bountifulplate

My daughter is halfway to her 16th  birthday.  When she was younger, I wanted to do everything for her. I treated her like she was made of glass.  I would give the other  kids a hard time on the playground if they weren't nice to her. I'll never forget when she was in second or third grade she told me, "I'm not going to call you mommy anymore, I'm going to call you mom."  It made me a little sad, but I got over it.  I was so tied into her that when she went to preschool at age 4, I would stare at the clock, waiting for her to come home from school.  My world at the time revolved around taking care of  her.  What I wouldn't give now for a day with 25 hours in it! As she's gotten older, I've had to learn to distance myself somewhat.  It's a slippery slope, you want to help, but how much is too much?   When she had to do a project making a lighthouse in elementary school, we went to the hobby store and bought some supplies.  When ...

I am a person who likes to be in control, I readily admit it.  Well, on  the Monday before Thanksgiving, I definitely was not in control!  I unexpectedly ended up spending the night in the hospital.  I thought I was taking good care of myself, I've been walking two miles a day/five days a week  for about 8 years or so.  I've also been trying to watch my diet more closely.  I had noticed that about the past six weeks I was getting short of breath while walking.  I  thought  maybe it's because I was trying to talk too much at the same time I was walking (I do have a big mouth sometimes)!   I also had been having some chest pain (during those six weeks), but thought it was because I am usually trying to do two or more things at the same time.  I was at the hospital that Monday morning  for a Stress Test and Echocardiogram.  I was scheduled for those tests because  towards the end of  October when I donated bloo...

This Saturday (November 26) has a special significance for me.  My beloved cousin that passed away  in March would have been 50.  She left behind so many people that struggle with the loss.  My cousin was one of  a  twin and she also has a younger brother.   My aunt (her mom) is one of the many people that loved and adored my cousin.  I have written about my "Auntie" before.   She was married to my mom's brother.  My aunt took care of her husband and at the same time helped to take care of my 101-year old grandmother until both of them passed away.  She and I talk a lot about what it is like to be the "caregivers"  in our families.   My aunt and I  have a really tight bond and we are incredibly close.  I cherish my relationship with her.  She has been a good sounding board for me and I hope that I have been the same for her.  She has been one of my son's biggest supporters through all of his c...

We recently had my stepson  fly in to town to visit.  He is an adult and on his own, but we always welcome him  back into the "fold"  when he comes.  We would love to see him more, but he is so busy with his job that we're happy for whatever time we have him.  We were lucky this time to be able to have him with us for four days.  We never know from visit to visit when we'll see him again, so we always try to make his visits a good time.  I have known him since he was 6.  He will be 28 in January!  As the saying goes,  time really does fly by.  He wasn't in our house five minutes before I was asking him if he would like something to eat!  I had a sandwich on the kitchen table for him within 15 minutes.  I love cooking and baking for him (I always have).  He appreciates it so much and always gives me  the best compliments!  How could I not want to feed him??   We made him an early Thanksgiving d...

Hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is almost here.  It kind of bums me out that the day after Halloween all the Christmas and holiday decorations start coming out full tilt!  What about Thanksgiving??  It kind of seems like the forgotten holiday because it's wedged in between Halloween and Christmas.  Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks for all that you have.  When you don't have a lot, it's sometimes hard to find something to be thankful for.  When you have a lot, it's easy to forget to be thankful for what you have.  One of the many things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving is the incredible opportunity I have been given by MomsEveryday.com.  There are so many "mom" websites out there in the Blogosphere.  I have found their website to always  be positive, encouraging and nurturing.   I am thankful for my loving family and  friends.  This will be our first Thanksgiving without my mother-in-law.  I know that...

I looked up in the dictionary recently what the word "special" means.  The first definition I saw was, "out of the ordinary."  I was thinking, well, that certainly describes my son.  He is anything but ordinary!   Ordinary means something that is the same.  Wouldn't the world be a boring place if everyone was the same??   I had to hear that our son was "below average" several times at his recent IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting in October.  The IEP is an annual meeting with usually the child's teacher, social worker, psychologist, speech therapist and the parents to discuss the special education services your child gets through the school system.  We were getting results of the many tests that were administered to get his current "performance"  level.    I had to hear that our little guy was extremely "below average", well "below average" and  that his language impairment was "profound."  I am r...

One thing I have tried my hardest to be throughout my life is a positive person.  The past year and half for my family has been a roller coaster ride.  I felt at times that I was in the front seat just flying at warp speed down the tracks.  Around this time last year,  my mother-in-law, daughter and son were all in the hospital in the same week!  I knew when the nurses and doctors started to recognize us in the Emergency Room that maybe we were there a little too much.  What I am realizing as I get older is no one goes through their life without at least one serious challenge.  It's how you handle those challenge(s) and how you come out on the other side is what separates the positive people from the negative people.  You can choose to let life's challenges weigh you down or you can choose to look at the positive side and learn from those challenges.  Negative people to me are just "toxic."  Life is way too short to waste time on negativ...

The title of this post is what I overheard an elderly  woman say about me when I visited my mother-in-law one time in Cleveland.  There were a trio of ladies that would hang out by the lobby and watch the people go in and out of the assisted living facility my mother-in-law lived in for about a year.  Those ladies would comment on everyone coming in and out, they really didn't have much of a "filter."  I didn't get too bummed out, because I walk 2 miles, 5 days a week, so I think my legs looked okay.  Later on though, it did make me wonder, what is my fashion style? Back when I was  in high school,  the style was bell bottom pants and platform shoes.  The "Izod" shirt was popular and something that I wanted all through high school, but never got!  I just wore whatever was comfortable, not paying a whole lot of attention to the current style.   I only went to college for a handful of semesters before I started working and going to co...

My husband will be 60 next year  and I will be 49.  Being parents of three children so many years apart from each other we have heard just about every comment there is.  When a couple of girls in their late teens came to our house to buy one of  our cars a few years ago they were admiring a picture of the two younger "kids" we had in the hallway.  One of the girls remarked, "are those your grandchildren?"  I started giggling until I realized that would make me "grandma!!!"  I am certainly old enough to be my son's grandmother, but not to be my daughter's grandma.  When my husband went about a month or so to an eye doctor appointment, one of the technicians asked my husband if he was "retired."  He told her, "no, I have a seven year old."  He came home and said that  had took the wind right out of his sails. My husband exercises every day, does yoga and eats very healthy.  Some of my friends have already retired from the workfor...