For My Dad

Since I have the best dad in the world, it's hard for me to ignore his request to "come up with a new nickname for my first grandchild."  I guess he thinks Mad Dog isn't quite endearing enough for his grandson.  Since I have repeatedly ingored his pleas for my kids to call him "Bob" or "Coach"...I will comply with this request.

I am a nickname person and I have a lot of them for my son:  monkey, mister, little man and tons of version of his name shortened or legnthened depending on my mood (and his!).  But, for the sake of this, I will use his initials, MDB.  He can't get mad at me for that when he is older, right?!?

I am beyond thankful that my dad loves my kids so much...happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!

It Takes A Village

The recent daylights savings really wreaked havoc on my the family's precious sleep.  And, not being the brighest tools in the shed, we also decided this would be the perfect time to transition Mad Dog from his crib to a bed.  I know, I know...not smart.  Needless to say, it was an ugly couple of weeks.  My son, who was a pretty great sleeper...was out of bed a hundred times, would finally fall asleep from sheer exhaustion, but would either wake in the middle of the night and/or get up at the crack of dawn.  He was cranky and frankly, so was I. 

I knew I needed help when I was actually dreading going home from work and dealing with the never-ending bed time routine night-after-night.  So, I did what every mother would do...cried for help from my Facebook "friends."  It was either that or military school. 

Shockingly, I received over 25 comments.  For one, I felt better knowing this was a normal part of toddler development and secondly, because they truly did save the day!  I took all their advice but nothing worked as well as this glorious invention...

Let me introduce you to The Good Nite Lite.  Where was this in the 2,000 parenting/sleep books I read? 

In a nutshell, the night light is a softly glowing blue moon through the night which turns into a sun in the morning.  You can pre-set the times you want your child to go to sleep and when its okay to get up in the morning.  The first night, he was excited to get a new night light, kissed it goodnight and went to sleep.  (Note...this light isn't that good.  While we were waiting for the light to arrive, we did use some of the other advice we got (if you want it, let me know!), I just think this light sealed the deal!)

He woke up at 5 am the next morning and started screaming.  I used the intercom on his monitor (whatever, I didn't feel like walking up the stairs) to softly explain that he couldn't come down until the sun came up.  Although he did cry for a bit, he FELL BACK TO SLEEP!  The next day and ever since, he has been going to sleep without any issues and when he wakes up he chats/sings until the light turns yellow.  I can't help but smile when I hear him say, "Mommy, it turned yellow and orange, come get me!"  I am going to try and set it for 10 am on the weekends and see what happens...just kidding!

So, there is something to be said about it taking a village to raise kids.  I guess, as we enter 2010, the village now equals Facebook.  Whatever, I'll take it!

Sometimes (and I mean sometimes), husbands know best!

At some point over the weekend, I was sitting on the bed, rattling off all of the reasons I was worried about the trip to Michigan for Thankgiving weekend.  Since the hubs has been listening to me worry/obsess/re-obsess for 10+ years, I can really never tell if he is listening, in agreement or just generally thinks I'm nuts.  While I am pretty sure it is the latter, that didn't stop me from badgering him with question after question...where will Mad-Dog sleep now that he is in a big bed?  What if the fridge is too stuffed and I can't bring all of Lulu Belle's gluten free food?   What if Lulu-Belle doesn't sleep in the car?  What if Mad Dog doesn't nap?  What if, what if, what if...

My darling husband, just looked at me and said, "Don't Spend Your Whole Life Worrying About Your Whole Life." 

Well, there.

Be Fri and St Ends Forever

I don't have a sister, but what I do have is pretty darn close!  WMZ and I have been friends since we were 2 (with naked pictures to prove it) and have been through it all together -  fun times, sad times and plenty of adolescent-angst to go around.  At some point during our 30 years of friendship, we layed side-by-side on the carpet in the back of her mom's station wagon and made plans for our future, sounding something like..."when we grow up, we will marry best friends"...

Does this dream ever come true?  Well in our case, IT WILL!  One of my best friends is going to marry one of my husbands best friends -- you don't get any better than that!  Well, unless we live next door to each other with white picket fences and a underground tunnel so we can come and go as we please and...

Her pending nuptuals have got me thinking about my high school.  I married someone from HFHS, as did my brother and my husbands brother.  Now WMZ will too.  Aside from the four of us, I can count 12 other couples.  That is 16 total, and there are probably more.  I wonder if other high schools are as incestual as ours?  Must have been something in the water...

Congratulations and I can't wait to share this joyful time with you!  Welcome to the world of hockey wives!

Precious Memories Never Die

I had the pleasure of watching one of my oldest friends get married this weekend.  As she walked down the aisle, I couldn't help but remember the day we met and how I knew instantly, at 8 years old, that we would be friends forever.  Her wedding was special -- not only because she found her soul mate -- but because I could see the happiness and love in her eyes.  What more could I ask for?

This joyful occasion also gave me the chance to re-connect with my camp friends.  These visits, while never often/long enough, are the times I crave and look forward to more than most anything in the world.  Being with these women, still, after all these years, instantly transports me back to some of the happiest, care-free times in my life.  There is something so special about my summer sisters.  We pick up right where we left off, no matter how much time has passed. 

Posie's wedding also gave me the chance to spend time with an old counselor and camp sisters (who, by the way, have grown into such beautiful women.  I felt like a proud mommy...even though they were only a few years younger than me.)  If you went to camp, you would understand!  Whenever I spend time with my camp friends, it makes me want to pick up and move to be closer to them, closer to the memories. 

More than anything, now that I have a little girl, I hope/pray/dream she gets to experience this, well, magic!

To My Better Half

Today is our 4th wedding anniversary.  Ok, so I know it isn't the BIGGEST milestone, but it is to us.  A lot has happened in four years, including the birth of our two beautiful kids, which has tested our love more than we could have imagined and solidified our love more than we could have imagined.  So, happy anniversary to my, absolutely, without question, better half.  Here is why I continue to love you more and more everyday:

10.  Your jokes, the ones I have been hearing since high school, still make me laugh.  While I might not let you see it all the time and act annoyed, you can always make me smile!

9.  You always seem to know the right thing to say to make me feel better or put things in perspective. 

8.  You are kind and loyal.  I know it and so do your legions of friends who would do anything for you.

7.  You watch TV on mute, even when I go to sleep at 8:15 p.m.  But, when I can't sleep and turn on the TV with the sound, you are ok with it (or at least pretend to be!)

6.  You love my parents and brother like your own.  And, you would do anything for your parents and brothers!  It is another example of your devotion to family and I couldn't ask for more.

5.  You work so hard to provide for our family.  I know I take it for granted, but I want you to know I appreciate all your efforts, including the dreaded budget.

4.  You like to spa, go on "do nothing," fancy vacations, gamble, go out to dinner (and order dessert), watch HGTV, bum on the couch for hours and do fun stuff with the kids -- all the things I love to do.  Ok, so you don't like shopping, but I can live with that!

3.  You don't sweat the small stuff and always think before you speak/act.  I admire this about you so much.

2.  There is NO better Dad in the world.  My heart fills with love when I think about you with our children.  Your devotion to our famliy is evident and amazing!  

1.  You put up with me...all of me.  I know that I don't always make life easy and worry about things you didn't even realize people worried about -- but never a day goes by that I question your love and devotion.

Happy anniversary to the best husband in the world!