I Must Say...

Looking into the future..

2011-11-21T10:50:00.002-05:00

I sometimes wish that I can see into the future if only for a few seconds. While Marina is trying to decide on a college and which step to take next, I would be able to help her with my new ability and be able to visualize where she ended up going to school, and whether or not she was happy there. Wouldn't that be easy.

Many of the friends that I've made in our community happen to be older than me and when we met, their babies were Marina's age and Marina was only my first. They used to ache over the same decisions about college, visiting campuses, application processes..and I used to sit and just listen and I was grateful at the time that I wasn't involved in that scarey mess. Now, I'm in that scarey mess. Trying to sort through all the information and making sure we do everything right. Take tests at the right time, get the best grades, apply at the right times...how do you keep everything straight. Feeling a bit overwhelmed.

2011-11-15T09:57:00.002-05:00

I don't realize how quickly time passes until I log on to my blog and realize that it's been 7 months since my last post.

I travel quite a bit with my daughter, who plays competitive softball. We've been on the go since the end of April and within the last month it has started to dwindle into a much needed reprieve. I was pretty exhausted by the end of September. Softball is a year round commitment for her but it is now just practice and some gym time, thankfully. She hopes to play in college some day soon.

In August, we traveled to Europe. A much needed family vacation but an expensive one. I still have many relatives who live there and we hadn't seen them in quite some time. My daughter was turning 16 and opted for an expensive European vacation for her birthday. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. We love it there and I have a special place in my heart for Portugal. A place where I feel rooted to and where I spent many childhood vacations. I enjoyed seeing family and spending time with my grandmother. We go years without seeing her and I know she revels in seeing her great grandchildren. She is fortunate to have been a young grandmother. She can still enjoy them. I also can still enjoy having a grandmother.

My daughter has also started looking at colleges. I can't believe that we are at this stage of her life already. I know it's a cliche but, it feels like yesterday...
This past weekend we traveled into Boston to visit a few campuses and for a little sightseeing. I've traveled to Boston in the past as a child to visit family but I had forgotten how much I loved that city. We had an amazing time and the colleges are just spectacular. The student ambassadors who navigate the tours are just extraordinary individuals. Some people worry about our future, I'm not. To hear these students talk about their schools, the activities that they are involved in, the traveling that they do, the course of study that they are involved in. These kids are just so far ahead of their times and they are so in tune with the rest of the world. I see my daughter as that type of student. She is so driven. We will be in better hands in the future.

The Marathon

2011-04-07T09:35:00.004-04:00

I'm going to start with what's fresh in my mind.

A few months ago, a friend of mine, who is a cancer survivor, approached me and asked if I would want to participate in a Half Marathon with her. Many of the women that we both knew from town were also participating and it would be fun. I'm not a runner. I have worked out, weight trained, you name it. But, running is a different animal all together. I responded, "you are nuts". I knew that she had specific reasons for wanting to participate in such a rigorous event that only REAL runners participate in. And...this particular event was originally dedicated to the empowerment of women. So, I understood where she was coming from, and why she wanted to do it so bad.

I have to give her a lot of credit, she convinced me to do it and assured me that the rules of the race were flexible. Many women who participate will run/walk the race. So, what the hell.

Obviously, we had to train for this event and because of our everyday lives, family, work, and children, we weren't always able to train as much as we should have.

The day of the race was upon us, and we made our way down to Central Park. I was in awe, when I saw all the women that were gathering around us. Over 10,000 women had registered for this event. I have to admit, the feeling of empowerment, and camaraderie was definitely evident in everyone.

I didn't finish the race, they gave us an option to cross the finish line at the 7 mile marker and I opted to do that for my first time. I didn't feel like I could physicially finish the race. I was spent, and my hips were killing me. But, I was proud of myself. I didn't even think I could do that much. I figure if I start training now, I will be more than ready for next year's event. If anything, this experience has motivated me to keep running.

