Change

August 29, 2012

Today is Sweetly Six’s first day of First Grade. I can’t even believe that I just wrote that! Holy Moly. Geez Louise. The HOTY (Husband Of The Year for new readers) and I are so incredibly blessed with a happy, healthy and well adjusted daughter. She weathered all of the changes that came with my FBC (f-bomb breast cancer for new readers) like a champ. In fact, throughout my illness and treatment, she was a consistent inspiration full of Silver Linings. The last two days, she has had Nerve Bugs about moving into First Grade. It’s a big change: new classroom, new teachers, new students, longer days, more structure, less play, more work. Uhhhhh, yes. We’ve worked hard, though, on creating a smooth transition and this is how we’ve done it: I believe that the first step for a smooth transition into 1st grade starts at home. The HOTY and …

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Eleven is a Very Good Number

August 23, 2012

Today is a very Silver Lined day because the HOTY (Husband Of The Year…three years running!) and I are celebrating our 11th Wedding Anniversary. 11 years. Wow. I can’t believe that I just wrote that. A decade +1. I’ve been trying to get my head around this number for some time because it’s just so hard to believe. Why? Well, because time has flown. And the best part is that I’m as happy today as I was the day that we were married. We’ve been through so much together. Four kids. Two dogs. Five moves. Employment. Retirement. Birth. Death. Travel Adventure. Oh, and pesky FBC. I never cease to be amazed by the HOTY. Truly. I often look at him and think, “Wow. How the f-bomb did I get so lucky?!?” To me, a wedding anniversary is the opportunity to celebrate all that goes into a marriage. When I think about …

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Happy Tooth Fairy Day!

August 22, 2012

Happy Tooth Fairy Day! Oh yes it is…well, actually, some people celebrate it on February 28th and other people celebrate it on August 22nd, but we’re clearly in the August contingent. Despite the fact that Sweetly Six has only lost two teeth at the ripe old age of 6 1/2, we are ALL ABOUT the Tooth Fairy. As I’m sure you already know, for hundreds of years people have shared mystical legends, stories, and traditions about the loss of baby teeth. The early Europeans buried children’s teeth so witches and evil spirits couldn’t use them for voodoo. The Vikings believed that children’s teeth had magical powers that could help them fight in battle. They would pay their children for their lost baby teeth and string them onto necklaces and other jewelry. Did I ever tell you how much I love trivia?!? Oh and apparently, the Tooth Fairy is an international traveler, …

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The Honest Company

July 16, 2012

I’m super excited about The Honest Company founded by Actress Jessica Alba and Chris Gavigan. The Honest Company is a fantastic collection of completely toxic-free household cleaning goods, diapers and wipes. The company is all about support, from delivering the products direct to your doorstep on a reliable schedule, to making their services customizable and affordable, to providing educational and community-building opportunities. It is so great. I love their incredible health and sustainability standards: Reduce the ubiquitous presence of toxic chemicals in our our natural environment (air, soil, oceans, etc), man-made environments (homes, schools, offices) and our personal environments (industrial pollution inside our own bodies); Protect natural resources by minimizing waste and maximizing use/re-use; Support peace, security, and social justice; and, Promote diversity and productivity through all facets of life – from cultural to ecological. The Honest Family Essential Bundle ($36) includes skin and hair care products plus laundry detergent and hand soap. …

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Parenting 101

June 19, 2012

We just returned home from our family vacation to Yosemite (more on that later). It was the kind of vacation where we all were together 24/7. It is the kind of vacation that I happen to look forward to and always end up loooooooving, even though I come home exhausted! Anyhoo, as I was going through what felt like gazillions of emails (thanks to the sketchy WiFi service) there was a blog post waiting in my inbox from Leo Babauta of zen habits. I always love seeing notes from him in my inbox. They feel so personal, as if they are written to me personally. Now, I know that’s not the case. They just feel so personal because zen habits ALWAYS strikes a chord (more like an orchestra!) with me. His blog posts inspire me in a big, big way because he writes simply and accessibly. You know, kind of like, …

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Happy Mother’s Day

May 13, 2012

Being a Mother is the greatest honor and privilege of my life. There is no greater gift or Silver Lining in the world! Wishing you all a joyous Mother’s Day! This Mary Oliver poem speaks to me on this beautiful, love-filled day.

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Must-Do Manners

March 28, 2012

Manners and kindness are big in our house. I like to think that I’m a pretty relaxed and flexible Momma in most areas, but there are no if’s, and’s or but’s when it comes to being kind and using manners. Having spent a fair amount of time at Sweetly Six’s school this year, I am amazed (aghast is a better description!) by how few children consistently use manners (and it’s not for lack of effort by her wonderful teacher!). I am forever reminding kids to say, “Please” and “Thank You” at school. Why are they so important to me, you ask? Well, I believe that at the heart of good manners is a respect for oneself and others. Good manners convey a sense of respect for the sensibilities of other people. I believe that the acquisition of basic manners is a two-way street. Children learn manners by consistent example. When …

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The New Girls in Town

February 26, 2012

For 3 days after my surgery, my new “breasts” (it still feels weird to call them that because they aren’t real breasts, so from here on out I’ll refer to them as “The Girls”) were wrapped up like mummies. Friday was the big “unveiling.” For the past year, our daughter, a/k/a Sweetly Six has been asking to meet my doctors. My plastic surgeon is a super guy and the timing was finally right to take her to an appointment. No, she didn’t watch the reveal. More on that shortly. She was THRILLED to be included. Absolutely thrilled. As I’ve been saying since the time of my diagnosis, including children in as much of the process as possible is a gift not only to the children but to the whole family! Prior to the appointment, I suggested that Sweetly Six write down her list of questions. As I’ve mentioned, it’s always good to …

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9 Essential Things Kids Need to Learn

February 20, 2012

I recently came across this blog post written by Leo Babauta on Zen Habits and loved it. Goose bump kind of love. So much so that I just had to share it with you! Leo Babauta believes that “kids in today’s school system are not being prepared well for tomorrow’s world.” Uhhhhh, yeaaaaaah. I couldn’t agree more, especially when it seems as if “teaching to the test” is omnipresent (Grrrrr). Babauta wonders, then, “how to prepare our kids for a world that is unpredictable, unknown? By teaching them to adapt, to deal with change, to be prepared for anything by not preparing them for anything specific.” I love this philosophy!

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Caring for Children Throughout the Cancer Trajectory

February 9, 2012

For some unknown and yucky reason, this has been an extraordinarily difficult period for friends of mine who are facing the death of very young women (sisters, mothers and grandmothers) in their lives. There really are no words to describe the sadness of death period, but especially so early in life. It’s just one big, fat f-bomb. Many people have been asking for the “How To” tips for talking & being with children during this difficult period of time. So, for that reason, I thought that I would post a recap of how to talk with children, from the time of diagnosis through the death and funeral. If a Silver Lining can be found it is that there are indeed tools to help adults help children through this incredibly difficult period. Explaining Cancer to Children Saying Goodbye to a Loved One After the Death and Funeral If there are any additional questions that you …

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