I never got that "runners high" or felt particularly fabulous afterwards, I still dreaded it.
I don't know how or when, but something switched in me at some point and now I love to run, I crave it, I think about it all the time, when I finish a run, I can't wait for the next one. It's when I get my best thinking done, I still use that time to process and plan, I have some of my best ideas when I'm running.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes my runs suck. But, more and more, they're awesome, fun, relaxing and therapeutic.
Running. Another gift from my buddy.
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