I'm so glad that she convinced me to do it, because I was there, and I experienced it all. Together with other women from around the country, we stood as one and empowered each other to fight our individual demons and walls that we wouldn't back down from. Congratulations to all the amazing, inspirational, women who participated with me.

It's been a long time...

2011-04-07T09:06:00.002-04:00

I can't believe how much time has passed since my last posting. A lot has changed....I have so much to blog about. I'm going to try and post as much as I can from now on.

A Great Book!!!!!

2008-03-11T11:09:00.002-04:00

I just finished reading, "The Kite Runner", by Khaled Hosseini. It was a great book, there are a lot of twists in the storyline and as I was reading I realized how everything was actually connected. He opens up a world that we are so unfamiliar with. The author is originally from Kabul, Afghanistan and he now lives in California as a physician. The story takes place in Afghanistan about two boys that are raised together but live in totally different worlds. The story at times is heartbreaking, I found myself crying while reading certain parts. It was worth it. On the back cover of the book, the publisher talks a little about the book and how it made her feel and she says that it opened up in her an appreciation for that part of the world and the people who live there. She is so right, I find myself reading the newspaper and paying a little more attention to the articles concerning Afghanistan and I feel like I am now connected to these people in some way. He helps us understand, even if it's just a little bit, the misery that the Afghanistani people have gone through and continue to go through. What touched me the most was even after everything they have lived through and experienced they still have a love and pride in their country that no one can erase. I strongly recommend this book.

Finally Taking Care of Myself

2008-03-07T11:52:00.002-05:00

Wow! I haven't been on this blog in a while. With all the activities the kids are involved with and the sports who has much time for anything else. I've been telling myself for the longest time that I was going to start taking better care of myself. I don't know if it's because of the fact that I'm not too far from forty.....I'm proud to say that I've made an appointment with a new primary care doctor closer to my home and I will be going in for a full physical. I haven't been checked out since I had my children. My little guy is going to be five so that's five years ago. I wonder how many women out there actually go for physicals every year like they say we should? Who has the time? I find we're more concerned with the health of our children and their little lives and we just forget all about ours.
Making that appointment is just the beginning. I used to workout religiously every day and I was a health fanatic. When husbands and kids come along it gets harder to incorporate the workouts into a busy schedule. I'm going to try and change that. I don't know what motivated me to start but I'm glad something did.

Back to School

2008-01-27T08:42:00.000-05:00

My son broke his leg about seven weeks ago and he will be returning to school this Friday. I am going to be a nervous wreck. Should I wait outside the school, in my car for three hours? A friend of mine has already invited me over for breakfast that morning to take my mind off of the fact that he will be in school under someone else's supervision. He hasn't been in a cast, so I've had to watch his every move over the last few weeks. Can I trust the staff at school to do the same? Before I sound like a total lunatic.....he's only four. IT'S HARD TO LET GO!!!

SUPER GIRL

2008-01-24T17:48:00.000-05:00

I have to give credit where it is due. My daughter is an inspiration to me because of all she has accomplished and continues to accomplish everyday of her life. She has done more in her 12 years than I have done in most of my life. She excels in everything she does. She is an athlete, she plays softball, basketball and twirling. She still is a girl scout, her troop is involved in many community activities. They have earned their Honor pin and the Bronze award. They are now working towards their Silver award. She has played the violin for 5 years now and has performed numerous times with the orchestra program at her school and she is also a member of the Youth Symphony in our area. She was recommended for the All County Orchestra Festival as well, in our area. She is also a member of the school newspaper and the yearbook staff. And, to top it all off she is an exceptional student..(not my words), this is how most of her teachers refer to her. She is in the accelerated math program and she has an overall 100 average in all of her classes. She uses her time wisely, she's responsible and smart and she's a great kid. Can you tell that I'm a proud parent? Let me know about other wonderful girls out there and their accomplishments.

Go Red for Women

2008-01-17T09:28:00.001-05:00

Don't forget to wear red on February 1st, Go Red for Women Day!! Heart disease awareness in women.

Hillary for president

2008-01-17T09:08:00.000-05:00

I haven't gotten any posts about Hillary. I am actually considering voting for her come election time. I wonder what the consensus is among other women. She has really grown on me. I've always been partial to intelligent women in powerful positions. Women have come a long way, don't you think? I think, just the fact that she is a front runner in this race is amazing. Whether she wins or not.
Whether democrat or republican, a man is a man and if this country wants real change, why not a woman? She can't do any worse than Bush, right? She's smarter than Bush. I read the other day that everyone in the nation is holding the fact that she forgave Bill for his infidelities against her. Since when is forgiveness a weakness. I think it shows the kind of person she is behind all the politics. It takes a brave woman to forgive her husband for his indiscretions especially public ones. So, we have a woman who is not only intelligent but brave and she's not afraid of changing her mind if need be instead of going along with certain issues. And you know what, this may also open up a lot of doors for our daughters in their futures. Something to think about!!

Hillary Clinton

2008-01-16T17:49:00.000-05:00

What do you think of Hillary Clinton?

Moms Meeting Other Moms

2008-01-08T08:57:00.000-05:00

I read an article in the paper yesterday that I found really interesting. How Moms are trying to meet other Moms in the same way that singles try to meet each other. I found it interesting because in some ways it is so true. We look for other women who are in similar situations as we are whether it has to do with children that are the same age, stay at home vs. working mothers, same schools, same groups (sports, scouts, etc.). We need to feel that someone else out there is going through the same things we are going through. We feed off each other, especially when you're going through something that a seasoned mother has already experienced and you can talk to her about it.

I have met some interesting women during my twelve years of motherhood. None at the playground as the article suggests. I met most of them at the schools that my children attended and at the activities that my children participated in. Some of these women, weren't worth staying in touch with, some I'm only friendly with because my children like their children and some were wonderful women that I still keep in touch with and they have become good friends.

I have to say, my first experience with meeting other Moms went pretty well. It was at my first child's nursery school. I had just left work about a year before that to stay home with her and I was pregnant with my second child. I dropped her off and saw another mother who was also pregnant. We exchanged hellos and soon realized that our children were in the same class. We cliqued right away. Our children were the same age and we were both pregnant, so we had lots to talk about. And, it turned out we were both due around the same time. So, what do you know, our second child would also be the same age. Throughout the years we always seemed to be going through the same things at the same time. So, we were always able to help each other through them. Having things in common does help a great deal. It seemed to me that the friendship that we had was meant to be. Are we still friends, you ask? I ended up moving out of town. I live about an hour away now, we don't see each other very much. We still exchange holiday cards. But, I still cherish the friendship that we had and the help that we drew from each other. It made being home and being a first time mother a lot easier. So, we do need to scope out and find other mothers out there. Good luck in your quest.

Women and Heart Disease

2008-01-07T13:47:00.000-05:00

Hello all you women out there,

I am writing to encourage all of you to join the "Go Red for Women" movement sponsored by the American Heart Association. I spend many volunteer hours fundraising for the American Heart Association's sponsored event the HeartWalk that takes place all over the nation every year. My whole family is involved in the HeartWalk.

Women don't realize that heart disease is the number one killer of women and we can all make a stand against heart disease by taking the first step of getting a simple blood test that will reveal your cholesterol levels. When you find out what your numbers are you can take certain steps to a healthier lifestyle. It's not easy believe me, I'm a mother of three, I know!!!

Take a look at the website below. You can either register as a member, like I did, or you can just tour the site and learn about heart disease and women. They have a lot of information. Knowledge is empowering.

http://goredforwomen.com

Mom in need of conversation

2008-01-04T18:36:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone,

This is my first time posting anything on my blog. I am a college grad and I've been home with my children for nine years now. I sometimes feel that I need some kind of adult conversation. My only connection to the outside world is the daily paper I receive and my computer. I could be discussing an article I read in the paper, a new book I've read, a new movie I've seen or issues concerning the kids. If there are any moms out there who feel the same way and have something to say, post it here. I look foward to hearing from you.